To ask if you can explain the difference to me between the 'free' ww diet and free slimming world diet? Im trying to find a healthy way forward and want to follow a basic guideline whilst not being too distracted by too many rules.

[bluetrampolines]

Just that.

I've just started slimming world but tbh I'm not finding it a healthy option for me (too tempting to go to the sugar free fizzy drinks, and fat free foods I'm suspicious of) I've just started my fitness pal alongside it and tbh when my 12 course is up I'm going to stick with that! So easy, you tell it what you want to lose, it tells you what calories you can have, you put in your exercise and food and it works it all out for you, the food is pre loaded. As it breaks down nutrition I'm making healthier choices, not just eating 15 syns because I can.

Depends how much input you need on the nutrition and how bad your diet was before.

I've started just cutting my usual portions in half. Definite calorie deficit. Easy. The other half portion can be saved for the next day, lunch or dinner. Saves money. Can cook my usual meals. However I'm satisfied they are pretty balanced nutritionally.

Ditch both. Eat nutritious food with a ratio of third veg, third protein and third carb per meal, every meal. Exercise more. Nourish your body then you won’t want to binge on shit.

and want to follow a basic guide

Eggs for breakfast. 50% of the plate veg for lunch and dinner. Cut back on dairy and white carbs and booze. Move more. Take the stairs. Hit 10k steps. Swim. If you fancy a snack go for an apple first. If you dont fancy the apple you arent hungry.

Eat nutritious food with a ratio of third veg, third protein and third carb per meal, every meal. Exercise more. Nourish your body then you won’t want to binge on shit

Which is the SW ethos

I just do a backward 5:2 so weekdays 500 cals try to make them under 5% fat but not really strict. Weekends I eat what I want but I don’t go crazy with whole bags of Doritos etc like I used to.
I find it simple as no rules , I don’t feel deprived as I eat can still eat chips, ice cream etc twice a week if I want to.

Up to a point, NewYear.
Why bother to pay if that’s all they are selling?

Mydc 500 calories is way to low for the bulk of your days.

It’s enough for me as I am in a powerchair 90% of the time.

People pay to attend SW because lots and lots of them find the emotional support helpful. Sometimes people help and support and there's nothing wrong with that.

I struggle with the concept of any food being “free”. I used to have a really big appetite and I found SW really didn’t help with that as they encourage you to eat more and more. I have been far more successful by learning to understand how many calories I burn in a day and eating less than that. I’ve also started doing 16:8 which helps and cut right back on my carbs. It does mean that you have to track your calories using something like MFP until you get used to your portions etc but it’s well worth it.

I've just started using My Fitness Pal and doing calorie counting that way. I've also completely cut out fizzy drinks which was my worst habit, I'm not even having any diets fizzy drinks.

Raspberry

That's what I'm struggling with. I wasn't drinking them anymore before I started eating healthier, but having to cut chocolate I've founded I'm using diet fizzy drinks to fill me up and to feel like I'm having a treat. I need to stop, no good being thin if I end up getting stomach cancer...

Kit10

Yeah it's a struggle cutting out the fizzy drinks, I don't drink tea or coffee so my go to drink was always a can of full fat coke and I'd have several every day, then changed to diet coke, but I wanted to cut it out completely because it just leaves me feeling so bloated and horrible!

I was very anti sw and ww but couldn't shift the post baby weight myself so gave in and joined sw with a friend, have followed it religiously and lost 3 and a half stone since March, so it's worked for me.

The basic rules you have shared are really helpful. Do you think sw and ww are wrong when they celebrate unlimited portions? I find it confusing.

WW doesn't celebrate unlimited portions, it's always been eat until satisfied not stuffed. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would know that unlimited portions of anything isn't a good thing with regards to weight loss. Potatoes are 0 points on the WW no count plan, that doesn't mean you can stuff yourself with them. I've lost 7 stone on WW by following points and no count, I divide my plate by quarter carbs, quarter protein and half veg

Afro

You sound like just the person i need to talk to. Yes. The sw eat forever idea is very confusing. Can you help me along my way? Ive lost lots of weight before 2 or 3 times. I cant 'diet' again. I truly cant. I need to overhaul my whole way of coping with daily life, exercise, meal times, snacks and alcohol. Any tips?

Personally, calorie counting works for me. I make sure I prep and plan and don't go over my limit. 2 weeks in and I have results. And I don't feel like I'm missing out.
Prep and weighing it all out and logging it all makes it hard work though

The whole 'free' thing is a bit of a misnomer to be fair. On WW it might be classed as 0 points, but it's not the same thing as free. A chicken breast is 0SP but nobody will tell you that you'll lose weight by eating 20 of them a day.

What I've found with Ww is that it's much more about portion size and controlling snacking. Protein rich foods are more likely to be 0SP, so it's biased towards those that fill you up for longer, rather than the foods that replace fat with sweeteners and leave you hungry again in 20 mins.

I've done both. SW didn't work for me as I can eat an absolute tonne of carbs.

I've lost just under 7 stone with WW and kept it off. I don't buy any of their branded food, I just track my points, fill up on veg and sensible amounts of fruit and try to avoid simple carbs as much as possible.

I also don't drink alcohol very much anymore

I've found slimming world works well. I can eat normal family meals like spag bol, curries, stir fries, chilli etc with just a few tweaks. I have fruit, oats and yoghurt for breakfast and a big salad with eggs and chicken for lunch and eat fruit. I have a snack of ryvita and cottage cheese when I get in from work. I'm a bit more relaxed at weekends, depending on what we are doing.

I've lost just over 3 stone and kept it off for about a year. I really like the fact that my meals would not look particularly diet-y, and I can eat a plate full of food which fills me up.

I could probably lose more weight on a stricter plan but I look at it as a lifestyle not a diet, and I know I can maintain this.

Going to weigh in does keep me on track too!

Try the Dr. Michael Mosley blood sugar diet which was designed for diabetics to control blood sugar levels but is a safe way to lose weight generally. It focuses on Mediterranean diet principles so high in veg, fruit, pulses & wholesome carbs & low on processed foods.

thebloodsugardiet.com

The sw eat forever idea is very confusing.

Slimmimg World actually promotes the message of eating only until you're full and encourages you to fill your plate at least 1/3 full of very low calorie foods so that satiety is achieved with fewer calories. Works for loads of people and is relatively simple to follow. Providing it's explained properly. Which it obviously hasn't been if you're using the word 'unlimited'