Slimming World | What I Ate This Week

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Hi guys, 

If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed me waffling on about Slimming World this week and that’s because I finally joined my local group. I’ve never tried anything like this before and was a little apprehensive as I wasn’t sure what it was going to entail also I didn’t want to waste my time on a diet that was going to cut out my favourite foods and leave me feeling hungry. I have tried several diets in the past such as Slimfast, Cambridge Diet and Detox`s but they aren't necessarily a lifestyle change, they are more of a quick fix where the weight comes back on. I also bought The Body Coach and have really tried with it, the meals are nice but I don't like to stick to the same ingredients, I like to change my meals up which this didn't allow in the first month. This isn't to say that it doesn't work, I actually lost weight and all of my clothes were very loose after 30 days which was incredible but there were a lot of ingredients that I just don't like and I couldn't substitute them. One week with SW and I am pleased to report that I have been able to eat what I want, minus copious amounts of chocolate and crisps on the frequent movie nights we have and I haven’t felt like I am craving all the bad things.

I joined slimming world because I want to lose weight, it's really as simple as that. I am sick of hating my body. I end up falling off the wagon with healthy eating as I feel like I am depriving myself but with this, I can eat as much of all the food I crave such as fruit, fat free yoghurts, pasta, potatoes and meats and I am also allowed bread and cheese but in wholewheat or reduced fat which is fine with me. Obviously bread, cheese and cereals are limited but the thought of eating what I want in a healthier format and still lose weight is very appealing. It’s not all good news as I can’t eat what I really want which would be a diet of sweets, doughnuts, cakes and crisps but I can look for alternatives such as ice lollies, smaller bars of chocolate and low syn homemade desserts which is an added bonus.

How it works is simply by having as many free foods as you want including meat, mince under 5% fat, deli meats, fish, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, pasta and yoghurts. You then choose one Healthy Extra A (HEa) per day which includes various cheese's & milk. You also have one Healthy Extra B (HEb) per day which includes cereals & breads. There is also a section for speed foods (S) which include different fruits & vegetables which help speed up the weight loss process. As I love fruit I have just gone to Aldi and Lidl and gone wild in the fruit aisle so my fridge is bursting. I am then allowed between 5 and 15 syns per day but I have been limiting this to 10 instead. I mean if I really want a Mars Bar (11.5 syns) I will have it but I will make sure I don’t have any extra syns that day to balance it out.

I haven’t felt hungry at all during my first week and have felt that I have been eating more than I normally would, especially with all the added speed foods so I thought I would give you an idea of what I have been eating this week. As a side note, if I have bread and cheese in the morning then I don’t have it with any other meal during the day. I only have these items once per day with one meal or else I save them up and have a slice of toast with reduced fat cheese later on when I am feeling peckish. Also, if I have cheese then I don’t have milk or anything else in the same category as it’s just adding to my syns which I don’t want. Equally if I have cereal or bread in the morning then I won’t have anything from the HEb section.

Breakfasts

• 60g whole-wheat bread (HEb), beans, worcester sauce, deli ham and 40g reduced fat cheese (HEa) 
• Large bowl of fruit including a lot of speed foods, banana and Muller light yoghurt.
• Wheat Bick’s from Aldi (HEb), 1 tsps. sugar (1syn), 50ml semi skimmed milk (HEa)
• Omelette with 3 medium sized eggs, splash of milk (HEa), 30g reduced fat cheese (Rest of HEa), tomatoes (S), onions (S) & deli ham. 
• Smooth Toffee Muller light yoghurt with banana.

Lunches

• Pasta with tuna in brine, fat free natural yoghurt, 1/2 tbsp. Hellman’s Mayonnaise (2.5 syns) spring onions (S), mustard & garlic salt.
• 60g whole-wheat bread (HEb), beans, deli ham and 40g reduced fat cheese (HEa) 
• Large salad with a load of speed foods, deli ham, egg, 40g reduced fat cheese (HEa), pickled onions & beetroot. 
• Homemade soup with lots of speed foods.
• Pasta with ham, cucumber (S), lettuce (S), peppers (S), fat free greek yoghurt, dijon mustard, onions (S) and peas (cooked and cooled).

Dinners

• Homemade meatballs, courgetti, whole-wheat spaghetti, homemade tomato sauce with bacon and the 40g reduced fat cheese on top.
• Homemade beef burgers with homemade salsa, homemade coleslaw, salad & oven cooked sweet potato wedges with spices.
• Pasta with tuna in brine, fat free natural yoghurt, 1/2 tbsp. Hellman’s Mayonnaise (2.5 syns) spring onions (S), mustard & garlic salt.
• Fillet Steak with tomatoes (S), onions (S), balsamic vinegar and a baked potato with 40g reduced fat cheese.
• Roasted chicken breasts with herbs and spices, salad & baked sweet potato.

Snacks

• Melon & Ham
• Muller Light Yoghurts (syn free varieties only)
• Speed fruits throughout the day
• Other fruits including cherries
• Vegetables
• Low Syn ice lollies like fruit pastel ice lollies.
• Low syn chocolate bars
• Toast & cheese (if I haven't used them with any other meal)

Obviously my birthday was on Wednesday and I went for lunch but I stuck with a Butterfly Grilled Chicken, Jacket Potato & Salad but then I had 2 glasses of Red Wine ha-ha. I then went for dinner that night to Crossbasket Castle and had an extra small glass of wine with each course & 3 glasses of prosecco. Then I came home and had another bottle of Rose Wine! Safe to Wednesday was a complete write off. It was worth it though.

The day after, I woke up hangover free (don't hate me, I have my dad to thank for that one) and went straight back to the plan. This was a great day but I was craving a little bit of chocolate due to my period and then Liam suggested we have a movie night. Obviously you can't have movie night without some nibbles but I do admit I went slightly overboard. We bought packs of Revels, Fruit Pastels, Fruit Gums and 4 x Rolo Mousses. It was great but we didn't eat all of it. We left the bags 1/2 full and put them out of sight. 

Total weight loss for the week was 2lbs. I am happy about this but equally a little pissed off with myself as I really tried this week. I am putting this down to finding my feet and having a particularly bad birthday with regards to my food and drink choices. But, a loss is still a loss. I realised I was having 2 slices of 800g bread rather than the 400g loaf which meant I was adding syns without realising it. I will know better for next week.

If you would like a recipe on any of the homemade meals above just leave me a comment below with which one you would like to see and I can arrange that as most of them as syn free or low in syns. 

Have you checked out my latest featuring The Best Birthday Meal Ever?

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