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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

How does Slimming World work?

222 replies

DrivingRound1 · 12/01/2019 15:31

I put on a few pounds over Christmas so I'm calorie counting till they're off. My friend's doing Slimming World and she's been telling me she can have a jacket potato, cheese and beans every day for lunch and it's 'allowed'. It would wipe out over half of my calories if I ate that, but it's one of my favourite meals. Does Slimming World actually work? I've always thought it was a bit of a scam and still do really, but if it works and I can have a jacket potato, cheese and beans for dinner every day and lose weight I'd be tempted to give it a go. If it dies work, how does it?

OP posts:

OwlinaTree · 12/01/2019 17:10

boys I know you can have those on SW . I'm asking the op what she eats.

Are you very slim op? My BMI is about 21, which is in the normal range and I eat either pasta, potatoes or rice everyday. I don't eat bread though.

Original poster

DrivingRound1 · 12/01/2019 17:10

Dare I ask what you ate too much of over Christmas if you consider jacket potato and pasta as treats?

Jacket potatoes and pasta . Even more wine than usual. Sandwiches till I was sick of the sight of bread. More wine. Chocolate and cake when I'm not that bothered about sweet things, but it was Christmas. Crisps with dips. Another few wines.

OP posts:

Nousernameforme · 12/01/2019 17:13

What starches do you eat then? Or are your meals always a selection of protein and veg?

SW does work as does WW.

I don't believe its the fault of the plan if people who had a tendency to overeat before going on plan, then have the same tendency to overeat when they are no longer on plan.

It's a diet and as much as it tries to get target members to stay within their healthy weight with free membership only having to attend once a month and a different plan to help you maintain. It can't reprogram them completely.

Original poster

DrivingRound1 · 12/01/2019 17:21

Are you very slim op? My BMI is about 21, which is in the normal range and I eat either pasta, potatoes or rice everyday. I don't eat bread though.

Nah I'm not, 5'7 and 10 stone. I do drink a lot of wine though.

What starches do you eat then?

I sometimes have sweet potatoes with my tea. Have mashed potatoes on my Sunday dinner. Usually have a sandwich at the weekend, although I'm not while I'm calorie counting. Other than that I don't suppose I do really unless I'm at a restaurant and order pasta or risotto or pizza or chips or whatever.

OP posts:

Orlande · 12/01/2019 17:22

Wine & chocolate are treats to me.

Pasta, rice, potatoes - normal everyday foods, and I eat as much as I like!

Sirzy · 12/01/2019 17:26

As tempting as wine and a staple and rice as a treat sounds I’m not sure it’s the healthiest approach!

I have just had pasta with onions, peppers, mushroom and bacon in a tomato sauce with some cheese on top. Lovely and filling and free on sw

Original poster

DrivingRound1 · 12/01/2019 17:27

Wine & chocolate are treats to me.

Pasta, rice, potatoes - normal everyday foods, and I eat as much as I like!

Ah I'm the opposite way around. Not bothered about chocolate but I drink wine very often, I don't consider that a treat.

OP posts:

Lisabel · 12/01/2019 17:28

Yes it does work but only because you restrict calories in other ways- so yes you can have a jacket potato (roughly 200 calories), baked beans (150-200 calories) and a measured quantity of cheese (120 calories) (the cheese is considered a 'Healthy Extra', which you can have in place of milk each day but then you couldn't have milk for teas/coffee etc). However with Slimming World you can only have around 200ish calories of other foods such as chocolate, crisps, condiments, extra milk etc.
This means it balances out and Slimming World usually leads to a calorie count of between 1200 and 1700 calories.

It's not magic but it does work.

Tutlefru · 12/01/2019 17:29

Every few months there’s always a SW bashing thread. They’re quite interesting to read.

As for all consultants are overweight what a crock of shit, my consultant isn’t overweight and has kept her weight off for 8 years.

It can be done.

Not easy but doable.

Also I’m interested to hear why it’s always SW that gets the bashing and never any other weight loss companies, there’s loads of them. At least on SW you eat a jacket spud without feeling guilty for eating carbs.

It’s all about fresh fruit and veg with lean meats. They don’t make you sign a contact to say you shall eat unlimited muller lights and other crap. It’s all up to the individual.

Original poster

DrivingRound1 · 12/01/2019 17:31

As tempting as wine and a staple and rice as a treat sounds I’m not sure it’s the healthiest approach!

No I don't imagine it is . I eat healthily most of the time and exercise regularly, but I do have a weakness for wine. I honestly didn't realise that pasta or rice or whatever was eaten by people so regularly. Perhaps if I switch to the gin to free up the calories.

OP posts:

Catalicious · 12/01/2019 17:33

How many calories are you trying to stick to, to not be able to have any carbs? And how many calories is your wine taking up?

Original poster

DrivingRound1 · 12/01/2019 17:39

1200 calories a day till I lose the few pounds I put on. The wine depends on the day. Sometimes 0, sometimes 500. I'm not struggling with it or anything, I know it works and I'll be back to where I was in a few weeks, but the allure of eating jp, beans and cheese every day for dinner and still losing it was very tempting.

OP posts:

Sunny1990 · 12/01/2019 17:40

I think the slimming world plan is great and easy to fit into your life! I lost 3 stone on the plan.

However I do think you should use it to educate yourself about food, if you’re having all the mugshots and naff stuff all the time it’s probably not going to be too sustainable.

I went to 2 groups at the start and found them rubbish, full of people feeling sorry for themselves (it was my sister in laws fellas mums birthday so I HAD to have 6 sausage rolls 🙄), and both of the consultants were overweight which I didn’t find motivating, so I stopped going early on!!

I did find looking at #slimmingworld on Instagram really good thiughfor support and meal ideas!!

MaisyPops · 12/01/2019 17:40

Also I’m interested to hear why it’s always SW that gets the bashing and never any other weight loss companies, there’s loads of them.
I think people are (rightly) sceptical of the latest sort fads and trends and programmes.
I thought weight watchers was silly when I had friends on it. I also think slimming world is a bit ridiculous.

It's not about bashing healthy eating, I just think any sensible adult should be able to read about a balanced diet and take control of their own portions. All programmes I've seen seem to have a series of gimmicks and fads in them. No programme would make money if they actually helped most people to lose weight and keep it off.

Boysandbuses · 12/01/2019 17:55

No of course not, I just find it a strange thing to do. You want a jam doughnut so make a shit approximation of one rather than have a real one for the same number of calories. I think the whole syns thing can make people needlessly eat some odd stuff.*

Totally get that. But that's Not SW. That's the people.

Sun's just make you count the stuff that has little to no nutritional value compared with its fat/sugar content.

Of course people shouldn't need a plan. But people do. We wouldn't have an obesity crisis if it was that easy.

It is SW that always gets a bashing not WW. Because people come across people doing it 'wrong', IE a jacket with beans and cheese everyday but no salad, veg or fruit. Or only see the people that live on mug shots and Muller lights and options sachets.

That doesn't mean that what the plan encourages. And in fact now that Miller's are on the syn list, you can't eat as many as you want.

Also I know a few consultants, most would have said eat the donut.

Orlande · 12/01/2019 18:31

OP - it sounds like you have a bit of an odd attitude to food! Most people around the world eat "staple foods" eg rice, pasta, potato, bread every day. Low carbing is a fairly new fashion and not something most people do.

HildaZelda · 12/01/2019 18:35

My SIL lost over 10 stone in SW a couple of years ago. She's put it all back on again.

ALemonyPea · 12/01/2019 18:47

If people put weight back on, then that's because they've gone back to their old eating habits, rather than keeping up the maintaining plan.

I myself lost over 7 stone. I comfort eat and have had an incredibly shit 2018, so have gained a couple back on and no amount of salad will fill that much needed gap. I'm back on SW, my head is in the right place.

What most diet clubs like SW and WW don't provide is mental health help, if they did, a lot of the people who joined would be able to keep the weight off. You have to be able to understand why you've gained weight.

Original poster

DrivingRound1 · 12/01/2019 18:51

I'm not low carbing . I eat potatoes and bread at the weekend, when I'm not trying to lose weight eat the odd packet of sweets, and, as I've said, order pasta, risotto, chips etc when I eat out. I just would never think to cook them for myself at home. No more than I'd buy crisps or biscuits to have in the cupboard, but would eat them on a buffet or at a meeting or whatever.

OP posts:

grasspigeons · 12/01/2019 18:53

it will work if you genuinely feel you can eat that way for the rest of your life, otherwise you will obviously regain the weigh.

I think if you have a terrible diet it does teach a bit more healthy eating and the recipes can help gain a bit of confidence and make you think of hidden calories but I don't think its as effective if you eat too much of an ok diet.

moreofaslummythanyummy · 12/01/2019 19:05

All SW is , is a complicated way to achieve a calorie deficit. No magic power! Why do you think there is such an emphasis on filling your plate with "speed " food which contain hardly any calories ?

Boysandbuses · 12/01/2019 19:08

moreofaslummythanyummy well yes. That's what all eating plans are. Ways of counting calories without actually counting them.

Calories deficit is what all weight loss comes down to.

So, yeah, it's no different or worse than any other eating plan.

stevie69 · 12/01/2019 19:27

The trouble is that if it worked they would be out of business. How many are returning members???

Not really. I think the market is sufficiently large to keep it going, for the medium term at least

TulipsInbloom1 · 12/01/2019 19:32

I watched a Youtuber showing her "back on SW haul" yesterday.
A fuck ton of zero cal fizzypops
Packets of pre cooked tikka chicken slices, chocolate cereal and some coconut Muller yoghurt she was going to turn into a curry.

The whole plan just seems bonkers.

Boysandbuses · 12/01/2019 19:39

TulipsInbloom1 I don't eat any of that when I have done SW.

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