What is Slimming World?

Slimming World is one of the longest-running eating plans, based on the traditional slimming club format.

For a fee, dieters can attend each week to get weighed and to share tips and advice with other members. If you never feel full after that measly portion of dinner, Slimming World could be right up your street.

Slimmers choose to follow either red (protein) or green (carbohydrate) days. Red days mean you can stuff yourself with as much meat and fish as you desire, whilst green days give you the go-ahead to fill up on stodgy potatoes, pasta and rice.

Vegetables and fruit can be eaten in unlimited quantities, whilst there are daily allowances for dairy and bread products.

If you still feel you can eat after all that, there’s also room for a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine, which can be taken from a daily ‘Syn’ allowance.

Slimming World say that our bodies digest food more easily if food types of one kind are eaten together – hence the option of meat OR potatoes. However, food types can be combined in measured portions to create a balanced meal.

This is known as ‘food optimising’. Most people will say that you need to eat in order to lose weight – and with Slimming World, it’s true – even if you’re fit to burst with food.

Members are advised to drink around eight litres of low-calorie fluids every day in order to assist weight loss. Eating out is also catered for on the Slimming World plan, and there are fantastic recipe ideas and tools on the club’s members only website.

How long has it been around?

Slimming World classes first opened their doors in 1969, founded by British nutritionist Margaret Miles-Bramwell. With over 5,500 groups in the UK, you shouldn’t be hard pushed to find a meeting.

Celebrity fans

Few and far between. In fact, if anybody knows of a Slimming World celeb, let us know below.

Pros

Greedy guts will never go hungry – if you’d rather eat a whole pack than just a slice of ham, or fancy a massive bowl of pasta, Slimming World would be great for you.

The simplicity of red and green days, as well as not having to monitor how much fruit or veg you’re eating, makes it a really easy diet to follow.

Cons

Small allowances for treats mean that you might not be able to eat as much sweet stuff as you could on, say, Weight Watchers.

Lazy chefs could slip into “quick and easy” mode, making a bowl of pasta and cheese every night for dinner rather than turning their hand to more exotic dishes.

What can I eat?

On red days:

Unlimited meat, fish, fruit and most veg, as well as a dairy and bread allowance and small treats from your Syns allowance.

On green days: Unlimited potatoes, pasta, rice, pulses, all fruit and veg, as well as a dairy and bread allowance and small treats from your Syns allowance.

What can’t I eat?

Nothing is prohibited on the Slimming World plan - as long as you stick within the agreed number of Syns, you’re bound to lose weight.

For more information, visit www.slimmingworld.com.