Tweaking the plan

[Cheekypasterfield]

The only thing I tweak is bread, eg white/seeded and call it a HEB. Now I do this a) my family on eat white bread so it gets expensive buying two loads and wasteful b) Im pregnant so don't fret too much if it effects my weight.

I did once express this to a newbie but I did say 'personally' therefore owning it and did not advise her to do it.

I totally agree about tweaking obvious syn valued food ie cooked fruit and would never advise someone to do it .

I do think if you are a tweaker you need to beware about giving advice, especially as its written. You need to make it clear it is your own choice not within the SW plan.

 

[Lexie_dog]

I once said that a crushed banana on ryvita/toast was my breakfast and I hadn't synned it.

This led to a whole raft of "you have to syn it" vs "I was eating the whole banana anyway so what difference does it make"

I suppose in the area of bananas I'm a tweaker.

I dont puree, juice, or mash fruit/bananas any other time. I usually syn everything else. I dont make cous cous cake, lasagne crisps etc

So to be honest one banana mashed on my toast a couple of times a MONTH isn't going to kill me.

Now, the reason that on this or any other plan I would tweak would be because yes we want to see results, but life is for living too. You do have accept a certain amount of responsibility though, you must state that "its not the way to do things, works for me but might bite you in the bum" and that when your losses start to slow then something is usually wrong with your interpretation of the plan.

I've seen people on all plans tweak/exploit the rules to a degree but one tweak may become many, and its a slippery slope trying to retrain bad habits.

 

[eternity]

I like to read what everyone does as tweaks and I'm intelligent enough to decide whether to do it myself or not. For everyone who admits to any particular tweak, there'll be 10 others who still do the tweak but don't 'admit to it.
I tweak the plan by cooking fruit sometimes by putting my berries in the microwave, or chopoing my apple and cooking it in my porridge. My particular favourite is a banana micro'd for a short time and served with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon. I'm making it clear now that I'm not advising anyone else to do it, but really everyone knows that I'm not doing that anyway. They are all adults.
I would be very sad if people were unable to talk freely on here.
Also, as well as being 100%, we have to make the plan palatable/livable and enjoyable.

 

[Anne2705]

I'm afraid if I don't stick to the plan 100% it dosent work for me so no tweaking here ?

 

[Anne2705]

I'm afraid if I don't stick to the plan 100% it dosent work for me so no tweaking here

 

[silly sausage]

yes but someone doing a confessional type thread stating they tweaked the plan and didnt lose weight doesnt quite give across the same message as someone replying to a thread where someone has asked "why is cooked fruit synned?" with "oh I don't bother synning cooked fruit and still lose weight".

I did this.

This is not SW's official website, it is a public forum on which people post about their weight loss journeys. Warm fruit works for me and I am happy to share this information. If people want to know the gospel according to SW, they should read a book or ask a SW consultant. I think newbies are smart enough to make up their own minds with the official information available.

I think people find out what works for them and sometimes tweak to suit their individual needs. If it works, there is nothing wrong with that. After all, this is the plan that would make me syn warm fresh strawberries, but would let me eat Mugshots for free.

 

[*Emsie*]

As much as I love it and have found ways of making it work for me I think sw can be very confusing to people and unfortunately not everyone can get their head round it and make it work for them. It seems there are a lot of new members at the moment and it would be a shame if any of them lost their way because they did something like not synning fruit because they have read that somebody else doesn't syn it and has good losses. We are all different and maybe some can get away with things but others can't. I appreciate the need for honesty too but do think we need to be careful what could be seen as advice we are giving to others

 

[jaylou]

What a great thread Britmum.

For the most part, I am a rule follower, it's the way I am. When SW said pasta quiche was no longer free, I stopped making it. If I add an apple to a casserole, I syn it. I don't make cous cous or chick pea cake.

However, there are things I don't do - If I have ONE banana on ryvita and it is sliced it's okay but if I mash said banana it's 4.5 syns?? Hmm, not sure I go with that so I don't syn it. It's one banana.

And I never measure my milk......

Each to their own but I think if the tweaks stopped then people's losses would be so much better!

 

[endgame]

I support the people advocating freedom of speech and in particular the person who said this is not the official SW site.It seems to me after nearly 2 years of reading posts that there is usually an intelligent discussion when tweaks are posted re pros and cons and it is vital that people can be honest here.
The idea that we would all conform without question to everything SW says doesn't appeal to me.I like to hear the debate and make up my own mind.

 

[blue*smartie]

When SW said pasta quiche was no longer free, I stopped making it.

My C has always told people to make it like that, as recently as last night Do you know if there something on the website that I can show her?

I will admit to tweaking the plan with my banana on toast. Personally, I cant see the difference between slicing it and mashing it into the bread a bit so the peices dont fall off

 

[mia_angel]

I dont tweak it, either do it properly or dont bother i say.

Whats the point, when im dieting i like to do it exactly right so i get to lose weight!

I think people think oh i can eat what i like, when in fact you cant and until you have read the updated books and whats on the websites you dont realise it can actually be quite strict which is a good thing

 

[MrsBabyCakes]

My C has always told people to make it like that, as recently as last night Do you know if there something on the website that I can show her?

I will admit to tweaking the plan with my banana on toast. Personally, I cant see the difference between slicing it and mashing it into the bread a bit so the peices dont fall off

I got SW to clarify this last year because I was confuse myself. They told me you could have it as part of a MAIN meal, with your 1/3 superfree, but could no longer use it as a SNACK!

I dont tweak, although I have to say, I really never did get the hot fruit thing.

The toast lady is perfect, if she is going to eat a banana anyway, what difference does it make if she mashes it. They told me is was because you might eat more than one. Surely in that case if you only baked ONE apple in one sitting, or only mashed ONE banana, that you would have eaten anyway, what difference would it really make. I do sometimes think it doesnt make sense. I dont eat cooked fruit, but I do loved baked apple, but dont want to be naughty,

The quiche arguement I agree with as it has pasta in it.

As a new member last year I have to say I was encouraged on occasion by other members to tweak the diet to suit me. I never did, but I think this is exactly what Brit mum was getting at. Its ok to tweak IF it works for you, but it shouldnt be quoted as gospel for the plan

 

[blue*smartie]

I got SW to clarify this last year because I was confuse myself. They told me you could have it as part of a MAIN meal, with your 1/3 superfree, but could no longer use it as a SNACK!

Thanks, thats how my C told us to eat it as well Was a bit worried that my favourite meal was no longer free for a moment then lol

 

[Stefanie]

I find this site very useful and has helped me enormously, I can't say enough good things about this site and it's members. But I also feel that the sw police need to recognise that we come here for support, not to be "told off" If I have went slightly off topic, it's probably down to a number of posts that have come up recently which have made me feel a bit demotivated.

I think as someone has said earlier it's freedom of speech. If someone says they tweak in a certain way and a newbie goes out and does that, I'm sorry but the responsibility lies with the newbie. The books/net are all there to be read through. How the newbie interprets that info is up to them. If they come on and say they are not losing weight, then we will still all be here for them regardless and help them through their journey because that is what we would expect back xx

 

[Ellellie]

I got SW to clarify this last year because I was confuse myself. They told me you could have it as part of a MAIN meal, with your 1/3 superfree, but could no longer use it as a SNACK!

I dont tweak, although I have to say, I really never did get the hot fruit thing.

The toast lady is perfect, if she is going to eat a banana anyway, what difference does it make if she mashes it. They told me is was because you might eat more than one. Surely in that case if you only baked ONE apple in one sitting, or only mashed ONE banana, that you would have eaten anyway, what difference would it really make. I do sometimes think it doesnt make sense. I dont eat cooked fruit, but I do loved baked apple, but dont want to be naughty,

The quiche arguement I agree with as it has pasta in it.

As a new member last year I have to say I was encouraged on occasion by other members to tweak the diet to suit me. I never did, but I think this is exactly what Brit mum was getting at. Its ok to tweak IF it works for you, but it shouldnt be quoted as gospel for the plan

You'll be happy to know that on the official website, a baked apple in the dessert recipe section is down as free on all plans!

Nom away! Xxx

 

[MrsBabyCakes]

Oooo Ellie NOM!!!

@stephanie I have to disagree to a certain extent on what you said. Personally if someone wants to tweak the plan, and it works, then go for it. I wont do it myself but, have no issues with someone doing it. Like you said freedom etc.

However I do think we need to accept a certain amount of responsibility for newcomers, if the tweaks are preached as gospel for the plan.

Now if a newbie has been doing the plan for some time, and knows the plan backwards, and then tweaks, well they are doing it then with the full knowledge of what they are doing. They are then making an informed choice.

The thing is newbies find it hard enough to get their heads round the plan, without retaining information that could potentially ruin their diet.

We cant give out the wrong information, and then accept no responsibility for it, its irresponsible and we cant blame the newbie for following someone else's wrong advice, as if saying tough luck ya shouldn't have listened to us then init..

 

[Stefanie]

@silvermaneuk - of course we need to give the right info as much as we can but responsibility to whom?? I come on here as a newbie 4 months ago. I looked at the information and I read my books. If I followed someones advice to tweak and I didn't lose weight....would I blame that person? Of course not. It is MY responsibility. I'm not a sheep, I have a mind of my own. If the newbie was given the wrong info by one person, 10 people would be right after them saying they shouldn't do it that way - it's how you understand the info and ultimately what you choose to do with it xx

 

[chocolate_bananas]

I think as someone has said earlier it's freedom of speech. If someone says they tweak in a certain way and a newbie goes out and does that, I'm sorry but the responsibility lies with the newbie. The books/net are all there to be read through. How the newbie interprets that info is up to them. If they come on and say they are not losing weight, then we will still all be here for them regardless and help them through their journey because that is what we would expect back xx

I agree!

I do tweak a little btw! If i mash a Dairylea light triangle into my scrambled eggs then i don't syn it

I know this week i have gained, and i know that it's because i havn't been 100% but that's my own fault. I wouldn't say i've tweaked a lot, i just havn't followed the plan correctly. Or are they the same thing? I'm confused now

 

[MrsBabyCakes]

@stef But that's the point I am trying to make hun, not everyone is good at understanding the plan, as obviously you are. I have seen countless posts where newbies have read the information and still not understood what they have read. I have read it, and totally understood it, the very first time I read, it, to me the plan is set out very clearly, and sometimes I am sat in awe when someone just doesn't get it, thinking 'why?'. What is easy to one person, is hard to another.

Whilst your not a sheep, and of course I applaud you for that, people will follow what other people do, you might say, well that's their tough luck and stupidity, if they do, but not everyone 'gets it' like we do.

I just think tweaks should be kept to our diary's, and not main posts. It should be made clear tweaks are not the norm, and are not part of the plan, and its not always made clear.

I have been here nearly a year and have been actively encouraged a couple of times to tweak my diet. I have chosen not to, but I was always made to feel like it was ok to do it, because they are SW rebels or whatever. I just think IMO we should set a good example to the newbies.

 

[BritMumInCanada]

I think everyone can admit to tweaking at some point.

I know I did in my early slimming world days, some things I was aware were not recommended and others I didn't have a clue where not allowed and to be honest if it wasn't for the people mentioning that actually these things are not part of the plan, I may well still of been doing it. I have also removed things from my blog or edited in the past too, when I discovered certain things were not free or things had changed. My weight loss definately wasn't as good at those times either and I could easily of thought I was sticking to the plan 100%.

I have had huge support from the online boards, doing slimming world alone with just the online resources is damn hard and I am glad that there are those people who say "no actually that isn't part of the Slimming World plan", because I certainly would not of lost the amount of weight I have. I would of most likely fallen off track a long time ago.

So I do think it is important that we try not encourage it to others. It is not about being SW police as someone has mentioned, we are all here to support each other, but encouraging others to do things off the plan, is not in my eyes supportive. But maybe that's just me.

This is not about telling off those who do chose to tweak, but we should say "no that isnt right", when we see others openly encouraging it, because it works for them.