Slimming world - how can eating as much rice as you like really work???

Options
LotusCass
LotusCass Posts: 145 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I went away with some friends on the weekend who have all been doing slimming world; some have lost a fair bit, some not so much. They were telling me about it, and I just can't understand how a diet where you can eat as much as you like of something can possibly work. Eating as many veggies as you like maybe as they're low in calories, but rice??? Apparently you can eat as much rice as you like. That just doesn't make sense to me. Rice is high in calories. Can someone explain the rationale behind this please.

Replies

  • Kelly016mfp
    Kelly016mfp Posts: 9 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    I believe the term 'eat as much rice as you like' is not a target, it's more the idea of not restricting yourself too much. SW tries to encourage a good balance of all food without weighing and measuring. I think if you are going to sit and stuff your face with rice or pasta etc all day long then the diet prob won't work long term, but that's not to say it won't work for some people. It's more about encouraging you to have what you fancy and not to stress about counting it. And, filling up on rice is better than not filling up and then binging on choc/crisps etc etc. I follow SW and someone on here asked me ages ago why I am on MFP if I follow SW as it is a no counting diet. I incorporate the two together and find I am having better success with Weight Loss since doing so. I still have what SW class as free food (rice/pasta/potato etc) and I have my Speed (fruit/veg), my H Extras (weighed dairy and fibre) and Syns (treats), but I also log them on here to check that I am still within Cal Limit. Seems to work pretty well for me.
  • Kelly016mfp
    Kelly016mfp Posts: 9 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    I commented twice by mistake and can't seem to delete this post - ignore.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    Options
    Does sound odd to me as well. Rice is something I can very easily overeat, and I think that is probably the case for a lot of people. I find it moreish
  • natboosh69
    natboosh69 Posts: 277 Member
    Options
    I always wonder this too, same goes with pasta. I guess the idea is that rice and pasta are filling so you're unlikely to go overboard calorie-wise, but if you have a big appetite you could easily eat too much.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Options
    Seems fine to me. Rice fills me up, I eat it quite frequently.
  • cara2411
    cara2411 Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    I lost 43lb on slimming world.
    Although when they said 'unlimited' amounts of pasta and rice I just took that as no need to weigh them. I would never binge on them if hungry, I would just have a sensible sized portion but without weighing it.
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    Options
    One cup of rice is only 200 calories.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Options
    Do they say all rice, or are there restrictions? Personally, I consider boiled/steamed rice bland, boring, and something to soak up my stir fry juices, etc. Now, if it's fried? Watch out!

    (As others have pointed out above me, everyone is different and my comment is true for me, not necessarily the rest of the world.)
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Options
    LotusCass wrote: »
    I went away with some friends on the weekend who have all been doing slimming world; some have lost a fair bit, some not so much. They were telling me about it, and I just can't understand how a diet where you can eat as much as you like of something can possibly work. Eating as many veggies as you like maybe as they're low in calories, but rice??? Apparently you can eat as much rice as you like. That just doesn't make sense to me. Rice is high in calories. Can someone explain the rationale behind this please.

    I have not used the program, so keep that in mind...

    There could be the assumption that people will not go buffet style on the free foods. It works for some people if limiting other foods is sufficient to have them in a deficit. It fails for some people for the opposite reason.

Categories