To think that Slimming World is a nasty organisation?

[Ohnotanothernamechange]

I'm not sure if anyone else is aware but Pinch of Nom, the hugely popular healthy eating and 'diet friendly' cookbook, have released a statement saying that they have been told to remove all mention of SW from their books and websites. This follows on from SW threatening to sue Aldi for launching a new healthy eating range that they thought was too similar to their own (they failed at this, obviously it's much harder to bully and intimidate a large international company...).

They've also made threats towards butchers and cafes for launching SW friendly produce. It's ridiculous. What are they so scared of? Funny that Weight Watchers don't have a problem with POM, also funny that SW haven't gone after WW for alterning their plan to make it similar to SW. See above about bullying large companies.

Ive long had issues with SW and believe it to be a money grabbing cult that doesn't really promote a healthier lifestyle, and this for me just proves it. Targeting small business trying to make a living just makes them seem really petty and nasty.

Don't get me started on all the wanky termonolgy they use like 'body magic' and 'image therapy either. How people sit through the meeting and don't piss themselves laughing at all that rubbish is a mystery?

*Yes and funnily enough people criticised Nike for having a plus sized mannequin displaying plus size exercise clothing because apparently it normalises obesity.

Err... what about providing exercise clothing that fits plus size people to, ahem, be able to exercise?!*

This^

I go to M&S to get my size 20 exercise clothes. Exercise clothes in the mainstream sports stores, certainly the designer sportwear was size 8 to size 14. Oh the irony.

I guess they were complaining about the mannequin rather than the clothes. The mannequin doesn't have to be the same size as every shopper.

They were marketing that they do plus size clothing, how can they do that on a size 8 mannequin? If more plus size people see that there is actually exercise clothing available to them, and take up exercising, then surely that's a good thing?

I love that 'sins' (as it was back in the day) used to mean sinful until someone changed their mind and now 'syns' means 'synergy' !!!

"They were marketing that they do plus size clothing, how can they do that on a size 8 mannequin? "

They can market clothes of all sizes on a size 8 mannequin and many shops already do that.

I went and although I lost weight it felt so much like a cult I ended up leaving! The leader was really adamant/ aggressive about the ‘fact’ exercise didn’t EVER help you lose weight. She was also very rude to those who couldn’t stay ‘to group’ (as it’s called) even when people had a genuine reason. And the group discussions (image therapy!) was painful!!

I've never been. But if you think it doesn't promote a healthy lifestyle then surely the less people promoting it the better, whether that be Pinch of Nom or not?

Op, you are absolutely right. what annoys me the most is the use of the word “Sin”. I think it’s a horrible word and certainly SHOULD NOT be used for dieting!

I tried to find and caption the reference a pp made to sausages, but I couldn't find it.

This is what makes me sceptical about Slimming World. You could have unlimited sausages, but they had to be a specific brand of sausages. You could have unlimited baked beans, but again, had to be a specific brand. I couldn't help but wonder why ? What made them different to other brands of sausages or baked beans. The brands favoured by SW weren't calorie free.

The red days and green days where you could have meat on green days but greens on red days just sounded confusing.

They've changed their diets so often. This near religious devotion to Muller light yoghurts and Mug Shots sounds about right.

I find it ironic that there's a Slimming World meeting on in a hall on the edge of the park where I do Be Military Fit circuit training. Talking about what you had for tea last Tuesday isn't burning a great deal of calories is it ?

what annoys me the most is the use of the word “Sin”. I think it’s a horrible word and certainly SHOULD NOT be used for dieting!

It’s a good join they don’t use the word sin, then. Isn’t it?

"It’s a good join they don’t use the word sin, then. Isn’t it?"

But they used to!

I will be back at SW soon I’m afraid, but mostly because it is the only place where I can my weight formally recorded, which I need to keep me on the straight and narrow. I don’t particularly follow their diet although I think it has some strengths. I mostly reduce carbs slightly and increase fruit/veg and lean protein, and most importantly restrict snacks to fruit or veg only.

I never attend the meetings and I don’t buy the products. I don’t like the idea of “”syns” but I can see how many would find an easy ready reckoner for allowing limited snacks helpful.

If anyone knows of another organisation that will record my weight weekly do let me know!

They can market clothes of all sizes on a size 8 mannequin and many shops already do that.

But how would anyone know they now do plus size clothing if it's on a size 8 mannequin?
Why do all mannequins need to be the same size anyway? Surely that's unhealthy in itself!

I think it's entirely appropriate to display plus size clothing on a plus size mannequin.

@tooearlyfordecorations I am not a meat eater but I believe it comes down to fat content. Lean meat is "free" and SW is basically low fat diet. As far as I know most baked beans were "free". After I stopped going they changed the rules on muller lights and mug shots they are no longer free.
There are some people who really appreciate the camaraderie of a group and I think it's a bit unfair to be sniffy about that. There were people in my group who had lost 8 stone or more and changed their life. Many wouldn't have felt comfortable or physically able to do military fit training but getting the support of a group worked. It wasn't for me but we are all different.

But they used to!

They used to do a lot of things, but they no longer do that, so what’s the point of even complaining about it?

tooearlyfordecorations you could have unlimited sausages? What magic diet trickery is that because it’s not SW?
Red and Green days? Nope. There haven’t been red and green days for at least 9-10 years. Please, if you are going to moan about SW, make it factual.

I think the difficult with it is it seems to make people quite dependent on their particular way of eating and losing weight and looking at food. This is fine if it can be carried over into a new healthy way of eating that is sustainable for life, but it’s a problem if it can’t.

SW does advocate home cooking. You can't really do it unless you cook from scratch unless you really love their godawful ready meals. Even they have the recipe on the back. The class issue is about slimming clubs and people being snobbish about people who feel they have to attend them rather than having the self control to just not eat cake and go for a run.

I get it that SW promote, 'Body Magic.' That's the key. All the while overweight people believe in magic whether it's Body Magic or the mythical, 'magic bullet' solution. Organisations like SW, WW, Cambridge Diet, Slim Fast, VLCD, etc etc etc and their folklore will be there to take advantage of their need/desperation. Normal people who's weakness is around food just get suckered into another go nowhere diet. Making them feel like a failure with their weight yet again. Then the comfort eating cycle starts again.

At a certain level, it's actually fraud.

Not a fan of SW. I understand a lot of people have lost weight following SW but anyone who is obese would lose weight by changing their diet to anything that’s healthier than what they currently eat. For me I only wanted to lose 1stone, I followed the plan for several months and lost nothing, I felt ill eating food full of sweeteners and dodgy cereal bars. In the end I ditched it, joined the gym and just started eating in processed food. I lost 2 stone and have kept it off. I would never touch a muller light yoghurt again 🤣🤣

Not true about the exercise. We've all been told to exercise more, but it's at such a low level I think it's aimed at the mostly sedentary (i.e. there's an August challenge to walk 50 miles in the month...I do more than that getting into work!).

Also, obesity is a major cause of cancer as well as type 2 diabetes. Any money spent I am sure is saved many times over with individuals not getting ill and needing treatment.

Lots of people at my group talked about the positive impact it's had on their health, how they've come off medications etc.

And it is probably much cheaper for the NHS to give vouches to SW & WW rather than create, market and run their own slimming programmes. I think it's a great idea.

Red and Green days? Nope. There haven’t been red and green days for at least 9-10 years. Please, if you are going to moan about SW, make it factual.

Erm, I just did hon.

Pinch of Nom were invited to meet with SW but refused. They admit it in their message.
Thing is any "member" can easily use their syns online to calculate any syns or their book they get when joining.

Just considering one of the alternatives put forward by the OP:

How much is gym membership?
How much is it then to add on the cost of a personal trainer a few times over a year?

Cheaper than £240 a year?
In my experience it isn't - it costs a lot more to be a gym member, and thats before you add on how much a PT costs each session.
SW is £240 for a year online.

No diet club is going to be perfect and it is obvious that if when you stop you revert back to eating as before you'll put weight on. You have to change your whole outlook on eating.

I did do SW for a while - its perfectly possible to do it without using processed food, especially if you are a meat or fish eater.

You can achieve results with SW (and WW for that matter) without buying their own products and without eating a tin of ready meal and processed stuff.

Both groups, from what I remember, recommend exercise as being part of the plan and give suggestions. They are not supposed to be just eating plans.

As for the business side - well yes, they are a business. their priority will always be money - like any other none 'not for profit' business. Hardly a surprise and hardly restricted to just SW!

tooearly
“Hon”

Red and Green dats were still going strong when I did SW 7 years ago, but stopped just after I got to target in January 2013.