To think what Slimming World are advertising cannot possibly be truthful?!

[iloveeverykindofcat]

My dear friend has struggled with her weight since we were in school, and despite being an intelligent woman, has wasted an awful lot of money, time and energy in fad diets/pills/shakes/teas/etc promising miracle results. Yesterday she told me she's started Slimming World, and is really excited about this diet because it lets you eat unlimited amounts of food and promises you will lose weight regardless. I thought she meant lettuce and cucumber but as the conversation progressed she told me you can have unlimited potato, pasta, rice etc some days and unlimited meat others. I didn't want to argue about it but when I got home I Googled and yep, that really is the promise, from a major, supposedly reputable diet franchise. Am I missing something here? That just seems.....not possible. And if not possible, it's false advertising, which is illegal. Am I missing something?

I know people who have lost an awful lot of weight doing just that.

You're misunderstanding it. Half the plate should be "speed food" which is basically salad and veg. You're also only supposed to eat until you're comfortably full.

Could you link up what you've read?

I think it still relies on you knowing when to stop. I followed it religiously and didn't lose anything.

To say you can eat unlimited pasta etc is over simplifying the diet. You can, but your weightloss will be slower than most, and how likely is anyone to do this anyway.

When you look at the science behind the diet, in order to maximise weightloss you are encouraged to restrict sugars and fats. So you could eat unlimited pasta but without a lovely cheesy sauce, it won't be much fun. You are also encouraged to fill a third of your plate with vegetables other than potatoes, before having anything else, do like it or not, you are forced to portion control.

I like it. It works for me, and lots of others that follow the diet as it is intended. I don't know anyone who wants to eat a tonne of pasta and rice so although I often hear this, it is not a reality I have experienced.

I think it works better than the fads if people change lifestyle and keep it up.

People who go too far with the "unlimited" won't lose big.

I've lost 5 stones, and I do think the fact I can eat a lot has helped. Every other diet I've been on has seen me hungry - which is when I tended to eat the wrong things.

my friends son in law lost 10 stone on SW

I've lost around 2 stone since Easter doing slimming world. I eat as much pasta/potatoes as I want, the thing is if you follow the plan properly once you've eaten the third speed food (low calorie/high density) on your plate there is no room for too much pasta/potatoes.

My neice has lost a couple of stone in about 4 months doing SW

Another slimming world bashing thread where the OP can't be bothered to do basic research

I read this:

www.slimmingworld.co.uk/landing/free-food-february-2015/free-food.aspx

And some other pages on their site. It sounds to me that the people who have had big losses (congrats!) don't take the unlimited literally. Which my friend I think probably would, which is why the advertsing (and it seems to be their USP) bothers me. I don't want to see her invest in this and have it not work again, it really upsets her - though it does at least seem much healthier than the Special K diet/magic shakes/etc. Purple I haven't come across a half-plate rule which would make more sense though in reality, I don't believe you can eat unlimited amounts of anything and still lose weight.

It is difficult because SW advertise those yoghurts as free, too.

But they aren't really, so how many are actually too many?

I don't believe you can eat unlimited amounts of anything and still lose weight

Don't believe it then

Lots of people really do lose weight with SW, and keep it off too. More so than with crash or fad diets ime.

However, the unlimited thing isn't quite that simple. Its to do with ratios of food on your plate. You cant just eat a plateful of pasta and nothing else - a substantial ratio has to be what they call speed food, mainly fruit, veg and salad.

Your info is very out of date, what you are describing is the old "green or red" days. As pps have said, it's all about the speed foods these days! I find if you have a lot to lose it's a great eating plan.

YABU

the red and green days (protein red, carbs green) are not done anymore

To say you can have unlimited pasta is oversimplifying it for the sake of being a goady fucker. A third or half your plate should be fruit and veg. That will naturally limit the amount of carbs you can eat, especially if you eat the veg first.

But hey, why bother doing thirty seconds of research when you can start another SW bashing thread? They seem to be fashionable at the moment from people who willfully misunderstand the principles of it or think carbs are inherently evil.

Its based on the NHS Eatwell plate: www.slimmingworld.co.uk/health/how-sw-works/food-optimising.aspx

Well, I really hope it does work for her then. But how can you eat unlimited amounts of anything and lose weight? Everything has calories right? So anything multiplied by potentially infinity = potentially infinity. I mean sure, in practice you can only eat so much of something before you're full, but how are they allowed to advertise it as unlimited?

Are you reading what people are posting?

I don't understand why people tie themselves up in knots over this.

Calories in = calories out.

Eat less and move more.

It could not be simpler than that. Yet the diet industry is worth billions. Astonishing!

Because people won't actually eat unlimited amounts will they. I assume your friend isn't going to eat all the pasta in the entire world and I also assume you realise that. It means you don't have to measure it out or limit it, eat as much as you want.

It works. I lost 3 stone, my best friend has lost nearly 8 stone now.

I've lost 5 stone in 28 weeks.

Just to put paid to the myth, I've never eaten a Freddo Frog, nor a muller lite nor my own body weight in pasta.

Yes you can eat 'unlimited' amounts of various things, but you are taking that too literally. It's the 'eatwell plate' of healthy thirds (protein, carbs and fruit/veg portions). Slimming World is a re-education of your eating habits. I'm afraid if you have an unhealthy relationship with food and use food as a crutch, then no diet will ever help you - you need professional help with the underlying issues.

I eat when I'm hungry - but I'm not going to get fat on fruit am I? I no longer snack on bread sticks and cheese crackers.

I thought she meant lettuce and cucumber but as the conversation progressed she told me you can have unlimited potato, pasta, rice etc some days and unlimited meat others.

There are no red/green days which I believe were an old method of weight loss - are you sure you actually have a friend because if you did she wouldnt be telling you she had meat days and pasta days

Because unless you have a severe binge eating disorder you will not literally eat unlimited amounts of food! You will get full and naturally limit your intake. Fgs nobody thinks you can eat piles and piles of pasta and potato and lose weight.

Dame yes, I am indeed. But even taking into account that half of one's plate must be low in calories, if size of portion may be unlimited, the infinity equation stands. I'm not trying to goad. I dislike the diet industry intensely, and I hate false advertising. At the very least, it's misleading advertising. I've seen my friend try so many of these things to end up heavier and with poorer self esteem than previously. But at least this one includes balanced nutrients.

Adalind I suspect she does have binge eating disorder unfortunately.

Why don't you just wait and see if she loses weight ?