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AIBU?

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Original poster

To say Slimming world food is disgusting?

158 replies

CountingThePennies · 16/04/2015 13:36

I joined Slimming world again on Monday. I did it for 4 months around 4 years ago and lost 2 stone.

Im now bigger than i ve ever been so rejoined.

I didnt do any of the recipes last time from the books and found the diet boring which is why i gave it up.

This time i was determined to buy the cookbooks and do a variety of different things to avoid me getting fed up with it.

So far i have cooked 3 meals out the books and all have been disgusting!!

I ve even tried the slimming world meals from iceland, again it was disgusting and i had 2 mouthfuls and that was it.

Im a member of a slimming world group on facebook and people are posting pictures of their tea and saying it was delicious!

Aibu to think the meals are far from delicious?

OP posts:
HelenaDove · 16/04/2015 22:26

Three Ive had to shrink my portions drastically this second time on SW. Another way in which ive had to tweak the plan. If i follow their "free food " rhetoric i stay the same or gain.

queeninthenorth · 16/04/2015 22:27

I agree Midori!

I think the point in lots of processed food being free is that the core principle of Slimming World is 1/3 super free (or 'speed' as they call it now) and eat until your full, so if your lunch is a pasta n sauce made with just water and a serving of broccoli, you're doing pretty well if your lunch previously was two cans of coke and a chocolate bar!

If your lunch previously was a jacket potato with prawn mayo and a salad, try switching to a jacket potato with your Healthy A portion of cheese and a salad with a lighter dressing like balsamic vinegar, or use some syns to have a dressing you like. It's about balance isn't it? if you hate processed food, don't eat it!. If your previous 'Shit I've not planned for dinner' was a take out or a trip to Mcdonalds, then a mugshot might not be the worst option for you, even if your meals normally would be really healthy and made from scratch. I think Slimming Worlds ideas can really be tweaked to apply how you need them too, while mugshots, pasta n sauce, etc are free, they're not mentioned in your start up books, and if your loses slow or your not losing, your consultant will almost always tell you to go back to basics, cooking from scratch and dropping your syns. It's easy to demonise a plan that lets you use processed foods because its not healthy, but I think its really about learning to make better choices than being 100% all of the time. You can have your buttery mash or a super cheesy lasagne if you want to, but only if you're prepared to 'spend' your syns for the day on that.

britespark1 · 16/04/2015 22:46

Slimming world is awesome! I lost three stone after my youngest was born and it's not rocket science. A lot of healthy, cooking from scratch and wants wrong with that?! If something sounds odd, don't make it. I had a roast dinner for tea, as did my three boys.......the only difference was mine was cooked in Frylight and there's in a bit oil.

britespark1 · 16/04/2015 22:46

*their's even. Damn it, hate not being able to edit....

vegplotter · 17/04/2015 07:20

The thing I like about Slimming World is that you don't deny yourself stuff. But everything is in moderation. so you want to cook with butter? Cook with butter. But you account for it. I find the recipes really tasty actually. SW Southern Spiced Chicken is a favourite in this house. The one thing that shocked me when I started is that I very rarely eat bread now and don't miss it at all. In fact each time I've had it I have felt bloated and nauseous for the rest of the day, so I actively avoid it now.

OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat · 17/04/2015 07:56

There's good things and bad things about the SW diet and I think the idea is that you make it work for you.

If you're the type of person who is used to living on takeaways and ready meals, it is a big ask to suddenly start cooking three meals a day from scratch, hence the pasta sauces and muller lights.

But it's perfectly possible to make hundreds of free or low syn meals from normal ingredients that can be eaten by the whole family, even if only one person is trying to lose weight. As well as those mentioned above, there's also things like roast dinners, omelettes, pasta bakes, paella, soups and an infinite number of other meals.

Fish can be grilled or baked in baking paper with finely chopped veg - eg carrots, leeks and courgettes. Maybe add a bit of veg stock, or butter if you can spare the syns.

You could make mince and veg in gravy with mash - just syn the butter or do without. Most instant gravies are low syn IIRC.

The SW recipes are a bit hit and miss and they seem to have a bizarre obsession with putting artificial sweetener in savoury foods, but you don't have to follow the recipe to the letter and it's perfectly possible to do the plan without ever having muller lights, mug shots, diet coke, fat free fromage frais etc etc etc.

Crabstick · 17/04/2015 08:11

I loved slimming world, I lost 3 stone. It was a great tool for getting rid of the weight, but as with most plans you get bored. I did like the food.

I now focus my energy on exercise and follow SW principles like lean protein, plenty of veg, wm bread and try to limit the biscuits/sweets. Occasionally I get the cook books out.

I don't like how some abuse the plan by eating 10 mullerlights as they are free and mixing tons of free processed rubbish to make free rank meals

newtricks · 19/04/2017 18:42

I agree all the slimming world meals are tasteless and far too spicy- even when I bought the same ones the taste varied so much it was unbelievable- Iceland really do need to get the flavourings right

Meekonsandwich · 19/04/2017 19:57

Think about it.

You joined.
You lost weight.
You gained back more weight than before.
You joined again?!?!

Do you not get the slightest hint of a con?
They didn't teach you and give you the tools to change your life the first time, so why are you giving away more of your money to people who want to weigh you, sell you books and gimmicks?

Maybe try something else? Your gp may have a health visitor or weight loss clinic, mine runs in the evenings, I go every 6 weeks, get weighed (for FREE) and get advice, counselling, a book, apps and my blood pressure taken. Much Better value, much better advice, from a professional! no public humiliation and no misguided advice from some "leader" who happily resigns you up when you gain the weight back without asking what went wrong.

I have a lot of hate for slimming clubs.

Wakemeupbeforeyougogo · 19/04/2017 21:54

I've lost 2.5 stone since October on slimming world and I love it. I've never eaten processed food before or after joining slimming world and have always made everything from scratch. I just use lower fat mince, cut the fat off beef etc, use fry light rather than oil. Had a couple of meals that weren't that great but I just try to tweak them.

Wakemeupbeforeyougogo · 19/04/2017 21:55

Oh and I still use a little bit of butter (cannot and will not replace that with anything)

youhavetowonder · 19/04/2017 22:00

I joined Slimming world again on Monday. I did it for 4 months around 4 years ago and lost 2 stone.
Im now bigger than i ve ever been so rejoined.

Proof that Slimming World doesn't work.
If it did, people would join once and that would be it. The weight would stay off.
But people have to rejoin and rejoin and rejoin, because
It Doesn't Work.

Imagine if it did work. They wouldn't make as much money Hmm

SheSaidHeSaid · 19/04/2017 22:02

I loved/love slimming world.

Lost the weight wanted to on it and have kept it off despite no longer going to group (although I still use their way of thinking).

I also liked 99% of the recipes they had in their cookbooks.

Different strokes for different folks.

drigon · 19/04/2017 22:10

As many pps have said, you can tweak your own meals to make them SW friendly. I cook more or less the same stuff as before, but now use fry light/measure oil, less butter and cheese in meals etc. I also love Morrison's Eat Smart sausages at 1/2 syn each, quite like the Greek Style Mullers and fat free Greek Yogurt from Tesco which I mix with fresh fruit and a bit of brown sugar. The slimming world chips are also nice but faffy. I do cook a lot and so far don't miss chocs, biscuits and cakes as snacks. It is a lot of work, though, to make nice meals for everyone and to remember your 1/3 super free stuff with most meals. Butter is indispensable for me too as syns.

youhavetowonder · 19/04/2017 22:11

Think about it.

You joined.
You lost weight.
You gained back more weight than before.
You joined again?!?!

Do you not get the slightest hint of a con?
They didn't teach you and give you the tools to change your life the first time, so why are you giving away more of your money to people who want to weigh you, sell you books and gimmicks?

People either don't want to see it, or can't see it.
I agree with you. If SW worked, there would be no need to keep rejoining.
I used to be a slave to the slimming industry. SW, WW, you name it, I've been on it. I spent my whole life either on a diet or breaking a diet. Nothign in between.
I've read a LOT of diet books and one that really gelled with me is
Life After Chocolate and it really opened my eyes to the whole yo yo dieting and slimming industry tricks and cons that we have all fallen prey to.

PlayOnWurtz · 19/04/2017 22:22

I'm finding it surprisingly easy but I love fresh fruit and veg and don't eat a huge amount of bread. I'm doing it without processed foods or sweeteners and still I have got a splitting headache which I've had since day 2.

I find although I'm eating more I'm hungry more because I'm thinking about food more...

youhavetowonder · 19/04/2017 22:24

A good book to read is Beyond Chocolate (not Life After Chocolate)
It was a real eye opener.

Marmalade85 · 19/04/2017 22:28

SW food is horrid because it's all low fat and fat free and fat is what gives food it's taste!

helenfagain · 19/04/2017 22:31

Try two chubby cubs on Facebook. Delicious slimming world friendly recipes. There is a lot of swearing etc on the Facebook page though so don't join if you are easily offended!

PlayOnWurtz · 19/04/2017 22:32

You can have fat if you account for it. I have free foods all day so I can have my blow out at dinner and have something tasty to come home to. It's all about what your priorities are and where your weaknesses are. I don't drink alcohol or fizzy drinks so I don't worry about needing syns for those, I don't eat much chocolate so no syns there really...so I make sure dh cooks a bloody lovely dinner and syn it accordingly Grin

IvorHughJarrs · 19/04/2017 22:35

If anyone thinks the seasonings in SW recipes are a lot then don't get the Tom Kerridge Dopamine Diet book, there are loads! Everything I have made takes ages and uses loads of ingredients but tastes bloody fantastic when done

I joined a SW group on Facebook and was appalled that all the conversation was about syns and tweaks. Learning to eat more healthily, to me, does not include frozen Milky Bar mousse with a melted Freddo on but others doing that have lost huge amounts of weight so it works for them. Live and let live

PlayOnWurtz · 19/04/2017 22:38

Problem is a lot of people want to lose weight and not change what they eat hence the searching for cheats and replacement foods. if you genuinely want to lose weight and keep it off and change how you think about food then sw is good.

Zhan · 19/04/2017 22:39

Agree OP - slimming world food is disgusting. Miller light this, mugshot that - even if you do stay away from the processed shit the recipes are vile and have no flavour.

It's all a massive con. It all comes down to calories in - calories out and slimming world know this yet make out they have this magic system whereby people can lose weight by eating unlimited shit.

PlayOnWurtz · 19/04/2017 22:41

I'd recommend using the hairy dieters recipes and applying slimming world principles to them. They're really healthy really tasty and really filling.

NotTheDuchessOfCambridge · 19/04/2017 22:47

I think YABU and you need to learn how to cook. The books are more for people who don't understand cooking. Slimming world absolutely works.....if you stick to it.