Slimming World - My take

I was asked to write some nutrition and diet information for a local group following Operation Transformation when I thought, I really need to follow my own advice. I eat really well but have a weakness for fat and sugar in that 50:50 ratio which is now credited as being the cause of the obesity epidemic. And as I did not want to join a group I work with, I decided I would (sceptically) give Slimming World a go. I have been down the Weight Watchers route and decided I couldn't hack the hard sell on their own processed "low fat", sugar-free, full of additives processed foods.

I was warned by my friend who dragged me along to keep my mouth shut and give it a go. I did, I bit my lip when the group leader said the fat-free yoghurts were "syn" free but when I looked at the label they had 7.9g of sugar per 100ml. I shut my mouth when she recommended a spray to fry with ( I didn't chance reading that label as I probably would have exploded). I really wanted to say that the world has been eating "low fat" since the 70's and since the 70's being getting progressively fatter, I didn't. I buttoned it when she advised a dessert had 3 "syns" as it used low fat fromage frais and meringue (sugar, sugar, sugar).

I am also at a loss to understand how you can eat as much pasta as you wish but can't eat homemade *sourdough bread (which has no fat added). I also can't understand how homemade soup is "synned" along with canned soup or soup using a stock cube (the first two ingredients being fat and salt).

I think as well that since they are obviously making so much money here, they could at the very least list Irish brands and supermarket labels in their handbooks rather than all the British ones they do.

But, having said all that the bulk of the advice is sound.  And it has a proven track record. And it doesn't advise starving yourself, in fact it actively discourages this. While you can go down the starvation route, you will eventually fail. This is the primary reason diets fail. And the primary reason you lose weight initially but then your body goes into "starvation mode" and hangs on to the fat for a rainy day.

I am due for my first weigh in on Monday. I have followed the advise to a point. I will not buy fat-free, I won't ever use a carcinogenic sweetener, I won't spray an "oil" on my pan.

If I lose a "shed load" I may delete this post.

But in the words of the Jungle Book - "get with it Baggy".  Lose the outdated low-fat advise.


24th February 2014
*In two weeks I have lost 6lbs or 2.7kg following Slimming World's advice (up to a point.) I was told today that head office had never heard of sourdough bread and so could not tell me if it was a free food like they consider pasta to be. I was also told that bread is made from wheat so I must "syn" it. I'm not sure what they think pasta is made from.............

(Incidentally sourdough bread has a low glycemic index quite similar to pasta.)


Update here