So I cut down my free foods and . . .

[MrsBabyCakes]

I keep an eye on my free foods such as potatoes, rice and pasta, and ALWAYS weigh them, despite the 'you can eat as much as you want' claim. Its my opinion that these carbs need to be eaten freely but with CAUTION. I know that with myself, and my thyroid problems I could not eat tons of them, and lose weight , it wont happen. I also after lots of research believe that as our metabolism slows down as we get older we dont process these carbs as easily. I think a bit of trial and error certainly is the way to go. Also try having 5 small meals instead of 3 large meals a day, and watch your portions!

 

[charlottegrace1]

I'm currently eating a packet of Rivita Mini's (5.5syns or 1 HEx B for anyone that's interested ) and there is 12 in here and I refuse to leave 2!!

But yeah I'll give it a go

You could save the 2 from each packet and then you would have a free packet for every 5 you eat giving you 10 mouthfulls lol.

 

[BritMumInCanada]

I think if the weight is coming off, then trust the diet, if the weight has come to a halt for more than a few weeks, then it might be an idea to total up what you have eaten for the day, just to see if you can pinpoint where you might be going over if your consultant has not been very helpful.

 

[charlottegrace1]

I think if the weight is coming off, then trust the diet, if the weight has come to a halt for more than a few weeks, then it might be an idea to total up what you have eaten for the day, just to see if you can pinpoint where you might be going over if your consultant has not been very helpful.

Quite agree hun, but its a bit more difficult for those going alone, they only have us to help out. Maybe its a good idea for those finding it difficult to use the diary thread to post their food and then at least they can get some feed back from us if we spot something amiss. I think those that do use the diary thread regularly seem to have nice steady weight loss without much bother. They do say its one of the best tools for helping with weight loss.

 

[TeresaTT]

I've lost half a pound this week but after checking how many calories I've had on a couple of typical days this week, I don't see how I lost at all. On one day I had over 1500 calories and another I had over 2000. I also saved 30 syns for alcohol at the weekend but didn't go over 105 for the week. I probably had way over 2000 calories on that day. For my height, age and weight I need about 1700 to maintain my weight and if I want to lose a pound a week I need to have 1200 calories. I've not exercised much this week and my average calories per day are probably closer to 1700. I suppose that half a pound is well within a normal weight fluctuation but I'm still persistently losing weight as time goes by despite having a calorie intake close to that needed to maintain my weight.

Somehow, despite a high calorie intake, I'm still losing weight. Although I'm not surprised that it's such slow going.

All I can say is believe in the plan.

 

[Roz V]

Hi Rosie - just to say that Hubby and I took your suggestion to look at the amount of 'FREE' food we were eating, and, as well as changing things around a bit and not doing EE every day (Reds instead!) we BOTH lost 3lbs last night!

Hubby reckons that we'd slipped into EXTRA Extra Easy over the months, so going back to some Red days was a bit of a jolt, but mainly cutting right down on our 'FREE' items was the key, such as less fruit, less FF yogurt, homemade free soup instead of the Mug Shots that I think we're addicted to, and a lot more variety in general.

Unbelievably, we also had 2 Toby meals out last week as well - thank goodness their offer ends this week - but we did cut back on the amount of vegetables we had there as well. (I counted 10 syns for the dinner to cover gravy, horseradish, cranberry sauce and whatever they put on the veg, had no roast pots and no Yorkshire pud. and a further 20 syns for the ice cream sundae - does that sound about right folks?).

I've also gone back to keeping a food diary - as others have said elsewhere, that is also a worthwhile discipline - I particularly liked the "write before you bite" comment!!!

And to commit ourselves even more, we're going to join Gym4All at the beginning of March - we told our Group that last night and I'm telling you all on here, so we can't wriggle out of it now!

It's the first time for AGES that I've felt this positive, so thank you all for all the help and advice, particularly on this thread, and thanks again to Rosie for starting it - here are 2 people you have directly helped!

 

[Lisaberry]

I'm so glad this thread is here...the amount of times I have had to bite my tongue in class when my (morbidly obese, and I only include this as i'm not sure how you can promote something you cant do yourself) leader has said things....for instance she suggested buying a big bag of pudding rice, making it up, mixing with muller light, keeping it in the fridge and havng a bowful when you fancy it. It's 'free' so of course it's a good idea!! Now me, I have a second stomach for sweet things so reckon I could polish off something like that pretty quickly...I dread to think of the damage I could do!

When I was close to target last time and finding it IMPOSSIBLE I said that obviously I need to cut down on the amount I was eating. My leader said that it wasn't true....sw says you can eat free foods freely and lose weight and therefore that was not the problem!

 

[Lisaberry]

I've also gone back to keeping a food diary - as others have said elsewhere, that is also a worthwhile discipline - I particularly liked the "write before you bite" comment!!!
QUOTE]

I agree! you have to write it down before you eat it or its not really making you think!

Time for me to start doing that I think!!!

 

[Going2be*fab*at40]

I'm so glad this thread is here...the amount of times I have had to bite my tongue in class when my (morbidly obese, and I only include this as i'm not sure how you can promote something you cant do yourself) leader has said things....for instance she suggested buying a big bag of pudding rice, making it up, mixing with muller light, keeping it in the fridge and havng a bowful when you fancy it. It's 'free' so of course it's a good idea!! Now me, I have a second stomach for sweet things so reckon I could polish off something like that pretty quickly...I dread to think of the damage I could do!

When I was close to target last time and finding it IMPOSSIBLE I said that obviously I need to cut down on the amount I was eating. My leader said that it wasn't true....sw says you can eat free foods freely and lose weight and therefore that was not the problem!

Lisaberry,
OK, so I may get shot down in flames...but...I couldn't agree more.
I love slimming world because of the focus on eating a great balanced diet, encouraging us all to ditch the processed food and cook healthy meals for the whole family...but...it does appear (to me) that there should be some focus on portion control.

I have calorie counted in the past and successfully lost 5stone and kept it off - however, an injury (and depression) over the last four years saw it all go back. I joined slimming world as I wanted group support and can honestly say that it was the best thing that I did, however, from past experience, I do think that I need to be mindful of how much I eat (this is for me and not necessarily true for everyone).

I felt awkward at group this week - as I won slimmer of the week, I was asked what worked and I said..portion control...aaarrgghhh!!!!!!

 

[squiddie]

I may get butchered for this but here we go. In the books and on the site etc., it does say "everything in moderation". One of the reasons I love SW and I've said this before, is that you can carry on eating with a big appetite whilst learning new habits and re-training your brain.

Everyone's body is different, we all have different motabiolisms so different things work for different people it's all about listening to your body and knowing when it's hungry and it's full.

Years (and sometimes decades) of bad habits are really hard to shake, but there is no diet in the world that wil llet you eat the way you always have and lose weight, because if that worked you wouldn't be overweight! Swapping things around and making variations on the way you eat is all that is needed.

 

[mumtheshopper]

When I was close to target last time and finding it IMPOSSIBLE I said that obviously I need to cut down on the amount I was eating. My leader said that it wasn't true....sw says you can eat free foods freely and lose weight and therefore that was not the problem!

Mine said that and that it must be the bites of things I'm not writing down. well excuse me, I'm not saying I'm never guilty of this, but I know for a fact this last 2 weeks, I absolutely haven't! Because I am so fed up and determined!! She even told me to increase my food intake so I wouldn't be tempted!! Well I would always be tempted no matter what my food intake, but I absolutely wasn't

 

[mumtheshopper]

Well, after two stayed the sames, I lost 1lb. Only 1lb, but a lb at last!!! I followed SW completely, but also counted my cals, allowing myself 1200 plus whatever I earnt in the gym. I hope this continues to work. Thing is I'm going away this weekend, so won'yt be able to calorie count. Will stick to SW as much as is possible while eating out, and I'm hoping for plenty of Body Magic!!

 

[fleur]

I've found this a fascinating thread to read as this is my first day back on SW.

I've tried SW several times before but must confess that I'm one of those people who can take the idea of 'free' food to extremes, LOL.

On this restart though, I've had stern words with myself about that. I'm planning to do my very best to eat 'slim person' size portions, and on the days that I'm extra hungry, to load up my dinner plate with extra vegetable.

Having said all that, I think some of us need the flexibility of being able to eat free foods freely at times. To take that away would surely increase the chances of full on binges (on foods that are most definitely not free food, LOL). That you can sometimes eat more than you need but at the same time, not feel as though you've blown it, is probably vital to the success of SW as a diet - and our own success on the diet.

I also realise that this thread has gone off track from its original idea - that as we near goal, we also need to consider calories more - and agree that it would be really helpful if SW offered a bit more in the way of advice about how best to do this. Getting near goal seems such a long way away at the moment though. :sigh:

 

[Brightonrosie]

Years (and sometimes decades) of bad habits are really hard to shake, but there is no diet in the world that wil llet you eat the way you always have and lose weight, because if that worked you wouldn't be overweight! Swapping things around and making variations on the way you eat is all that is needed.

Ah but that assumes that the dietary intake was poor in the first place. I have always cooked food from scratch,bought low fat options, eaten loads of fruit and veg had a take away maximum once a month etc so when i joined slimming world there was very little for me to change other than weighing out my meat and fish on a green day and ensuring I stuck to the milk allowance. My weight has come off incredibly slowly probably due to the fact my diet didn't change dramatically. So for me it is now time to reduce my portion size or continue to stay the same weight. x

 

[Roz V]

Years (and sometimes decades) of bad habits are really hard to shake, but there is no diet in the world that wil llet you eat the way you always have and lose weight, because if that worked you wouldn't be overweight! Swapping things around and making variations on the way you eat is all that is needed.

Hi Squiddie - NONE of us are suggesting for a moment that we're trying to eat the 'way we always have'. Of course we wouldn't lose weight, and I'm sure I speak for everyone in saying I wouldn't WANT to, I LOVE Slimming World, and have a far better and healthier diet than I ever did.

I'm sure that some people CAN get to Target by eating as much free food as they like, as well as their syns. We all know the phrase 'in moderation', but, with me, it was a case of 'it's free, so it MUST be OK, but I now know that it isn't going to work this time.

Maybe 'portion control' isn't in the SW vocabulary, but, for SOME of us it is essential!

 

[StripedDaisy]

Ah but that assumes that the dietary intake was poor in the first place. I have always cooked food from scratch,bought low fat options, eaten loads of fruit and veg had a take away maximum once a month etc so when i joined slimming world there was very little for me to change other than weighing out my meat and fish on a green day and ensuring I stuck to the milk allowance. My weight has come off incredibly slowly probably due to the fact my diet didn't change dramatically. So for me it is now time to reduce my portion size or continue to stay the same weight. x

I couldn't agree more with this. I am convinced that this is my problem and I am worried about cutting down any more for fear of my metabolism going into starvation mode. With my hand on my heart, I have stopped all cheating, I eat very healthily and less in volume/calories than my 17 year-old, 8 stone, size 6 daughter whose favourite activity is lying down watching tv.

I know someone will read this and think I must cheat and put it out of my mind, but I am a very focussed person who doesn't want to cheat myself. Frankly, I wonder if I need to try a different regime altogether.

 

[Sophi]

Ah but that assumes that the dietary intake was poor in the first place. I have always cooked food from scratch,bought low fat options, eaten loads of fruit and veg had a take away maximum once a month etc so when i joined slimming world there was very little for me to change other than weighing out my meat and fish on a green day and ensuring I stuck to the milk allowance. My weight has come off incredibly slowly probably due to the fact my diet didn't change dramatically. So for me it is now time to reduce my portion size or continue to stay the same weight. x

Thats exactly the same for me.I love cooking and experimenting,and I love healthy foods like lentils,beans,unusual vegetables etc,my only vice was chocolate and thats what made me put on weight.After keeping an eye on my calories this week I've lost 2lb,so I think this is definitely the way I need to keep going.I really do wish I could not worry about the calories and snack on fruit inbetween meals,but it just wont work.
Yet my mum who has 5 stone to lose has lost 18lb in the time its taken me to lose 4,by sticking to the slimming world diet(and even having extra treats!)
I do think it is mainly for people who have quite a bit to lose,people who dont would be very lucky to eat unlimited free foods and still lose weight.I'm surprised slimming world haven't adjusted it so smaller people have less syns/smaller portions etc. My consultant told me I could have 15syns,and as much free food as I want,and that I must not have been drinking enough water/writing everything down,I'm not sure why not once did she think maybe I was eating too much,even if it was free food.

 

[charlottegrace1]

I am in total agreement as I have already said on this thread about portion control etc BUT, can I just ask, have the people who are not loosing the weight as they want to, cut back on their syns allowance at all? Just wondered. I did and it didn't make any difference to me, counting the calories in the meat, pasta/rice/tatties is whats got my weight shifting again. I am still eating the SW foods etc but watching the calories. I do have the calorie intake though suitable for my height and weight which is around 1750 so I certainly don't starve. All I know is this is working for me.

 

[charliebecca]

ive started to calorie count too! and i lost a pound last week after losing nothing for 4!!! Stil sticking within my syn allowence but now if i feel i want something a bit extra of a flexible syn, i know i wont get away with it and make up for it on the exercise bike. I defo think SW is really good for free food who in the past have eaten a rather un healthy diet and alot of it. Prime example me and my friend both started at the same time. She weighs about 8 stone more than me and has lost nearly 2 in 6 weeks and ive lost 6 lbs. She says that she ocasionally cheats and barely exercises... im eatting more or less what i did before the diet expect im changing the way i cook such as frylight, and watching the amount of oils and cheese i use. Even though it would be cheaper for me to just start calories counting and ditch SW, as mentioned before on other threads, SW is an easy way of distinquishing foods that are better for us than others and we dont really have to relgiously weigh, which we would with say WW. Plus the added weigh in once a week is defo a psychological boost. I attempted to do a solely Kcal counting over the years and always jack it in after a few weeks. this keeps me motivated

 

[squiddie]

Of course I'm not saying that your habits were bad before, but there's a reason you're overweight and/or been unsuccessful at losing weight in the past and I include myself in this. Just a general observation.

Also, yes there is a lot of emphasis on 'eat as much as you want' but as I've said many times before, SW does also say everything in moderation which translates to portion control. It just may not be as obvious. Maybe they should bump it a bit more!!

I hope I'm not coming off as the baddy, just a couple of things I've notice, of those who have been around for a while know I am a great believer in whatever works for you - then that's fantastic, congratulations!

If cutting you're free food works - and you can maintain it then that is fabulous, I just don't want people to rush into 'adapting the plan' because they had one bad week is all. I think anyone who wants to do something about their weight is mighty brave and good luck to them