Slimming World

[ShitStorm2017]

Posting for traffic!

Does slimming world work? I want to lose 3 stone in a year. I'm very shy and struggle to exercise.

What is it? How does it work? Do you find the support helpful or would I struggle with my anxiety?

I lost 2 stone on SW three years ago, and quite easily- however unless you want to follow the plan for the rest of your life, you will gain it back. I did, plus extra! It's not a complicated plan once you get your head around it, but it is quite restrictive to eating out and the sort of treats you can have.

Now I calorie count, and have lost almost the same amount of weight just as quickly- I personally find it much easier as there is only one rule, and everything has calories on it. I can eat a massive slab of cake if I want, so long as I allow for it in my calories. It forces me to eat more veg as that's low cal so I fill up most of my meals with it (which is what SW makes you do as well).

Once I'm at my target weight and I want to maintain, I'll increase the calories. But I think I'll find it much easier to do for life than I did SW, there's aren't so many rules.

I follow rebelfit on fb (and and a long term mn so saw it referenced there.) He certainly does rant at juice plus and recently magic teas as well as SW and WE. The rest of that post says why he is so passionate about it.

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1088136447988010&id=397106013757727

I have an eating disorder and one of the first things I learnt at the group was to stay away from SW/WW for a billion reasons, pretty much the same as rebelfit (hence liking them!)

That diets ultimately make people gain weight through the cycle of dieting and gaining.

Unhealthy obsession with calorie counting/free food/syns which means you lose sight of eating for hunger and for pleasure.

No food is good or bad food and I've had
to relearn that.

Rebelfit are far more articulate than me. Non dieting books (and yes anything even called a way of eating is a diet) I've really appreciated are Intuitive Eating and Beyond Chocolate.

Most of rebel fits rants are to save people from dieting clubs and unhealthy ways of managing food. He charges for personal training but that's his job - he's not a big company and thats not something im looking for at the moment. But I appreciate the regular reminders from his page not to fall into the diet trap!

Rebelfit seems more focused on slagging off anything else than actually helping people! If they are so sure of what they are doing then focus on that's rather than slagging everyone off

To be fair to rebelfit it's well worth reading the whole page instead of just recent sweary rants. There is a lot of science there and the guy is very well studied in nutrition. The information there is all free, if you want a supported training plan you pay of course, but that's separate. I'm open to someone proving SW works but every single person I know who has done it, has put weight back on and gone back. Rebelfit have consistently asked for that one person who has lost weight with sw and 5 years later has not put it back on without becoming fitness obsessed, no one has come forward. At the same time scientists have proven that diets cause metabolic adaptation (see channel 4 documentary recently shown if you don't want to trawl through papers). To me it points to sw being a short term fix for weight only, which is fine if that's what you want. I haven't done SW fyi, nor do I work for RF, it's just what I've taken on board.

That diets ultimately make people gain weight through the cycle of dieting and gaining

But isn't that because people go back to the eating habits that caused them to gain weight in the first place? Too much crap and big portions?

SW at least, don't know about other plans, also have a maintenance programme and offer free lifetime membership for as long as you remain within a few pounds of your target weight.

If you follow the maintenance programme, you'll stay at target. If you go off and think 'I'm slim now, I can eat what I like', you probably won't.

this is the #slimmingworld tag feed on Instagram www.instagram.com/explore/tags/slimmingworld/

Yes of course there's the odd picture of a less than ideal lunch of a mugshit, but hey some people actually like them

I think that warning people about the dangers of dieting is a big part of what he believes so I respect him for that. It certainly has helped a lot of people! He's only one guy though and it's fb page so fair enough he's ranty!

Anyway I've not part of the personal training he does just personally aware of the damage dieting can do.

It all sound great. Follow the plan you lose weight - yes! I've lost 4 stone 3 times now : ) but there's a reason there was maybe only one person in my group that was on the maintenance plan. It's almost impossible to maintain. I don't know anyone who has. It's not all about will power, to lose a lot of weight takes will power, to keep it off after one of these diets - where has the will power gone? It's your body fighting back, it's metabolic adaption.

I bloody love Rebelfit and he is really funny when he goes on one about SW.

For the record he is right, and he backs it all up with research.

He has repeatedly challenged SW to debate with him....so far they have refused. And they have blocked him on all social media....because they know he is right.

I lost 3 stone in 6 months last year on SW. Totally works. Wish I'd done it 20 years ago.

Or because they are sensible enough not to get involved in a slanging match with him?

Siezy, I would agree with that...because they know very well he can back up what he is saying and they cannot.

All research around diets show they don't work...the five year follow up shows only a tiny minority maintain that loss. The rest end up in a cycle of yoyo dieting.
The ones who do maintain it are without exception doing a lot of exercise a day. In other words they have made maintaining their loss a priority in their lives.

I attend a SW group. So far I have lost three stones...and I haven't counted a single Syn, made any bizarre concoctions with Muller light/scan Bran and nor have I bought HiFi bars.

Think about it...two HiFi bars are a healthy extra. Full of rubbish yet an avocado 🥑 is 8 syns. It's messed up.

I still attend but that's because I like the people I attend with.

Someone here linked me to rebelfit a few weeks ago....I read all his stuff and then went out and bought trainers and downloaded the Couch to 5k app. I follow his stuff all the time now....and don't pay a subscription. His stuff is is excellent and I've learned loads....far more than I learned from a SW class.

Yep I'm in the gym now and find his site such an encouragement to keep going. I've not paid a subscription but feel I've learnt lots and ties in with studies I've read elsewhere about long term effects of dieting. My self esteem and general health is improving:)

Brilliant timing. On way back from gym was listening to radio 4 and an interview with the "angry chef" talking about actual science of food/diet.

He said all diets are bad, 95 % of people either stay the same or regain within 5 years. Can you imagine them advertising "you have a 5%chance of losing weight with us and a 95% chance of not". I think Michael moore did a similar thing didnt he?

He pointed out carbs weren't bad unless celiac, we should enjoy food, not restrict etc etc and anti sw/ww. Talking about actual science and studies rather than anecdotes (which appeals to me). Ive never heard of him but might even buy his book!