Saturday evening, 06-04-24

Good evening, everyone.

Tonight's waffle is about flexibility

I've heard so many people complain that Slimming World is too rigid and too inflexible, that it is restrictive and stops one having all the 'treat' food.

My feeling is yes, it can be all those things, but it doesn't HAVE to be.  It really is what you choose to make of it all, how you approach it.

I feel (and this is very personal) that it's not helpful to continue eating in the same old way and try to squash it into SW guidelines.  There's a saying a pastor I used to know was fond of saying.

        If you always do

        what you've always done,

        you'll always get

        what you've always got!

If you start on any eating plan without being open to the need to change, it ain't going to work for you, not long term.  In a way, it is the height of inflexibility really.

But if you approach any healthy eating plan knowing that things need to change, accepting that changes are essential and wanting to get the best out of it all - well, the sky is the limit.

If you're used to having cake and biscuits every day, yes, that has to change.  You can still choose to have some as part of your plan but to carry on as before is not going to help.  You have to think more flexibly.

Healthy extras - understand WHY these are a part of the SW plan and go with it.  Really read the SW guidelines as there are so many things you can have for your As and Bs.  And, yes, you can still have white bread for example - but syn it.

Personally, I think SW has some silly rules - I think everyone does.  But if you genuinely feel that, for example, having to syn fruit that is cooked is silly - then don't.  Think flexibly and eat it as free food.  But accept any consequences.

Mindful flexibility is great and it is well worth working towards.  Just be sensible, reasoned and have a flexible mindset.  Sometimes, maybe often, it isn't the plan that is inflexible, it's our mindset.

If someone says 'you can't have xyz on Slimming World' my first reaction is 'Why can't I?', not in a challenging way but in a think-it-through way.  If there's a good, sensible reason, then I get it, I change my mindset. 

A flexible mindset has helped me many a time.

What I ate today on Slimming World:

Breakfast, ready to shove in my bag and have half way through the walk.

I was hungry after the walk so I added some air fried potato to the plan and it was delicious.

The omelette was half an onion sliced, two bacon medallions chopped, some mushrooms, sliced and all three softened in spray oil.
Then beat two eggs, add seasonings, pour over the onion, etc, and gently cook from the bottom.  Then sprinkle over one As worth of cheese and pop under the grill to finish the top and melt the cheese.  Fold in half and serve.

One healthy extra A and two syns for some salad cream.

Later on, I had an orange.

The chicken kofta for dinner was good.  I posted the link yesterday.
The mixture made six koftas my portion size so I have wrapped five to go in the freezer.
I wasn't hungry enough for a pitta but, sliced and stuffed in a pitta with a dressing would be delicious.

Two syns or a bit of a healthy extra B (breadcrumbs)

Summary:

one healthy extra A

part of a healthy extra B

two syns

Tomorrow's meal plans:  

B:   waffles, fruit and yogurt

SW:  three syns for SR flour

L:  roast beef dinner; fruit

SW:  two syns for gravy and one for horseradish sauce

D:  toastie, salad; fruit

I might use one of the koftas in the toastie

SW:  up to two healthy extra As, one healthy extra B, one and a half syns for chutney and, maybe, two syns for a kofta

Exercise:  gardening, maybe a walk