SW is just a weird fucking cult

[Dayzedandconfuzed]

I've literally had enough of people talking about Slimming World (or Slimmers' World shudder).

It's bullshit.

It has the odd decent recipe but generally advocates for really unhealthy food habits and weird restrictions and replacements.

My main issues with it are -

Emphasis on classifying foods as 'free' or 'speed' and don't even get me STARTED on syns.

It makes members act like fucking zombies who talk in halfspeak jargon. HexBEasySp what the actual fucking fuck?

To make anything you need to use FryLight which is a heinous invention. Rapeseed or olive oil spray is 2 cal per spray and is an actual raw ingredient, not some industrial airport lubricant with added flavourings.

The amount of shit you're encouraged to add to your diet. Diet fanta and coke are staple ingredients in loads of main meals which are touted as family friendly, as are spends and other sweeteners.

It is a fucking RIP OFF. £20+ to join, £5 per week and fines if you miss a sesh. I went to a meeting twice a few years back and the group leader still adds me in group chats when attendance gets low cos he's clearly missing the $$$ now that nobody is buying his fucking HiFi bars.

I just don't see that this works. I don't know anyone who has consistently kept weight off with it - most people tend to become either yo yo dieters or shadow ED sufferers.

Why is this still a popular industry that people keep funding even though we logically know it doesn't work?

Erm thanks. That's a nice comparison. You do realise that Harry Potter isn't real don't you? Or are you telling me you do believe in magic? Because that's ridiculous. Just like an overweight leader telling a room full of people who, by the very nature of their weight have very little idea of how to stop eating when they're full, that they can carry on eating pasta till they feel full. Leaving them to wonder why they don't lose or keep weight off. That's not magic either.

Well I’m not a sticker person but I’m looking forward to getting one for my 3 and half stone loss hopefully next week!

I eat out occasionally and when I do I have what I want, it’s not every week and I’m not going to stress about having the occasional steak and chips or whatever else I want when I go out

I can totally get why seeing the equivalent of a pound of fat is motivating. A magic sticker? Not so much.

@bitoutofmagic
Noooo! Harry Potter isn't real?!
The fact you even have to ask me if I realise that he isn't real shouts even more Vernon lol

@bitoutofpractice! Lol, not magic. Although you're out of that too lol so still fits

I have a friend I've known for 15+ years. She's been doing SW or WW on and off that whole time. She's heavier than when she started. She keeps getting lured back into SW by their "new system". Hex A, stns, free foods. Whatever the latest "magic" is. The weight loss boards here are full of people who are doing the same.

It's a money-making scam based on phoney "science" and it doesn't work long term for the vast vast majority of people because, well, if it did we wouldn't have an obesity crisis and SW and WW would be out of business. Just look at how much they spend in marketing and imagine how many people are returning yet again and handing over cash to pay for that. It's huge business. Huge. And no amount of shinies will convince me otherwise.

When I was 23 I joined to lose weight for my wedding, I was about 10stone10 and wanted to be around 9.5 as I'm only short. I got weighed and had maintained and I was disappointed and the woman weighing me and the leader looked at my food diary and said "you aren't eating enough, you should be having 10 syns a day not 3", I was so annoyed, they were about 20 stone each.

Yes the portions on sw are huge, a girl on insta I follow I would eat a third of the plate and I’d be full for half the day.

The thing about Slimming World is it works quite well if you have a modicum of intelligence and apply the basic plan to a healthy diet. For example it is not obligatory to include all the shite convenience food. But if you eat fresh, scratch cook etc then the principles of free food and syns make a good and achievable diet for the overeater. I've lost 10 stone doing it. I don't pay the money or go to the 'class' either.

Oooo a fucking cult! Can I join ?

I think LadyintheRadiator, that you have proved the cynics' point exactly. Because yes it worked for you...until it didn't. The fact that you've had to keep going back and pay again is exactly what SW banks on to make a profit.

I regularly take in massive parcels for a weight loss program leader who lives close by and must be very successful in selling bars/sauces/recipe books to her clients.

The delivery I took in today is massive so there's obviously a New Year promotion.

As for my opinion about the success rate of these clubs/programs - apparently it's statistically lower than spontaneous cancer remission.

Effectively, the .5% success rate for XX is well within the range of statistical anomaly: i.e. even those 2 could be fiction or a goof. This is as close as statistics gets to saying a thing is impossible.

A sampling of that size WOULD, however, imply a number of things. A statistically significant portion of this sampling {certainly more than .5%} probably:
– believe in hard work, determination, and commitment
– have passion, drive, and other qualities worthy of a made for TV movie starring Tori Spelling
– really, really, REALLY wanted the program to work

The combination of these factors would incline me to believe that the above virtues have absolutely no impact on the success of the program. There is literally NO GROUNDS to believe that attitude or commitment would change these statistics in any way. The success rate for [XX] is lower than inexplicable cancer remission.

The above is quoted from a comment on a story about the success rate for a well known program being 2 in 1000 - and they probably were not that obese...

fatfu.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/weight-watchers/

The above is quoted from a comment on a story about the success rate for a well known program being 2 in 1000 - and they probably were not that obese...

That is really sombering.

Why does it have to be so hard?

I wonder what the stats on VLCD's are? I read a study which I now can't find that VLCDs have a higher success rate.

I don't think WW is any different at all in terms of its business model which, like SW, is predicated on failure of members. And phoney science.

I speak as a WW gold member btw (if they are still called that).

I'd love to know what "training" the people running these courses get, especially in nutrition.

I'd love to know what "training" the people running these courses get, especially in nutrition.

Judging by my neighbour, very little. It seems that the major pre-requisite is that somebody has shed a fair amount of bodyweight.

I've done WW and lost a lot of weight. Maybe 2 1/2 stone. But then piled it all on again.

4 years ago I took a different approach - I stopped drinking for 3 months, got a personal trainer, went to fitness classes 3 times a week and watched what I ate. Low carb, good amount of protein like chicken and fish, veg and fruit. Low sugar (though the trainer advised against too much fruit as it does contain sugar). I lost 3 stone and felt amazing.

Again I've put it all back again. Clearly I dont have the will power to do this on my own and stick to healthy eating and exercise.

So again I'm planning to lose weight - I'm going to try not drinking for 3 months, exercise classes and healthy eating. But can I do it on my own and sustain it? I've got flu at the moment and am enjoying the fact I cant eat much - there's a few pounds gone!

So I agree groups are a bit nutty and the science doubtful but there is some benefit of mutual support.

The thing is, I am a yo-yo dieter... have been my entire adult life because I just don’t have a great relationship with food.

I’ve done

WW
meal replacements
Low carbing
5/2
Calorie counting
More exercise and no snacking
Not to mention all the stupid fad stuff like cabbage soup...

And ended up with SW longterm...because I can do that without it stuffing up my relationship with food any more than it is already and without it being so restrictive that it’s just not possible for me to live like that.

It works, anything that lowers your calorie intake enough works - but what it is that suits you is going to be different for different people.

So if you think SW isn’t something that works - what’s your solution to longterm weight loss?

Because short of extensive counselling and therapy, which I am not willing to pay for or do tbh, I’ve tried most things...

I think the problem with SW is less what the plan is on paper and more the culture within many groups which seem to half understand the diet rules. It's hard to take away messages about sensible portions of nutritious food when you're up against a culture of "filling" portions of low fat food. Filling meaning large to group members who habitually eat big meals and want to still be able to do that.

I think groups do work well for people, there is no doubt that a collective effort is both inspiring and comforting. And there is the accountability too.

But the traditional WW and SW diets are a bit prescriptive and rigid. I think people need to find their own way - there are countless ways to lose weight and not all methods suit all people. I have friends who stay slim on 5:2, some who just do a massive amount of exercise, some who restrict their calories full time and are very disciplined, some who swear by low carbing, some who do low fat. Then there's vlcd, No S, Paul Mckenna etc. I am starting up a health and well-being group near me where people can follow any kind of eating wol they like, so there is no brand and no products to follow, but we can all encourage each other, exercise together and hopefully see some gradual downward movement on the scales.

@LadyintheRadiator SW says put 1/3 to 1/2 of speed food (low calorie veg) on the plate before adding other food. That sets about limiting portion sizes. Your also supposed to eat to satisfy your appetite not until you are stuffed. It isn't about endless pasta and carbs.

Personally I limit my carbs as they don't agree with me but some others in the group seem to do ok losing weight with them. Perhaps because they are younger and more active than me.

My perception is that WW tried to copy the SW model as it was doing well. The GPs in my area track people losing weight and their successes and based on that now refer to SW rather than WW.