Confused about speed food taking up 1/3 of my plate first ...

[PlayingHouse]

So I'm meant to speed food on my plate first. I think this is partly to help limit how many carbs I can fit on.

But what if I make spag b/chilli/stew etc where the speed food is cooked into the meal?

How does the 1/3 of a plate/limiting the carts work then? For example I normally fill the plate with spaghetti and put the meat sauce (containing the speed food) on top.

That's not limiting the carbs is it?

Should I be chucking a salad onto a 1/3 of the plate? Salad doesn't work with stew though does it?!

[emwithme]

Not currently doing SW but lost 5 stone with it a few years ago (on EE).

Unless it was CLEARLY obvious that there was 1/3 superfree in the main dish (ie a veggie curry to be served with rice or whatever) then I'd have a small starter equivalent to 1/3 plate of salad or veggies (I had a bowl that I had measured to be the equivalent of 1/3 plate and used this) or a bowl of superfree veggie soup. I found it too much faff to do otherwise...and you're right - salad and stew does NOT go too well!

[PlayingHouse]

emwithme - that's a fantastic loss!

I have that much to lose and more.

Do you have any more tips or advice?

I like the idea of a veggie soup starter. Did you find the speed food crucial to your loss?

[emmaluvseeyore]

Glad you asked this question. Most of my meals are something with pasta or rice (as I take the leftovers to work the next day). The 1/3 of a plate being speed food is confusing with those types of meals. I try and put veggies in the sauce etc, but not sure if I need to have extra on the side.

[emwithme]

Sorry - didn't notice this before!

Tips...write EVERYTHING down. Count every syn and you'll be fine. Allow yourself one evening off (the night of weigh-in day was FREE) a week, still write it down but don't worry if you go over your syns.

I've kept most of the weight off but found myself slipping over the past year and have gained just over a stone back again. I'm back to group this Thursday because I'm about to grow out of my size 14 jeans and I'm not having that

I didn't pay much notice to speed/super-speed foods, just ate a nice healthy balance of things (and at one point became addicted to frozen coconut muller lights...tastes just like bounty ice-cream!). I did love the super speedy soup though (free on EE and green days) - you will need a GIANT pan or a slow cooker.

1 can mixed bean salad (drained)
1 can green lentils (drained)
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 can baked beans
large handful of split lentils
2 large leeks
1 large onion
4 medium carrots
2 parsnips
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 stock cubes (chicken or veggie, your choice) made up as described
salt and pepper/mixed herbs/spices to taste (some people like it spicy - add chili flakes and powder)
water to cover ingredients

chop and put all veg in pan and everything else cover and bring to boil simmer until soft

can be left chunky or blended

[WorktoLive]

You are correct OP in that it is to limit the amount of carbs etc you consume. The basic premise of SW is that, if we eat to satisfy our appetites, eat when hungry, stop when comfortably full (not stuffed) then the volume/weight of food that we eat is remarkably consistent over time.

So if you eat a decent amount of superfree foods, which is most veg and fruit, this will limit the amount of calories that you eat, because they are lower in calories than other free foods like meat, fish, pasta and eggs, so will help you lose weight.

Some people might have meals that are made up of free foods, but don’t contain any superfree vegetables, eg plain omelette, steak and SW chips, beans on toast. But as this isn’t in the spirit of the plan, whether they would actually lose any weight would probably depend on their weight and activity levels. My consultant always encourages plenty of speed foods, to speed up weight loss.

I just treat the 'third superspeed foods' as a guide. There is no need to have a third of your plate visibly superfree, ie made up of separate salad or vegetables, if you already have a good amount of vegetables cooked into the meal. So if you include plenty of vegetables in your curries, stews, Bolognese sauces etc – your superfree is already included.

If I make Bolognese sauce for example, as well as lean mince, I will put mushrooms, carrots, celery and onions in there as well as tomato puree and passata. If you look at the pile of prepared veg, it is bigger than the meat, so probably more than a third of the meal, if you don‘t have loads of pasta.