I’m not losing any weight. What am I doing wrong?

[MemorableLlama]

I’ve been doing slimming world online for about 6 weeks. I’m sticking to it rigidly but have only lost 2 pounds.

I think the issue is, I have a huge appetite and am eating large portions of free food (eggs, chicken, salmon, pasta, potatoes). If I don’t, I get really hungry.

Consequently, I have maintained the last 4 weeks. (I lost 1lb in week 1 and 1lb in week 2. )

I’ve got about 2 stone to lose to get to a healthy weight so not massively overweight- but significantly so.

Any advice?

Are you weighing and measuring your healthy extras and SWIPS?

I returned to slimming world but mostly just use it for the weigh in accountability and the class. I used to calorie count so have a rough idea of portion sizes etc. You need to be mindful of the volume of food, as others have said as much as its free its still calories.

You can disagree of course but it doesn’t mean you are 100% correct. The hormones Ghrelin and Leptin play a huge role in the body’s ability to regulate weight. Willpower and healthy choices alone are just one part of the equation.

Yes, as I keep saying, this is marketing. The headline - eat as much as you want of pasta, potatoes, lean meat etc. is to attract people to join.

But then, when (like the OP) people take this literally and don't lose weight, they are advised they need to be eating at least 1/3 'speed food' and only snacking on speed food.

It's correct insofar as, if someone joins who is very overweight and they have been eating limitless takeaways, chocolate, fried food, pastries crisps etc. and they swap that for eating limitless pasta, potatoes and lean meat, they probably will lose weight, for a while at least, because they'll be eating fewer calories.

But if you are in the 'overweight' bracket rather than the 'obese' bracket and the kind of person who is not eating loads of unhealthy food, just a little over their energy expenditure over a long period of time that has led to gradual weight gain, you will not lose weight by eating limitless pasta etc. You'd have to follow the 'speed food' rules which would effectively limit your consumption of the healthy but more calorie dense 'free foods'.

I’m sorry, and this will be my last word on it, as it’s a circular argument. They clearly state these foods are free and can be eaten in unlimited qualities, they then go on to state it’s a minimum of a third of your plate. Minimum.

this is not marketing, this is the actual diet. They do not secretly then tell members not to do this, they do not have hidden text somewhere thay is secretly revealed saying do not eat the free foods in unlimited quantities.

they list all these foods as free, and then they tell people to eat at least of a third of their plate with them, at least, from as much lean meat, rice, pasta, fruit, as they can eat.

Pretending they don’t say this, or they mean something else, or it’s just some marketing ploy and no one really does this is nonsense. Anyone following the diet would be told they can do this. They even back it up with supposed science.

The op is a case in point. My sil another, I’ve watched her sit and eat huge portions saying I can eat as much of this as I wish as it’s all free. Paella was her go to. Lots of spices and lean meats and seafood, veg and boiled eggs in it. All free according to slimming world. All can be consumed in unlimited quantities.

its an utterly ludicrous diet with a huge regain rate. Much higher than any other diet program from what I can see. And I’m astounded anyone is trying to defend the free food nonsense and pretend it’s some sort of marketing ploy to lure people in and members are then told it was just pretend and they should know not to do this. What on earth is the point of a diet plan if following it as they state makes you fat.

Just to say, I am not defending it - I am being factual.

In my experience, the only reliable way to lose weight is to calorie count.

You can 'dress up' a diet however you want, with 'points' 'free foods' 'low carbs' etc. but people lose weight when they eat fewer calories than their bodies need, and all these plans - Slimming World, Weight Watchers etc. are just window-dressing that might or might not be effective.

this says at least a third of your plate. The words at least means at a minimum. Not a maximum. As such, they do not say only a max of a third. They are maintaining you can each as much as you wish.
in English, the words at least means a minimum of, not a maximum of. As such, it means it is unlimited. As they say everywhere else.
The at least 1/3 of your plate is of speed free food- not free food. It's basically the Plate method. Speed free food is fruit and non starchy vegetables not carbs. I agree it must depend on the group leader and the persons selective listening ( most people don't stay to the groups, which is where this information is reiterated). I'm not saying SW is the only way to lose weight but if people don't follow the plan properly then of course they won't lose weight. The same as calorie counting. If you don't track every calorie ( and macros so you aren't eating 3 mars bars a day and nothing else) then you won't lose weight.

I've also just joined SW online, lost 5lbs in week 1. I also go to a Diabetes Prevention Programme regularly with a fully qualified nutritionist and personal trainer, who tells us that half of our plates should be made up of vegetables/fruit with a palm sized portion of lean protein and a palm sized portion of carbs.

I find that the serving sizes suggested on rice/pasta packets are far too big if you are to follow the plate setup mentioned above - 75g of pasta or rice fills most of the plate and that's before you add any sauces etc. So, even though rice/pasta/potatoes are "free foods" that we don't have to measure I do measure them to make sure I've got the right proportions on my plate! I find that 40-50g of rice pasta is a more sensible amount. I also try to keep my meals varied throughout the day so I'm not eating a large amount of anything in particular. E.g if I have an omelette for breakfast I wouldn't have a crustless quiche for lunch, if I have pasta for lunch I wont have rice for dinner etc.

Speed and free are two different things in SW

Free, means you dont have to weigh and measure - the plain boiled potatoes, rice, pasta . the ones people ( those that knock SW ) seem to think they can eat to their hearts content

Speed foods are your veg and fruit - your fibre

Make one third at least speed and there's not much room on the plate for anything else, especially if you have a good healthy portion of Protein

They do not anywhere say make up a third of your plate with free. They say at least a third of the plate with non starchy veg and fruit . Then they say if you want two plain jacket potatoes because one won't fill you, go ahead - they then catch you on the butter or mayo or whatever it is you might usually like to have on that jacket spud - because they are calorie dense - they are weighed, measured and restricted - unless you want to use your swips

The more swips you consume the less weight you will lose

So it teaches the person of average intelligence , to chose the foods that are better for us - lots of veg and fruit, more home cooked, less of the take outs and avoid processed foods . Surely that's what the NHS are pushing? The diabetic clinics?

The more veg you get into you, be it a bowl of soup or a small salad as a first course , the less you are going to want to be filling up on the beige carbs

Sounds like you have taken the information on board and are working the food optimising

I too tend to only have one carb meal a day, so I avoid bread like the plague - the odd slice of German rye maybe 2 a week, esp if Ive planned on a pasta meal and a rice meal during the week. Never been fussed on spuds so Ive never over eaten those

I think that’s exactly it - if for instance I’m having something with rice, pasta or rosti as an , everything else I eat that day is carb free - reverse also true, if I have porridge and banana for breakfast then all other meals are carb free - ive found mixing it up too and some days having 1350 cals and some days 1100 plus 1500 Friday and Saturday to allow for a bit of alcohol has helped me either lose very steadily or at least maintain far better than I did in the past - overall though I’ve def cut carbs - not doing SW now but have done in the past and in all honesty I ignored all the free food stuff with regard to carbs - a very very large plate of pasta with next to nothing on it will still be 800 cals and be rubbish for blood sugars too with not much nutrients- you may as well eat 2 cream cakes! Italy also has really high levels of gluten issues in middle aged and older and I’m convinced it’s all that pizza/pasta!!

I do find SW helpful from an accountability POV and making me more mindful about what I'm eating, but, I agree with @Crikeyalmighty that the free foods things isn't useful unless you've got a lot to lose then anything in smaller portions with help but once you get nearer target or want to maintain, it's a disordered way of thinking. The version of SW that I follow is:

1. Limited carbs - 1 a day and sensible/moderate portion. Swop where possible eg I now have cauliflower rice with chilli and curry, for spag bol I'll have a smaller portion of pasta and more sauce and a side of broccoli or salad
2. 1/3 speed on your plate - put this on your plate before you add everything else otherwise you're not reducing your portion just squeezing more on the side
3. Speed foods - these are what you need to focus on between meals if you need to snack (although I'd try and get out of that habit) or want a big bowl of something.
4. Protein - there's not enough focus on protein IMO. Make this the first thing you think of with your meal and aim for a minimum 20g preferable 30g per meal it's so important especially when you're losing weight
5. Avoid the highly processed sugar free dupes and swops - it really doesn't help with cravings or appetite suppression and continually reminds you you're on a diet

To lose weight you need to consistently consume fewer calories than you use.

You have written two completely contradictory things above; that you are sticking to your program rigidly and that you are not, as you are consuming huge portions.

You need to stop consuming huge portions. Yes, this will involve feelings of hunger, and dealing with this will probably involve two things; accepting that you will have cravings and a desire to overeat, which is not pleasant, and also adapting your diet to try to manage and reduce these feelings.

One way people reduce them is to have more protein and fewer carbohydrates.

As a long time SW target member, I agree with every word of this.
You have to find what suits your body and your metabolism. I can’t get away with much and gain weight very easily.