Slimming World Restart: a few bits I need help with pls!

[Mamacandoit]

Hello everyone!

A few few years ago I did slimming World and while I lost quite a bit of weight it ended on a sour note and I stopped, regained, had two more babies etc etc

Anyway I'm going to start again but I'm trying to address the issues that held me back last time and I wondered if you could help.

one of the big problems I encountered was a difference in lifestyle between me and the other members/consultant.
I cook most things from scratch while they mostly ate ready made meals.
My homemade bread/yogurt was counted as syns whereas industrial bread/muller light was a healthy extra. This was ok for a bit but in the end it got to the point where I was spending more than I wanted to on processed groceries AND I hated the taste but I bought and ate it bc of SW.

since then I've been unable to even look at a picture of muller lights without breaking out in hives lol!

the Slimming World recipes didn't work for me...fat free fromage frais stirred into hot dishes to replicate white sauce should be punishable by law as far as I'm concerned :yuk:

so my thought is that one of the keys for me is to find people (online I guess) who do slimming world with real food rather than attend a local group (I'm going to join SW online)

So I'm ready to start again but keeping things true to my lifestyle if that makes sense

your Before Nd After thread really motivated me to start again, thank you so much!

 

[Trixicle]

Hi,

I know what you mean - SW does encourage use of sweetener and food with artificial sweetener in. I just don't eat these. I cook with coconut oil which I syn and use olive oil (healthy extra). I drink water, not diet drinks, and have full fat cheese for a healthy extra. I also eat nuts/seeds as a healthy extra. Wholemeal bread can also be eaten as a healthy extra. I follow the green plan as I'm veggie so can have 2 HEX as and 2 HEX bs.

I cook sauces from scratch - spag bol, chili, spicy pasta sauce, stir fry etc- and just stick to tomato based one - not creamy ones. As I'm veggie I use beans/pulses/lentils etc and sometimes quorn. I tend to incorporate my syns into the cooking for flavour - not save them for snacks.

 

[skinnygirltobe]

Would love to hear some recipes/ideas you have! x

 

[Mamacandoit]

Thanks for the replies.
trixicle you sound exactly like me (except I'm not veggie)

 

[Mamacandoit]

Trixicle, I've just noticed you've list 1stone since 17th nov!!!
That's amazing!

very motivating!

 

[Trixicle]

Hi, I started on the forum on the 17th, been doing SW since 2nd Nov, so a stone in 5 weeks which still isn't bad lol!

 

[NotsofattyPatty]

I think you were unfortunate with your consultant/group as SW does encourage a lot of cooking from scratch rather than relying on ready meals.

It must be pretty frustrating when your homemade bread and yogurts don't 'fit' with the SW plan. However, as you feel you need to lose weight, you have to make some differences in what you're eating. If your bread is wholemeal, then I would just use 60g of it as your HExB - the rules say 60g of any WM. If it's anything other than WM, then it will need to be Synned, just as for any non-WM bread. It's up to you whether you decide to 'tweak' the plan. Likewise with your yogurt - if you make it with skimmed milk and have it natural or sweetened artificially, then I would just quietly use it freely. Any sugar or cooked/puréed fruit would need to be Synned, as would yogurt made with anything other than skim milk.

I'm not keen on some of the SW recipes - I'd rather use Syns to make a 'proper' cheese sauce when I want cauliflower cheese, for example, than use some sort of weird Quark and stock mixture - but it's up to you to decide how to use your Syns, so if you want a real sauce and have the Syns available, then go ahead and have the real sauce. The only right way of using your Syns is the way which suits you and enables you to stick to a plan which ultimately gets you to where you want to be and then stay there.

I've been maintaining for about a year now and I very rarely have a Muller, preferring the Activia 0% fat yogurts which are thicker and less sweet-tasting. I do like the Muller Greek-style yogurts though and the Danio ones are worth a Syn or two. I've never had pasta n' Sauce or a Mugshot as I just don't fancy them; I'd much prefer a salad or some homemade soup.

Good luck - you've done it before and you can do it again AND eat good food into the bargain.

 

[Target140]

I'm with you on the processed food problem. I don't buy muller lights, mug shots etc, but use my syns for real stuff.

For example, liberte 0% Greek yoghurt with honey is yummy and has no artificial sweeteners...its 1 syn a pot. Rachel's low fat organic yoghurts are 2.5 syns a pot and scrummy.

I also have cranks organic bread, and count 60g as a healthy extra, and I'm sure you could do that with wholemeal home baked bread.

If I need something on the go I tend towards protein (boiled eggs, chicken, smoked salmon - half price for Christmas! etc) rather than processed carbs.

Hope that helps!

 

[Mamacandoit]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll try those yogurts

 

[Phoenix_Girl]

I normally buy fat-free yoghurt and syn anything I add to it but it gives so much flexibility.
Sometimes I grab a muller light but I don't go mad, I tend to want them in phases and am very selective about flavours to pick

As for the Fromage Frais issue, I can agree with you but I feel that SW encourage you to mix in as you are cooking whichever recipe you are doing which risks it splitting down giving an horrendous grainy texture. I have used FF or Fat-free yoghurt and stir it in at the last minute, i.e. just before serving and it tends not to marr the taste of whatever I am making.

I have not heard of any consultant endorsing using ready meals all of the time. Even the consultants who struggle to cook recommend simple recipes with fresh vegetables, meat/meat replacements/pulses, pasta/potatoes/etc.

Sounds like you got a really raw deal in group and I'm disappointed to hear that you have had such a bad experience

 

[Mamacandoit]

It's not put me off though.
im going to make this work!