The basic premise is speed, free, healthy extras and syns. Speed are things like strawberries, satsumas, broccoli, mushrooms etc. Free are stuff like lean meat, rice, pasta, potatoes etc. Healthy extras are bread or cereal, milk and cheese etc. Syns are for anything else, eg bread, jam, chocolate, wine. You get 15syns a day.
The emphasis is on homecooked food and food prep with very little leeway for grabbing food on the go
It's a meeting. You go and weigh, no one else sees your number. You sit in a circle and clap at each others weight losses, sometimes sharing tips. It can drag on a bit but there's no requirement to stay.
You are charged for a missed week yes, I think the weekly fee is 4.95. if you tell the leader beforehand you aren't charged, or if you attend another class that same week, but otherwise you're charged.
It does work. I'll be honest, I prefer WW. I think it's just luck of the draw with local groups. I know some leaders are fab. My group focused more on weight loss than healthy habits, eg eating a whole tub of low fat ice cream is ok and you don't need to exercise, and you shouldn't be hungry - and praising members for eating an entire pack of ham as a snack. That is just one group though.
It depends on the kind of person you are. Would you rather eat plenty of food,but the majority of it be healthy foods, and really limit your treats? Eg you can have banana on toast, pasta salad, curry and rice in the day but unless you fancy using tomorrow's syns you can't really have a cheese topped roll or Costa muffin. All duets say nothings banned btw but that isn't realistic. Or would you rather have the Costa muffin and coffee for breakfast then have fruit for lunch and salad for tea? It all depends on your personality and habits. I rather cutting back to have my treat, but others may not.
It also depends on your lifestyle. I found it impossible on SW to just pop to Tesco and grab a sandwich, and as I'm always on the go and haven't the space to take lunch with me, and also never know when I'll have chance to eat or the circumstances, being able to eat on the go is important. But if I remained at one office all day, with planned breaks and little deviation, then that wouldn't be so important.
It really depends on you , I would give it a go and see. I'll give you two examples of days on each dirt, both relatively healthy
SW
Banana on toast with butter 2syns, a satsuma afterwards.
Homemade soup, or pasta salad, or leftovers from night before. Possibly crisps 5syns. Yogurt and berries.
More fruit
Spaghetti Bolognese with grated cheese on top.
Kit kat (5syns), gin (2syns)
14syns
WW
Banana, satsumas, grapes, strawberries, yogurt.
Grilled chicken wrap 4points. Pepper sticks. Bag of French fries 2points
Turkey burger and sweet potato fries 13points
Fibre one cake batter 4points
23points (am allowed 25)