Post by katrinaslimsave on Jul 5, 2015 10:18:37 GMT
We hope you find the following information useful, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to post your question in the forums and a member of Slim & Save staff will be happy to answer you. If you question is of a personal nature or is a question relating to your Slim & Save account or an order placed please contact us directly.
Q. Where can I buy Slim & Save?
A. Slim and Save products are available to purchase from our website and you can also call the office direct to place an order.
Our website is: www.sns.co.uk
Our Telephone is: 01642 762252
Online Programme Handbook/Brochure: www.sns.co.uk/brochure.pdf
Q.What products are available in the Slim & Save range?
A. The Slim and Save range consists of a variety of different shakes, soups, bars and meals. You can have whatever combination of products you prefer when following the VLCD but you can only have a maximum of 1 bar per day to ensure that you don't get too dependent on chocolate treats on the diet. We also sell water flavouring's that can make drinking the amount of water needed on this diet easier for some people.
Q. What is the difference between Simplicity and Lifestyle Plan?
A. Simplicity offers a no food (TFR) approach you will only need 4 packs per day to meet the requirements of the plan. You do have the option of vegetables and milk if desired.
Many people find Simplicity helps them stick to the diet easier without the temptation of going off plan by eating conventional foods.
For those who prefer to enjoy a meal with family each evening you are best with the Lifestyle Plan, 3 packs per day plus a low carb meal.
This offers more choice and variety with the plan as you will not be restricted to simply the packs.
If you find you start to cheat and struggle as soon as you start eating 'conventional food' then you would be better abstaining from food and sticking to 4 packs per day Simplicity Plan.
Q. Which plan will I lose the most weight on?
A. Regardless if you chose to follow the Simplicity or Lifestyle plan the weight loss will be pretty much the same providing you stick to either plan 100%. If you are following the Lifestyle plan it is essential to use the Meal Planner to ensure you stay within the daily allowances of carbs/calories/protein to stay in ketosis.
Q. Can I swap between Simplicity and Lifestyle Plan?
A. Absolutely, you can fit both plans around your particular lifestyle. Some people like the strict regime of Simplicity during the week and choose to do Lifestyle on a weekend when they have more time to spend at home cooking and preparing meals. Some people enjoy Lifestyle all week then require the discipline of Simplicity to keep them on track at the weekends. Or, if you have an engagement to attend during the week you could add in a Lifestyle day to accommodate a low carb meal. You can swap and change to suit your needs, the only rule being to make sure you use the meal planner on Lifestyle days to ensure you are within all your daily allowances.
Q. What is Ketosis?
A. Ketosis occurs when your body does not have sufficient carbohydrates to burn for energy, usually less than 70g of carbohydrates per day. Once ketosis occurs your body will burn fat as energy. Fat from your body and fat from the food you eat. This is far more beneficial to anyone who is trying to lose weight, as many diets sacrifice muscle for energy rather than fat which in turn lowers your metabolism. There are so many diets out there that create a low calorie environment, but not low enough carbohydrate to induce ketosis. Ketosis is a great way to lose weight as it will enable the protection of muscle tissue (which in turn helps to maintain your metabolism) as well as helps to control your hunger.
We have a very helpful article about Ketosis which you can find here:
www.sns.co.uk/what-is-ketosis.html
Q. Do I have to have all the packs every day?
A. You have to ensure you have all your packs every day, even if you are not hungry. If you fail to do so it could cause your weight loss to stall by your body going into starvation mode and you would start to lose lean muscle mass rather than fat, and it can lead to further health contraindications. The packs are made up of 25% RDA, and its essential you have your 4 portions each day on either plan so you are reaching your daily allowance of vitamins, minerals and micro and macro nutrients for your general health and well being.
Q. What is the average weight loss I can expect to lose whilst on plan?
A. If you are sticking to the plan 100% you can expect to lose around a stone per month as an average. Everyone is different and factors including age, gender, start weight, etc all come into consideration, but most people can comfortably expect to lose a stone month. It is not unusual for people in the first week to experience a big weight loss due to water and glycogen lost, and optimal fat burning starts once you get into ketosis. During weeks 2 and 3 results may seem less in comparison, but by week four your overall results should equate to the stone per month average. It is always overall weight loss by length of time on plan that counts.
Q. Do you have Consultants?
A. We do not have Consultants, but we do offer help and advice for free via many different methods such as email, phone support, live chat, forums and our closed Facebook Group.
Q. Will I regain the weight again when I stop the plan?
A. Any diet that invokes ketosis will see some weight gain once carbohydrates are re-introduced. We recommend that you choose a goal weight of 4lb less than you want to be, to allow for the small increase you can expect after you have completed re-feed and introduced carbohydrates. Please read the re-feed information on page 17 of our brochure to fully understand this process.
You can find out more about the re-feed process here:
www.sns.co.uk/re-feeding.html
Q. Are your products suitable for everyone?
A. No, if you are Coeliac, Lactose Intolerant or have allergens to Wheat, Soya or Gluten our products would not be suitable for you.
Q. Are your products suitable for vegetarians?
A. Yes, everything we sell excluding the Mousse Mix, Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla Wafers are suitable for vegetarians.
Q. Can I use No Added Sugar Dilute Cordial?
A. No, although these products do not have added sugars they still have natural sugars which would increase your carbohydrate levels and could bring you out of ketosis. We have approved the Ribena Plus in ready made carton option which is also permitted on either plan. You may have 4 cartons per day. These should be added to the meal planner as they do contain calories and carbs which need to be accounted for each day.
Q. How much water do I have to drink and do I have to drink it?
A. It is essential that you intake 2 to 3 litres of water per day, this includes the water you use to make up your packs. It is important to spread your water intake over the day so your body is constantly hydrated. You can have still or sparkling water, and add our water flavourings which will all count towards your water intake. Always check soda or tonic water's as some brands contain citric acid. Caffeine in tea and coffee will not count towards your daily water intake. If you have been exercising or losing fluid through heat then increase fluid intake to compensate.
Q. Can I drink alcohol?
A. This is very dangerous and you should not drink any alcohol whilst on our programme, you should be completely out of ketosis before any alcohol is consumed.
Q. Can I have OXO or Bouillon?
A. Yes, but not freely, they do contain carbohydrates so should be logged through the meal planner to ensure you do not come out of ketosis.
Q. Can I have sauces or dressings on salad, chicken, fish etc?
A. You can have Oxo, Knorr stock cubes, Bouillon as to make gravy/stock or to add flavour to your cooked food. You can add soy sauce or any of the Frylight products to cook with or as salad dressings. If you prefer a more creamy dressing or sauce for your salads or chicken or fish you can make your own recipe using cottage cheese or Quark mixed with herbs and spices.
Q. Can I have fruit?
A. No fruit is permitted whilst on plan. Fruit is high in natural sugars and will take you out of ketosis. This includes tomatoes, which contain citric acid and as such not allowed whilst on plan.
Q. I no longer like the taste of a certain food pack can I return it for an exchange or refund?
A. No, unfortunately we are not able to take returns of unwanted shakes/meals/soups/bars. We are unable to use/resell any returned food products due the risk of tampering and therefore are unable to accept returns. Excluding complete first orders with security seal intact within 7 days of receipt.
Q. I no longer like the taste of a product have you changed it?
A. As time goes by and the longer you are in ketosis it is not uncommon for your taste buds to change and what was once your favourite shake or meal starts to taste a little different!
Q. Do you offer samples which I can try to see what I like?
A. Yes, you can buy a taster pack of 28 different flavours from our range. It is not possible to choose which flavours you will receive. If the taster pack is your first order you will also receive a free shaker/mixer cup as well as a tape measure to measure your inch loss.
The taster pack can be found here:
www.sns.co.uk/full-vlcd-taster-pack.html
Q. Can I use sweeteners in Tea/Coffee?
A. You can use tablet form sweeteners in moderation but not in powder or crystal form.
Q. Can I have sugar free sweets or sugar free mints?
A. No, these still contain carbohydrates and calories that will interfere with the programme.
Q. Can I have sugar free chewing gum?
A. Yes, you may chew up to 2 pieces of sugar free chewing gum per day for 60 seconds each, then dispose of the gum.
Q. What is citric acid and why must we avoid it?
A. Citric acid is found naturally in many fruits, particularly lemon and limes It is a natural food preservative added to many food drinks, particularly fizzy drinks. Its harmless and a common ingredient in lots of everyday foodstuffs. Studies have reported it is known to inhibit some people getting into ketosis or take you out of ketosis, and increase appetite for many people whilst on a VLCD. This is not a one rule fits all, some people can tolerate citric acid and it will not affect ketosis at all, and in small amounts will have no bearing. This is the reasons we advise to avoid it where possible whilst on plan.
Q. Why can I only have one bar per day?
A. We do not want to promote an eating plan that consists of living off chocolate bars. We want you to experience a balance in meal choices as this will lead to better choices when it comes to maintenance.
Q. I work shifts, can I still follow the plan?
A. Although not an ideal scenario the diet can still be followed when working shifts as long as you plan your packs accordingly. See the following shift example:
www.sns.co.uk/night-shift.pdf
Q. I have a night out coming up, what should I do?
A. Well you can decide to stay on track and not deviate from plan when you’re out, or if you really want to have a meal but remain in ketosis you need to choose something that’s pretty low carb like a protein based meal such as grilled fish or chicken and combine it with some salad from the Slim and Save allowed vegetable list.
Watch out for the carbs and calories in any dressing though, and to be on the safe side either have the salad without dressing or take a little pot of dressing from home containing the lowest calories and carbs you can find.
If you intend to drink alcohol we strongly advise that you come off plan and out of ketosis 48 hours prior to consumption.
Please introduce carbs to each of your 4 daily servings and you should be consuming 200g of carbs each day to ensure that you are fully out of Ketosis and have no ketones left in your system.
Here is a quick guide
- Breakfast - Cereal (any Kelloggs)
- Lunch - 1 x medium jacket potato with tuna
- Evening meal - A pasta or rice dish
- Snacks - Fruit, Cheese and crackers
- Drinks - Squash (orange, lemon or lime)
Or you might just decide to have a night off and to come out of ketosis altogether. Do be aware though that you will need to go through the difficult few days whilst getting back into ketosis afterwards in order to get back on track and this is not a decision you should take lightly. If you have a lifestyle where you feel that you will always need to eat carbs off and on then yo-yo ing between being in ketosis and not is not a good way of approaching this diet and it will make life very difficult for you, as well as have a marked effect on weight loss. In this case it may be that you are not suited to this type of diet and could explore another diet plan such as Weight Watchers or Slimming World.
Q. When should I have my packs?
A. You should try and space your packs evenly throughout the day every 3-4 hours. This is so your body always has fuel to keep it going and you are eating often to keep your metabolism working. If possible, we advise to try and consume your last pack before 9pm to give your body a chance to digest properly before going to bed.
Q. What can I have for my low carb meal on Lifestyle Plan?
A. The low carb meal consists of 100g protein which can consists of any the following: chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, cottage cheese, Quorn, certain low fat sausages (such as Weight Watchers or Quorn, quantity 2) or 4 Mini Babybel Light cheeses. 2 medium eggs is equal to 100g of protein on this plan. 4 Mini Babybel Lights are equal to 100g of protein on this plan. You can split your protein and have for example 2 Babybel Lights and 50g of chicken. Or 1 egg and 50g of ham. You can have this with 200g of selected vegetables. We have a full list of all protein options available on the Meal Planner which we advise that you must utilise whilst following the Lifestyle plan.
Q. What about milk and veg allowance whilst on Lifestyle Plan?
A. It is essential to have 150ml of skimmed milk and 200g of selected vegetables whilst on Lifestyle plan to ensure you are reaching your daily allowances. They 200g of vegetables is consumed/cooked weight where applicable. You will be able to access the full list of permitted Lifestyle vegetables via the meal planner. You may have 100ml of semi-skimmed milk or 50mls of whole milk if you would prefer. Or, you could even swap your milk allowance for 100g of fat free plain Greek yoghurt if you would prefer. Or you can have 100ml of unsweetened soya milk or 200ml of unsweetened soya milk, or 200ml of unsweetened hazelnut or unsweetened almond milk. The choice is yours.
Q. Why do I need to take a multivitamin whilst doing Lifestyle Plan?
A. You will be getting 75% of your RDA of vitamins and minerals from the 3 packs you are having but as its uncertain whether you definitely made up the last 25% from your protein and vegetable intake, you should take a multivitamin to make sure.
Q. What extras can I have on both plans?
A. You can have half a pint a day of Hartleys Sugarfree Jelly in any of the flavours. It must be made up from a sachet, you cannot use the readymade pots or the cubes, only the sachets. One sachet makes 1 pint of jelly so you can have half of that a day. This is the only brand you can have, all the others have citric acid in them which is not allowed. If you are vegetarian you could potentially try to make your own jelly using vegetarian gelatin and the water flavourings. You may also have 500-600mls of Coke Zero or Dr Pepper zero each day too.
You can also have unlimited amounts of what is known as Zero Pasta/Noodles/Rice or Slim Pasta/Noodles/Rice. The range is made up a vegetable called Konjac which can be added to the plan for bulking out both the savoury packs, and if desired the sweet packs too. Its recommended to rinse really well before cooking to make them more palatable, as they are tasteless on their own, and a bit of an acquired taste. They can also be added to soups for bulking pursposes. The range can be purchased from most good health food shops or online. These can be added to the meal planner.
You can also have Oxo or Knorr stock cubes to make up as a gravy or to cook your veg, protein or Zero noodles in and all extras must be added to the Meal Planner to account for calories and carbohydrates.
Q. Why is the vegetable and milk allowance optional on Simplicity?
A. The Simplicity Plan is based simply on 4 meal replacement packs a day only. You can have any combination of shakes, soups, bars and savoury meal packs. The only restriction is that you can only have 1 bar a day, and you will be reaching your full 100% RDA on this plan. Hence, there is not the necessity to have the extra 200g of allowed vegetables and 150mls skimmed milk. However, there is the option available, and up to you if you choose to have it or not.
If you would prefer you could have 100ml of semi-skimmed milk or 50ml of whole milk instead of the skimmed milk. Or, you can swap the milk allowance for 100g of fat free plain Greek yoghurt instead. Or you can have 100ml of sweetened soya milk or 200ml of unsweetened soya milk, or 200ml of unsweetened hazelnut or unsweetened almond milk. The choice is yours, again this is optional and not required whilst doing Simplicity.
Q. What exercise is permitted whilst on plan?
A. Suitable types of aerobic exercise includes:
- Light Aerobic: Cycling (up to 10mph), golf, low impact aerobics, swimming & walking (3mph).
- Moderate Aerobic: Cross trainer, cycling (over 10mph), jogging, running (5mph).
- Any form of gentle, toning, stretching exercise is permitted whilst on plan.
Remember, the key is to listen to your body and not do too much. Never push yourself more than you can manage.
Please check with your doctor before you start any form of exercise, and if you are unsure on what forms of exercise are suitable, please contact us direct.
Q. Why is exercising too much on a VLCD bad for you?
A. You are only consuming around 650 calories a day, and you need all those calories for your basic bodily functions so you shouldn't be doing anything high impact or that will burn a lot of calories. If you do, you may find that your weight loss stalls as your body can go into starvation mode where it will hang on to fat instead of burning it, and it can start to burn lean tissue and muscle instead which can be dangerous. So listen to your body, if you get tired don't push yourself. This is especially important as you no longer have glycogen in your muscles. Glycogen comes from carbohydrates and is the reason why athletes carb load before a race or event. It's what allows your muscles to work longer and harder. We dont have any glycogen at all in our muscles on this diet, it's burned off in the first week, so our strength and stamina are affected. You're basically aiming for exercise that will tone you up and keep you moderately active. This is one diet where exercise will NOT help you to lose more weight or lose it faster.
Q. What can I drink?
A. The drinks listed below are currently suitable to have on Slim & Save diet. In general these drinks do not appear on the meal planner except for Water, Tea, Coffee, Boullion and Ribena Plus. When purchasing branded products please ensure the ingredients do not contain citric acid (or E330) and contains less than 2 Kcal per 100ml.
Unlimited Drinks (which also count towards water intake)
- Tap or Bottled Water
- Plain still and sparkling mineral water
- Soda water (check that it contains no citric acid as some do)
- Decaf Tea & Coffee
- Peppermint Tea & Redbush tea
- Slim & Save Water Flavouring's
- Ribena Plus in the 200ml readymade cartons - Raspberry & Apple flavour only, 4 cartons a day (or use the meal planner, if calories/carbs allow more could be consumed).
- Bouillon (use the meal planner as it contains carbohydrates)
- Unlimited Drinks (These do not count towards daily water intake)
- Teas made from leaves or flowers eg. English Breakfast tea, green tea, liquorice tea (no teas with fruit or fruit flavours) Twinings buttermint Tea, Twinings Salted Caramel, Twinings Liquorice Tea.
Coffee - Flavoured coffees from Douwe Egberts or Beanies
(Avoid caffeine in the first 3 to 4 days of plan)
Fizzy Drinks (Maximum 500 to 600ml per day)
- Coke Zero
- Cherry Coke Zero
- Dr Pepper Zero
Sainsbury's
- No Added Sugar Sparkling Blackcurrant & Cherry Flavoured Spring Water
- Diet Cola
- Classic Diet Cola
- Classic Zero
Tesco
- Xero Cola
- Xero Cola Cherry
- Diet Cream Soda
- Dr Fizz Zero
Aldi
- Vive Cola ZX
Asda
- Cola Zero
- Diet Cola
- Sugar free Cream Soda
Morrisons
- No Sugar Added Cream Soda in Bottles Only
- No Sugar Added Doctor Pop
Tips before you start.
Without doubt the hardest phase of this diet is getting into ketosis which for more people will kick in within about 4 days, but everyone is different. It really helps if you can cut down on the levels of carbs in your diet in the days before you start as it makes getting into ketosis much easier. Once you’re in ketosis hunger is supressed and it’s much easier. The first few days will be hard though and you just need to tough it out. Keep in mind that it does get easier . If you do feel tempted to cheat bear in mind that it will set you back and take even longer to get into ketosis than if you stay on track. If you really, really need something else check your Meal Planner as you may have some unused calories/carbs that can be used for extra veg or protein.
If you’re a female who usually suffers at time of the month (TOTM) it may be an idea to avoid starting at that time as dealing with TOTM and getting into ketosis may be a double whammy!
Many people do find that TOTM makes an appearance soon after starting a VLCD even if they haven't had one for a while, and the thought is that oestrogen is stored in fat and the sudden loss of fat can start TOTM. Losing weight can also be very good for fertility and people who have had trouble conceiving may find they become pregnant after being on a VLCD. And of course it's much easier to go through a pregnancy with a lower BMI. TOTM can be quite erratic on a VLCD too but things should return to normal once you stop. Lots of people follow this plan in order to lose weight to help them start a family. So, do take extra precautions as we have seen lots of surprise babies from members on plan!
Line up different things to do when other family members are eating if you find watching them difficult. Take a long bath, go and read a book, go for a walk, do your nails, surf the internet, come onto the forum and contribute – anything to take your mind off feeling hungry.
It really helps to understand the science behind the diet, and what ketosis means and why you can’t have carbs. Reading up on this before you start will really make things make sense and understand how the diet works and how you can exist on so few calories without feeling permanently hungry.
Some people take a ‘before’ photo and measure themselves to provide motivation. It’s fantastic to look back on how far you’ve come once you’ve lost a couple of stone or more as you often can’t see it by looking in the mirror.
Set yourself some goals, such as ‘losing half a stone’, ‘getting below 14 stone’ or whatever. If you have a lot to lose it’s better to focus on some nearer goals initially as the end goal can be a bit daunting. Once you start to tick the goals off the end goal will be ever nearer.
Line up some non-food treats for yourself to keep you motivated. Maybe treat yourself to a manicure or a facial when you’ve got through the first week, and maybe a piece of jewellery when you’ve lost a stone or 2, although bear in mind your fingers and wrist will decrease in size as your weight drops.
Sort out all of your too small clothes (we’ve all got them!) into sizes and try on the clothes that are just too tight each week and before long you will be wearing them. Give away your too big clothes to a charity shop or put them on Ebay. They belong to the old you that you’re not returning to. Tempting though it is it’s best not to invest in too many new clothes before you reach your goal as you lose weight on this diet so quickly they will be too big before you know it so try to recycle your old clothes if you can. Wearing clothes that you have not worn for many months as they’ve been too tight will feel like a new wardrobe anyway. Also bear in mind that as well as clothes your shoes / jewellery may feel looser and you may find you take a smaller size once you reach goal.
Q. What should I do when I get to goal?
A. When you get to goal it’s important not to simply stop and go back to your previous eating habits as that’s what made you overweight to start with. Slim and Save have a full Re-feed Programme available from the site and a Maintenance plan on request.
Delivery Options.
Slim and Save generally send orders via either Interlink or Royal Mail depending on the weight of the order or the location it is going to. The options available to you may vary depending on the item purchased and your location in Europe.
Delivery Timescales:
Next Working Day*
Please be aware that Next Working Day delivery is a Monday to Friday service only. Orders placed after 4:30pm on a Thursday will be delivered on a Monday and orders placed after 4:30pm on a Friday up until Monday 4:30pm will be delivered on the Tuesday.
*Also Next Working Day is a 98% delivery rate, it is not a guaranteed service. If you require a 'Guaranteed Next Working Day' service you can choose this option at checkout or contact Slim & Save to arrange this, which would be charged at an additional cost.
Saturday and Sunday Delivery Option's
We also offer a Saturday before 1pm, a Saturday before 5pm and Sunday before 5pm delivery option, these can been seen at your checkout page and are available at a slightly increased price. These options are a guaranteed service.
DPD Europe.
For European orders we generally send via DPD by road which is usually a 2 to 3 day service depending on your location.
- Slim and Save do not deliver to outside of the EU.
- Slim and Save are not able to deliver to all areas of the UK via the same methods that may be available to customers who are mainland UK.
Q. What if I have a Problem with my order?
A. Occasionally mistakes can happen and when they do Slim & Save will act quickly to put them right for you.
To ensure that Slim and Save are providing the best service to their customers we record the packing of all orders via CCTV, this protects both you and us. If you are unfortunate to have a problem with your order simply contact us with your 'Packing Bay CCTV Reference' from the bottom of your invoice. We will watch your order being packed and put right any problems with your order.
It is essential you check your order as soon as you receive it. If there are any problems such as damaged or missing items you must inform us within 72 hours of receiving your order to enable us to investigate the matter and resolve it for you.
Good luck to all members
