to ask HOW slimming world 'works'?

[MaryShoppins]

I just don't quite get it. We are told to eat less and move more, but on Slimming World, you can eat a ridiculous amount of foods (carbs and all) and you don't 'have to' exercise - although they do strongly encourage it.

Anyone??

Never worked for me!

There is no reason why sw wouldn't work long term if people stuck to the cooking from scratch / low fat concept long term............

It doesn't "work" as they are still in business, creating the next lot of yo-yo dieters who will lose quickly, regain, lose again, regain .... Kerching!!

Low carbing, not low fat or calorie counting, works for me and a lot of others I know. Read Dr John Briffa "escape the diet trap" if you want to understand how low fat diet myth has contributed to the obesity epidemic in the last 30 years or so.

I went to sw ten yrs ago and lost ten stone.
I have gained 4 of it back due to comfort eating cos of things going on ( or not going on) in my personal life)
Ive been back a few times since and the weight was either crawling off at a snails pace or staying the same yet its the same fucking eating plan that i was doing the first time.
One time a fellow slimmer was going to a party. She was told to fill up on lots of diet coke because it was free on the plan. Not very healthy advice. I stayed in fb touch with my consultant but she sent fat shaming poetry to my fb page one too many times so i defriended back in November. I will never go back there again.

I lost 1 1/2 stone in 5 weeks on slimming world. Going to try it again but from home this time.

It worked for me. I lost 1.5 stone of baby weight over 3 months and have kept it off. A friend lost 5 stone over a year. The diet was easy to stick to and worked well for family meals. it works because it encourages you to eat lots of fruit and veg and to cook low fat meals from scratch. I didn't really have issues with food though. There were people there just losing and regaining the same pound each week and I didn't feel the reasons why were ever addressed. I'm sure consultants vary widely in how much they actually address how people got overweight in the first place.
If you treat it as a 'diet' and go straight back to bad habits of course you'll regain weight but that's true of any diet. You can be a SW target member for free and keep going to meetings (and there were people who did, I don't have time) so can't say fairer than that.

*It doesn't "work" as they are still in business, creating the next lot of yo-yo dieters who will lose quickly, regain, lose again, regain .... Kerching!!

Low carbing, not low fat or calorie counting, works for me and a lot of others I know. Read Dr John Briffa "escape the diet trap" if you want to understand how low fat diet myth has contributed to the obesity epidemic in the last 30 years or so. *

Of course it works. They all work! Slimming world, weight watchers, Dukan - they all give you the results. What they don't do is change your mindset and the pyschological reasons behind why you overeat.

When I went the leader explained by saying 'no one got fat from eating pasta, it's the sauce that you cover it with' which did make sense. It didn't work for me, I'm a vegetarian and found it a bit restrictive, also thought there was a huge amount of quite processed foods that were free like packet pasta and soups. My mum loved it though and lost loads, she went from a size 18 to a 10 and found it really easy stopped going and put it all back on though

Just lost 2 stone on it. It does work if you stick to it. Did it online to start with. Now do it alone. Not true to say it's just set up to make money. If you are a group member and you get to target weight you get free membership for life. Some people need the group setting and weigh in for motivation. So far I haven't. Just that fact that I am no longer obese, have less back pain, hip pain, can chase after my DC's in the park, don't shudder at mirrors, have gone down 2 sizes, and have reduced my risk of diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer is the motivation I need. I see this as a way of eating for life.

It does work because it is for life. I lost 6 stone and my DD lost 7.

You can eat as much free food as you like but very little sugar, you find that your appetite decreases and you gradually desire less food. It is a very healthy way of eating. There are lots of low syn recipes that allow you to feel you are not on a diet.

For me under eating and anorexia had been a problem in the past so I didn't want a starvation diet.

I do think you need exercise especially when nearer target.

sydlexic If you don't mind me asking, how long ago did you do SW? Having also suffered from anorexia for many years, I also did not want a starvation diet. I've on SW for 13 weeks now and losing weight slowly but steadily.

I think cooking from scratch, eating more fruit and vegetables and thinking about what you eat all help. It really does work. Its actually very like the balance of good health AKA the eatwell plate which is what we all should be following its a healthy eating lifestyle not a diet, you are encouraged to exercise, they give awards for 'body magic' the reason many people put it all back on is that they just go back to old habits of overeating and eating junk. it fails to take in those with phscological (sp?) issues around food but is good in that if you are a binger you can binge on 'free foods' dunno about the science as I do eat more than I did when not on it. I believe its something to do with foods that are 'free' are likely to be the sort that are either very good for you and / or the sort that fill you up well so encouraging you to eventually reduce portions and also to not need to fill up on junk. Dept Health likes it as in some areas GP's refer and prescribe free sessions and I do think if you take it seriously it does teach the basics of a healthy diet and following their recipes gives people skills in preparing food from scratch and offers alternatives to some of the less healthy options available . I know I have learnt loads about what meals to cook in a healthy way that the whole family eat. the magazine is useful for info as is the website. I don't pay to go anymore, I just get on with it at home.

I have been on slimming world for two years. I reached target after 18 months. Now a few pounds over after Christmas. It really has stopped me being frightened to eat.

I have to disagree with those posters who say SW doesn't work. You have to keep it up - it is not a quick fix: any 'diet' that is will work in the short term but won't work in the long term if you just go back to your old ways afterwards. Members who reach their targets weights are encouraged to keep coming to meetings (for free).

The meeting part of the classes is very important as everyone gets the opportunity to talk about their experiences, issues with food, etc, etc and that is the part which deals with the psychological issues which lead to people eating unhealthily and, quite frankly, the lack of knowledge/understanding a lot of people have as to what is healthy. SW's statistics show that those people who stay for the meeting and don't just leg it after the weigh in are more successful in meeting their weight loss goals. Unfortunately we live in a society where we are encouraged by manufacturers and retailers to use unhealthy snacks/treats and alcohol as 'rewards'. If we were to eat three square meals a day, i.e. nutritionally balanced ones and get a good variety of foods in our diets and only have the 'bad' stuff occasionally, we wouldn't have the obesity problem we have.

I do have to agree though that there is not much emphasis on exercise at SW. I heard the other day that successful weight loss was 80% down to what you eat and 20% down to regular exercise. What SW does do though is advocate regular moderate exercise and small, achievable changes for those people who need to be move active.

Unfortunately when you put weight on it tends to creep up over a long period of time and when you start to do something about it, you tend to want instant results as a reward for depriving yourself of the things you have been over-indulging in. It can become a vicious circle, but if you really want to lose weight then with a little support and the right diet (and I mean lifelong healthy eating), you can do it.

Right - where's the chocolate? No seriously, this is the year I get a proper grip on all of this, starting with a walk when I've hauled myself off the sofa :-).

Whgat does it cost to join?
What are the carbohydrate foods that are disapproved of?

It's £4.95 to join I think and then £4.95 for your first class

I've been doing SW for 13 years on and off. First time I lost 2 stone and for the past couple of years I've had a more relaxed approach to it and so I have a NY resolution to end the year lighter than I started it and I've succeeded in doing this.

I tend to be good during the week and at the weekend slightly more relaxed. I love cooking so all meals are cooked from scratch and we do meal planning and pick different meals each week so that we can get bored with recipes.

It's easy to convert recipes from cooking magazines also to make it SW friendly.

Tonights tea is 'syn' free chips and fillet steak and tomorrow Barolo Beef made with alcohol free red wine to reduce the syn value to 3.

I swear by it, it works for me because it means I don't have to particularly count calories / weigh stuff however I could make it work better if I got off my arse and did a bit of exercise.

can = can't get bored with recipes

I got to target weight in July & am still within it now. I don't go every week or even every month but as long as I stay in target it is free for me. I can have more bread now which I did miss. The idea is to have variety * it's great having cooked breakfasts, you just cut the fat off the bacon first & use low cal spray in your frying pan. I see no reason why with going toi the gym & sticking loosely to the principles of slimming world why I would put weight on again & if I did I know how to address it before it gets out of hand.

I'm a target member, SW certainly works, but people often go back to their old way of eating once they lose the weight, and not surprisingly they gain weight again.

Gaining weight is so much easier than losing it for most people,

I watched "fat and back" the other night, there was a doctor (I think) who spoke about a register they keep in the US of people who've lost significant amounts of weight, they track them to see who manages to keep it off and who doesn't. Those who maintain their weight loss continue to be vigilent about their diet, weight and contine their exercise.

SW provides free support for target members.