Anyone kindly fancy telling me there experience of sliming world ?

[LovelyYellowLabrador]

Thinking of signing up

I've just been given a twelve week membership so following

Just to risk a quick detour back to the banana...

If you have a banana split- a scoop of ice cream, a banana, and a squirt of cream- you eat it with a spoon, savour every mouthful.
If you blend the same stuff it's a milkshake.

SW would say that after eating an indulgent banana split you'll feel treated, indulged, full. After eating a milkshake, less so. The calories are the same, the level of satisfaction is not, so you go on to eat something else.

If you eat a cup full of berries, a chopped apple and a sliced banana, that's a big bowl of fruit salad. It will take a lot of chewing and a while to eat. Blend it into a smoothie and it's a drink you can have on the go. Again, potentially less satisfying.

Slimming world warns against 'tweaks'- roasting chickpeas and eating them like peanuts, for example. Basically you take a low density, satisfying food and turn it into something you can quickly eat a lot of- undercuts it's credentials as a free food.

I lost 3.5 stone on slimming world 10 years ago and kept it off until recently when I had my baby, combination of that, being less active and eating crap has meant I’ve put some back on again. Have recently rejoined SW as I know it works for me, but I see it more as a lifestyle change than a diet. It taught me to cook from scratch and plan my meals. I think with SW preparation is the key to its success, yes there are some odd things I don’t understand like the cooked fruit/soups etc and changes in whats free and what’s not. 10 years ago fresh pasta was a big no no, but now it’s a free food? But a little common sense and It does work. You have to remember though that weight loss is only gonna work if there is a calorie deficit, so whilst pasta, rice, potatoes etc are unlimited free food, if you really spent all day eating them, unless you’re very obese and swapping high fat/high sugar foods for them you’re not gong to see much progress. I found the more I lost I did have to start reducinng my intake of free foods a little to see a loss each week, but it became a habit that I followed for years after I stopped going to the sessions.

SW like any diet that should be a complete lifestyle change on how you eat, is based on CICA (calories in calories out) and the physiologically of eating food

So for some people it will work. Other people will find it doesn't work and other "diets" work for them.

If you don't like the consultant/person advising you over weight loss then change groups or change diets.

However no diet will work if you are not willing to change your eating habits.

@Deadposhtory

I've just been given a twelve week membership so following

That's how my DH started and it's worked really well for him. He tried losing weight on his own first but it started to creep back on. With SW it has stayed off but as I said he does stick to the plan and attends meetings regularly.

I wonder why we never see thread about weight watchers and their plan, which as far as I am aware, is quite similar these days.

My own two pence worth on the mashed banana debate … if I mashed up a banana, it would be probably two spoonfuls, minimal chewing and gone. It wouldn’t fill me. But if I eat a banana, i’m mindful that I am putting something in my mouth and I have to chew and my brain registers i’m eating. I wouldn’t mash a banana personally.

I once worked with a woman, we joined together. She spent the first week blending fruit with fat free yog and making smoothies. She lost 9lb in her first week. Because the smoothie was enough for her, but for me I would of been picking at other bits an hour later.
It doesn’t change the calories, it’s about protecting the calorie deficit you are creating.
I would personally rather eat fruit whole, or chopped in a bowl, but if you want to mash a banana and know you wont be overeating in an hour, then crack on if it works for you.

Don't do it. I did years ago and found the diet absolute madness. You could eat as many Muller light yogurts as you wanted but had to "syn" and avocado. Many recipes contain artificial sweeteners. The classes they encourage you to stay st are painful. I decided to stop when sat in class and someone said how they had made their own "Pimms" with cider vinegar and artificial sweetener.

@ListenLinda

I wonder why we never see thread about weight watchers and their plan, which as far as I am aware, is quite similar these days.

My own two pence worth on the mashed banana debate … if I mashed up a banana, it would be probably two spoonfuls, minimal chewing and gone. It wouldn’t fill me. But if I eat a banana, i’m mindful that I am putting something in my mouth and I have to chew and my brain registers i’m eating. I wouldn’t mash a banana personally.

I once worked with a woman, we joined together. She spent the first week blending fruit with fat free yog and making smoothies. She lost 9lb in her first week. Because the smoothie was enough for her, but for me I would of been picking at other bits an hour later.
It doesn’t change the calories, it’s about protecting the calorie deficit you are creating.
I would personally rather eat fruit whole, or chopped in a bowl, but if you want to mash a banana and know you wont be overeating in an hour, then crack on if it works for you.

Exactly. It's the McDonald's of diet plans, very similar to several comparable outfits, but draws a disproportionate amount of criticism, usually based on a tiny difference to the others, and often something that either doesn't exist or hasn't been the case for decades. Bizarre.

@DarlingDarwin -I thought that was just me who thought that-that was a horrible Facebook group-

@Nishkin no, not at all. I called him on his sexism once and he turned on me, and all his weird cult followers and then he blocked me from the Facebook group. You should read the post about how he “broke” his wife down and started her again, but this time skinny. It’s absolutely awful.

@DarlingDarwin when I was in the group she did an emotional video apologising for being absent as she had suffered serious mental health issues, I think as well she was a primary school teacher who gave up her career very soon after meeting him to join the business- he was very proud of that. There was just something uncomfortable about it.

On another topic what do people think about protein powder? So many groups seem to suggest it- I always assume they are on commission……

My uncle (RIP last spring) lost over a stone quite quickly on SW & didn't feel hungry because he could still eat lots of food!

He had Parkinson's & the weight loss meant he could actually sit up in bed without help for the first time in ages; and he was less breathless.

[quote Nishkin]@DarlingDarwin when I was in the group she did an emotional video apologising for being absent as she had suffered serious mental health issues, I think as well she was a primary school teacher who gave up her career very soon after meeting him to join the business- he was very proud of that. There was just something uncomfortable about it.

On another topic what do people think about protein powder? So many groups seem to suggest it- I always assume they are on commission……[/quote]
That’s so worrying. He is such an oddly aggressive man.

I have never tried SW or WW. My friend said SW was good for her as she never felt hungry on it. I’ve put loads of weight on because of my wine intake so that’s what I need to have a lot less of.

I’ve tried SW and I’m not a fan. However, one way of using them is to just go and get weighed. The thought of someone weighing me once a week is sufficient for my motivation to lose weight.

My friend lost 8 stone on SW. She used to bring these revolting recipes round for herself whenever we invited her and her family for lunch because she could never eat the (very ordinary, not unhealthy) food that I made. Everything she brought with her was a sort of fake imitation of real food. She couldn’t even have a tuna mayo sandwich. It had to be some awful tuna + extra extra light mayo + quark concoction.

She stopped once she hit her target and quickly put more weight on than she originally lost.

Also have a family member who lost loads and was featured in the magazine. He also piled it back on (and then some).

It’s not sustainable.

@Huntswomanonthemove

I’ve tried SW and I’m not a fan. However, one way of using them is to just go and get weighed. The thought of someone weighing me once a week is sufficient for my motivation to lose weight.

I used to go to my local chemist for this. It const me nothing.

It works if you don't view it as a diet.
When they give you the books-read them. The premise is changing the way you eat forever not just while you loose weight.
Food 'optimising' is basically following the old healthy plate that you were taught in school. 1/3 or more fruit/veg, protein, carb, fats etc.

People have such a negative view, especially those who only see it as a diet and try to 'cheat' their way through.

For me my meals didn't change much, I was already making healthy meals, it was portion control and snacking on crap that makes me fat. I just needed to up the veg or fruit with every meal.
So if we have spagbol I won't just have pasta and bolognase , I'll put salad or veg in the bowl first then dish up the rest.
people get very bogged down with the terms free food, syns etc. It's jargon that's all.
I rarely buy the bars or other slimming world food, I don't make weird concoctions with odd ingredients.

People have such a negative view, especially those who only see it as a diet and try to 'cheat' their way through.

I think this is maybe my problem tbh. I view it badly because I was encouraged to cheat my way through.

The argument about mashed banana v intact.

The reason they put syn values on things like that is because if they didn't the people who are determined to cheat their way through will over eat.
It's the same for the porky light sausages and muller lights. They upped the syns when they realised people were not following the plan because they were living on those things. The syns are supposed to make you think of them differently.

Yes you can eat them but only in moderation.if that's all you eat you will fail and not change he way you eat.

I don't syn a banana I've mashed and I still stay on plan because I will only have the one. I'm not adding 2 bananas to a smoothie. You would struggle to eat 2 bananas, a punnet of raspberries and blueberries and juice or milk in one go but put them in a smoothie and you might have that easily and be hungry in 30min. Does that make it more clear?

Alot of it depends on the consultant & your attitude to food. I joined years ago and left as did nt like the consultant.

This time I am not doing anything other than trying to eat well & get weighed. I have a few cook books now and my aim to lose at an averrage of 1lb per week. So far I have lost half a stone.

I did WW 15 odd years ago for my wedding. I was miserable, hungry all the time, counting points constantly. They really do have lots of WW brand food to sell at meetings. Crisps, bars, snacks, sweets. I found it far to hard and far to restrictive. The consultant was also a massive user. She wanted you to work for her for free.

SW is easier to stick to if you cook for yourself.

Well it depends on whether you like to sit there for over an hour afterwards listening to everyone else's accounts of the week.
If you're not bothered about group, you can always join on line.
It's like any other diet, if you stick to it, you will succeed... but if you cheat it's a waste of your money

“My friend lost 8 stone on SW. She used to bring these revolting recipes round for herself whenever we invited her and her family for lunch because she could never eat the (very ordinary, not unhealthy) food that I made. Everything she brought with her was a sort of fake imitation of real food. She couldn’t even have a tuna mayo sandwich. It had to be some awful tuna + extra extra light mayo + quark concoction.”

She didn’t have to do that though... I wouldn’t, if I was at home, well I wouldn’t have a tuna sandwich, lol, I prefer stuff on toast if I’m having bread, but theoretically I might use less mayonnaise by mixing it with something lower in fat, I wouldn’t take that to someone else’s house though, I’d have what they made and if it had fat or sugar or processed carbs I’d count them and then I’d not be having chocolate or whatever later on - because I’d have had lunch with a friend instead.

If you were calorie counting to lose weight then that’s the same as bringing something so you can save calories for something better later on...

That’s the sort of stuff that gets discussed at group tbh, how you work socialising, but if someone’s viewing it as a diet that’s just to lose and they’re not making real changes then they might just do stuff like that rather than try and work out the best way to actually manage things longterm.

That’s the same with any way of losing weight though.