How does Slimming World work?

[DrivingRound1]

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?

Exactly. You'd be hungry and unhealthy, but say a Mars bar is 300 calories (I have no idea if that's right) and you had 4 or 5 a day instead of meals/snacks, most people would lose weight).

There's been at least two fairly well known examples of similar 'diets'. There's a man who's eaten little but 3 big macs a day for decades and he is slim. Another man, also in America lost nearly 2 stone in 2 months on the twinkie diet where he ate 1800 calories of processed cakey shite a day.

Back to Slimming World, it works on the premise that most people eat the same volume of food each day, and if you make the calorie density of that food low enough, by including lots of fruit and veg, lean meat and fish, eggs, pulses, low fat dairy and limited amounts of bread, full fat dairy and all the calorific treaty stuff like crisps, alcohol, cakes, biscuits etc, you lose weight.

Not having to weigh and measure everything you eat and drink apart from the high calorie stuff that needs restricting is also a big advantage too, especially if you cook from scratch and eat a varied diet, where calorie counting is a tedious bore.

Calorie counting while sticking to a balanced diet of healthy, filling foods and allowing yourself treats here and there so not to go crazy - this is what works. No gimmicks required. You can have that jacket potato for lunch once or twice a week and do a bit more exercise that day.

Calorie counting while sticking to a balanced diet of healthy, filling foods and allowing yourself treats here and there so not to go crazy - this is what works. No gimmicks required. You can have that jacket potato for lunch once or twice a week and do a bit more exercise that day.
I agree.
And no need to use whatever the latest programmes buzz word is for 'naughty food'

It's basically very low fat, high fibre and limited bread. You eat till your satisfied, not full to bursting!

It works because your intake of high calorie foods such as cheese, sweets, cake etc is all controlled meaning you eat less than your required calories each day. You could eat beans, cheese and a jkt for every meal if you wanted and the calories for the day would come in at under 1200 even with the biggest potato.

I know alot of people that have done and are still doing slimming world. They have all lost weight whilst "on plan". However, they have come "off plan" for whatever reason, a holiday or birthday, Xmas etc and then gone to weigh in after a week or two and piled on the pounds.

Personally, when I wanted to lose a stone, I identified what I was eating too much of, crisps, other savoury snacks, I didn't really eat proper meals apart from my tea on a night. The snacking was far more calories than a breakfast and lunch would be. Also, I didn't do mich exercise either. So I cut down the snacks, ate breakfast and lunch and then walked a bit more. It didn't drop off but came off slowly and it's far easier to stick to

I did slimming world from September to December 2018 and lost about 1.5 stone. I didn't go to the groups, just did it online.

I have now cancelled my SW membership but I'm taking parts of the plan which I think worked for me. Personally it was

• planning meals ahead rather than relying on freezer meals
• limiting sweets e.g. having a treat sized bag of Maltesers rather than half a huge bag
• having weetabix or oats for breakfast rather than white bread
• snacking on fruit or lean meat rather than crisps or biscuits

I'm still losing weight even though I'm not officially counting syns now.

The thing I find weird about SW is the recipes some members rely on. Like a cake made with natural yogurt, oats, sweetner and 8 eggs that's "just like the real thing" except it blatantly isn't. I'd rather have a small piece of proper cake rather than a huge slab of cake-style yogurty omlet.

“In fact you could eat nothing but Mars bars and lose weight as long as you were still in calorie deficit.“

Of course, but it’s hugely unhealthy and not sustainable.

In theory that’d work fine, what actually happens is that you’re starving and eat the chocolate then extra stuff on top.

My point was that if I’m trying to work out how to eat chocolate and am willing to try not having meals to do that, my issue isn’t things like portion size of healthy enough foods.

I lost 4 stone.

I will never do it again though! Messed with my head.

"With that level of failure rate it shows the plan is unsustainable for most and therefore shit."

I'm not sure about that. I would think that most people who got there have problems with food to begin with. Lots of alcoholics relapse, is that AA's fault?

People regain weight after a diet because they go back to the eating habits that made them gain weight in the first place.

That would happen with any diet or healthy eating plan, it's not unique to Slimming World.

Slimming World do encourage maintenance by allowing target members to continue attending for free as long as they stay near their target weight and encouraging them to gradually increase their consumption of wholemeal carbs and full fat dairy until they find the level where they stop losing.

They specifically discourage eating more crap as that is obviously the top of the slippery slope back to eating too much crap and gaining weight again.

While doing the plan to either lose or maintain weight, it is also allowed to occasionally have a meal/day totally off plan to accomodate special occasions etc. You just have to write the day off and start again the next day and obviously not doing that too often is the idea - occasional treats/days off plan are fine as long as you don't do it too often.

It’s not just SW that doesn’t work longterm, it’s most diets that don’t work longterm.

This is because they are not sustained. Lifestyle changes longterm are the key.

SW does not teach you longterm sustainable choices.

Sorry about the over-use of longterm!

“SW does not teach you longterm sustainable choices”

What makes you think that?

SW does not teach you longterm sustainable choices.

I disagree. For many it does. Again it's how an individual approaches it.

You could say the same for any diet.

As I said, it’s not just SW that doesn’t work longterm.

What makes me think it’s not sustainable longterm? Well the 95% of people that put the weight back on indicates that.

A healthy diet includes fat such as avocados and butter,as opposed to spreads.

Full fat yoghurt vs muller light is a better choice. Just a couple of examples.

I eat full fat natural yoghurt on SW. It's not forbidden, it just has to be weighed out. I don't eat avocado's because they are vile and environmentally suspect but it's the same principle. You have to weigh out a portion and have it instead of a bar of chocolate.

Yes but who wants to weigh food forever?

You soon find out what a portion looks like. Also, then why don't people start thousands of threads about My fitness pal, where you weigh everything forever?

“A healthy diet includes fat such as avocados and butter,as opposed to spreads.

Full fat yoghurt vs muller light is a better choice. Just a couple of examples.“

I eat butter... I don’t eat avacadoes or muller lights because I don’t like them.

But slimming world doesn’t tell you to swap full fat yoghurt for muller lights... that’s personal choice and the maintenance plan encourages adding in things with good fats once you’re at your target weight...

“Yes but who wants to weigh food forever?“

Well I’m quite happy to weigh something I really want to eat as opposed to everything, which is what most ways of losing weight involve.

SW tell you to go for veg, fruit, complex carbs and lean proteins first, pay attention to when you’re actually hungry and when you’re actually full and to think about what you’re eating when it’s things that are high in fat or sugar. They also tell you to add in more activity, but not to treat that like a reward system, so you’re exercising for the health and well-being benefits rather than extra food.

That is in essence the entire plan, but with structure for those of us who would self sabotage alone or those who don’t understand how to lose weight.

It’s about as sustainable as any other way of losing weight.

Seems sensible to me that the high fat and high sugar stuff is measured. That’s where it’s so easy to go wrong even if you think you have a healthy diet overestimating portion sizes.
Week 2 sw going well haven’t had a mueller light, mugshot or anything weird yet. Meals so far this week are Omelettes, overnight oats and berries, lamb casserole, salmon stir fry, cottage pie, bolognaise plus lots of fruit and veg.

Slimming World works as it is a calorie controlled diet.

The plan is sound, and at it's "heart" it follows the 'eat wel' plate style, of a few carbs, a bit of protein and mostly veg and fruit.
but people are idiots and see that "pasta is free" and they load oup a plate full of pasta and "speedy" sauce - and conveniently forget to replace 1/3 of the pasta with salad/veggies. They think "oh it's free!"
but again, that's down to the leader, not reminding or pointing out they're following the plan incorrectly! The downfalls are- some leaders are terrible, and have no fucking clue about nutrition, health or anything. My old SW leader used to say to member who had a gain, after they just embarked on their first week or so of exercise - said that they shouldn't worry as they've built up muscle which just isn't true! (its water retention and will go) and gives no advice really for those at target or nearing target. because they don't understand about BMR.

And as with any other change in life-long habit, you have to really want to change, and stick with it when times get tough - and try not to fall back after x amount of months/years.

Ok well I have obviously misunderstood some of the SW guidelines.

Still, 95% of SW dieters put the weight back on. If it has worked for you then that can only be a good thing.

Slimming World doesn't work nor do any of these other fads. Losing weight is simple. Exercise more and eat less. I've spent years between different diets and hated how obsessive it all is. I've decided to just move more and eat sensibly. I refuse to hate my body and I think those groups encourage body positivity for a specific type of body. Do what makes you feel happy.

Still, 95% of SW dieters put the weight back on. If it has worked for you then that can only be a good thing.

Yes but then how many people fail at all the other plans, such a mfp, WW etc. That's the point. Threads here only seem to do concentrate on SW.

The point isn't the diet. The point is the person. If you arent ready to actually change your eating habits and join SW because you have heard you can have unlimited mullers (which you can't anymore) and boat loads of pasta (which isn't strictly true) But not interested in eating better overall, then you will out the weight back on.

I eat loads of good fats on SW. I don't eat mullers and rarely pre packaged meals like mug shots. With SW you can adapt it to what you want.

There isn't a diet plan out there where you don't weigh stuff. Even on mfp, unless you only eat pre packaged or proportion foods.

If you pay attention to what an actual portion is you don't need to weigh it after a while, if you want to learn portion control.

People say weight loss is easy. It is, in theory. But not in practice , if it was no one would be over weight.

It's a case of whatever works for you. I can't think of anything more tedious that inputting every food I eat into an app everyday, everytime I eat. But it works for plenty. So there's no issue.