Slimming World: Going it Alone Guide & Free Printable

sophiegw

8 years ago

This post has been updated for 2023 here.

Slimming World

In my last post I wrote about my weight journey and announced that I was planning to start Slimming World. You can read that post here if you haven’t already. I have decided after careful deliberation that I won’t be attending the weekly Slimming World groups – for now. I have been to a few and feel like they just aren’t for me and I don’t think I will get enough out of the session to be worth the £5.95 weekly fee. For some people, they wouldn’t have had the success they did without their weekly group meetings so for some people they are crucial. If you aren’t sure whether or not group is worth it for you I would consider going and seeing what you think.

Join my Eight Week Weight Loss Challenge here!!

If you are interested in Slimming Aids to help weight loss I am currently trialling Modius which is designed to suppress hunger and encourage weight loss find out more here.

I recently reviewed another great product you can read about here!

Basic Concept Getting Your Head Around It

If, like me you plan on starting your Slimming World journey alone, or you just want to try the plan to see if it’s right for you before committing, this guide should give you enough information to get on your way on the Extra Easy Plan. Don’t forget to check this post out for my Slimming World Essentials!

I have created a simple pie chart showing the extra easy plan in a visual breakdown. The plan is made up of five sections:

Free Food
Speed Food
Healthy Extra A
Healthy Extra B
Syns

Calorie Counting or Slimming World: Which One Is Right For You?

Free Food

Foods that fall under the free food category require no weighing or measuring and are yours to enjoy. They should make up the main portion of your meal and consist of:

Fruit
Vegetables
Fish
Meat & Poultry
Eggs
Dairy Products
Meat Replacement Products
Beans & Lentils
Rice
Pasta

(Not everything that falls under these categories is on plan so make sure you check to ensure you are following correctly and don’t hinder your success.)

Is Slimming World Toxic?

Fruit

Pretty much all fresh and frozen fruit is free. Cooked, canned and dried fruit are categorised under Healthy Extras and puree fruit, any fruit juices or smoothies are classed as Syns.

Examples of Free Fruit:

Apples (S)
Bananas
Blackberries (S)
Blueberries
Clementines (S)
Grapes
Grapefruit (S)
Kiwi Fruit
Melon (S)
Nectarines (S)
Oranges (S)
Pears (S)
Pineapple
Plums (S)
Raspberries (S)
Satsuma (S)
Strawberries (S)
Tangerines (S)

Vegetables

Most vegetables are also free this includes fresh and frozen.

Example:

Baby Sweetcorn (S)
Bean Sprouts (S)
Beetroot (S)
Broccoli (S)
Cabbage (S)
Carrots (S)
Cauliflower (S)
Celery (S)
Chillies (S)
Cucumber (S)
Green Beans (S)
Garlic (S)
Leeks (S)
Lettuce (S)
Onions (S)
Peppers (S)
Potatoes
Spinach (S)
Spring Greens (S)
Sweetcorn
Tomatoes (S)

(Peas are categorised under Beans & Lentils)

Fruits and vegetables with a (S) next to them are also considered speed foods. Try to make up at least a third of your meal as speed foods.

What Is An SP Day On Slimming World?

Fish

Fish is a free food and can be cooked anyway you like as long as you don’t cook it with fat. If fat is used then make sure you count the fat as a Syn.

Fish can be white fish, shellfish or oily fish.

Slimming World recommends you try to eat at least two portions of fish a week and one portion of oily fish a week.

Meat & Poultry

To make sure the meat and poultry you are eating is free choose the leanest cut available. Mince should be less that 5% fat for it to be considered a free food. Make sure you remove all visible fat and any skin from poultry. Fat can be added but it must be counted as a Syn. Burgers, sausages and some pre-made meatballs are usually synned and not on the free list.

Examples:

5% of less fat mince beef
Bacon Medallions
Chicken
Ham

If you don’t eat meat or you incorporate meat replacement into your diet some examples of free products are:

Quorn Mince
Quorn Meat pieces
Tofu

Eggs

Eggs are free on extra easy and can be cooked how you like. If you add fat remember it needs to be classed as a syn.

Rice

Rice is a free food as long as it is cooked without fat. Packet rice often has a syn value so check in advance.

Pasta

Dried pasta is free. Fresh pasta contains a syn value due to the additional oils it contains which help keep it moist!

Other Grains

Other examples of free grains include:

Quinoa
Dried noodles
Couscous
Buckwheat

Beans, Peas & Lentils are also all free.

Dairy Products

Examples:

Fat Free Natural Fromage Frais
Fat Free Natural Yogurt
Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Quark

(Certain flavoured varieties of the above can have a syn value so please check)

How Often & When Should You Weigh Yourself

Other Free Essentials:

All Herbs, Spices, Vinegar,Salt & Pepper
Mustard Powder (Jarred mustard has a syn value)
Stockpots/cubes
Marmite
Soy & Oyster Sauce
Sweetener (granulated sweetener can be considered a syn value so please check.)
Fat free dressing
Tomato Puree (containing no oil)
Low Calorie Cooking Spray
Mint Sauce (no added sugar)
Tea without milk
Flavoured Tea
Coffee
Water
Diet Fizzy Drinks
Slimline Mixers

Healthy Extras

Each day you can choose two healthy extra A and one healthy extra B.

Related Post: Slimming World Healthy Extra B List

Healthy Extra A

This includes high calcium dairy foods.

Example:

175ml Whole Milk
250ml Semi-Skimmed Milk
300ml 1% Fat Milk
350ml Skimmed Milk
30g Cheddar
40g Reduced Fat Cheddar
2 Dairylea Light Triangles

Healthy Extra B

This includes high fibre, whole grain cereals.

Example:

35g Porridge Oats
40g All Bran
60g Wholemeal Bread
2 Medium Slices Wholemeal Bread
1 Kingsmill Sandwich Thin
2 Weetabix
2 Alpen light Cereal Bars

(Some dried and canned food as well as nuts and seeds are also included please check for details.)

Syns

Related Post: Slimming World Syn Calculator

Syns are foods that are most likely to jeopardise your weight loss. Scoring foods like this and giving them a Syn value means we can still enjoy them in the right way. Some people eat their syn allowance each day and that is what Slimming World recommend. Other people though, have had success and weight loss by combining remaining syns and using them on say a weekend for a treat. It’s up to you how you use this allowance. Find what works best for you. It’s recommended you choose between 5 & 15 syns a day.

There are lots of resources online to find out what constitutes a syn and it’s value but a few examples are:

1 Level tsp Butter – 2 Syns
30g Bag Doritos – 7.5 Syns
1 Level tbsp Mayonnaise – 5.0 Syns
Glass of Wine – 6 Syns
Pizza Base – 13.5 Syns
MilkyWay – 5.5 Syns
25g White Chocolate – 7.0 Syns

Round Up

Each day you can have:

As much FREE food as you want. No measuring, weighing or calorie counting.
A third of each meal should be made up of SPEED food.
2 HEALTHY EXTRA A food.
1 HEALTHY EXTRA B food.
Choose between 5-15 SYNS.

My Tips

Before you start:

Familiarise yourself with the basic concept of the plan
Make sure you have all the information easily available! (You will be referring to it A LOT at first)
Make sure your cupboards and fridge is stocked with all the right foods and you have used up any of the wrong foods

During the plan:

Weigh out your Healthy Extra A & B each morning
Plan out meals for the week
Keep a diary of what you eat each day (download the free printable below)
Weigh yourself once a week ONLY or else the results will not be accurate and you will drive yourself crazy!

To help keep on track I have created a free printable diary for you to log everything you are eating you can download this here: FREE PRINTABLE. Print out a new one for each day of the week and keep track of your progress.

I’m Logging My Latestes Weight Loss Goals HERE – Follow My Journey

If you want further support and company on your weight loss journey, join my free Facebook Group here. If you have found this website and articles useful and you’d like to know how you can say thank you then I am always appreciative to receive a virtual coffee here.

More Information

For more information on Slimming World and to find a local group visit their website here.