Weight watchers vs slimming world

[cp2016]

Posting here for traffic.
I need to lose about a stone, after having a baby and returning to work my snacking has gone out of control and preparing good healthy meals has moved lower on my priorities, but I need to do something.
I want to join either WW or SW, I need the control of weighing in. I've had success years ago with WW but friends have done SW recently and apparently WW has changed? Any thoughts or recommendations welcome - thank you.

Following with interest. I also need something where you can eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch as u don't have the mental bandwidth to make fancy foods at either of those times.

I do SW and I'm really happy with it. I've lost almost 7 stone, got a little more to go (under a stone). There are loads of super quick things you can do for simple breakfasts and lunches.

I’ve lost about a stone in baby weight (baby is now a year and needed to shed a bit before I went back to work) with WW. I’ve found it easy to follow and fine in diet well.

For me it just restricted my snacking and wine consumption, I haven’t had to change my diet too much.

I find SW very easy to follow
Lost 5 stone
1 stone 3lb off target for me

Sorry to hijack your thread OP but I wonder if the people who’ve lost on SW worry about gaining it back?

From reading/instagram etc it seems that people lose it relatively easy but gain just as easily or even more so once they’ve gotten to target or veer off the plan.

Ivana ...95% of people who lose weight will regain it within five years..a significant minority will also gain extra on top.

Google “set point theory of weight”;for Joe info about why this occurs,

5% of people who lose weight WILL keep it off though.

Is that just a general stat for overweight people no matter the method of weight loss?

That’s quite depressing isn’t it!

SW is like any diet, it needs to be a lifestyle change that is continued if the weight is to stay off. People seem to struggle with this concept though and use to write off diets in general it's odd

I'm doing SW but was wondering v whether WW was easier if you only have a stone to lose as everything is portioned (I think). I lost 2 stone fairly easily but I'm struggling now I have less than a stone to go, as are a few of my friends. I'm not going for a lie BMI either. You need to be sensible with SW and not do the 'unlimited pasta' thing in the extreme. The putting on weight, of course you will put on weight if you go back to eating what you did. SW is a calorie controlled diet with a different package. You are restricted to about 300 calories of high calorie density food a day, 300-400 cals of dairy and bread/cereal. The rest is all grains, lean meat, fruit and veg. If you continue doing that, you won't put the weight back on, but if you don't, you will, as with any diet.

Why not try My Fitness Pal? At least it's free! I lost almost 4 stone using it (and I took up running from scratch think C25K - but it's 80% what we eat, so that's just an incidental).

I'm now 3 years on, and my 'new' way of eating is just normal now. I know what looks right because of all the times I weighed stuff. I know what recipes work, and I don't snack. Ever.

I haven't been able to run as much the last 6 months, and I had the stress of a parent dying, not to mention the over-eating of Christmas/the temptation of winter 'fodder' eating, but here I am, just unpacking my summer clothes from last year (when I bought size 12s for the first time in my 52 years!) and they all still fit. I haven't done anything other than 'eat normally', but importantly it's the 'new normal' of eating well, but eating within the limits of what my body actually needs.

I tried loads of 'diets' before, including 5:2 (not compatible with a family you're the sole cook for) but I just made sure no main meal was over 600 cals for me, and gave everyone else the same main, but with extra carbs if they wanted them, and loads (and I mean loads!) of veg and salad.

But ultimately, do what works for you. You need to feel great in your own skin, and however you get there never lose that feeling - then you'll find it easier to stay there! I'm sure that's more than half the battle!

Ramping up the running again now (I like to do the Race for LIfe every year) but that's more for my mental well-being than my weight.

Good luck!! You can do it!

I found I was starving on WW. I was able to eat loads in SW.

Have to go back though.... It does creep back when you go off it. I don't blame the plan though - just my greediness.

BTW, SW is a lot easier if you love eggs. Breakfasts are often egg-based.

I'm currently using My Fitness Pal, one colleague is following SW, another WW.

Do you know which of us is doing best?

The one who restricts calorie intake and exercises a wee bit.

I'm not being flippant as I've tried them all myself. What works is cutting back on the higher calorie foods & drinks, and moving off the sofa.

Find a group that suits your free time, or budget, or that you can walk to or follow from home. Get the app or just use a bit of paper to keep track. Just don't kid yourself that one of these plans / groups works and the others don't. It's you that makes the difference. It is genuinely mind over matter. Easier said than done .....

Good luck.

I’m doing WW at the morning, just online I wouldn’t like to do the meetings. It works for me as I like quite a defined framework, I’m no good at just cutting down. I don’t think one is objectively better than the other but I’ve always been put off SW by all the Mug Shots and Muller Lites, but I don’t think they’re compulsory.

Slimming world!

@BarkandCheese of course they're not compulsory 🙄

Neither are eggs or overnight oats or anything else.

They are merely suggestions, along with thousands of other foods & meals & recipes which may suit some folk.

Could I just point out that people get fat - my self included - because they eat poorly/lack portion control. So for anyone who gets to target, and then reverts to their old habits, will, get fat. Again. And again. So unless you broadly stick to eating properly for the rest of your life, you will get fat. Again. And Again.

I do SW, my friend does WW. I've lost 6 stone, she is stuck at losing 2. I gather the revamped WW is a knock off of SW.

I’ve always been put off SW by all the Mug Shots and Muller Lites, but I don’t think they’re compulsory. as with anything, in moderation. They have now been kicked off the 'free foods' as people were making a whole diet out of those alone, and others of course, just love to run with it. Personally Ive never eaten a mug shot or a muller lite in my life, nor a Freddo Frog which is another urban myth .

Ww for me. I feel like it really educates you about good choices as its all based on the content of food. Loved the Ww app too.

I don't like the science behind sw altho agree it is probs best for loosing weight quickly. I didn't find it sustainable though and felt it very time consuming to prepare meals and not be repetitive. There us a great website with slimming World recipes actually called two tubby cubs. Pretty funny too. I know Iceland do lots of slimming world food now. Probs make it easier.

I definitely recommend Slimming World, it’s a healthy balanced diet but set in the real world where sometimes you want some carbs or convenience food. I tried MFP but found that I gave up too easily after a few weeks. I’ve got a very good SW consultant and if I have a bad week and miss a meeting then she texts me and tells me to not give up and come to the meeting the next week. I’ve lost a stone so far and only need to lose a couple more pounds.

Be warned!! WW has changed. In my opinion it's more like slimming world. Chicken, turkey, fish and eggs have no points anymore. But everything else that contains a single gram of salt or sugar now has so many points it renders it completely impossible to fit into your points allowance. I've lost weight on it but it's hard work and I wouldn't be able to stick with it forever.

Slimming world is more flexible in my opinion. But you need to be sensible about portions.

I've recently lost over a stone (with ease) calorie counting using the Nutracheck app. I weigh in every day and log everything I eat and drink. More of a lifestyle change than a diet but enjoyable seeing and feeling the weight drop off!

I think the main difference is that SW has less weighing and measuring due to 'free foods' so can eat fruit and veg etc without having to track it whereas WW everything is tracked and counted. I've never done WW before but have done SW. I find it the closest 'diet regime' to a normal healthy diet just keeps the snacks reined in.

I’ve lost 5 stone following ww, though it has taken me 14 months as I have breaks for holidays. TBH they both work the same way, less in and more out. With ww I found that I was eating loads of ‘free’ foods and therefore not losing weight. The old adage of You are what you eat, still works. Eat less, move more. I ‘follow’ ww but I point everything so it’s nothing more than calorie counting tbh.

I’d be tempted to set yourself some goals and give say three months to see if you can do it yourself without chucking over a tenner a month away. You know you need to cut down on snacking and be sensible with your evening meal choices. Good luck OP x

Not long ago I would have definitely said WW, but since the diet has changed and they are clamping down on carbs, it's so hard to feel full on it and I tried and failed 3 times, whereas years ago I got to goal in 3 months losing 2.5 stone ... try slimming world.

BrilliantYou - WW has mostly free veg and fruit now and also free chicken breasts, salmon etc etc, but it's still harder to lose with it than it used to be - having said that, they always had quite a lot of free foods, but nowhere near as many as now

I lost 5 stone with slimming world a few years ago. I also become obsessed with food, had very little social life and had a completely skewed idea of what normal portions are (clue... half a pack of pasta on a day is not normal. Nor is 6 eggs).

I put 6 stone on over the past few years. Not a single person I know has actually kept the weight off with slimming world and there's no way I'd go back now with daft rules like baked beans having enough protein in December then magically not having enough come January.

I've been counting calories using my fitbit and walking more and have lost a stone in the past 3 months. Yes it's slow going but it's being much easier and made me less obsessive than SW did.

I find WW far better personally. I found it stricter on carbs so for me it was "harder" than SW but the weight comes off quicker for me. Love their app too