Hi Megareth,
The wonderful thing about Slimming World is that it is liberating because it concentrates on what you can have - ie all the incredible variety of unlimited free food - and not on what you can't have - which is the main focus of all other diets.
With Slimming World - nothing is disallowed - it's just that as Lauren said - it's all about choices
which is why the Slimming World diet is called Food Opimtimising.
As regard to the SW consultant saying that small portions is what it is about - I think that the consultant has been mis-understood. If you are hungry then you can eat as much free food as you like until you are satisfied - what they say though is when eating free food - think about if you really need / want it? I mean having 6 jacket potatoes in one sitting won't do you any harm - but just because you can have it - is it what you really want at every meal?? If your weight losses are sluggish - thinking about this may help speed up weight loss. However - do not deprive yourself! If you are hungry - eat eat eat
I'm sure you have visited the SW website, but if not here is the url
www.slimming-world.co.uk - when you are a postal member you will be able to reach the website which is for members that is really useful - and infact has an online syns facility - so you can find out what every syn value is at the click of a button
You can also find details on how to contact them in order to buy the current SW literature.
My best advice though - is to actually join a group if you can - it really is worth it and you feel so supported and excited to go to class each week!
Yes SW changed this year - and many people say "well how come things that were free then and now they are not - yet i used to lose weight eating them"? If you did - ie the macaroni cheese - then thats fine - continue eating them. If again your weight losses become sluggish - then i would take the current syn values of food into consideration.
I have lost just over 3 stone so far and have another 3 stone ish to go - SW is great!
Good luck
Kelly x