In October 2004, My son celebrated his second birthday. I thought it was a great day until 6 weeks later I downloaded the photo's of his party and wondered who the big fat blob was. I suddenly realised that in 4 and a half years I had ballooned by over 5st and my health was in danger zone of me being a high risk. That is why in January 2005 I walked through the door to my first Slimming World Meeting.
I chose Slimming World for 2 reasons. Most of my friends were doing it so it would be easier when having lunch etc with them and secondly because there is very little counting and weighing out.
Slimming World call their "diet" Food Optimising. There are 4 plans and the basic 2 which you need to learn about first and red days and green days. Your Red Days are Meat and Fish days. You can eat as much Meat, Fish and Fruit as you want to feel full. Most vegetables are free too bar pea's sweetcorn, parsnips and potatoes. Green days are unlimited potatoes, pasta, rice, noodles, vegetables and fruit. You can choose 1 or 2 Healthy Extra A's which are milk and cheese options. Calcium has been scientifically proved to speed up weight loss so I always try to have both dairy choices. Healthy Extra B's vary according to what "day"
you are having, you have 2. You get to choose, cereal or bread. On Green you choose meat or fish, nuts or dairy products. On Red you choose potatoes, pulses, pasta. On both you can also choose dried, canned or cooked fruit as well. Although most fruits are free, if you puree, or cook it then you change the sugars in it.
You also get a daily syn allowance of between 5-15 syns, so you can still have treats. Everything has a syn value in "bad foods!" but nothing is banned. The idea of Food Optimising is to have a healthy balanced diet with you not depriving yourself which usually results in the binge eating of all the wrong things. Some people can't get their heads round the unlimited part of the plan but I find that if I eat until I feel comfortable full it has worked well for me.
The other 2 plans which you can follow once you know the basic ones well enough are mix and match and success express. Mix and Match means you can have a red meal for Breakfast, a Red lunch and then a green dinner. It means mixing the 2 plans and snacking on free food during the day. This is not recommended to people until they have their heads round the main plans first. Success express is for people who's weight loss had slowed down which often happens in the last few pounds to target. I've not really got my head round it yet but it can help speed up your weight loss apparently.
For me after I had paid my joining fee, I received a Food Optimising book which became like my best friend. I always had it with me until I had learned the basic 2 plans. But even now 5 months down the line I often refer to it to ensure I am having the right things and right amounts as your Healthy Extra's are weighed out and often if I haven't had some meat or beans for a while I just need to check what the amount allowed is again. The syns in the book are basic and I invested in Slimming World's Shop at Tesco book which gives you all the free food, and food which you can buy in tesco from Tesco's own brands to named brands.
The class can vary from place to place. I found my class by looking on the Slimming World Website. They e-mail it through to you. I went along to my first class and found it to be a small class. I paid a £5 joining fee but it is usually £10. The class fee at the time was £3.95, but that has now gone up to £4.25. For that you get weighed and you get the chance to get help through Image Therapy where we discuss how we feel about our losses or gains. We also share tips in this time and it is great for picking up new ideas for meal times or snacks.
After being there for 3 months I was asked if I would mind weighing in. So every week I get there early and weigh in the other members. This gives the consultant time to chat with members who may have a problem which they don't wish to discuss in the class. I never reveal a members weight to other members. I only really look to see how much they have gained or lost and that is the only thing which gets told to people. Only the member truly knows their own weight which means you never have the embarrassment of people knowing your weight if you are feeling sensitive about it.
When you reach a target or a goal such as a half stone award or club 10 which is when you have lost 10% of your body weight when starting. It took me 4 weeks to loose my first half stone award and 7 weeks to loose a stone. I reached my club 10 within 10 weeks of starting on the plan. 5 months down the line I have lost 2 stone 2lb's so far and have lost 3 dress sizes since January. Although I feel like the same person within myself, I have gained a lot more confidence within myself. Instead of struggling to get nice clothes to fit me, I can go anywhere to a petite range and proudly buy a size 14. I don't feel like I am ever deprived and I usually manage more than my 5 portions of fruit and veg a day as well as drinking about 8 pints of water a day which makes me feel much better too. I never feel deprived as I can still have my treats and meals out without really thinking about it.
Slimming world encourage you to look at the plan as a way of life rather than becoming a yoyo dieter or someone who gets to target and then gains it all back. Food Optimising is now a way of life and I do it without thinking. I hardly ever buy convenience foods and the whole family eat much healthy and better than we did before. I won't lie, my food shops have jumped from around £60 to £90 a week but it is worth itto buy lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. I've rediscovered cooking which is fabulous again too and I do really enjoy it. I do have my off days where I do slip too many biscuits into my mouth without thinking but I usually get straight back on track. I do believe that for Slimming World to work you have to be determined to do it and be in the right frame of mind for it to work.
Slimming World also encourage "Body Magic" where you incorporate gentle exercise into your daily life. It can be a brisk 5 minute walk leading up 3 times a week to a brisk 30 minute walk 4 times a week. Research has shown apparently that exercise can help you loose an extra 2lb a month which makes 24lb a year which is just over 1 and a half stone. That is a lot of extra weight to loose.
I would definitely recommend Slimming World to anyone who is wishing to loose weight. It is a very easy plan once you get your head round it which can take a bit of time but the results to me proves that it works and I am not the overweight person I was 6 months ago. I still have a fair bit to go to target but I am so much happier within myself at being able to walk along the street without my legs rubbing off one another. I look much healthier and feel healthier too. I don't feel out of breath when I walk or have to rush. To me the day I walked through that door was the day I made a committment to get a healthy lifestyle back. So far that is exactly what I have done.
Pictures of Slimming World
The Picture which Changed my life
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Great review, the photos are great! Well done on your hard work. My husband and I both attended Slimming World before our wedding and then again about a year before we tried for our baby. He came more to support me but still lost really well. I lost about 3 dress sizes for our wedding and continued to keep the weight off until we had a loss in the family at which point SW went out the window. As mentioned we went back to get back into shape in order to try for our baby and I lost 2st. SW is great but you do have to stick to it, unlike other 'diets' it is easier to do this but I struggle which is why I am bigger again. My husband, however, is much better at it and is still looking and feeling great! Keep up the brilliant work!
smcccc 06.05.2006 18:22
You've done really well, keep it up.......................Sharon : )
Whether you're cooking up breakfast on the run a packed lunch a lazy weekend brunch a ... more
perfect Sunday roast or an informal midweek dinner party this book shows you how--without forgetting your diet plan. Gone are the days of feeling as though you are missing out. Instead here are more than 120 delicious recipes that are anything but typical dieters' food including spicy beef fajitas with salsa Moroccan-style tagine cinnamon and apple crumpets seafood cakes with fennel and orange salad and chocolate caramel cheesecake. Illustrated with stunning photographs throughout this will be a must-have purchase for dieters everywhere.
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With more than 120 recipes, this book shows readers how to whip up delicious meals without ... more
straying from the "Slimming World" diet plan. It caters for breakfast on the run, a packed lunch, a weekend brunch, a Sunday roast or an informal midweek dinner party.
A mouthwatering new collection of slimming recipes - over 120 dishes from all over the ... more
world. This new book from one of the UK's leading slimming organisations takes in all manner of international cuisine. You'll be able to indulge in Italy's irresistible plates of pasta, India's spicy curries, China's noodle and stir-fry dishes as well an an array of mouthwatering recipes from Thailand, Greece, Morocco, the USA and Mexico. Packed with all the nutritional, diet and lifestyle information you need if you're following the Slimming World food optimising plan.
The Slimming World system gives you plenty to eat and no forbidden foods. This approach ... more
has enabled hundreds of thousands of members to reach their target weight. No foods are banned there is no calorie counting and there are hundreds of 'free foods' which can be eaten in unlimited amounts. So how can it possibly work? Slimming World defines its highly successful weight-loss technique as 'food optimising' encouraging you towards a healthier style of eating for life rather than simply for short-term weight loss. But if you ever thought this would be difficult or time-consuming think again. In the same time it takes to heat a pre-prepared meal Slimming World Fast Food shows you how to prepare quick delicious meals for yourself and your family. It is packed with advice and contains no less than 120 fast and effective recipes designed to set your tastebuds tingling. Every one of these recipes takes less than 30 minutes to create and food values are calculated for you so you can easily make Slimming World food a part of your daily life.
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Food Optimising by Slimming World enables you to make the most of healthy yet delicious ... more
food. No foods are banned there' s no calorie counting and there are hundreds of ' Free Foods' which can be eaten in unlimited amounts. Food Optimising was originally designed for Slimming World members to make slimming easier and more enjoyable. Now for the first time this book makes it available to everyone. Packed with nutritional lifestyle and diet information as well as over 120 wonderfully healthy recipes simply follow this healthy eating plan and see the weight fall off - and keep off.
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The people at Slimming World know that all slimmers want plenty of gorgeous food - but to ... more
deny yourself is not the way to get slim and stay slim. This unique approach to slimming is based on a revolutionary concept - that of 'Free Foods' - foods you eat in any quantities whenever you're hungry. And they aren't just typical diet staples such as lettuce and low-fat cottage cheese. Free Foods include pasta rice lean meat fish poultry and fresh fruit and vegetables. Fancy a big plateful of vegetable curry with unlimited rice or a pile of pasta with a spicy tomato sauce? How about a monster jacket potato with a tin of baked beans? Or a meaty tuna steak with a heap of ratatouille? Recipes such as Farfalle and mixed bean salad Mild and creamy chicken curry Fragrant pilaff and many more besides can be eaten as Free Foods when you are Food Optimising. Gone are the days of feeling as though you are missing out!
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At last here's the book we've all been waiting for: curries that are healthy low in fat ... more
and absolutely mouthwatering! The Slimming World approach to food optimising means that you never have to deny yourself or miss out - you can indulge your wildest curry fantasies and cook quick and easy exotic meals every day of the week. "Slimming World's Curry Feast" takes in dishes from across India Thailand and Malaysia with dishes both sweet and spicy fresh and fragrant and delicious and decadent. With soups and starters such as Thai green curry soup and Onion bhajis you can recreate all those restaurant favourites at home. Main-course curries feature such classics as slow-cooked lamb rogan josh red-hot beef madras and mild creamy chicken korma. There are plenty of fish and seafood options too like aromatic Goan prawn curry or Kerala-style fish steamed in banana leaves. Or for a lighter option try refreshing lemongrass and prawn salad or chicken tikka with red onion. For vegetarians lentils rice and pulses make fantastic dishes including tarka dhal chana masala spiced beetroot with coconut and Mumbai aloo (cumin-scented potatoes).And an Indian banquet wouldn't be complete without accompaniments such as lime pickle and coconut pickle. Whether you want a simple one-dish supper at home or a feast for family friends this exciting selection of authentic tasty recipes makes for the perfect meal.
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Presents recipes for curries that are healthy, low in fat and mouthwatering. This book ... more
takes in dishes from across India, Thailand and Malaysia, with dishes both sweet and spicy. The recipes include those for: soups and starters; main-course curries; fish and seafood options; and for vegetarians with lentils, rice and pulses.
At last, here's the book we've all been waiting for: curries that are healthy, low in fat ... more
and absolutely mouthwatering! The Slimming World approach to food optimising means that you never have to deny yourself or miss out - you can indulge your wildest curry fantasies and cook quick and easy, exotic meals every day of the week
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:in stock
Jun 16th, 2005
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