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?

@Luglio I don't think anyway is , we all wanted to loose weight otherwise wouldn't join at some point . No need to take offence having a bitch about sw not you personally.

ManicUnicorn - blatantly missing the point that I was addressing, people saying you're not encouraged to exercise - me saying yes, actually you are, so they need to get their facts straight before spouting stuff off as true when it's not.

@dontneedthedrama with you there, the sneers at "fat leaders who still look the same and we're all supposed to clap"etc - yuk, some foul attitudes on here.

So, so narrow minded.

Help to make it better, help to educate people.

Stop calling people thick (I’ve seen that comment so many times tonight), stop calling it a cult - can you imagine being in the position of desperately needing help and then reading this?

I’m so sorry, but I have never felt so strongly about a post here before. The horrible comments about women (and men) trying to lose weight...it really is hard to stomach. Not everyone has the same access to education and resources.

FFS - I do not even go to SW but I know that ‘body magic’ encourages inactive people to take baby steps towards activity. For those of us who already exercise it seems easy, but for some it really isn’t.

The comments about a consultant suggesting that weight gain has been caused because of exercise and to scale back...actually there is a massive amount of truth to this as damaged muscles need and hold onto water to recover. It’s just a way of telling someone new to exercise to take it steady.

I am so saddened to read this. I know it’s not perfect as it’s a business at the end of the day, but consider the merits.

They treat their consultants like crap. Pretend it's being self employed when it's far from it. They don't listen to feedback, dress it up with emotive language designed to target certain areas of the brain.
Have a 'level' based system.
If you leave, all of your 'friends' never talk to you again.
The only other organisation like it is Scientology. Which is a cult

Plus the 'social' team. Unpaid helpers who if they didn't exist then the groups wouldn't work. Still, SW rake it in despite the biggest part of their workforce being unpaid

@alwaysonholiday - I'm lactose intolerant too, and allergic to eggs to boot.
How do they not cater for you, I don't understand? Home cooking from scratch doesn't cater for you?
Or do you mean that the cereal bars and Muller's etc you can't have and processed stuff?
As you don't have to eat them.
From this thread it seems people it doesn't work for is those who expect to carry. eating loads of shit (thread in general) and don't grasp home cooking and healthy eating.

"If you leave all of your friends never talk to you again"

Eh?!
Oookay
Can I just say that's nowt to do with SW and everything to do with your "friends" not being real friends to you in the first place.
They don't strip you of your awards and fling you out onto the street in disgrace and demand members not to talk to you again lol.
K'in 'ell

Schmoobarb yes that's the one. But I see we not having fun here any more. Shame as we could have squeezed more out of quark I think.

So, seriously, as a very fat person, I have not found it helpful. I find the meetings soul destroying. I have known people who lost 10+ stone on it as I think a previous poster did - it is definitely recommend for people who have very large amounts of weight to lose, but I'd love to see long term research.

So. We have the aggrieved ex (and possible current) consultants (I can understand. The ‘franchise’ model is shite).

We have the people who know people who eat loads of shite and have been going for years.

We also have people who have understood the principles and lost weight.

Is it really a cult? Or are you unable to
explain human behaviour?

How do they not cater for you

@GlitterStick

Slimming world give you endless recipes with dairy in. When I asked for a suitable alternative to quark the SW woman was absolutely baffled.

I'm with you on a suitable alternative to quark, I can't think of a "free"dairy free quark substitute.
You'd probably have to use a dairy free one and use it as a healthy extra or as a few syns.
As for milk I always used soya/rice or almond milk in place of dairy and that worked fine

I’m a very far person too but could just never get my head round it. The biggest moment was when the consultant was trying to explain why you couldn’t have a (then free) muller light on an SP day but you could have a synned yoghurt. Made zero sense at all!

*fat

“When I asked for a suitable alternative to quark the SW woman was absolutely baffled.”

Well to be fair, that’s because there isn’t a dairy free fat free soft cheese...

Plain soya yoghurt or blitzed silken tofu would work in some things, but not everything.

The horrible comments about women (and men) trying to lose weight...it really is hard to stomach

mmm pun intended?

I have seen 2 consultants who are huge now in my small town.

Help to make it better, help to educate people

My issue with SW is exactly this. It DOES NOT educate people on nutrition. By the nature of the business plan it deliberately sets out to muddy understanding.

It doesn't teach the basic tool needed for fat loss - calories and calorie deficit.

It doesn't teach you about the trade offs those who understand nutritional values make all the time - are these calories 300 calories worth it?

@Schmoobarb - an SP Day? What's one of those? Don't think I've heard of that

Now I haven’t been for a while so they might not even do them any more but iirc it was a day you just ate speed and protein foods and no other “free” foods but you could still have subs

Syns not subs

Type ‘Russell Kane Slimming World is a cult’ into YouTube. I think you will enjoy it.

@FATEdestiny - how are you helping? Or are you just having a go at an organisation that is trying to help?

Ah right. I haven't been for a while either but I don't remember those.
Sounds like if an SP Day is where you just eat speed food (foods that make you lose weight quicker such as fruit, veg, and protein).
Muller Light isn't a speed food.
You'd still be able to have your syns though as well so I'd presume that'd be what she meant.

an SP day is rabbit food all day long, then chocolate and 2 bottles of Echo Falls at night.

Ok, a quick Google shows I'm right and it's not "rabbit food all day long" you can have protein as well such as meat and fish.
If people are interpreting that as rabbit food all day long and then binging on chocolate and bottles of Echo Falls, I think it's safe to say where they're going wrong