Never one to start something in the New Year and see it as a distant memory come Pancake Day, this week I was introduced to Slimming World. During University and over the past year, many of my friends have spent countless lunchtimes discussing the plan, which claims to “to ensure you’ll lose weight beautifully without ever having to go hungry”. Sounds like the dream, right?!
In a nutshell: Based on a low fat diet, the plan allows you to enjoy as many fruit, vegetables, potatoes, pasta, rice, couscous and pulses, fish, meat (or veggie alternative) as you like, as well as one ‘Healthy A choice’ (dairy: milk, cheese, yoghurt) and one ‘Healthy B choice’ (cereals and grains: bread, cereals). Then you have ‘syns’, which include every food which makes life worth living. Yes, that’s your chocolate, cakes, crisps, biscuits, but also anything that doesn’t fit into the other categories including butter and bread (if you go over your Healthy A and B allowance), sauces, alcohol and soft drinks. Slimming World encourages you to syn up to 15 points a day, with a recommendation of between 5-15 to keep you feeling motivated and not deprived.
Initially, I wasn’t keen on the idea of treats being called ‘syns’, because I don’t wand to think of a burning abyss of hell while I’m enjoying my long-awaited Ferrero Rocher. But after my friends reassured me that you are more likely to lose weight if you have some syns and treat yourself, I agreed to attend my first group session.
As I walked to the group, which was held in a hotel room, I felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation. Could this be the beginning of a whole new lifestyle or just another fad diet that I try to forget about?
When I arrived, I walked into a hotel room with a large table in the centre, filled with Slimming World products and books and as I scanned the room to look for a seat, I was approached by a tall, willowy, woman who looked in her late twenties, ushering me over. She glanced me up and down, in a kind of observant ‘What brings you here?’ way, rather than judgementally, no doubt wondering why a size 10-12 woman was embarking on the plan. Nonetheless, she was positive, chirpy and friendly, discussing her own amazing four-stone weight loss. As the punters piled in, forming a large queue of around forty people around the table to get weighed, I was offered a tea or coffee and sat at a table to the side awaiting my introduction.
Another newbie joined me and we began. We were handed a pack explaining the plan, as well as a food diary and fitness log and then the chirpy consultant talked us through how it worked. My first thought was how can i save up my syns so I can have a big weekend blow-out and still lose weight?! Classic me trying to find the shortcuts! After being told that saving syns wasn’t advised, but whatever worked for me was best, I realised that this plan was definitely more of a lifestyle plan designed to keep up motivation once you had come of the wagon if nothing else. Promising.
With an offer of two free sessions if I signed up by 21 January for a 12-week countdown, the plan doesn’t break the bank and comes in at an equivalent of around £4.40 a week (not far off a standard gym membership). I stayed for the IMAGE Therapy, which basically consists of celebrating eachother’s weight losses for the week (they don’t reveal weights, just the lb losses) and evaluating what went well and not so well for that week. Hearing from a lady who had enjoyed a bottle of red and still lost 2lb and another newbie who had managed two Slimming World fry-ups that week before her weigh-in, I started to relax.
After paying for my membership, I then had the weigh-in. Having avoided weighing myself for a good few years (I don’t think it’s healthy to weigh yourself too often), I took off my shoes, coat, scarf and gloves, to help give the scales a nudge in the right direction. I was lighter than I thought, which given that I’d had a massive jacket potato before departure, was something of a relief. The consultant then asked me what my goal was and wrote it all in the pack, kindly offering help and guidance via text during the week.
At worst, the session was a slightly cringey American-style self-help group and at best, it was a room filled with hopeful and positive people just trying their best to lose weight the healthy way. I came away feeling uplifted – what was the worst that could happen?
As I embark on the next twelve weeks, I will share some of the best recipes with you and let you know how I get on. What the world really needs is another Instagram food account, so you can follow my progress and see the meals I’m eating on Instagram @happyhealthyveggiesw
Marriarty 