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

[Yourcoffinormine]

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?

[IAmMatty]

I'm looking in my SW book now. There is a mention of 'split pot' yoghurts which have 6.5 points each. That's it.

The weird Mueller obsession on here has got to end!

[raisedbyguineapigs]

That's one thing I like about it. My kids don't see me weighing stuff out and counting calories. They see me eating meals that they eat, piled with vegetables. They have full fat dairy and I have fat free but it looks the same. They know I'm on SW to lose weight but as far as they are concerned it just means eating fewer biscuits!

[LondonJax]

All I know is that I'm losing weight on it and two cousins have kept the weight they lost off for three and four years respectively. Because they've learned 'new' ways of cooking meals or have had to actually think about what they eat and why.

And no one forces anyone to eat ML (or yoghurt of any sort).

That's why I like it. I can work it around the items we, as a family, like to eat. I can serve the same meal up to my DS and DH, most of the time I don't have to faff about weighing bits and bobs out and I don't have to work out if certain things are within a number of points or calories. I just cook items on the free food list and I know the weight will drop.

I tried WW in the past with a lot of success but I found I became food obsessed. I knew the points value for everything I ate, every day. I found myself constantly trying to re-jig points.

With SW I have no idea what the calorific value is but if it's on the free food list I don't worry and because of that I've learned to just eat until I am full - which is what my slim DS does - and the weight is falling off. I just cannot eat as much as I used to now because the food I eat is filling.

[BitOutOfPractice]

I guess @italiancortado that eating good healthy food in sensible portions is at the heart of every diet.

[italiancortado]

I have never made a SW recipie.

I follow the plan by eating lean meat, veg and potatoes/rice type of thing.

No Muller lights. No weird recipes.

Just good clean eating.

SW is about CHOICE

[InfiniteSheldon]

I have read every magazine for twelve years have copies of every recipe book and been to every consultant training session and of the recipes I see 99.999999% have no ML in. Recipes posted by members might have ML in but not official ones, or no more than any other yogurt.

[InfiniteSheldon]

Do you have any evidence of that ?

[BitOutOfPractice]

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)

[MessyBun247]

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’.

[IAmMatty]

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

[italiancortado]

having to eat bread, butter and cheese every day.

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

[InfiniteSheldon]

SW not AS !!

[OuchLegoHurts]

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

[InfiniteSheldon]

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

[MessyBun247]

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

[InfiniteSheldon]

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.

[Pipsqueak11]

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.

[raisedbyguineapigs]

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.

[pandorawithtreaclecolouredhair]

"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.

[CuriousHedgehog]

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!

[amistillsexy]

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.

[Yourcoffinormine]

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 🤷‍♀️

[Tailfeather]

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.

[Remote1candles]

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.

[leghairdontcare]

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.