Over the past two years I’ve put on just over a stone due to less exercise and a lot more food! While I’m not unhappy with my body I am starting to creep into the uncomfortable weight range for me which is giving me a kick up the bum to do something about it. I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about how I’m feeling a little intimidated about re-starting my Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide so I’ve decided to start off by giving my diet a little shake up instead of jumping straight back into that gym. Here’s my Slimming World review…
After chatting to a number of friends who have tried Slimming World and seen amazing results I took on The Slimming World Free 7 Day Menu and gave it a go for a week before we went on holiday out of morbid curiosity over this strange ‘diet’ that lets you eat as much white pasta as you like and even condones chocolate and wine in controlled portions.
B: Fruit, Yoghurt & Shredded Wheat | L: Tuna Vegetable Pasta | D: Slimming World Beef Spaghetti Bolognese
My knowledge of Slimming World comes from talking to friends and online research so I’m sure there’s bits I’m missing from not attending meetings or holding all the literature, but from what I do know about this diet it seems too good to be true! I don’t understand the science behind Slimming World and how they calculate their Syn values (You get 5-15 ‘Syns’ per day to use on naughty foods like Chocolate, alcohol or condiments) seems to be a closely guarded secret but with all the success my friends have seen and Slimming World’s popularity across the UK they must be doing something right.
The Cost
A lot of the time with a change in diet it can get pricey – fresh food is expensive. I planned out our meals for the week and placed our Ocado order as usual adding all the fresh fruit, veg and meat we needed to complete breakfast, lunch and dinner for seven days. We normally spend around £45 on food a week which doesn’t cover Friday and Saturday nights where we usually order something naughty or head out, but this week for my Slimming World review our basket totalled just £63 which wasn’t a lot of money at all for the amount of delicious fresh food that got delivered. Impressed.
Br: Vegetable Omelette | D: Slimming World Beef Chili
The Difficulty
I work from home these days which always makes eating healthy and preparing yummy food a lot easier, but I have to say that Slimming World was so easy to prepare and could be made the night before and taken into work for lunches on the go no problem. Breakfasts were fresh fruit and fat free natural yogurt with shredded wheat, eggs and grilled vegetables or even a Full English! Cutting fat off meats like bacon makes them ok to eat and the only things you measure are your milk allowance for the day and any fibres like cereal or wholemeal bread…the rest as long as it’s not a ‘synned food’ is fair game.
There were giant jacket potatoes with home made marie rose sauce, chilli, spaghetti bolognese, cheese on toast, ‘KFC’ Chicken and Chips, tuna pasta and more. My diet was so varied and I didn’t once get bored or go hungry. On Friday I had a previous foodie engagement which involved pizza and beer – not brilliant for any diet! But by watching my syns every day I was able to enjoy my naughties on Friday night and still stay within my weekly limit, something that works fantastically for me as I can’t give up my cheat meals and stay happy!
B: Cheese on Toast | L: Prawn Jacket Potato | D: Slimming World ‘KFC’
No meal took more than 45 minutes to prepare and they were all incredibly tasty. The fact that you can eat as much as you like (stop when full) baffles me and I didn’t once feel like I was on a diet. I was eating fresh fruit and veg with a variety of meat and fish (there is a vegetarian version available) every day and I was incredibly happy. Puddings after meals consisted of fruit with sugar free jelly or yogurts with meringue nests which satisfied me enough but what I liked the most was if I wanted a glass of wine or a bar of chocolate I could have it – restriction is the bane of any diet for me so mentally this was a real winner.
Slimming World Fish & Chips
The Weight Loss
I did Slimming World for a week before my holiday and with any diet you need to give it a proper go to see long term results. That being said I did lose 1 lb during that week which considering I didn’t feel like I was on a diet or deny myself anything I really wanted is pretty darn good and a healthy rate of weight loss for someone my size. Would I carry on with Slimming World? Yes, I think I would for a month or two (let me know if you’d like to watch or read more about it). I don’t see it as a long term solution for me, purely because I hate being told what I can and can’t eat and although there is a lot of flexibility with Slimming World there are still restrictions. But for someone who wants to shake up their eating habits and cut down without being left feeling hungry then I’d 100% giving Slimming World a go. We’ve taken a lot of the recipes and still make them now for ease and taste, they’re great!
So there’s my Slimming World review. I’d love to hear what you think about Slimming World if you’ve tried it before!
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