Slimming through the Winter - Slimming World support thread 2019

Shiny new thread, with all the info carried over as follows:-

Slimming World and Food Optimising is a plan for life, it's not a quick fix and you should look at weight losses over a period of time. There are no prizes for speed of weight loss.

You need to commit to making changes to the food that you buy and how you cook it, because what you've been doing in the past hasn't got you to where you want to be.

You can't use parts of the plan that suit you and forget the rest.

If you are not prepared to make a commitment to change the behaviour that has got you into your current situation then nothing is going to change, and above all things, you need to be honest and accountable for every single mouthful of food that passes your lips.

You need to care enough to take time out to pre-plan your slimming campaign. Look again at the menu plans and see the variety and volume of food you can eat. All you have to lose is the weight.

Slimming World has been successfully helping people lose weight for over forty years, so trust them and read your Food Optimising books again and again.

Food Optimising is easy but life isn't. Losing weight is a battle but you have the battle plan in your food optimising book, your secret weapon is free food, and that, together with your healthy extras and syns add up to a healthy way of eating that can (and should) be a life plan. Success is there waiting for you, go for it!

If you fancy having a go at EE, here are the official 'rules' to ensure that you not only lose weight regularly but get all the nutrition your body needs to function well:-

Extra Easy:

1: Choose your Free Food

Most of the food you eat should come from the free foods list; so that's pasta, rice, potatoes, lean meat, poultry, fish, fruit and vegetables.

And for super-fast, super healthy results, fill one third of your plate with Speed Foods!

2: Choose your Healthy Extras

Each day select one Healthy Extra choice and one Healthy Extra choice from our simplified list of calcium and fibre-filled foods, including milk, cheese, bread, nuts and cereal.

3: Enjoy 5-15 Syns each day


If you find your weight loss has slowed down or stopped, check:-

1. Whether everything you're counting as Free, is Free

2. Whether you're under-estimating Syn values (over-estimate if guessing)

3. Whether you're counting everything that should be counted

4. Whether you're measuring everything that should be measured

5. Whether you're sabotaging your success in any other way (using SAS logs will help uncover individual long-term self-sabotage patterns) and, if none of these is the culprit, either...........

A: increase the proportion of Speed Foods to half of your plate
B: switch to more Speed Foods

or

C: try Extra Easy SP - details are on this link - https://www.minimins.com/threads/extra-easy-sp-plan.348340/

And above all, if you follow the plan, any plan, 100% you will lose weight!

Remember we are all here to support each other, and to have fun, and to share in any little disappointments.

Link to the List of Healthy Extras as at April 14

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=66049704&postcount=4853

List of Speed foods here - Fruits & Vegetables
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Comments

  • Chrisv
    Chrisv Posts: 5,119
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    This a list of all our lovely SW-ers that have reached target!

    They have a wealth of knowledge, having been there, done it, and bought the smaller t-shirt so please feel free to ask them (and us) questions!

    Maman - target member since Aug 11
    JoeDenise - target member since Jul 12
    Take It Easy - target member for 10 years
    Meg72 - target member since Aug 15
    Tweets - target member since Aug 15
    Blue_Eyed_Girl - target member since May 2016
    Arkers - target member since June 2016
    MrsP1987 - target member since August 2016
    Debjay - target member since August 2016
    Beanielou - target member since October 2016
    Matron Midge - target member since October 2016
    Orlao - target member since October 2016
    rjhammond - target member since November 2016
    Emmylou - target member since November 2016
    Abbafan1972 - target member since May 2017
    Saver-Upper - target member since September 2017
    Shiprob - target member since September 2017
    Esmy - target member since March 2018
    Bubbs- target member since March 2018
    Stoke - target member since October 2018
  • Chrisv
    Chrisv Posts: 5,119
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    edited 9 January 2019 at 8:57AM
    If you need to get back on track, or need some extra motivation then give these posts a read, thanks to Tete and esmy for taking the time out to help ..

    Originally Posted by Pickle29
    Hello everyone
    How do you start again? I was going to sw, lost half a stone in a month - really into it! ....... then messed about, new kitchen, family christening, stress with work, comfort eating, dog died, weekend away, you name it I've got an excuse why I went off plan and put it all on again!
    Last weekend went away and couldn't believe how awful I looked in my clothes and in the fotos!
    Need to get Back on plan, hoping to rejoin on Saturday - but how do you get back on plan when you have been grazing all day every day and appear together constantly hungry. I'm so down and want to do it but know it's going to be soon hard!!! Help!
    Originally Posted by Tete en l'Air
    Hi Pickle, I'm sure we can all relate to your post and I've certainly had a few blips in recent months when life was throwing lemons thick and fast.

    I'm not an 'official' paid up member of SW, nor am I really a veteran as I've only been doing it since September, but for me the trick is to really go gung-ho, at least at the start. Find a couple of weeks where you have no big social engagements, weekends away, or stressy work times (ones you can predict anyway), so you can really get in the groove. Spend a day clearing out your kitchen of all temptations, go through your recipe books, magazines and the website, and make a full meal plan for the week. Think also about the kinds of snacks you'll eat and factor in Syns (I love meringue nests for a sweet treat at 2-3 Syns dep. on brand) then make a list and go shopping, sticking religiously to it.

    Make sure you measure and weigh your HEs and write down everything you eat - often we'll pick at something small and forget we've had it but it all adds up.

    Cook in batches where possible and make use of your freezer - that way you'll always have something ready-made to hand in a pinch. Make use of the SW ready meals from Iceland too - I always have a couple in the freezer just in case.

    Make sure that 1/3 of each meal is Speed as this is the real key to weight loss - the Speed stuff is what fills you whilst being low in calories and high in nutrients.

    Make sure you eat enough to feel satisfied. The whole point of SW is that it doesn't deprive so you shouldn't feel hungry. I'm a grazer too, especially at my desk at work, so think about the kinds of things you can have in your situation. Muller lights are free and fill a hole, and another of my faves is to chop raw carrots into 'crisps' and munch on those from a bag.

    Think about your Syns too. How many are already accounted for in the meals you've planned and hot drinks with sugar etc? For this reason I try to keep my meals free and drink fruit teas through the day instead of sugary coffee, which I'd much prefer!

    Make sure you're eating stuff you enjoy!! I'm not a fan of most fruits for example, so I don't bother buying them anymore (took me a while to have that epiphany!) and only get the ones I know I will eat - apples and my beloved passion fruits basically

    If you're not enjoying what you're eating and looking forward to each meal, then it isn't going to work as you'll resent the plan.
    Most important thing to remember is: If you DO have a blip, let it be just that. The best analogy someone told me was: If your car got a flat tyre, would you then get out and slash the other three in anger? No, because it would make the situation worse. So if you have a bad day, don't turn it into seven bad days.

    And stay accountable. Write everything you eat in your book, report in here each evening, keep going to group. There are loads of facebook groups and you can post your meals on Instagram and Twitter... Everyone's watching!!

    Sorry that came out a bit long and rambly, but I hope not preachy, and I hope I haven't missed anything fundamental

    Good luck!!

    Originally Posted by esmy
    SW from Home – going it alone!

    I made a new year’s resolution to make this post, primarily for those who are following SW without attending a group or having online membership. I know that many people find the support offered through the groups invaluable, and this isn’t intended to be critical of SW groups, just a few tips that have helped me in following SW from home.

    1. Get hold of the new members pack if you can. This will explain how SW works and give all the information you need to get started. A new plan has just been issued so there should be some older ones around. They often appear on ebay, (304 starter packs on there today!) or you may know someone who attends group and isn’t using their older one. People have lost weight happily on the older plans. I’ve also seen it suggested to join a group (there are often discount vouchers in women’s magazines) , get the pack and carry on at home.

    2. Get some good scales. Bathroom scales are inexpensive – I have these https://www.argos.co.uk/product/5546851. Don’t weigh too often – our weight varies naturally throughout the day and from day to day. Once a week is fine. Or you can check your weight in some Boots branches (too public for me!)

    3. Use kitchen scales and measuring spoons – don’t try to guess what 40g of oats or a teaspoon of honey looks like.

    4. Keep a notebook – for meal planning, recording your weight, noting syn values of the things you eat regularly and any recipes you want to keep. You don’t need anything fancy but there are fancy ones about if that’s your preference. There are also lots of reward charts, £1 for each 1lb lost etc on ebay . Award your own ‘shineys’ by planning non food treats for each ½ stone lost. Take a ‘before’ photo if you haven’t got one already – you don’t have to show it to anyone!

    5. Adapt meals that you or your family enjoy already, for example, use frylight instead of other oils/fats, use lower fat meats, add veg to meals wherever you can (grated carrot/courgettes disappear in a Bolognese).

    6. Recipes – there are hundreds of recipes easily found on the web. Slimmimg World has some of its own recipes online but others I use regularly are Pinch of Nom, Two Chubby Cubs and Slimmimgeats. And of course there are lots in the first post on these threads.

    7. Syn values – again there are lots of resources on the web. Some do not keep up with SWs ‘official’ syn values, which do change quite regularly, and sometimes inexplicably! I’ve found that googling the food followed by syn value, rather than putting syn value first, gets better results. Some sites have lists of foods from particular supermarkets with syn values.

    8. Facebook – loads of groups related to SW, for additional support and ideas. I follow one for Aldi shoppers but there are recipe groups, syns help, SW on a budget etc etc.

    9. Last but very definitely not least, the support on this fantastic thread. Without it, I would not have got to target. Always helpful, always friendly and tons of knowledge – Thank you all.
  • Chrisv
    Chrisv Posts: 5,119
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    If you are just joining us you may not be aware of the bi-monthly challenge that we run to motivate ourselves, which you are welcome to join. It isn't a competition, just a way of setting ourselves mini targets if your total loss seems a bit overwhelming.

    The new challenge will run from week commencing Monday 31 December to Sunday 3rd March - this gives us 9 weeks.

    If you wish to join in with us then please post your target loss for the 9 weeks in red or bold or massive or all of the above so that I can see it really easily!

    I will post the results chart each week on a Monday morning showing the prior weeks losses and singling out the person who has lost the most so we can make a great big fuss over them

    Any questions please let me know - it doesn't matter which day you get weighed just let me know your loss on that day and I'll add it to the correct week (maybe, if I don't get confused!)

    Thanking you...
  • Chrisv
    Chrisv Posts: 5,119
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    edited 31 December 2018 at 9:23AM
    These are the targets I have carried over from the last thread.

    Please let me know if there are any errors/omissions :)

    sw-new-year.jpg
  • Suffolksue
    Suffolksue Posts: 1,383
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    Thank you for the welcome .
    Breakfast was Boiled eggs (2) ,2 slices whole meal with marmite ,two cups of tea
    Not sure about the rest of the day ( need to start planning)
    Happy New Year and Good Luck everyone
  • Hi everyone. Not sure that today will be on plan as I'm thinking there will be a fair bit of gin this evening but, here is the plan!
    B Total yogurt with blueberries and some SF syrup in it
    L J pot with beans and bacon
    D 2CC's s&p chicken and noodles
    S cheese and crackers with grapes
    Hea milk for coffees and cheese
    Heb ryvita rye cakes
    Going to use a Syn bank untill weigh in then use or lose on a daily basis for the challenge. So, starting with 60 syns until Friday morning.
  • joedenise
    joedenise Posts: 16,481
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    Congratulations Got2dothisnow on being our SOTW! Thanks ChrisV for the chart and starting the new thread.

    Suffolksue Planning and preparation are key to getting your head round SW! There's a military expression that my consultant sometimes quotes - the 5 Ps - Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance (that's the polite version).

    Since starting SW (way back in 2010) I've changed from planning a few days at a time to planning a month at a time! The plan is never set in stone as if I spot a bargain when out shopping then I'll change the plan to accommodate it.

    Good luck with the planning.

    Denise
  • beanielou
    beanielou Posts: 89,816
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    Thanks Chris for the new thread :)
    I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.

    Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
    "A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.

    ***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb.
    ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
    One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.
  • maman
    maman Posts: 28,493
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    :wave: to new people and returners. This is just like a RL group.:)


    Thanks for starting the new thread chris.:T Good to see that you've added yourself into the challenge. Hope we get to 'see' more of you.


    Although I've enjoyed Christmas, it is good to start seeing 'normal' life returning. For today and tomorrow I've got 6 chocolates left and 2 biscuits plus a bit of cheese from the treats I bought for myself. Everything else won't tempt me. DH can just gradually eat it up over time. Syn counting resumes for me on Wednesday although I have made some sensible choices over the past couple of weeks.;)


    Tonight we'll have a nice meal and see the NY in together. I won't do a pudding as there are plenty of other things to have if we're hungry. :D


    Today's EE plan:
    B: NAS grapefruit, HEB porage with HEA milk, half banana
    L: prawn cocktail, lentil and veg soup
    D: duck confit, dauphinoise potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, peas/onion/carrot mix
    Syns: lots
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