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Slimming World

Can someone explain to me how I can eat as much of certain things as I like

32 replies

Yourcoffinormine · 21/02/2018 17:36

For example, I can eat as many Muller lights as I like, let's say the average Muller light has 100 calories in it, and I eat 5 of them in a day, what is the difference between those 500 calories and say 500 calories in a chocolate bar?

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CuriousHedgehog · 21/02/2018 18:15

The idea is you will not eat five Müller Lights because they will fill you up faster and take longer to eat than a single chocolate bar. And because you are conciously thinking about what you eat, you will probably realise after your third ML of the day that just because you can, you probably shouldn't have another...

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myusernameisnotmyusername · 21/02/2018 18:18

This exactly! The idea is to fill up on vegetables and other 'free' items but within reason.

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Yourcoffinormine · 21/02/2018 18:18

But surely self control and recognising when you should stop eating certain things are some of the things over weight people probably struggle with?

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BikeRunSki · 21/02/2018 18:21

Yes, that’s why SW does not work for everybody. Some degree of personal responsibility is needed! By having “free foods” you are encouraged to fill up on muller lights and fruit rather than Mars Bars.

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CuriousHedgehog · 21/02/2018 18:24

Yes, I completely agree. That was why that was my secondary point. The main thing is that they will take longer to eat and fill you up faster, and you will get sick of eating them faster than a single chocolate bar. Plus, realistically, you will have a limited number of MLs on hand. If you find you are eating all the MLs in your fridge you will probably choose not to buy as many next time. I know this sounds really silly but they are all factors that will contribute towards people tending to not to overeat MLs (or other free food) as they would chocolate.

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Yourcoffinormine · 21/02/2018 18:35

Thanks for the replys


I take on board what people are saying, it just seems like the things that are free are a bit random, obviously I get fruit and veg being free, but Muller lights being free is a bit bizarre to me, they're full of rubbish and not something I would describe as filling or satisfying or having any nutritional value really, just can't get my head round it really


For clarity I'm not doing slimming world, I've always done ww with good results, but my friend is going SW and we were discussing this earlier and struggling to get our heads around it

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Dozyoldtwonk · 21/02/2018 22:30

As far as I understand, Muller have a paid partnership/marketing link with SW as do a whole raft of other food manufacturers and brands, hence why SW are selective around what foods are ‘free’, low syn, high syn and so on.

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leghairdontcare · 21/02/2018 22:37

I don't think they receive payment. SW works for a lot of people but I think it's mostly people who are very overweight. The plan represents a step away from very poor habits. It's not perfect. Also you don't have to eat Muller lights.

There's loads of criticism of SW on mumsnet lately. I find it really odd.

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Remote1candles · 21/02/2018 22:42

If you are not actually doing SW, I don't really see why you feel the need to question it. I think the reason Muller Light and some other yoghurts are free is that they are an option for a sweet fix, which otherwise might lead you to eat something much more calorific and easier to binge on.

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Tailfeather · 21/02/2018 22:54

I thought the same. Plus massive bowls of pasta and baked potatoes and having to eat bread, butter and cheese every day. However, I have lost a stone in 3 weeks! And was never once hungry like i was on weightwatchers.

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Yourcoffinormine · 22/02/2018 08:32

I'm not criticising it, I genuinely didn't understand and have spent a lot of time talking about the pros and cons of that and WW with my friend. I'm sorry if me not doing it but still being curious about offends some people!


thanks to others for answering, we did wonder if there was some sort of affiliation between the 2, a lot of the recipes seem to include Muller yogurts too!



I tried it years ago and couldn't get my head round it, WW worked for me, a friend of mine couldn't get their head around WW and was very successful on SW, different things work for different people and I'm all for people doing whatever works for them 🤷‍♀️

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amistillsexy · 22/02/2018 08:43

Don't forget that everything you eat should include 1 third of the plate having 'speed' foods, so a snack of a muller light should also include, say, a handful of berries with it.
That's what makes it filling, and much better for you than a similar amount of calories as a chocolate bar.
Similarly, 'A big bowl of pasta' becomes a big bowl of pasta and vegetables, so the amount of pasta should shrink accordingly.
We have discussions in our SW group about how to improve the nutritional value of 'free' foods, so that where one person might eat a muller light plus a measured amount of sugary cereal and an apple for breakfast, they can improve the nutrition by having plain, fat free, live yoghurt, mixed berries and a measured portion of oats. Both breakfasts are 'free' and 'on plan', but the latter is much more nutritionally dense.
It's all about the choices you make within the plan, IMO.

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CuriousHedgehog · 22/02/2018 13:25

SW works for a lot of people but I think it's mostly people who are very overweight.

I am sure you are correct in general, but in my very limited experience you don't have to be very overweight for SW to work (I know that's not what you were saying, but I just wanted to point it out.)

I have gone from a BMI of 25 to 22 since January. I was inspired after a couple of similarly-sized friends had success on SW.

I never ate particularly healthily (was just "lucky" with my weight I suppose) and feel a lot better for all the fresh fruit and veg SW forces encourages me to eat.

I definitely appreciate that it doesn't work for everyone (otherwise there would be nothing else on the market!) but I think it's more to do with your diet and lifestyle than how overweight you are, and I agree it's aimed at people like me, who reach for the chocolate bar and avoid eating their greens!

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pandorawithtreaclecolouredhair · 22/02/2018 14:50

"Free food" does not need to be measured, but you should still eat normal portion sizes, and hopefully not being deprived of certain foods means that you make healthier choices.

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raisedbyguineapigs · 07/03/2018 21:44

Some people claim other people on SW eat ridiculous things, but I have never met anyone in group who could possibly eat 5 Muller yoghurts in a day, or a kilo of cooked pasta or 5 jacket potatoes with no fat or butter or anything on it or 10 plain digestives in one sitting etc! All the literature says you should fill a plate with 1/3 vegetables or fruit. Not that you sit an eat mullerlights all day long! Surely being less prescriptive is a way of getting them to make healthy choices. Mullers have a lot of sugar in them so arent great but if you have an unhealthy diet, it is bettter to eat a yoghurt than to eat a bar of chocolate as they are harder to eat as much of.

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Pipsqueak11 · 08/03/2018 00:19

I've been doing SW since early Nov and have lost 2 st plus so it works for me . I haven't had a mueller lite - it's not compulsory ! I'm eating a lot more fruit and veg than before and like others eat this with plain Greek low fat yoghurt if I want one.

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InfiniteSheldon · 09/03/2018 15:35

ML are not a Free food they are a processed food that has no syns. Fat free natural yogurt is a Free Food. SW says focus on Free Foods not focus on syn free foods. As well It's personal choice how much crap you eat but you'd soon get sick of ML so it would be very hard to eat enough of them to damage your weight loss. Finally the type of person to eat 5 in a go would pre slimming world have eaten 5 chocolate bars not one so calorie wise they've still cut calories by eating 5 Mullers. SW works because low calorie foods are Free, medium calories foods are limited and high calorie foods are strictly rationed.

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MessyBun247 · 09/03/2018 15:40

Do people actually believe that Muller doesn’t pay SW to advertise them? Really?

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InfiniteSheldon · 09/03/2018 15:51

I'm sure they pay if they are advertised on the magazine just like every business pays to advertise. I've never in twelve years running groups seen them advertised anywhere else associated with AS of by AS can you link to anything that supports that ridiculous statement? @Messybun247

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OuchLegoHurts · 09/03/2018 15:56

My group leader has never mentioned Muller lights! Yet she has recommended various other brands...So I really don't think SW is loyal to that brand in particular

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InfiniteSheldon · 09/03/2018 15:56

SW not AS !!

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italiancortado · 09/03/2018 16:00

having to eat bread, butter and cheese every day.

You don't HAVE to eat anything - SW is about choice.

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IAmMatty · 09/03/2018 16:08

I follow SW and the only place I've ever seen ML mentioned is on Mumsnet from people who have never done it Confused

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MessyBun247 · 09/03/2018 16:19

Muller pays Slimming World to promote their yoghurts as ‘syn’ free. Why else would they push the yoghurts so hard and have them in so many recipes, when they are so unhealthy?

If you have been a SW member and haven’t been encouraged to eat Mullers then you are in the minority.

It’s the same as those horrible Mug Shot things, and Bachelors Pasta n Sauce. They pay SW to promote the products as low ‘syn’.

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BitOutOfPractice · 09/03/2018 16:33

SW has always puzzled me too op. If I was so brilliant at self regulation and restraint I wouldn't need to lose weight.

Plus, once you've lost weight (if you have), I'm not sure you wouldn't put it all back on because you haven't changed your "eT as much as you like" mindset. (that's you generally, not you particularly op)

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