Feeders’ Digest

 For those who view the other pages of Feeders’ Digest, you will be aware that i am currently on a weight loss plan created by Slimming World.  I’ve been following it for over 16 weeks now, i thought it was about time i introduced the ideas behind the diet and also the advantages and disadvantages of following it.

Brief Overview

The Slimming World diet works on the principle of Food Optimising. Each item of food is given a value based on:

• The foods’ energy density
• It’s health-giving properties
• It’s ability to satisfy the appetite quickly
• Ability to keep and maintain a feeling of fullness and peoples’ behavioural patterns                                                                  (Source)

Based on this analysis, foods are then catergories into three groups, Free Foods, Healthy Extras and Syns.

Free Foods

The first component of Food Optimising is Free foods. To ensure weight loss and optimal health, you are advised to pick most of your food from a exhaustive list of free foods.

Free foods can be eaten in unlimited quantities without the worry of keeping track of points or the counting of calories. Depending on whether you choose to follow a green or red day, the free foods you choose from differ greatly. 

Green Days

Food optimising on a green day means all your free foods come from foods such as pasta, rice, noodles, grains, pulses, tofu, quorn, eggs and fruit and vegetables (which are free on both days, apart from starchy vegetables like potatoes which you can in unlimited quanties on a green day, or as a Healthy Extra on a red day).

Red Days

Food optimising on a red days means your free foods include meat, poultry and game with all visible fat taken off (and also cooked with no fat/oil) fish, seafood, eggs, all fruits and vegetables (not the starchy types).

On both days as mentioned previously, fruit and vegetables are free foods (bar a few exceptions depending on the day you are following) but also you can have unlimited amounts of tea, water, coffee, sugar/fat-free versions of products such as fizzy drinks, yoghurt, salad dressings and some sauces for example sugar-free mint jelly, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and Tabasco . Salt, artificial sugar, herbs and spices can be used freely also.

One of the most important rules of food optimising, is that you pick whether you are following a green or red day and stick to it for the remainder of the day.

Slimming World has introduced 2 other choices for food optimisers to follow, which allows you the option to either have red and green meals on the same day or to speed up your weight loss (Mix2Match and Success Express), but i think it’s something that should only be considered once you are 100% clear on the basics on food optimising.

An note on fruit: It is important to point out that whilst raw fruit is free on both days, cooking them or pureeing them, will give them a syn value.

Healthy Extras

The second part of Food Optimising are Healthy Extras, which are foods that ensure you are getting your government recommended amount of nutrients and vitamins. Slimming World state that FO is ‘in line with all eight Government guidelines for healthy eating’. There are a wide variety of healthy extras you can pick.

Healthy extras are broken down into two categories, A and B choices.

Healthy Extras A choices come from foods that provide calcium (milk, yoghurt, cheese and some dairy alternatives.

Healthy Extras B choices come from bread, pulses and cereal and some other fibre rich foods which which change, depending what colour day you are following.

Syns

The last component of Food Optimising are Syns. Syns are Slimming World’s alternative to calorie counting. Each food item which isn’t a Free Food is given a value, which depending on the day you are following, can vary greatly. 

For example:

Batchelors Savoury Rice (Chinese flavour)  is free on a green day, but 21½syns on a red day.

You are recommended to consume between 5 and 15 syns a day and these can be used on anything you like, members can go online and check the syn values, or invest in a food directory which has all the values in. 

Exceeding the recommending number of syns, will definitely have a negative effect on your weight loss, but Slimming World encourages those who go over their syns, to remember the concept of Flexible Syns (where you allow yourself to increase the number of syns you are going to have that day, and stick to it rather than completely coming off plan)

Image Therapy

Image therapy stands for Individual Motivation and Group Experience, and  takes place for those who go to weekly classes.

Generally in IMAGE therapy:

1. The class begins with a round up of how everyone has done, and then you can choose to set yourself a mini target for the next week.
2. The slimmer of the week is announced alongside any awards for people who have received any awards (when you reach half st or st milestones and for reaching your club 10)
3. The consultant may let you know if there are any changes to syn values, if the new slimming world magazine out and if any new books have been published.
4. Class usually ends with the consultant going over some of the literature with the group or some small discussion on what people have tried over the week.

Lifeline Online

Lifeline online is the members section of the slimming world website. This is password protected and if you attend group, the consultant will alert you to the new password, which is changed every week.

With free access to lifeline online, you can record your weight losses, which is plotted on a graph, and if you have worked out your Club 10 (10% of your starting weight) the graph estimates how long it will take you to reach it.

You are also able to check syn values, use the recipe archive, read articles and use the syn calculator.

Advantages of Slimming World

• No ’special’ diet foods are required
• You can still have treats
• Relatively cheap to follow
• You can alter family favourites to become SW friendly
• Is vegetarian friendly (they can follow green days)
• You have a support system if you attend a group
• No calorie counting / weighing (only for healthy extras and syns)
• Can follow slimming world online/by post/in person at a group
• As a member you get access to the Lifeline Online website
• There are a large number of recipe books available for purchase for all occasions.
• Free for 11-15 year olds to attend (more info)
• Available for freee on GP referral in some parts of the UK (more info)

Disadvantages of Slimming World

• Doesn’t teach you about portion control and combating overeating.
• No real emphasis on exercise (though Body Magic does touch on this)
• Classes can sometimes be a bit tedious (all depends on your consultant)
• Depending how you follow the diet, it can be expensive
• Slower weight loss than some of the more radical diets
• Does require a lot of planning
• Can be confusing in the beginning

Is slimming World for you?

If you are looking for a quick fix, definitely not.

But for everyone else, i would definitely recommend slimming world. It is an easy to follow plan (once you have grasped the basics) and will help you lose weight gradually, which means you are more likely to keep it off!