You have heard of Slimming World right? Of course you have… it’s one of the leading weight loss plans in the UK. I lost 6 stone following the plan and I know many others who have lost significant amount of weight too. But at the beginning it can be very daunting! If like me you hate parting with your hard earned cash before trying something first, use my guide to see if it’s right for you.

THE BASICS

The food you eat when following Slimming World is divided into the following categories:

• Free Food
• Speed Food
• Healthy Extra A
• Healthy Extra B
• Syns

This basic pie chart should give you an idea of how your day should look. As you can see most of the day you should be using your free and speed foods. So let’s talk about each category….

FREE FOODS

Free foods are the staple of your diet and should make up most of your day.

Slimming World free foods are exactly as the name suggests – foods that you can eat freely, no calorie counting or weighing when following the plan. Free foods are usually low calorie fruits, vegetables, lean meats, pasta and rice. (Yes I said Pasta!)

You should aim for two thirds of your plate to be made up from these Slimming World free foods, to help you stay on track and losing weight.

For a full list of free foods please check here.

SPEED FOODS

Now this is where it can become confusing… there are some foods that are free but also classed as a speed food. These foods are extremely low in calorie but filling. These will help to keep you full for longer and maximise that weight loss. It is suggested that a third of your plate should be full of speed food for each meal.

Some examples of speed foods are: spinach, tomatoes, apples etc.

For a full list of speed foods please check here.

HEALTHY EXTRA A

Healthy Extras A adds vitamin and calcium to your diet and gives your everyday meal a touch of variety. Healthy Extras A includes dairy options and non-dairy options for followers who are lactose-intolerant or vegans.

The Slimming World plan allows 2 Healthy Extra portions per day.

For a full list of Healthy Extra A options please check here.

HEALTHY EXTRA B

Healthy Extras B fulfils your body’s fibre requirements. It is key to keep you full so that you avoid the in-between-meals hunger pangs.

The Slimming World plan allows 1 Healthy Extra portions per day.

One of the best things about Slimming World is it lets you mix and match the Healthy Extras B products as long as you maintain the intake quantity. 

Healthy Extra B includes wheat-based food and gluten-free options. You can add in small quantities of nuts, dried fruits, crackers, crispies, cooked fruits.

For a full list of Healthy Extra B options please check here.

SYNS

Here comes the yummy part! This is how you don’t go crazy and feel like you are going without. Nothing is off limits when following the Slimming World plan, it’s just some foods have to be weighed and counted. This will be things like wine, chocolate, takeaways, crisps etc. 

Your daily Syn allowance will vary from 15 – 30 per day depending on your age, weight and goal etc. 

For a full list of Syn allowances please check here.

HAVE YOUR SAY….

What are your feelings around Slimming World? Has it worked for you? Do you think it’s toxic? I want to hear your comments!