to be on the verge of tears because I don't understand the Slimming World rules?

[Mintyy]

Ffs! I am reasonable intelligent but come on!.

Am I ever going to understand it?

SW and WW make a lot of their money selling branded products.
If they made it easy, more people would (like me) go for 9 weeks, suss it out and never pay them again.

TP. I haven't actually paid WW in years, but still use their points method on occasion.

Look up WW points on the internet, get the formula, do it yourself.

SW sounds kinda stupid. All the carbs you can eat will lose you weight? I can't believe it works for anyone!

I did SW (the original red day/green day versions - EE baffled me too).

I am in fact Sheldon from Big Bang theory and took 'unlimited' very, very literally. Like starting my day with boiling a dozen eggs and a kilo of pasta - and eating the lot over the course of the day - and then eating half a dozen oranges and five mullerlights in front of the TV at night. Or baking six baked potatoes just for me...

It felt borderline bulimic to be cramming so much food - but I lost weight precipitously - and kept it off for years (until I got pregnant) - so I'm a convert.

I don't think Slimming World and I are going to get on, but I'm giving it 4 weeks (until I go on holiday).

Btw Talky, I finally got around to working out my tdee on My Fitness Pal. I x that by 7, took away 3,500 (to lose 1lb a week), took away 1,000 to represent 2 fast days, and was left with 1513 calories per day.

I'd hardly say that's "eat what you like and you don't need to bother with weighing and measuring" which is how 5:2 is sold to us. Might re-visit 5:2 in the Autumn.

Goodness grass, did you really enjoy eating that every day?

Do you work out mintyy? MFP recommends that as a minimum base, and then when you work out to eat those exercise calories back. So a 500 calorie run for example would give 2013 calories to eat that day.

Or the Road Map thread on MFP will likely give you 1800-2000 calories per day as long as you work out 2 or 3 times per week.

But to be fair 1500 calories is a doable amount anyway.

Mintyy
Your 5:2 maths is wrong.
If your TDEE is 2156 then THAT is what you aim to stay just under on normal days
so Monday fast = 500
Tuesday normal = around 1900
Wednesday normal = around 1900
Thursday fast = 500
Friday normal weekend = 2156
Saturday party night = 2924 (wine and more wine)
Sunday normal = around 1900

that gives you the 3000 calorie deficit while still enjoying healthy meals

and remember that MM was not over weight so he did not need to calorie count. But lots of people are over weight and need to learn what healthy 1800 calorie days look like.

Given that estimating one's exercise levels is an inexact science, my honest guess is that my tdee is 1724 - 1975.

In the last week the exercise I have done is

Tues. an hour on my bike (actual cycling in the park rather than on an exercise bike)
Weds. cycling to work and back (90 minutes on bike, fairly sedate pace)
Fri. walk to hospital appointment (45 min brisk walk)
Today. cycle to garden centre and back (45 mins on bike, faster pace because I don't mind getting sweaty as can have a shower at home)

I'd say that is little to light exercise?

I agree that 1500 calories per day is a do-able amount Stuntgirl. Just seems low if you have done 2 x 500 calorie days in a week and still you need to keep to 1500 to lose 1 lousy pound a week, even though you are 35lb overweight.

In 2002/2003 i lost ten stone on the Green plan. At 29 years old a carb heavy plan worked. At 40 yrs old not so much.
Ive been doing my own since mid April and from mid April to mid June i lost a stone. Have just started doing this again after having a bit of time off around my birthday.

Mintyy that is why im starting to consider the Cambridge plan

That's definitely not light! Government guidelines suggest 2 and a half hours moderate activity (such as cycling) a week so you're ahead of that.

You sound like you're pretty active actually so I wouldn't go too low on the calories, your body needs the energy.

Interestingly, other than adjusting my TDEE up or down for work or gym days, I do not "count" exercise calories off at all
for exactly the reason Mintyy says, lots of people overestimate how many calories they have burned and underestimate how many calories are in their reward food.

thing is Mintyy the 2 x 500 is your deficit. You do not need to restrict below your TDEE on the other days.

X post. At 36lbs to lose you're pretty close to your goal weight so don't be surprised if the rate of loss is slower, that's normal.

At 36lbs to lose you're pretty close to your goal weight
2 1/2 stone is not "pretty close" IMHO

Hah, maybe I'm just comparing it to what my goal was!

35lb??? This is the heaviest I have ever been in my whole life, excluding 9 months pregnant, when I might have been half a stone heavier.

Just because I don't have 5 or 10 stone to lose doesn't mean I'm not a porker.

I do think 36lbs is a relatively small amount to lose though, I mean, I put on half a stone around my period and I can put on a stone over Christmas.

It can be difficult for sure, but two and a half stone is easily doable.

I have so far lost 49lb following something similar to this plan which was given to me by my nurse at the end of july last year (called Counterweight). It has gotten to the point where I dont have to think about what I have to eat as its second nature now. If it works with my wheat and dairy issues then I'm pretty sure it would work for you too. I save my snacks for my bottle of wine at the end of the week too so dont feel I miss out (dry pasta and rice are 25g and raw potato weights are 100g per per serving).

Talky, to lose 1lb of fat in a week you need to take in 3,500 calories fewer then you need, yes?

If I need lets say 1800 calories a day, then 2 x fast days of 500 calories, only leaves me with a deficit of 2,600 calories.

I need to find that other 900 from somewhere?

Every week.

So I've got 5 days when I'm not fasting. I'll have to shave that 900 off them.

900 divided by 5 = 180.

Got to take 180 off my daily 1800 on 5 days a week = 1620. Ok, so that's marginally better than the 1500 and something I was talking about, but only if I actually do need as much as 1800 per day, given that I have the metabolism of a dead slug.

Are you struggling to reach the daily allowance or struggling to stick to it?

Mintyy
But you are forgetting your calories burned.
If you stick to 1800 and do all your bike rides you'll be well on your way.
And yes, your metabolism is stubborn so exercise - especially on fast days - may well be more useful than just calorie restriction.
I fully accept that what works for many others has not worked for you
but calorie restricting to below your TDEE day in day out is just a drag.

I'd been at Slimming world a few weeks before I realised you were supposed to fill a certain amount of your plate with superfree foods and eat them first or something and then just went, feck it.

I'd rather just use currency, spend it wisely, and not have to worry about chucking a load of stuff down my gob I don't actually like that I have to pay for (like melon) before eating stuff I do.

Lots of people didn't realise this rule (it was something to do with extra easy or some bollix) because when I asked and the leader clarified I could see loads of souls dying in the room.

Just eat dust. Its totalballs the way forward.

I thought we were supposed to forget all about calories burned? Our calories burned are accounted for in our tdee, yes?

Anyhoo, I am going to do 1600 calories a day plus 2 x fast days of 500 calories a day and see where that gets me.

I lost 6 stone in a year on the red and green plan. I have no idea how it worked but initially I would eat loads - think the worlds largest jacket spud with a packet of bachelors past n sauce as its filling. That was just lunch. tea would be more potatoes cut into SW chips and served with poached eggs a whole tin of baked beans or mushy peas. I would then eat a cadbury Twirl every evening.

It was a massive amount of food but it worked and the weight literally fell off. My 1st ever week I lost 10lbs. But would usually average 2 to 3lbs a week.

As I lost weight I didnt feel the need to eat so much so my portions became more controlled and now I look at what I used to eat on the plan as absolutely mad.

I have been on and off the plan for 10 years now. Once I stop following it the weight goes on. Luckily I have never made a full gain.

I now still follow red and green and only occassionly do this new EE plan.

I do weekly syns - I have ditched my nightly bar of chocolate and save my syns for weekend boozing.

I have to say I have learnt alot of my healthy eating over the past 10 years and would never now (at age 40) eat jacket and pasta n sauce and chips for tea like I used to - despite the fact it worked and weight fell off me.

I now prefer the speed and superspeed salads with fish etc. I do more red days usually but it is expensive.

Stick with it OP. As you get used to what is what it will become easier and the plan is flexible really. I love not having to weigh out my foods (except healthy extras). I failed at diets that used to tell me 200g of chicken breast, 75g of carrots etc etc.