To not be convinced that Slimming World works?

[firstnightwemet]

A woman I work with constantly bangs on about it. I dared to have a protein shake for my lunch and got told to throw it away and that SW is the way forward.

I've known this woman over a year and she's the exact same weight. No judgment at all but surely if you're raving about how great something is then there should be results?

Every woman but one I've known who has done SW or WW has lost and put back on.

actual ridiculous diets out there like the VLCDs. On that note, there was a tense exchange on my twitter last week when a person was doing an 800cal diet and their friend sensibly pointed out that that is in no way sustainable.

The one written by a doctor using actual scientific evidence, you mean?

Fucks sake.

It is, like all these things good up to a point. ~Yes, if doing it properly it creates a calorie deficit and you will lose weight.

The mashing banana thing is because the advice has to be simple- really simple- so it can be followed en masse by hungry people who aren't very bright!

So, if you mash one banana and eat it on toast (healthy extra), then obviously that is as fine as eating one banana 'whole from the bowl' and one slice of toast.

BUT The advice is to stop you mashing one banana, thinking that doesn't look like much, mashing two more to make up the portion and then later on thinking I'll just have a smoothie and adding 5x as much fruit to your blender as you would otherwise have had. Then after your smoothie, thinking that was a nice drink I'll now have a snack on some free lean chicken strips....

For me, I lost 5 and a half stone and it was life changing. I put on a stone when I reverted to previous bad habits but I'm nearly back where I want to be.

I don't dispute it's a business but what I love is that the consultants have all been successful on the plan - even if they may have regained weight due to falling off the wagon so they know how you feel.

I cook from scratch and don't subscribe to many of the tweaks. It's given me power and knowledge over my own choices. A lot of people in my group get inspiration and enjoyment out of image therapy and a sense of community as well as being somewhere where others understand how they feel about themselves. I also get that not everyone is comfortable with that environment.

It comes down to choice. I've lost weight on many plans over the years but this is the one that has enabled me to have a normal life as well.

And as for free food - it's a question of balance. They don't just eat as much pasta as you like - it's about balancing it with protein and veg.

I don't shout it from the roof tops but if someone asks me I'll share my experiences.

It's individual and worked for me.

I've lost over three stone with Slimming World - eat healthy food, cook from scratch and never have Muller Light yogurts, Mugshots or Hifi bars etc. SW encourages cooking from scatch, the convenience items are there for extra options. I regularly eat half an avocado and could even have a whole one and still be within my syn allowance. They need to be synned as they are high in fat and therefore calories but are healthy fats and better for you than chocolates and SW doesn't suggest otherwise. I never feel hungry and really enjoy my meals. You are not advised to have as much pasta etc as you want but to have no more than a third of a plateful, the other thirds being protein and vegetables. You are encouraged to exercise. Once you are at target (you set your own) you can attend for free for life as long as you stay within 3 pounds either side of your target. The groups are very supportive and it is worth an hour or so per week to keep motivated. My SW consultant is very slim many years after losing her excess weight. SW is a lifestyle change, not something you stop doing once you reach target. Continuing to attend helps you stick with it. The people who fail with SW are those who either don't follow the plan properly or just want a quick fix - my weight loss has been about one pound a week but that will be nearly 4 stone over a year. Some people decide to do it alone after reaching target even though they wouldn't have to pay for classes, and most lose motivation and gradually revert to their old ways of eating which will cause them to regain their lost weight.

I've had a look on the rebel fit website and what a load of nonsense. You have to book onto a 90 day programme which only has limited spaces and pay a small fortune for the priviledge? They seem just as bad to me

Stilldrivingmebonkers. You've lost 3.5 stone since January?

That's an amazing weight loss. This was just by slimming world then?

I've had a look on the rebel fit website and what a load of nonsense. You have to book onto a 90 day programme which only has limited spaces and pay a small fortune for the priviledge? They seem just as bad to me
No you dont. Ive never done one.

Lol at the rebelfit converts, as if that's better than any other diet.

It can work. It does work short term, if you stick to it, AND you understand what your portion sizes should be. So so many people don't. To see evidence of this have a look at #slimmingworld on Instagram. Some of that shit is horrifying.

There was a guy who was wondering why he was gaining weight, but openly admitted to eating a fry up consisting of 6 sausages plus bacon, eggs, chips etc 3x a week, but it was all 'free' food. Just because it's free doesn't mean it doesn't contain calories. All the calories in that one meal probably added up to his recommended allowance for the day and yet he was eating that, lunch dinner and snacks in a day.

Three of my family members have done it on and off for years and the weights gone off and on too. Currently they are no smaller than they were when they started.

I calorie counted for three months, lost a stone and a bit and have kept it off. It taught me portion control because I weighed everything. I don't have to now because I can just tell by looking.

Eating giant plates of free food won't make you thinner.

I know a few people that have done really well with it. They like the weekly weighing and they find the free foods makes them eat healthily. It also does give you the feeling you can eat and not feel hungry as there are suggestions of snacks. I personally didn't do great with it as I already ate healthy food, but supplemented it with cake and didn't have the will power to stop eating cake.

I think it varies from group to group. I lost 3.5 stone with one consultant. Then I had to change groups and went on and off, then stopped: last year was the year from hell for many reasons and I have put the weight back on.

Have started again with a new group and so far, so good. I don't eat meat and SW stops me gorging on bread and cheese - I mostly eat veg/fruit and fish, with pasta, rice or spuds.

Take today - I had Weetabix with fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, kids had fruit and yoghurt, then took the kids swimming. They had cake afterwards - I didn't. They are now having McDonalds as a treat - I had salmon and salad. Chicken kebabs for tea for them - I'll probably have a baked spud with salad and cheese

I loved slimming world. I lost nearly 3 stone of baby weight by following a really simple set of instructions. Ate so much fresh healthy food, really got me thinking about what goes in my plate and how to fill up in a healthy way.

I pretty much still follow it and am still losing about a pound a month as not quite at target weight.

Really don't understand the slimming world hatred.

The point of Slimming World is to be able to eat without having to count every single thing and that there is always something you can eat that's 'free' so you can hopefully avoid binging on rubbish. However, a third of what you eat is supposed to be fruit and veg.

So people eating loads of mugshots or full English breakfasts without a decent portion of tomatoes or mushrooms aren't really following the plan properly.

I can't understand the hate either - it's all about eating fresh unprocessed food with limited amounts of bread, and unhealthy things like chocolate, cake, alcohol, crisps etc. But you can have a small amount if you want to.

And people will regain weight on any diet if they go back to the unhealthy overeating that made them overweight in the first place.

Slimming World actually encourage maintenance by giving free lifetime membership to anyone who stays within a few pounds of their goal weight.

Where I used to work there was a dedicated group who did SW and WW with depressing frequency. I don't work there any more but still see a lot of them. They're still the same size if not bigger.
I put on weight due to the menopause. Devised my own " not on a diet diet", lost over a stone. Then I was ill, lost a lot more, gave up smoking and put on weight again but not as much as I've lost. I want to lose about another 5 lbs so back on the not on a diet diet. Lost about 1 1/2 lbs this week. Works for me.

I really miss Rosemary Conley classes. It cost the same as SW or WW meeting and had exercise at each meeting. I could do aerobics with other women of many different weight points, in a village hall so not surrounded by mirrors. I've yet to see a gym class without mirrors and mostly fit/slim people.

As to VLCD, it can't be compared to a limited calorie diet. A VLCD has sachets, all the shakes and meals and bars, all made to provide all the nutrients needed in the day. It's not the same as limiting yourself to x amount of cals per day. There is a VLCD offered by the NHS for overweight people who need to lose for an operation for example. VLCD is a contained diet, strict in what you have, mainly the items made and provided by the diet company and very very short term. 3 months is considered very long term on a VLCD! And you have to be a certain weight to do it safely, and check with a GP first. It's completely safe providing you follow ALL the requirements and not pick and choose.

Apparently people in a coma need around 600cals a day, so yes of course 800cals for a long time is unsustainable. Oddly enough that was a doctors opinion too.

I dont agree that the consultants and leaders are all successful on their plan. My old leader actually weighs more than they did when they started. That's not a criticism, I'm not a size 10 myself. I'm just pointing out that if even the leaders and consultants, who know the business, sorry, diet, inside out but struggle to keep on plan then the rest of us are going to struggle at some point too.

I can't see how it works myself with lots of unlimited foods which are high calorie and recipes such as Diet Coke chicken sound rank.

I lost 4 stone calorie counting and exercising. I've put on 3 stone due to a very inactive and ill pregnancy and a couple of months of ridiculous overeating after I had my baby as I was constantly starving which I'm putting down to hormones, lack of sleep and breastfeeding.

Started calorie counting, 1700 a day and I've lost half a stone in a fortnight. I know really need to do something about sugar but I'm not in the mindset to do that yet.

It's actually the weighing once a week that I go for. Just knowing I will be weighing in keeps me focused.

The "diet" itself though I don't religiously follow. Any diet which allows HiFi bars as a "healthy extra" while making a superfood like Avocado a "Syn" is warped somewhere.

All sensible diets work, SW and WW included as long as you follow them and stick to them.

I've lost 3st since September on SW. It works for me - you just have to stick at it. It's not a wonder diet, it's a lifestyle change, and you have to want that. It's dedication that works!

SW seems to work for lots of people. I tried it but couldn't take to it myself. It was great for evening meals but i found it a struggle to come up with suitable lunches day after day. I like being able to save for weekends so have found I prefer WW. It's probably rather anecdotal but SW does seem to work best for those with a lot to lose too. (Only based on me and several dieters I know!). Also the meetings take far too long..over an hour every week.

Eating giant plates of free food won't make you thinner.

That's what I struggle with. Why have food labelled as free ... when it's not actually free as it still has calories.

The issue I have with SW is that it's seemingly pushed on me and I'm just not interested in doing it because I've not witnessed any great results by the people that have been doing it years.

Avocados are a relatively high calorie/fat food, hi fi bars are a healthy extra as a source of fibre, not sure the two are comparable really.

SW is fantastic. If people put weight back in its because they stop eating according to the maintenance plan. It's a very healthy way to eat and of you have a bad relationship with food it really helps.