Our members are amazed to find out that they can eat more than ever and still slim down – and it’s all thanks to the science and psychology of Free Food!
What is Slimming World Free Food?
Free Food is one of the three simple steps that make up Slimming World’s generous, flexible eating plan – Food Optimising.
Free Foods are those foods that are lower in calories for their weight (low energy dense foods) that help fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied for longer. This means you can eat them freely – no weighing, no counting, no measuring – and still lose weight beautifully.
Free Food means never feeling hungry, guilty or deprived, so we’re less likely to want to rebel by reaching for those high-fat, high-sugar foods which can so easily derail our best intentions.
As long as they’re cooked without fat or oil, you can enjoy hundreds of delicious Slimming World Free Foods with absolutely no limits. Some of them might surprise you! Before coming to Slimming World, many slimmers are told to avoid carbs – yet carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes and pasta have fantastic filling power, as well as being low in energy density, which is why they’re on our Free Food list.
More on the blog: Discover your 5 favourite Free Food recipes
Whether you love family feasts, fuss-free dinners or vegetarian and vegan recipes, Free Foods can be used in endless meals, so you’ll never run out of ideas for tasty dishes which will help you lose weight.
More for members: Slimming World members have access to an online collection of more than 2,000 recipes, including more than 900 that are completely Free
What are Slimming World Speed Foods?
Slimming World Speed Free Foods are Free Foods that are super-low in calories per gram. To help you zoom towards your target weight, fill at least a third of your plate with Speed Free Foods at mealtimes and make them your first choice if you’re hungry between meals.
When you join Slimming World, you’ll find Speed Free Foods listed in the Food Optimising book that you’ll receive in your new member pack. You can also look out for the ‘S’ symbol when using the Food Search tool on the website and app.
What about foods that aren’t Free?
No food’s off the menu at Slimming World! Anything that hasn’t been designated a Slimming World Free Food will either be a Healthy Extra (for essential nutrients) or will have a Syn value (to help you tighten up on those foods that pose the biggest risk to your weight loss). The three elements of Food Optimising work together perfectly to help ensure that you lose weight without ever feeling deprived or restricted.
More on the blog: Find out more about the science behind Food Optimising, including Free Food, Healthy Extras and Syns, here
Slimming World’s Special Advisor on the Science of Weight Management, Dr Jacquie Lavin, explains how Slimming World Free Foods work…
“Food Optimising has always been based on science: not just the physiological science of weight loss but also the psychology – how we think about (and our emotional reactions to) food, our weight and the process of losing weight.
To lose weight, we need to consume fewer calories than we use. This creates an energy deficit and the body then starts to use its energy reserves, most of which are stored as body fat. At Slimming World, we want to help people lose weight and to maintain this weight loss in the long term.
Our approach – encouraging members to eat an unlimited amount of low energy dense, filling Free Foods – has been shown to be a highly effective way to lose weight while still feeling satisfied. A study led by the University of Leeds and published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that eating low energy dense foods (based on Food Optimising) left participants feeling less hungry and more full, while consuming fewer calories.
The study also compared people following traditional calorie-counting, portion-controlled diets with slimmers following Food Optimising. The Food Optimising group reported feeling more in control of their food choices and more motivated to continue losing weight – and lost nearly twice as much weight over 14 weeks.”
So, that’s a taster of the science and psychology behind Slimming World Free Foods. It’s the (not-so) secret ingredient that makes Food Optimising the most generous, liberating, flexible and effective way to lose weight.
If you’d love to discover more about how you can enjoy the foods you love, make your own choices with powerful personalised support and create new habits that will help you reach your dream weight and stay there for life, find out more about Slimming World here.
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They're called Free Foods because you can eat as much of them as you want, with no counting, weighing or measuring – there's absolutely no need to ever feel hunger on Slimming World.
They're called Free Foods because you can eat as much of them as you want, with no counting, weighing or measuring – there's absolutely no need to ever feel hunger on Slimming World.
Free Foods include pasta, rice, lean meat, fish, poultry, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Fancy a big plateful of vegetable curry with unlimited rice, or a pile of pasta with a spicy tomato sauce?
The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme launched across England from July 2021 and is a free 12-week programme providing online weight management plans for those who want to make changes to their health, have a BMI of 30+, or 27.5+ for Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups who are at an increased risk of ...
At Slimming World, we don't believe in cutting out food groups. In fact, potatoes and dried plain pasta, rice, noodles and couscous are all Free Foods, which means that you can eat as much of them as you like! If you fancy some quick, comforting carbs, our healthy pasta and rice recipes will hit the spot.
Some of them might surprise you! Before coming to Slimming World, many slimmers are told to avoid carbs – yet carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes and pasta have fantastic filling power, as well as being low in energy density, which is why they're on our Free Food list.
Fruit and yogurt is a super-speedy breakfast combo – and you have the world at your fruit bowl as nearly all whole, fresh and frozen fruits are Free Foods at Slimming World. High-fibre cereal bars are also a brilliant back-up plan.
“Plain dried pasta and noodles are still free.” Followers of the plan can eat as much as they want of most 'filling' foods such as fresh meat, fish, eggs, fruit and vegetables plus dried pasta, rice and noodles, reports Gazette Live .
Another fantastic thing about Food Optimising is that no food is banned. The key is moderation, which is why alcohol and foods that are high in fat or sugar have a Syn value. Slimming World members are encouraged to plan 5-15 Syns a day to keep their weight loss on track, without feeling like they're missing out.
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.
Some popular weight-loss pills are Contrave (naltrexone / bupropion), Qsymia (phentermine / topiramate ER), and phentermine (Adipex-P). Some clinical studies suggest that Qsymia is the most effective weight loss pill. However, it's a controlled substance that may not be the best option for everyone.
People who attend a weekly slimming club regularly (at least 75% of sessions) lose more weight achieving: 7.7% weight loss 7.0 kg in their first three months and. 14% weight loss or 14 kg on average over the course of a year.
They will fill you up, slim you down and help you build those important new healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime. Free Foods include lean meat, eggs, fish, pasta, potatoes, fruit and vegetables. They're filling and low in calories for their weight — so you can eat as much Free Food as you like!
Slimming World members love that they can eat Free Foods in unlimited amounts – with no counting, weighing or measuring needed, until they feel full – as well as the flexibility to choose Free Foods in the amounts that fit with their individual needs and requirements, for a truly personalised plan.
An all-you-can-eat restaurant (AYCE) is a type of restaurant in which a fixed price is charged for entry, after which diners may consume as much food as they wish. The concept was pioneered by Shoney's in 1947.
Finally, because Slimming World discourages calorie counting and doesn't specify appropriate portion sizes for the Free Foods, some people may overeat these foods. Fortunately, many of the Free Foods are higher in protein, starches, and fiber, which tend to be filling.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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