WW or SW?

[SkipHopJump]

That's it really- Weight Watchers or Slimming World?
I'm not huge but I am overweight on BMI chart, 5 foot 7 and don't know weight but am size 14/16, whereas about a year ago I was a 10/12. I lost a stone in the summer through a lot of hard work but think have probably put about half of that back on. Think I maybe have 3 stone to lose.

So which is best, WW or SW and how do they work? And how to I overcome my fear and actually go to the group?

Thanks!

[pipsy76]

Well my interpretation of the two is as follows; weight watchers, my preferred lesser evil, it lets me eat whatever I want, I cant live without chocolate, however it is basically calorie and saturated fat counting so you can compensate with really healthy small low fat meals. From what I remember SW lets you eat really large quantities of all the healthy stuff but less snacks

[SkipHopJump]

Oh dear I LOVE large quantitites AND snacks

This is probably why I am overweight.

[galadriel77]

Slimming World - all the way. Although I'm sure you'll hear the same from WW lovers - it's all opinion after all.

I did weight watchers and used to have to go to bed early as I had eaten all my points and was hungry! But you can use your points on whatever you want.

With SW, on the Extra Easy plan you can eat, in unlimited quantities fruit, veg, lean meat and poultry, pasta, rice, potatoes, starchy veg.

Then you measure other things like milk/cheese, bread, cereal etc.

Then on top of that you can have "syns". Can use them on choc/wine/crips/mayo/gravy etc - whatever you want.

You can snack - it depends on what your snack of choice is!! And to be honest - as my consultant says - you've got to make some changes to lose weight - you can't expect to eat like you did before!

I love the group I go to - they are all so friendly and supportive. There is no judgement at all. I don't think I could do it without my group. I lost 2st 8lbs and am now 36 weeks pregnant and can still go to group every week to keep an eye on it. Only gained 1st 8lbs so far which I'm chuffed about.

Go to a group - they are brilliant. It's the hardest thing to walk through that door and ask for help - but it's the best thing you'll ever do!

[boardbunny]

WW for me! I got really bored with Slimming World, yes you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods but I found it oddly restrictive - there's only so many muller lights a girl can eat, even if they are free!

I found WW easier to fit into my day to day routine, yes you are restricted to your points but you learn how to stretch them and use them when you need them. For example I don't need a big breakfast, I would rather have a snack later at night, so I point for this accordingly. If you go over points one day you can save some the next day to get back on track, likewise if you've got an event coming up i.e. wedding, meal out, you can save your points and do more exercise to compensate in advance. Your points are based on height, weight, activity level and gender.

I also found the WW meetings more informed, they teach you about exercise, nutrition, reasons for overeating and techniques to avoid and so on, whereas SW seemed to be all about who had lost/not lost weight that week and you had to share this in the group - at WW it was up to you if you wanted to tell everyone what sort of week you had had. This is just my experience of each class though, others could be different.

It's completely personal preference though and what will fit best into your lifestyle, I know people who have done equally well on both, I'd look at their websites to get some sample meal plans, maybe give one a go for a week and see how you get on.

Don't worry about going to a meeting, take a deep breath and do it, to either one. The best tip I can give is go to weight in each week, without fail, even if you think you've gained, and stay for the meeting if you can. Good luck!

[jlo1]

I have done ww and sw, and prefer sw much more, and now they have the extra easy plan it really is easy.
The thing I found with weightwatchers is the more weight I lost, the less I was allowed to eat. So when I got near to my target I was soooo hungry, it wasn't possible to maintain my weightloss unless I ate salads and soup all the time. I then gave up and put weight on.
Slimming world is all about cooking good wholesome meals like, spaghetti bolognese, curries, and roasts. You can eat as much as you like until you are full. Going to class gives me lots of ideas for recipes to cook and sometimes we all bring in a meal for everyone to try. The people are really friendly, and I know that first time is really scary, but you get lots of support from everyone.