HOW IT WORKS
1 Choose one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner every day. Feel free to repeat meals you enjoy, and you’ll find more ideas at Slimmingworld.co.uk
2 Slimming World’s eating plan, Food Optimising, is based on the scientific principles of appetite regulation and helps members to reduce their energy intake and lose weight without ever feeling hungry or deprived. It’s based on an understanding of how a food’s nutrient content and energy density (its calories per gram) affect satiety (our sense of satisfaction and fullness).
3 Free Food is at the heart of Food Optimising. This includes fruit, veg, pasta, rice, potatoes, pulses, lean meat (and some meat replacements eg Quorn), fat-free dairy, fish and poultry. These are low in energy density and higher in protein and carbohydrate, which helps to keep us feeling fuller for longer. Base your meals around Free Food (printed in bold) and, to make meals flavoursome and tasty, stock your store cupboard with herbs, low-calorie cooking spray, oil-free tomato purée, seasoning, soy sauce, spices and stock cubes, most of which can be used freely to flavour meals.
4 For an overall healthy balanced diet, Slimming World encourages you to enjoy measured amounts of foods that provide calcium, like milk and cheese (two portions per day), and those providing fibre and other essential minerals and nutrients, such as wholemeal bread, highfibre cereals, nuts and seeds (one portion per day). These can be part of your meals, in hot drinks or as a snack. We’ve provided specific measurements where we’ve included them in the plan, and where you’re enjoying them separately:
● Choose 350ml skimmed milk, 250ml semi-skimmed milk or 400ml plain unsweetened soya/almond milk with added calcium. Or opt for 30g full-fat hard cheese, like Cheddar or 40g reduced-fat hard cheese.
● Enjoy 2 slices of wholemeal bread (from a 400g loaf) or a 60g wholemeal roll/pitta, or 40g plain porridge oats or 2 wholewheat biscuits. Or go for 20 whole/ plain almonds or 2 level tbsp chia seeds. Other options are available – you’ll find out more when you join. Let Slimming World know your dietary requirements to tailor the plan to your needs. 5 Treat yourself. Enjoy up to two snacks a day from the list provided on page 37.