Is slimming world really shit?

[Emsonline]

I read so many posts about it being cult like, a con, money making business etc. My biggest issue with it is referring to food as a sin (syn). Way to introduce food guilt! (I have been 3 times before and failed each time and have been left with food issues)

Your opinion on it?

I’ve had a lot of success with it (as have friends). I never had food guilt because it wasn’t calorie counting and there was an emphasis on cooking and eating good things.

It clearly doesn’t suit you.

I put on weight with it, too many carbs

There’s already a thread running on SW in AIBU. Have a look through it.

It worked for me.

Ihave been 3 times before and failed each time and have been left with food issues

Clearly, it's really shit for you.

I have been a couple of times, both to es it worked, but as they say it’s a lifestyle choice, you have to continue with it, I like my food to much!

It's hugely carb-heavy and seems to encourage the eating of whole bags of fruit at one sitting etc. That doesn't sound in any way balanced to me.
I think it is a bit cult-like - it seems to suck people in in the same way that MLM does. I suppose if it works for you then good but to me it seems like hell on earth and unhealthy for both mind and body.

What else in life would you pay for, have it not work - blame yourself for it not working ('I failed') then keep going back to pay more and continue to blame yourself for it not working? People do this all the time, repeatedly, with SW, WW and all the others. So yes it's a pretty fantastic business model! And I agree with you on the 'syns' aspect.

It's hugely carb-heavy and seems to encourage the eating of whole bags of fruit at one sitting etc

I’m not sure where you’re getting that from. Definitely not my experience.

Didn’t work for me I put on weight.

Obviously it works for some and not for others. It's 'easy' to lose weight in theory, just eat less. But in real life, people need support and motivation to do that. For some, group weight loss will be the way to go. It isn't for everyone.

I don't like the language they use either.. speed, why not call it bloody fruit and veg..body magic yuk. But the recipies are great. I've never been to a group but look up sites like pinch of nom. It's not carb heavy if you follow the principles as well as the rules. So you COULD eat a kilo of rice, but most of your plate should be speed and protein.

Think about it.. the business model relies on people yoyo dieting. If it "worked" people would hit their target weight, go for free forever and Slimming World would go bust. It's very carb heavy with emphasis on highly processed foods.

So you COULD eat a kilo of rice, but most of your plate should be speed and protein

That would certainly shift a few kilos Cottonsock

I don't think it is shit. It gets people in the door by promoting good hearty meals and weight loss.
Half the members wouldn't join if they thought it was going to be a slog of starvation and misery.
It is like reverse psychology like the allen Carr smoking method, by advising people to continue smoking they'll read the book,if he said put out the last fwg and read no one would read it.
My DSIS done really well on sw and has kept it off, my niece is down 9lb since December and allowed herself treats over Christmas.
It is ultimately up to the individual to keep it up, but if you stick to it, go for 70% veg etc it works longterm.

Thing is it’s a diet and anyone that doesn’t follow it as they tell you too, it won’t work for. It’s normally human error rather than the program that is wrong.

If you do the diet and put weight in that’s becuase you have clearly eaten too much, it’s not magic simply attending meetings won’t make you thin.

If you put weight on once you come off the diet then yes that is expected unless you stick to the new eating habits.

It just seems many people bash a diet but really they are at fault not the diet plan, I guess that’s easier than taking responsibility for a lot of people.

I'm am ex consultant

I will never ever join a slimming club of any kind, ever again.

Speak to any former consultant and they'll tell you the same.

Team meetings? Filled with consultants competing about who had the biggest groups, earned the most and trying to steal each others members

Consultant sitting eating a while punnet of strawberries, followed by grapes, followed by a sw quiche....

The company taking half your earnings without doing the donkey work.

And that's all before you even get onto the training (oh Phyllis, you've 2lb on this week, don't worry about that, you said you'd started exercising so it will be muscle....)

And that's before you even start on the muller lights, mugshits, quark, scanbran, fry shite, hifi bars, mushy fucking pea curry, I could go on.....

But the plan it's self seems to suit people who have a lot of weight to lose, not so much those who have between 1-2 to lose.

I found members with small amounts to lose didn't get on well with unlimited pasta and sw chips and rice and meats....

It’s been working well for me, I have lost almost half a stone in two weeks. It seems sustainable and in a lot of ways just seems to be healthy eating, lean meat and lots of veg with some carbs and a bit of discipline over treats.

I like something which is a bit prescriptive and clear.

Not sure about the psychology of Syns, but I assume it may make a lot of people feel like they are still allowed to indulge rather than feel guilty.

I can’t see why it would give you eating problems, unless you binge on free food. But the plan itself doesn’t actually encourage binging. And if people can’t help binging, they’ve got problems with eating way beyond the remit of a weight loss plan. It’s not recommended for people with disordered eating anyway.

I lost 2stone in 3 months on it 3 years ago and kept it off so I love it.

I'm in SW and when you stick to the plan you do lose weight. I enjoy it because I can still have all the foods I want just in moderation, I also like it because it's made me try new things and understand food more. I no it doesn't agree with everyone but some of the girls I go with have lost the weight and also kept it off

I'm old enough to remember exactly where the 'syn' thing came from!

Around err 25 odd years ago, it was sins. So if you ate the bar of chocolate you were 'sinning'

They then had a re think about this and changed the word to 'syn' and they now tell folk it is short for 'synergy'

I distinctly can recall reading this in the back of a SW mag decades ago. You know, the bit by the founder with the big hair

So it was a sin because you were a sinner and then they decided to make it sounds all lovely and positive

Anyone recall the change of syns in pasta and noodles last year? Syns went up

The reason for this accounting to SW?

'Because the pasta and noodle landscape has changed'

I kid you not. Online for all to see

So that's the level of intellect you're dealing with. Pasta hasn't changed its landscape. A noodle hasn't changed it's nutrients. A piece of chicken can't suddenly double in syns or become speedy etc

They make this stuff up. Food is food is food. There is zero science behind SW

Currently on SW and think it's great! I think some of it could be your consultant... but the way I see it, is it encourages you to eat more veg, more fruit and less fatty foods. They also really push not being hungry, just eat healthily! It can be a bit culty and some consultants think that alcohol is the devil's juice, but overall I think it is one of the only sane diets out there. You don't cut anything out apart from fatty foods. The terminology is a bit cringe "body magic" but it does work. Some bodies get bloated as hell from lots of pasta and rice, and you won't lose weight if that is all you eat...but surely that's common sense??

My wife lost 10 stone and kept it off. It's a pretty simple diet when you break it down. Make sure 1/3 plate is non-carby veg, 1/3 lean protein and 1/3 carbs. Eat until you're full, limit the amount of chocolate/wine/pies to keep your calorie intake low.

It didn't work for me because I can really take them at their word to eat ALL THE FOOD. I did speed foods, I did 'body magic', I stuck to plan every day, but it didn't suit my physiology and it didn't help me curb my sweet tooth. I lost an average of half a pound a week, which does tot up to a few stone over the years but it was hard work and expensive.

Pros: I liked the groups, especially daytime groups when I had a young baby, I like the awards for exercise. The recipes are good hearty family meals and we would all eat the same.

Cons: there are many (mostly listed here) but the biggest one for me is that they seem to promote this idea that you must never be hungry, you must eat piles of food, piles of veg, tonnes of fruit, loads of everything. That really wasn't good for me, and the combination of high carbs, too much sugar, 200 cals of chocolate a day and very little fat, didn't really teach me a model for lifelong health. (I appreciate that maybe that's because I did it wrong!) I think they exploit dieters who don't believe they can cope with a 'diet' but actually cutting out carbs and exercising loads and eating about half what I used to means I lost 3stone last year.

Syn is short for synergy.

They encourage you to eat them because they’re your little treats. They work WITH the free foods to encourage weight loss.

I lost 4 stone and really like the plan, but I dislike the focus on artificial sweeteners. Other than that, I’ve always found it an easy way to watch what I eat.