Advice on best Slimming World plans

[DebsB]

I joined SW Online two weeks ago and have been following the Extra Easy plan but I am getting disheartened at poor weight loss - just 2lbs the first week and I actually gained 1lb this week when I weighed in this morning.

I have a huge amount of weight to lose and everyone says that you lose very quickly at first if you have more to lose, but this doesn't seem to be the case for me - I was relatively happy to lose 2 lbs a week but gaining weight is a real downer. I have tried to stick to the plan and have kept a food diary to keep track of Syns; I must admit that the first week I had a few days where I was over 15 syns, but again the advice from SW is that if you have a large amount to lose you can allow a few extra syns at first. This last week I have made a conscious effort to reduce the number of syns but it seems to have had the opposite effect.

My partner has also started the plan with me; she has more to lose than me - she lost 7lbs the first week and 2lbs this week. The main difference between us is that she is not diabetic, and I am wondering whether this is having an impact on my weight loss. I have type 2 and I am on Metformin and Pioglitazine, with Amlodipine for high blood pressure.

Have other forum members used SW to lose weight, and if so, which plan has been more effective for type 2 diabetics? Would I be better off following the Red/original plan rather than extra easy? I am using wholewheat pasta and brown rice mainly (although in week two I did have more recipes with potato) so I am trying to make sure that carbs are complex. I have also adjusted the portion size in week two (rather than unlimited as SW suggest that you can do).

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Northerner]

Hi DebsB, welcome to the forum 🙂 Several of our members have had good success with SW, so hopefully they will be along to help soon! 🙂

 

[LeeLee]

Hello Debs, well done on joining SW - it has been brilliant for me, and hopefully will be for you as well. Here are a few tips:

Syn-Free doesn't mean calorie-free - the best losses happen if you keep an eye on portion size. As a guide, I try to aim for portions along the lines of what 6 syns would be on whichever plan scores the highest (e.g. 35g dry weight of rice or pasta, 100g of lean meat).

For me, it's all about carbs and the more I eat the slower the loss. I do much better with a minimum of 4 days a week on the Original (red) plan.

Write everything down before you eat it - it's SOOOO easy to 'forget'. I plan everything to the nth degree. I cook for the week on a Sunday, so I know there's always a low-syn option in the fridge or freezer. I prepare and record my lunches the night before.

If you need any specific tips/ideas/recipes, you can PM me anytime.

Good luck!

 

[DebsB]

Hi LeeLee

Thanks for the reply and the encouragement - good advice re the portion control, I will look at this. I am also trying to plan meals well in advance and cook in bulk - I have a job with very tricky hours most days so evening meals need to be already cooked or very quick! I have done the planning (and shopping) for this week based on extra easy, but I think I will have a look at the original (red) plan over the next few days and perhaps give that a go if my weight loss doesn't improve. My only concern on red days is that I get very hungry if I don't have carbs in my meals and this might make me prone to the temptation of snacking. I can't eat raw veg very easily because I have problems with chewing so fruit is the only other option and I am concerned about the possible effect of that on my blood sugars. Have you found any problems with eating too much fruit?

Thanks for your help.

 

[LeeLee]

Hi Debs, protein keeps you fuller for longer, so the need to snack is reduced on Red. I've always snacked on fruit - after the first few weeks my insulin resistance improved enough for me to cope with it - but of course everyone's different so be guided by your meter. Also have a look in the recipe section. I posted a recipe for crustless quiche a while ago, and a small piece of that makes a good low-syn low-carb snack.

 

[Dory]

Hi Debs,

I'm a long term SW user, first time in 2011 (where I only managed to lose a stone and that took me 6 months!) and more recently in September last year (I've lost 1 1/2 stone since then).

I started with the EE as that is what SW consultants push for as it's the plan most like a normal eating regime so easier for newbie dieters/those not wanting to change their food options too much. However, us diabetics are slightly different and SW doesn't seem to realise all this (surprising given their nutritional knowledge!).

Essentially, diabetics wanting to lose weight need to look at not only their calorie consumption but their carb consumption too. Many people (non-Ds too) will tell you that a high carb diet = limited weight loss. So, if you want to lose weight, you need to look at portions size as Lee Lee says, particularly in terms of carbs. On EE they say 'eat as much as you like and lose weight!!' but the simple fact is if you eat a whole plateful of rice for dinner, and do that 7 days a week (and take the same approach to breakfast and lunch too) then, quite simply, you won't be losing weight. Works the same for everything else too I'm afraid, including your proteins. Eat a dinner plate sized steak every meal and you'll find the weight won't come off as easy (if at all).

I'm particularly prone to carbs stopping me losing weight so I follow the red plan now. That limits the amount of starchy carbs you can eat (ie no pasta, rice, cous cous, potatoes other than new pots as a healthy B, etc) and instead focuses on training you to fill up on veg instead (eg carrot and swede instead of potato mash, roasted celeriac instead of roasted pots, etc). It's actually a VERY good plan for diabetics, as many Ds will tell you that pasta, rice, normal potato etc are all not very good for controlling blood sugar levels. And of course, less bG spikes and less insulin = more weight loss!

So in short, don't believe the 'you can eat as much as you like' mantra. It's simply not true. Control your portion size, and that's when you'll start seeing weight loss. Also, as you get used to the plan, start cutting down on the syns. Yes, you can have up to 15 a day but that's not a good goal to be settling at. We've always been told by our consultant to aim for 10 as our upper limit. Then, if we go over that, we don't need to feel bad as we're still in the allowance. sneaky eh? I usually aim for about 5-7 a day - and that's built up through savoury foods more than sweets (which are obviously bad for Ds anyway in terms of controlling spikes). So think having a spoonful of mayo in your sarnie, gravy on your sunday lunch, a blob of pickle with your ploughmans, rather than cakes, biscuits, chocolate, desserts etc.

One BIG bit of advice about syns - make sure you DO have them every day. I gained one week, so thought I'd not have any the week after, in an attempt to get the weight down (I had about 5 for the whole week): i put on 1/2lb! Turns out, your body needs the fat/sugar it gets from syns, as it doesn't get enough from the scientifically worked out free/superfree/healthy extras. So do have your syns, just weigh/count them and don't go overboard.

hope that helps and good luck!