If you have a weight loss goal (or have tried to lose weight previously), it’s likely that you’re very familiar with calories, and may have tried counting them to lower your intake.
At Slimming World, we understand that the bottom line of losing weight is being in a calorie deficit (using more calories than we take in). However, counting or tracking calories can be a time-consuming and confusing task – making it a weight loss method that’s difficult to stick to in the long term.
Our flexible healthy eating plan, Food Optimising, has been developed to do the hard work for us – freeing us from calorie counting and making it easy to follow a healthy, balanced diet and lose weight without ever feeling hungry. Registered nutritionist, Dr Sarah Bennett, explains…
How does the Slimming World plan work?
Food Optimising is based around the concept of Free Foods, which are the foods lowest in calories per gram and the most satiating, so they fill us up for fewer calories and keep us feeling fuller for longer. There’s a huge variety of Slimming World Free Foods to choose from, including healthy staples like lean meat (and some meat replacements), fish, eggs, rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, lentils, fruit and vegetables.
There’s no need to weigh, count or measure Free Foods – you can eat as much as you like to satisfy your appetite. They also play an important psychological role, as you never need to worry about feeling hungry, deprived or guilty about what you’re eating.
Healthy Extras are another vital part of the Slimming World plan. These are measured amounts of foods that support our intake of calcium, fibre and other important nutrients, to ensure a healthy, balanced and sustainable diet. We encourage you to make delicious meals from Free Foods and your measured Healthy Extra choices first, and then, if you need them, your Syns.
Foods with a Syn value are higher in calories, so need to be carefully counted. They’re there for you to enjoy as you choose – without worrying about working out the calories per portion. They also remove the burden of ever feeling deprived, and add flexibility and freedom to your daily diet.
Carolyn Pallister, registered dietitian and Slimming World’s head of nutrition, research and health, says: “While counting calories can work for some people in the short term, it can quickly become limiting, and leave us feeling hungry.
From a health perspective and to aid weight loss, it’s important to think about the types of food we eat, not just the number of calories. Choosing less energy-dense, more satiating foods that are high in protein and fibre will help to keep us fuller for longer. In developing Food Optimising, Slimming World has done this thinking ‘behind the scenes’, to make it as easy as possible for slimmers to follow.”
Behaviour change support for lasting results
At Slimming World, we also understand that losing weight – and then maintaining that weight loss – is far more complicated than just calories in versus calories out. It’s also about mindset and behaviour change, forming healthy new habits and having the right support to overcome those inevitable challenges along the way.
James Stubbs, professor of appetite and energy balance at the University of Leeds, says: “The best evidence for effective, sustainable weight loss is to use techniques to self-manage food intake, physical activity and lapses in weight loss that we all experience during a slimming journey – and to use evidence-based behaviour change approaches that are more likely to help us change our habits around food.”
Carolyn agrees: “A key part of successful long-term weight management is giving people the know-how and support to change their habits around shopping and cooking. Members of our community-based groups learn to plan meals around foods that are naturally low in calories and will fill them up and keep them satisfied for longer – enjoying their favourite meals without having to measure every mouthful.”
Hear more from James and Carolyn in the Slimming World Podcast episode Let’s Talk Calories.
Read our research into calories and weight loss – and discover what our members say about their experiences of calorie counting compared to the Slimming World plan.
