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AIBU?

To not be convinced that Slimming World works?

133 replies

firstnightwemet · 30/04/2017 10:19

A woman I work with constantly bangs on about it. I dared to have a protein shake for my lunch and got told to throw it away and that SW is the way forward.

I've known this woman over a year and she's the exact same weight. No judgment at all but surely if you're raving about how great something is then there should be results?

Every woman but one I've known who has done SW or WW has lost and put back on.

OP posts:
Soyamilkisniceintea · 30/04/2017 10:20

I always find it strange how people are shocked and horrified by some diets ("you'll put it ALL back om!") but ignore the fact SW is the same!

dontbesillyhenry · 30/04/2017 10:21

It works just how any other 'diet' works. It creates a calorie deficit. It requires willpower. If you aren't sticking to it or any other diet of course it wont work

Whathaveilost · 30/04/2017 10:22

Have a look at the RebelFit FB page. Liam has plenty to say about it!
When all is said and done Sw ( and others) are buisness and they are there to make money out of you.
There was a very good tv programme about them a few weeks ago that closely looked at their way of marketing which was very interesting.

annandale · 30/04/2017 10:24

They all work if you stick to them. Chances are she's not sticking to it. 'Glad it's working for you' sounds like the response, though if she's not lost a pound she might just spot a tiny element of passive-aggressiveness Grin

ShowMePotatoSalad · 30/04/2017 10:29

A woman I work with constantly bangs on about it. I dared to have a protein shake for my lunch and got told to throw it away and that SW is the way forward.

Wow, I could have written this. Same thing happened to me years ago at work. I was calorie counting and occasionally had a protein shake as part of my lunch. A colleague would absolutely roast me for it and very smugly told me I wouldn't lose weight because I wasn't on SW. I defended myself by saying calorie counting does work but she was having none of it. Then she got really upset when I lost 35lbs and told me (and a number of other colleagues) that I must be starving myself, which was ridiculous and untrue. It took me about a year to lose that weight and I did it sensibly.

Anyway, I think SW does work but it's one of those diets that has to be followed quite strictly (ie not going over syns on a regular basis) and really watching everything you eat. Exactly like calorie counting. There is a bit of leeway in SW which I think makes it a good diet for incorporating in to everyday life (as opposed to fad diets which are very hard work and not suitable for normal life IMO). I don't agree with all this red and green day stuff though - I think that is quite faddy. The concept of eating plenty of healthy veg and fruit, carbs and protein with some "syns" is the same principle as calorie counting and works very well.

PlayOnWurtz · 30/04/2017 10:31

Slimming world is awful. I've tried it but it brought back my disordered eating patterns of my youth and rather than risk going off plan I just didn't eat. It's dangerous if you have a history of eating problems because it creates obsessive patterns and thinking around food.

It is good at creating will power if you have none though and don't have a history of eating issues.

Darkblueskies · 30/04/2017 10:31

Anything works if you stick to it. I did WW and lost 4 stone and maintained for 3 years. I then lost a stone with SW and generally maintain that weight, give or take 5lbs either way, but I generally stick to the way of eating as I just gain weight eating what I like. Because what I like is sweets, chocolate, crisps and beer Grin What gets me about SW is the attitude that it's 'not a diet'. It IS a diet. So it works like any other diet!

Sugarformyhoney · 30/04/2017 10:33

All diet clubs 'have' you for about ten years before people realise it's just a lot of yo yo dieting and long term isn't that sustainable.
It does work for some but for me personally it gave me no idea about portion control and encouraged a lot of artificially made and sweetened foods

Helloitsme88 · 30/04/2017 10:35

Never trust slimming world- fat free super noodles are syn free.
Avocado is not.
What sort of message does that send out.

TittyGolightly · 30/04/2017 10:35

I'm on the blood sugar diet, which is basically the fact opposite of SW. Girl in the office has been doing SW longer than I have the BSD. I lost 2.5 stone in 12 weeks. She lost 1.5lbs. She's furious. Grin

Sugarformyhoney · 30/04/2017 10:35

Also- a diet that calls certain foods 'syns' is not encouraging a healthy attitude to food

maggiethemagpie · 30/04/2017 10:36

It didnt work for me. I did it for a week and put on 3lb!

I am very carb sensitive though so low carb is the way to go for me.

I have come to the conclusion over the years though that there's no approach that works for everyone and that dieting is very individualistic.

Most diets will lead to weight gain afterwards because it's not stopping (unhealthy eating habits/overeating) that's difficult, it's staying stopped. We live in a very obesogenic society, every meal out, every service station, every social occasion - there's lots of fattening food. I sometimes think the only people who can eat a standard uk diet with all the fatty food it usually involves without weight gain are either lanky teenagers with high metabolisms, or adults in very physically active jobs.

So it's become entierly normal to go diet - gain-diet-gain and this is how many including myself keep my figure (just about!)

FlyingElbows · 30/04/2017 10:36

Is RebelFit that bloke who gets right out his pram about how exploitative SW is while simultaneously selling his "expertise" as a personal trainer? That's hilarious. He's obsessed, it's ridiculous. If it's not him there's another one.

SW works very simply as long as you follow the plan. It's really not very surprising that people regain weight if they stop doing it. There's no secret to why it works and no great surprise that it doesn't work if you don't do it.

firstnightwemet · 30/04/2017 10:37

It works just how any other 'diet' works. It creates a calorie deficit. It requires willpower. If you aren't sticking to it or any other diet of course it wont work

But it gets told to me constantly it's NOT a diet, it's a life style change.

She then told me the other week she weighed herself and almost cried at how much she's put on.

OP posts:
NorthernLurker · 30/04/2017 10:39

Dh has lost over four stone with slimming world since last autumn.

He doesn't eat processed food. It has encouraged us all to make some healthy, sensible choices. He has cut back on things like white bread and pastry. He eats more veg now, having always eaten quite a lot. He also exercises more. It works for him because the preferred food options suit him and he is naturally good at following the 'rules'. In all the weeks he's gone I think he's gained a pound on two occasions. Every other time he's lost but he's lost at the rate of a couple of pounds. Very sustainable.
He no longer grazes on crisps and he drinks alcohol in moderation. I think slimming world is pretty brilliant actually if it works for your personality.

PhyllisNights · 30/04/2017 10:40

It doesn't work for my friend. I attended a meeting to support her once, and literally everyone there had excuses for why they had put on weight or hadn't lost it. I basically sat there unimpressed with my arms crossed the whole time.

MaidOfStars · 30/04/2017 10:42

Never trust slimming world- fat free super noodles are syn free. Avocado is not. What sort of message does that send out
That SW creates a calorie deficit by restricting fat.

Surely nobody believes it's nutritionally optimal? It's a tool, nothing more, nothing less.

MrsTrentReznor · 30/04/2017 10:42

It's bollocks.
"I made a cheesecake with quark, splenda and an options hot chocolate! It's so yummy! Only 3 syns a slice!"
Fuck. Off.

SusanChurchouse · 30/04/2017 10:43

I despise SW for using the word 'syn' to describe food. Hardly encouraging a good relationship with food is it? I also think it fails to address portion size problems which is why so many ppl put weight back on. That and the cult like FB statuses.

sailorcherries · 30/04/2017 10:44

I don't think SW is as unhealthy as most other fad diets, as it encourages you to eat lots of lean proteins, vegetables, complex carbs and fruit. A perfectly balanced diet. The incorporation of syns and treats is to stop people depriving themselves and binging. I do disagree with the synning of healthy fats such as nuts and avocado though and do disregard that to some extent.

I lost weight without SW and maintained if for a few years (circa 5 stone) but by in large followed the same principles. I then found my partner and gained weight as unhealthy habits crept back up.

I then joined SW and, 4 weeks in, found out I was pregnant. At 37 weeks I've gained 13.5lbs and, compared to my 6 stone gain with DS, I'd definitely say that attending the groups and having healthy foods encouraged helped.

I do tbink though that whatever diet you do it needs to be maintainable year round and allow leeway for living your life. As long as you are exercising, eating over your BMR, not cutting out entire macronutrient groups and eating well then others shouldn't comment.

IamRonnieBiggs · 30/04/2017 10:45

I'm doing WW I also don't think it works - I am being very strict with it and exercising a lot - I'm struggling to lose a pound a week
I think if I'd just cut down a wee bit and exercised I would have done just as well

NapQueen · 30/04/2017 10:46

My mum is a SW advocate, and fair enough, she is slim and healthy. However she has to go to the classes and follow the plan (aside from cheat days) in order to remain the same weight. And shes been doing SW for about a decade.

Id have hoped that after 10 years one could "go it alone" and just make sensible food choices. But she cant. Its like a cult.

And the half a syn for a whole cake thing. Vom. Actual vom in cake form.

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DuchessK · 30/04/2017 10:47

Slimming world really works if you cook, properly with lots of veg. It's a way to eat huge portions and stay slim (for me)

Haffiana · 30/04/2017 10:47

It doesn't work for my friend. I attended a meeting to support her once, and literally everyone there had excuses for why they had put on weight or hadn't lost it. I basically sat there unimpressed with my arms crossed the whole time.

Er, how have you managed to conclude that the diet rather than the dieter is the problem?

CurbsideProphet · 30/04/2017 10:51

I've been loosely following Slimming World. I know that snacking is my big downfall, so getting that under control has meant I've lost a stone in 6 ish weeks. I agree that whatever diet plan you choose, it needs to allow for a normal life - eating out, getting an occasional takeaway etc

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