To think its possible to lose weight without going to a slimming club??

[Flowers54]

I have been going to slimming clubs for as longg as I can remember. I had great success at Slimming World, but gained some back during last pregnancy and cannot shift it. I tried going solo and failed. I tried calorie counting and failed. I have SW ingrained on my brain and cant beeak free from it.

AIBU to think its possible to lose weight without a slimmung club or fad diet? Has anyone managed the whole eat less move more thing?

Of course it's possible, but clearly it means having no external support. Which works for lots of people but not for others. Just depends what suits your personality or your situation.

You could start with an app like MyFitnessPal and record what you eat. Then adjust and see how you get on.

I've lost two stone since getting a dog. I started paying attention to portion size and what I was eating but knew I'd struggle with the exercise bit. The dog needs walking twice a day and the excitement they have for it really got me into it. Actually just bought my first pair of proper walking boots which I'm pretty chuffed about. I'm pretty competitive and a pedometer also helped me keep up my steps. Not for everyone but that's what helped me 🤗

Yes, I lost over 4st using MFP to calorie count and Hiit exercise.

I have had my best success just tracking calories with MyFitnessPal

Yes I'm currently doing it, I've surprised myself with my own discipline to be honest .

I've cut out bread, pasta, rice and am eating lots more protein and plenty of vegetables, I'm also being very careful about portion size.

I have an exercise bike and do 9.0 km in the morning , some kettle bell lifting and plank, anything to get my heart rate going I suppose.

I'm not weighing myself as I would become obsessed but I can tell I've lost weight and intend to carry on, just going to have to mix up my exercises when I go back to work in September.

I've lost 30 pounds in 3 months. All done by working hard in the gym (really f*ing hard!! absolute misery) and tracking what I eat in My Fitness Pal. I try to eat clean (lots of green veg) and I avoid refined carbs, plus drink lots of water. I also try (and frequently fail) to get 7 hours sleep a night.

So it is possible but you have to be very disciplined. That doesn't work for everyone (I had a colleague started the same day as me and she fell off the bandwagon within a few days).

Its good to know people are doing it. Nearly everyone I know is reliant on a club and eother 'on or off plan'

I see a lot of you have had sucess with MFP, i tried this but found it so tedious. What i would like to do ideally is eat healthy, reduce portion sizes and stop snacking . . . Without actually dieting and im either on or off it. I was the same with MFP but maybe thats needed

Of course. I lost a lot of weight years ago and have kept it off without a slimming group. But it is true that most people who succeed long term with weight loss do have group support. I can definitely see why it helps.

I think you do need to weigh/measure portions at first until you start getting used to what they look like and how you feel when you've eaten that amount of food and not three times more.

another vote for my fitness pal , fitbit and a bit of exercise at home. I couldn't afford slimming world or a gym. I've lost nearly 2 stone slowly but surely. I think I will have more success keeping it off compared to when I did slimming world 20 plus years ago. It's a new way of life now for me which is easier to maintain.

Yes, I've lost 4 stones just by eating less/moving more.I haven't followed any specific diet, just eaten normal food, things like beans on toast, poached eggs, cheese, pasta, vegetables, a few treats now and again. For exercise I swim and walk a lot.
I will be honest, it's taken me a long time (nearly 2 years) but I'm fine with that, because I haven't been consciously dieting, and therefore I know I can eat like this indefinitely so I don't need to worry about putting it back on again once I reach my goal weight (whatever that is).

I found the Blood Sugar Diet the easiest way to lose weight. I didn't calorie count, I just cooked and ate food from the recipe book. Super easy, super-motivating, feel healthier than I ever have. Check out the threads on the forums here.

I couldn’t tell you how much I’ve lost as I avoid scales but I’ve been doing Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred and it’s worked wonders, I feel much better, less wobbly bits and people have commented on how trim I’m looking. Haven’t dieted much but am being sensible, cut down on junk food but have a yolo day once a week where I eat something a bit “naughty”

Oh, and I meant to say that although I followed the recipes pretty much for the 8 weeks, by the end I was able to just make better choices about food without using the recipe book - no carbs, lots of protein, fat and vegetables, and a better sense of what portion sizes I actually needed. It has felt liberating not restricting.

What about getting a portion plate? It divided the plate into half veg, 1/4 veg and 1/4 carbs. Its expensive for what it is (a plate!) but I like mine.

Yes it is. My sister was told she was pre diabetic and has overhauled her diet. She walks everywhere and has 3 good meals a day, but tries to eat quality stuff. She's gone from a size 16 to a 10/12 without the help of a slimming club. I think if you can lose weight without one, do it. If you need a club to lose weight, you'll need to keep going to keep it off.

Yes it is, I have tried every slimming club in the past, they all worked when I attended regularly but I have recently lost nearly two stone in 10 weeks by following Boot Camp here on Mumsnet & sticking to Low Carb. It works & you still get great support & motivation without costing anything. I really recommend it, have a look at the threads.

I've never been to a slimming club but I took up running a year ago and have dropped two dress sizes. I did a couch to 10K app and now I do parkruns (5K) every Saturday morning and go for 3 or 4 other runs during the week. I haven't really changed my diet at all.

I've done 5:2 for the last 6 years
it lets me enjoy life and stay at roughly my happy weight.
It costs nothing - as the support is here on MN

I plan to keep doing it for the next 30 years

The problem with slimming clubs like Slimming World is that they want you to fail so you keep going back and giving them money/buying their products (imo) What are 'syns' anyway? They don't exist. Calories do exist and are what actually matter.
I joined Team RH Fitness (can find them on Facebook) - fantastic coaches and community, tons of nutritional education so you actually learn how to lose weight/maintain forever, don't need to cut out any foods, it's just calories in Vs calories out but personalised for your current weight/age/gender etc.. It's not something where you will lose a lot of weight fast, because doing that when you haven't got your nutrition/activity balance right is going to lead to binges. I'm consistently losing 1 - 2lbs a week. There are thousands of ex-slimming world members on there absolutely loving it. £4.99 a month. Best money I've ever spent, has completely changed my life.
(Not an affiliate - I should be, the amount I bang on about it!)

I’ve lost weight by giving up sugar - obvious things like cake, chocolate and biscuits but also no artificial sweeteners. When I need a sweet fix I eat a small amount of 85% dark chocolate (I tried 90% but that was a step too far for me!). It was hard going at first but once you break through the pain barrier (about 2 weeks) it does get easier. If I want to snack I’ll have eggs, oatcakes (with cheese) and a tiny amount of nuts (unsalted). It’s an acquired taste but worked for me - my DCs were amazed that I was doing it and were very encouraging - so it really became a personal challenge. Now I use the free app MyNetDiary to calorie count. You can set your goal and daily limit etc. You do have to log everything but there’s a database you can use or just add food yourself. What I would suggest is to weigh everything. Get a set of digital scales and get into the habit of measuring everything. It may seem tedious but I kind of like it - it makes me feel like I’m in control but then I’m a bit of a control freak! Hope this helps.

I've lost 18lb since Xmas, slow but it's coming off and staying off. No slimming club, tried several and hated them! No faddy diet, just cut out white carbs, cut right back on sugar and more veg. I allow myself 1 "day off" a week where I may go out for a meal or order a takeaway. Its surprised me how my habits/appetite has changed as even on these days off I don't eat anywhere near what I would have eaten before.

Yes it is, I’ve lost a stone through diet and exercise which I have done myself.

I've done SlimmingWorld on and off for about 4 years but it was more off than on.

Earlier this year, after a really bad winter, I got in touch with an old SW friend to see which group she was going to. She suggested we try it by ourselves.

Effectively, we're slimming buddies we follow SW plan although I don't have any syns and funnily enough the weight is dropping off me! All those times when the consultant said you have to eat some syns to lose weight- it's bollocks!

I don't miss all the hard sell around hifi bars etc and have lots of their recipe books already.

I would definitely recommend finding a diet buddy if you can - we plan our meals together and swap recipes etc but don't have to listen to everyone else's whinging at group. I thought I would miss it but I really don't! I've lost 3.5 st since Easter 😀

Another vote for steam RH Fitness here. Have gone from 170lb to 136lb, am so much happier with my body. All based on actual nutrition, and reasonable exercise

I can't understand diets as I'm someone who can't follow them. I can only loose wait with exercise feel fitter eat better. I can't diet.