Weightloss Vs Gym

[FatWedgeSlim]

Hello, I have an unique situation perhaps someone can give advice on.

I am struggling to have enough energy for the gym, so I'm going over my syns with protein-based food to compensate. I'm vegan, so syn-free options are limited.

I have spoken to my consultant, and she isn't sure what to recommend. She recommended an increase in protein before a workout, which if I ate meat would be ok as meat is syn-free, but vegan sources have a syn value.

Any ideas gratefully received.

[idontlikealdi]

Sack off slimming world and Get your iron levels checked.

[LolaJ87]

I second sacking off slimming world. It's leaving you with no energy, so it's not right for you. Move to calorie counting where you won't be penalised for your vegan options!

[LordEmsworth]

Stop doing Slimming World and find a way of eating that supports you instead?

Also, if your issue is lack of energy then it's not protein you need - it's carbs. If you're vegan then you probably don't get enough protein for muscle building workouts, but that's not the same thing as energy.

More pulses would work for both... However if you have gym-based goals that clash with the Slimming World approach, you would be better off either finding a more appropriate approach to eating, or putting gym goals on hold for a while.

[suki1964]

Arent pulses free with SW? They are high protein as is some of the plant based proteins such as quorn and tofu

However if you are seriously training, and you are happy to stay with SW, get in touch with them direct and they should be able to advise. Your consultant should already be on the ball with this and finding out the information for you , but some are better then others

Defo get your iron checked as well

[FatWedgeSlim]

Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate them.

I tried contacting SW directly, and they said they only offer website and app support on their chat on the website, and to speak to my Consultant, had to explain that the Consultant told me to speak you. Got a generic reply, which was disappointing. On the brink of cancelling SW as, in spite of the delicious recipes they recommend, quick snacks and free foods are limited. Omnivores get eggs, fat-free yogurt, light Babybels etc as a syn-free snacks to have, where as plant-based options are syns, or require some effort to prepare. A lean chicken breast is nothing, where as a plant-based option is syns, or falls into a Health Extra A or B depending on the food.

I am really enjoying the gym, and also tied in for 12 months, so can't cancel.

Disappointed with the lack of support for SW, considering their whole ethos is about "supporting each other" etc.

[suki1964]

In reply to your post, stick with the Gym and start calorie counting. Work out what calories you actually need, theres loads of calculators online and work from there

SW and CC are miles apart. If I track what I eat SW on Myfitnesspal, its actually quite frightening

Ive been doing SW for a year and yes I have lost what I needed to without a lot of pain, and its not rocket science - cook from scratch and eat loads of veg and some fruit. But they do push protein in the form of lean meat - eat as much bacon as you like - just remove the fat. And we all know eating bacon butties every day isnt brilliant so I am now moving towards calorie counting and hitting a balanced diet - protein, carbs , salt, fat etc

[FatWedgeSlim]

I was counting calories with MyFitnessPal before I joined SW. I stopped for a few reasons, the first being my weight plateaued, secondly they started charging to scan bar codes, and lastly I received a referral from my doctor for SW and it seemed a good opportunity to try something different.

Like you say, it does work if you stick to it, and cook the majority your meals from scratch. But as soon as you dine out, or enjoy a takeaway with the family, it can quickly derail your progress. There doesn't seem to be scope for life.

I had a free personal training session when I joined the gym, and he said the the diet was interesting in the notion you could eat as much pasta as you like (until comfortably full). He did actually say it would be interesting to see if the SW diet was sustainable with the gym, as other clients of his found it hard.

[suki1964]

@FatWedgeSlim

I was counting calories with MyFitnessPal before I joined SW. I stopped for a few reasons, the first being my weight plateaued, secondly they started charging to scan bar codes, and lastly I received a referral from my doctor for SW and it seemed a good opportunity to try something different.

Like you say, it does work if you stick to it, and cook the majority your meals from scratch. But as soon as you dine out, or enjoy a takeaway with the family, it can quickly derail your progress. There doesn't seem to be scope for life.

I had a free personal training session when I joined the gym, and he said the the diet was interesting in the notion you could eat as much pasta as you like (until comfortably full). He did actually say it would be interesting to see if the SW diet was sustainable with the gym, as other clients of his found it hard.

Edited

I do the dining out and takeaways. Ok its not often for me, we live very rural so take away isnt really viable , its a cheeky KFC if in the next town once a couple of months, so for me its a case of suck it up, Im eating it, worry about it never :) Im just aware Ive had it and cut out any other "treats" I had saved syns for

The pasta thing, I do understand why they say - until comfortably full. A lot of members who join have seriously been over eating for years, consuming vast amounts of food ( a friend of mine is one ) and for them, if they are going to eat a meal and be hungry , the snacking will commence. So they are having to train themselves to eat just three meals a day and keep their snacks to within their syn allowance so of course the portion size is key. No point in them being told just 50gr as they are going to be hungry and also feel too restricted and wont stick with it. I was a huge pasta eater, seriously 1 bag of pasta was to me, enough for 2 meals , easily shovel in 2 to 300 grms in one sitting, with garlic bread , and then still go and snack. As my journey has gone on, I cant manage to eat that much now. We had pasta last night, I found a bag that had just 200grms in it and I was seriously worried there wasnt enough for the two of us, neither of us managed to eat our bowlful. A couple of things have happened, as Ive gotten smaller Ive got used to smaller portions, Ive switched to wholemeal which is much more filling, and I fill the dish with veg - bag of spinach , some tomatoes and mushrooms went in. So I still eat enough pasta till Im comfortably full, but now Im full on a lot less

Im lucky that I dont have any dietary needs, but I also cant afford to use meat as my protein intake all the time so I do eat lots of beans, lentils and chickpeas. Cant say Im particularly fussed on them, which is why they were never on the menu before, but I do like a spinach and chickpea / potato curry and Im happy to eat lentils as part of a salad base, with lots of flavour dressing and I bulk out practically all stew type meals with either lentils or some type of bean. Most of my food intake comes from the free foods, a couple of syns for oils or sauces. Hence when I do get a KFC, I dont worry

[FatWedgeSlim]

@suki1964

I do the dining out and takeaways. Ok its not often for me, we live very rural so take away isnt really viable , its a cheeky KFC if in the next town once a couple of months, so for me its a case of suck it up, Im eating it, worry about it never :) Im just aware Ive had it and cut out any other "treats" I had saved syns for

The pasta thing, I do understand why they say - until comfortably full. A lot of members who join have seriously been over eating for years, consuming vast amounts of food ( a friend of mine is one ) and for them, if they are going to eat a meal and be hungry , the snacking will commence. So they are having to train themselves to eat just three meals a day and keep their snacks to within their syn allowance so of course the portion size is key. No point in them being told just 50gr as they are going to be hungry and also feel too restricted and wont stick with it. I was a huge pasta eater, seriously 1 bag of pasta was to me, enough for 2 meals , easily shovel in 2 to 300 grms in one sitting, with garlic bread , and then still go and snack. As my journey has gone on, I cant manage to eat that much now. We had pasta last night, I found a bag that had just 200grms in it and I was seriously worried there wasnt enough for the two of us, neither of us managed to eat our bowlful. A couple of things have happened, as Ive gotten smaller Ive got used to smaller portions, Ive switched to wholemeal which is much more filling, and I fill the dish with veg - bag of spinach , some tomatoes and mushrooms went in. So I still eat enough pasta till Im comfortably full, but now Im full on a lot less

Im lucky that I dont have any dietary needs, but I also cant afford to use meat as my protein intake all the time so I do eat lots of beans, lentils and chickpeas. Cant say Im particularly fussed on them, which is why they were never on the menu before, but I do like a spinach and chickpea / potato curry and Im happy to eat lentils as part of a salad base, with lots of flavour dressing and I bulk out practically all stew type meals with either lentils or some type of bean. Most of my food intake comes from the free foods, a couple of syns for oils or sauces. Hence when I do get a KFC, I dont worry

It's great to hear you have found your happy place when it comes to food. A nirvana not easily achieved by all. Well done! ☺️

I work full time, have a 6 year old, attend the gym, wife responsible for 100% of the mental load etc...so there is always something to do, somewhere to be...I try my best to be everything to everyone, and anxiety of not being enough weighs heavy. When you read that being stressed hinders your weight loss progress...it's hard to get the balance right.

[suki1964]

@FatWedgeSlim

It's great to hear you have found your happy place when it comes to food. A nirvana not easily achieved by all. Well done! ☺️

I work full time, have a 6 year old, attend the gym, wife responsible for 100% of the mental load etc...so there is always something to do, somewhere to be...I try my best to be everything to everyone, and anxiety of not being enough weighs heavy. When you read that being stressed hinders your weight loss progress...it's hard to get the balance right.

Edited

I wasnt always this OK. This has taken me a LOT of work to get to this stage, believe me. This time last year I was laid up on the sofa wishing I was dead. I had been in a depression for years, barely functioning , work and bed and the bare minimum in between . Then I had a fall and was in complete agony for months ( still have some pain but not constant ), I never thought I was ever going to drive or work again

It was actually finding something to wear to a physio appointment that made me see how I had let myself go, Im just over 5ft so the 3 stone weight gain was huge on me . It was seeing myself in a full size mirror that got me in to SW. The rest has followed. I needed to exercise, so I started walking, just a half a mile was enough at the start, now 5k a day at least, plus I now work PT as a waitress so Im easily getting 8 miles a day in. With the exercise and the weight loss came confidence. I came off my anti depressants late last summer and Im doing great

I so get being everything for everyone, been there, have the tee shirt, but I dunno, perhaps cos Im post menopause now I really have run out of fucks and Ive claimed some me time and thats SW, Park run, my walks, and out to visit friends and it really helps. Small little things for most, but as someone who was always last on the pecking list, its big changes for me. I now say no if something doesn't suit me. For so long I hid away in the house so it became second nature to be the one everything fell to and of course I felt like I was

This sounds really really stupid but I bought a hand bag this week, just a cheap canvas one from Amazon. I haven't used a handbag for years. Anything I carried I shoved into my coat pockets, and this summer Im not needing to hide in a coat or jacket, Im going to walk down the road in summer clothes same as everyone else and its those wins that keep me focussed on where I want to be, and that is as fit and healthy as I possibly can be. So Ive stopped stressing the small stuff. Sure Im not perfect, a work in progress , I slip up now and then but life isnt about perfection, its about being and doing the best you can

[FatWedgeSlim]

@suki1964

I wasnt always this OK. This has taken me a LOT of work to get to this stage, believe me. This time last year I was laid up on the sofa wishing I was dead. I had been in a depression for years, barely functioning , work and bed and the bare minimum in between . Then I had a fall and was in complete agony for months ( still have some pain but not constant ), I never thought I was ever going to drive or work again

It was actually finding something to wear to a physio appointment that made me see how I had let myself go, Im just over 5ft so the 3 stone weight gain was huge on me . It was seeing myself in a full size mirror that got me in to SW. The rest has followed. I needed to exercise, so I started walking, just a half a mile was enough at the start, now 5k a day at least, plus I now work PT as a waitress so Im easily getting 8 miles a day in. With the exercise and the weight loss came confidence. I came off my anti depressants late last summer and Im doing great

I so get being everything for everyone, been there, have the tee shirt, but I dunno, perhaps cos Im post menopause now I really have run out of fucks and Ive claimed some me time and thats SW, Park run, my walks, and out to visit friends and it really helps. Small little things for most, but as someone who was always last on the pecking list, its big changes for me. I now say no if something doesn't suit me. For so long I hid away in the house so it became second nature to be the one everything fell to and of course I felt like I was

This sounds really really stupid but I bought a hand bag this week, just a cheap canvas one from Amazon. I haven't used a handbag for years. Anything I carried I shoved into my coat pockets, and this summer Im not needing to hide in a coat or jacket, Im going to walk down the road in summer clothes same as everyone else and its those wins that keep me focussed on where I want to be, and that is as fit and healthy as I possibly can be. So Ive stopped stressing the small stuff. Sure Im not perfect, a work in progress , I slip up now and then but life isnt about perfection, its about being and doing the best you can

Wow. Sounds like you have had a lot going on. Good for you for sticking with it when things got real dark. Sadly I also know what's that like. It's tough. 👍

You're right. Sometimes it's the little things that get us through.

[PutOnYourRedShoesAndLetsDance]

Slimming world does NOT eor

[PutOnYourRedShoesAndLetsDance]

Slimming world does not work
.it's been scientifically proven not to work
. 90% of people have left and gone back at least 6 times.
It's a cult.
Leave now. No food should ever be a syn.

[Scottishskifun]

I thought tofu and vegan quorn were syn free on SW?
If so then you could have these I often use quorn just with a pinch of smoked paprika as a snack or smoked tofu slices in the air fryer?

If SW is working for you better then on your own then stick with it. I'm gluten free so found a lot of options we're limited but it gave me a good starter to understand where I was consuming mindless calories. I now track what I have myself and recognise I don't need 2000 calories a day as I'm not very active due to a health condition

[TheCatterall]

@FatWedgeSlim Personally I’d sack off plotting things the SW way but still go for the weigh in accountability if that’s helping you. Not saying don’t follow the advice day to day about eating - but use the gym fuel as a ‘bolt on’ option to your eating habits.

Find what you need to add to your diet for energy at the gym. What would you be eating or doing shake wise if it wasn’t for the SW stuff holding you back? What did the PT recommend? Maybe find a vegan fitness group and ask in there?

The gym will help you tone up, lose weight and if anything like me is fantastic for the wellbeing and mental health.

Do get iron levels etc checked.

the monthly subscription to MyFitnessPal was bonkers but the annual is better value.

I’m using Calorie Counter now as it’s U.K. based and finding it easier. Using free (lite) version for now but looking at the annual version if I can get to grips with how it differs from MFP.

good luck!

[suki1964]

@PutOnYourRedShoesAndLetsDance

Slimming world does not work
.it's been scientifically proven not to work
. 90% of people have left and gone back at least 6 times.
It's a cult.
Leave now. No food should ever be a syn.

How big a roll of tin foil do you buy each month?

[suki1964]

@FatWedgeSlim

Wow. Sounds like you have had a lot going on. Good for you for sticking with it when things got real dark. Sadly I also know what's that like. It's tough. 👍

You're right. Sometimes it's the little things that get us through.

Thats whats keeping me going, I have just 6 lb to loose now to get all the figures - BMI and body fat - down to a healthy range and Ill be honest, its not easy. What I have to focus on are the non scale wins, I can bend to lace my shoes, I am buying smaller clothes, I can walk 5k at pace, my iPhone stops bloody well recognising me :)

Yeah, its been tough, but that sight of me in the mirror has stayed with me. I mean right now I still have a belly and spare tyre, but Im a few months off 60, Ive always been curvy, even as a teen and a size 6 I still was rounder then the stick insects of the day so Im accepting I will never be a clothes horse and concentrating on health. My BMI is slap bang in the middle of healthy, my weight is as well, just carrying too much body fat

I opened up to you because I got where you are coming from. You too have the strength to do this and as you move forward you will find even more to keep you focussed . You probably haven't realised you want this as much as you do, you would never have joined a gym nor asked for advice if this was going to be half hearted. Dont stop. You may need to stop SW, but dont stop your journey

[tabulahrasa]

A lot of the unprocessed vegan protein sources are free - seitan, tempeh, tofu, vegan quorn, lentils, beans, spelt...

What isn’t free is the highly processed stuff with loads of added fats and sugars, but tbh, that’s the same with any type of diet, for eg, meat is free but burgers and sausages aren’t.

Unsweetened plain soya yoghurt is free btw - the sweetened and flavoured ones vary from fairly low to quite high syns, but again, that’s also how dairy ones work.

Eating out can be harder without meat, but, for example chickpea Dahl is 4.5, lentil 5.5, Bombay potatoes 10.5 so Indians work pretty well.

Chinese I just get bean curd and syn it the same as the meat version, so black bean sauce I count as 10.5

Italian also not bad because the naturally vegan stuff will be the lower syn stuff anyway, a tomato based pasta with no cream and no cheese will only really have some syns for oil.

[Nomdejeur]

To the pp, Slimming world does work, but you have to stick with it like all diets/healthy eating plans. It isn’t a cult 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

OP, I’m not sure why you are upping your protein thinking it’ll give you energy. You need carbs to give you energy and protein to maintain and replace tissues. Protein will of course give energy eventually if all your bodies other sources have been depleted but it’s not the primary means.

[kitsuneghost]

What protein are you looking to take that has Syns
Vegan proteins tend to be Syn free
If you are thinking of protein shakes and bars, they are no good for anyone looking to lose weight whether it be SW, WW, CC.

Also energy comes from ALL food and any excess is stored as fat whether it be protein, carbs or fats. So a piece of cake is as likely to give you as much energy for the gym as a protein bar.
How much protein are you currently eating and are you actually needing more? You should be having 0.8-1g / Kg body weight unless you are on a high protein plan prescribed by a doctor or doing professional sports/bodybuilding

This extra protein fad for the masses is just clever marketing
I also think you should see your GP as they may be some other underlying cause

[FatWedgeSlim]

Apologies for not replying sooner, I'm confident this is the last place I need to apologise for being too busy parenting to respond eh? 😅

I have read all of your messages. All really useful thank you. I tried to get my iron levels checked via blood test with the Doctor, but they seem in no rush to follow up to get an appointment, in the meantime I have started taking extra iron.

Yes, processed vegan food is going to be syns where simple fruits and veggies are nothing. So trying just a banana before the gym. I don't feel as energised, but it's better than nothing.

Although some have suggested leaving SW, and considering the lack of support it's really tempting, but when I actually stick to the diet, it does actually work. I am just struggling to find that balance though.

I am rocking a cocktail of Vitabiotics Wellwoman Vegan, iron and vitamin d daily. So hopefully I should do better.