Why am I so crap at Slimming World?

[CakeThat]

And diets in general? I've been going to SlimmingWorld for quite a few months now. First month was ok, lost about 8lbs. Then Christmas happened and I fell off the diet waggon. Was then hoping to continue the diet in January but I've been totally rubbish and lost nothing except my money! It's so depressing going to meetings and seeing every one else's weight loss except mine. How come loads of other people can be overweight for years and then suddenly click and stick to the plan enthusiastically but I can't?
Some of my problems are due to finding it difficult to cook from scratch each day and also getting to the supermarket regularly to top up on salad, fruit etc. Also my mentality of associating enjoying myself, particularly at weekends, with food and wine.
I don't know what to do. I don't want to waste more money and I feel so stupid but if I don't keep going I'm sure I'll put on more weight

[Underthemoonlight]

Sounds like its not working for you. I'm doing slimming world but it works for me as i don't particularly drink, would weight watchers be better for you? What type of meals are you cooking, simple stuff like spaghetti can easily be made using chopped tomatoes, various herbs, garlic. Have you recorded what you'
re eating in your food diary?

[Oscha]

There is a book called Health At Every Size which I recommend wholeheartedly. You are not crap at Slimming World. And almost everybody who loses weight on a diet puts it back on. Almost everybody. So even the people with amazing losses who stick to it for years, are highly likely, statistically, to put it back on. The problem isn't you, it's dieting.

[Groovee]

I find dieting works for me when I have my head in the zone and plan! Planning is the key for me.

[QueenOnAPlate]

It's not the diet but the mindset. I find any type of diet makes you lose weight if you follow it, it's all about your head, not the plan. Also, a routine really helps. A meal plan done with an online shop can be useful.

[Notreallyhappy]

You have to make any 'diet' work for you and a way of life. As queen has said planning is the key.
When planning don't think of just tonight.
Pot of bolognaise type sauce - half it add beans & chilli. You've now 2 meals.
Cook 2 chickens - roast chicken with (frozen) vegetables. Strip off the rest put into a curry pot. Curry sauce from sw website.
Some evenings pan grilled chicken / steak etc with wedges & salad.
Frozen veg & fruit is OK to use.
Make tonight's dinner turn into something else tomorrow is the key.

[FaithAgain]

I suspect there's a couple of issues here. Re the food prep. I work shifts, no way I could cook from scratch every so I do like Notreally and batch cook. I buy a kg of minced beef. Fry it with onion. Put a third in a pan with veg (carrots, sweet corn, peas) and add mash for cottage pie. Two thirds I cook with different veg (peppers, celery, courgettes) and tinned tomatoes. Then I split that. Chuck in garlic to one side - bolognese. Chuck in chilli and kidney beans to the other - chilli. Freeze them in freezer bags/pots and the defrost as needed. I also batch cook soup for lunch too. We do overnight oats a lot so keep tonnes of frozen fruit in.

The other is definitely about the losing weight/'diet' mindset. I agree with pp it's not that easy to start losing weight, it's really tough to keep it off! One question - do you tend to binge eat?

[ginsparkles]

I think a large part of the issue is that you are thinking of things as a diet. It has to be a way of life, there is no wagon to fall off and climb back on. It's a lifestyle, you use your syns in whatever suits your lifestyle best, you have flexi syns so you can enjoy some treats through Christmas without the guilt.

I lost nearly 3 stone on SW, and have kept pretty much all of it off for 2 years now. I have half a stone to lose at the moment after falling a breaking my back set me back a bit.

You need to think about a new you, a new lifestyle and allow yourself enough time for the new lifestyle to become your habit.

[CakeThat]

I totally agree that it's all about planning and preparation. I've been using some frozen fruit and veg which I never used before and that's helping a bit. I've also been preparing overnight oats each evening so that I don't have to cook eggs etc in the morning before work. I'm finding it hard though as to stick to the plan I have to go to the supermarket to stock up on salad, yoghurts, fruit etc every couple of days which is hard to do when you work each day.
A positive is that when I look at what I'm eating it's generally healthier than before I joined Slimming World. Also because I'm weighing myself each week, even though I'm not losing weight, at least I'm not putting any on! My weight gain was spiralling out of control last year!
In answer to an earlier question yes I do binge horribly. I can stick to the plan no problem from Sunday until thursday, then I have wine on Friday and it goes downhill from there and throughout Saturday. Also my family like eating out at least once at weekends. I think this cancels out my good days.

[Sallysadlyseescertainty]

It's not only about how much you eat and what you eat.

Exercise and how much you exercise, too. How active you are vs how sedentary you are/your lifestyle is.

A whole topic devoted to SlimmingWorld? FS

[Sallysadlyseescertainty]

I mean, exercise is of equal importance to diet.

[FaithAgain]

I did wonder...In that case I highly recommend the book <a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0984481702/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489618301&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=brain%20over%20binge&dpPl=1&dpID=41Y46NJMGHL&ref=plSrch&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">brain over binge (Amazon link). It's written by a recovering bulimic. I had an awful binge habit (I didn't really purge hence being obese!) and it really helped me take control.

Re the food, I only shop once a week for a family of 3, only real exception is bananas! I meal plan for a full week (all 3 meals for me) and buy accordingly. We did have to buy a fridge freezer because we had a tiny freezer that didn't cut it but that's really helped. I find I go for junk if I don't have anything planned. Batch cooking helps there too. Example, last night I had nothing planned but I found bolognese in the freezer so 10 minutes for the pasta, reheated the bolognese and I had a healthy tea.

Sally obviously exercise is important but my understanding is the balance is more like 75% diet, 25% exercise.

[Joffmognum]

Oscha - just because someone is statistically likely to fail a diet doesn't mean it's not worth trying. You might fail one and fall off the bandwagon but after your 2nd, 5th or 15th attempt you might crack the lifestyle change and that is worth so much. Being obese means you're at risk of a shorter, more painful and more disease ridden life. Health At Any Size is a lie - whilst it is worth making health-based lifestyle choices that are nothing to do with weight, such as cardio to get your heart fitter and weightlifting to get your muscles stronger, it is simply unrealistic to expect to be healthy past middle age if you are obese. Don't throw the second half of your life away to disease and immobility to make your first half easier

[Oscha]

Have you read the book? It doesn't say 'embrace your obesity,' it says 'don't diet, don't hate your body, don't buy into the diet industry's shaming tactics; instead change your mindset, work on loving yourself, enough to want to feed yourself healthy food, enough to move your body because it deserves to be fit, focus on positive things you can do to be healthy.'

[llangennith]

FaithAgain thanks for that link.

[brokencrayons]

couldnt agree more!

[Dulra]

I really don't think the diet plan is the problem you don't sound ready to really want to lose the weight so are lacking the motivation. I am a busy working mum with 3 kids one of which is coeliac so means extra shopping for her to get what I need and I managed it but I was really determined to shift the weight. 2 years ago I tried but didn't shift anything because my heart wasn't in it.

Accept for now that maintaining your weight is all you can manage and look at it again in a few months. You say you don't like cooking from scratch, so what do you eat?

[Elbacar]

Up your calories a little and dont be too hard on yourself.

[InfiniteSheldon]

Doesn't matter how hard you work at it in the week if you're weekends are treat time that's the change you need to make. Honestly count your weekend Syns, every single one it will be illuminating.