Can it really work?

[OptimisticIntrovert]

Hi all, I joined S.W 2 weeks ago and so far I am loving the amount of food I can eat.

I'm sure this has been asked before (by everyone who has ever done it!) but I can't see how I can eat this much and still lose.

I have a lot to lose- my initial aim is 100lb which is 7st3lb ish, but after that I am going to look at losing more.

In my first week I lost 7.5lb BUT I would have expected to the first week of any diet change (and I wore heavy clothes my first week). Last week I only lost 0.5lb which I will admit did disappoint me as I have followed the plan initially. If it is that small a loss each week I know I will struggle to keep focussed for 200 weeks- that's 4 years!

Really what I am asking is- does this really work and can I expect a relatively even loss each week as long as I stick to plan or is this pattern normal?

Thanks all!

[dilly123]

Long time SW follower.. love the plan have lost almost 5 stone & now at target.. it did however take me over 2 years which included falling off the wagon for a few weeks at a time so some big gains but eventually got there..

I have had a few consultants in that time some ok some great.. I am a little sceptical of consultants that sell the plan by using the unlimited free food angle.. especially carbs & muller lights & certain fruit which is why I calorie count along side of SW.. I also limit carbs to once a day & not huge portions of it especially white rice & pasta.
I've heard stories of people eating 4 or 5 muller lights a day, lots of mugshot snacks as they are filling & low syn or umpteen eggs in a low syn cake recipe... they might be low syn but as snacks have a high calorie value.
Which could hinder weight loss.. my go to snacks would be protein or raw veg, pickled onions rather than lots of fruit particularly bananas & grapes.
Definitely always measure your HE a & HE b, drink plenty of fluids & keep a track of your syns.. SlimIt is a great app for doing that on your phone & when choosing a snack bear in mind it's calorie content not just syn value on top of what you've had for your main meals... ie: I know if for dinner I've had say steak salad & a jacket potato then that's a higher calorie meal than say a cold meat salad so I'll be mindful of my syns in the evening.
Other great tips are plate up your speed food first which will leave less room for your higher calorie protein or carbs.. half plate of speed food & the other half split between carbs & protein is another great tip.
It does work... just some weeks it might not show on the scales .. good luck

[OptimisticIntrovert]

Brilliant, thanks Dilly.
some good tips there, I have screenshotted the reply to help me remember!

And an amazing loss, well done you!

[Justincase87]

I have a similar amount to lose and my weight loss has been much slower than when I did a very low carb diet (I lost 5.5st in 6 months - on slimming world I’ve lost 10.5lb in 7 weeks) - I’ve maintained a few weeks and lost a few - I definitely think you need to think about what you’re eating, I’m totally addicted to sugar and a lot of the low syn bars you can get are bloody addictive so I’m trying to get myself into a better way of eating, trying not to snack etc. The weeks I’ve lost more, I’ve definitely been more ‘on plan’ it’s surprising how much of a difference loading up on speed food makes... I’m enjoying it so far, I don’t think I’m doing it perfectly, and whilst it’s slower, this feels more manageable to me than a low carb diet, especially now I’m married and cook for hubby too.

[dilly123]

@Justincase87 yes definitely agree you have to do it the way you know you can stick to it long term.. that's why I didn't worry about how long it took me... I now think of it as a healthy life style.. it's a guide to how much I should be eating, I know I'm getting the right amount of calcium & fibre & if I have a holiday, special occasion or just fancy a day off plan I have the tools to reign it straight back in.. I found in the early days if I deprived myself of dessert & alcohol on a night out while my friends had what they wanted I'd just end up binging later in the week to commiserate myself!
I used to do the same after a maintain or a gain particularly if I was expecting a good loss which led to a cycle of disappointing weigh ins but in hindsight I know it always balances out & the results will come if I just keep plodding on.
I had a very bad relationship with food pre-SW it was a real emotional crutch that has improved greatly which no other weight loss program has done for me.

[Groovee]

I lost 3st in 6 months when I started. My biggest loss was 3.5lb but every little helped.

I've lost over 5 a day half stone and been at target for 21 weeks now.

I rarely eat muller lights, mugshot etc. There's lots of quick easy recipes online which are free or low syn to cook.

It took me over 10 weeks to lose 8.5lb to get to my target. But it all has stayed off so far. I find maintaining harder.