Slimming world. Is it a con/cult?

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Basically that really. I've read positive stories but also some completely bat shit crazy ones!

I have a considerable amount of weight to lose. I have recently joined the gym. But I'm reading conflicting advice about the gym and slimming world.

Is it worth it?

If someone is struggling with their weight they need help and support which is what these group provide, when they stop going they put back on.

Meaning SW will continue to make money because they don't adequately teach people to go it alone.

Syns as a concept is a load of nonsense. Calories in versus calories out is basic biology and the only thing that affects weight loss. Understanding nutrition in real terms, not SW or WW marketing terms is key to long term success.

For some people keto works. Why? They burn more calories than they consume. Cambridge diet? Same. 5/2 diet? Again works IF you are in a calorie deficit.

And the reason SW works? Because the number of syns allowed equates to a very low calorie diet, aka a calorie fucking deficit. The issue with SW is that it is not tailored to the individual. A blanket 1200 calories/day is too low for the majority of people. And it doesn't teach anything about nutrition outside of their marketing terminology so the second people stop they gain again.

That is why people have an issue with it.

People who keep saying 'diets don't work' are being disingenuous.
No of COURSE a diet won't 'work' if you are expecting to lose weight then unproblematically maintain that weight loss indefinitely. Because if we were capable of that we wouldn't be fat in the first place.
What they 'work' at is losing fat from the body. My goal is losing body fat. My other goal is changing my mindset. I need to do BOTH.
Rebelfit might teach that I need to 'change my intention' and I'll lose weight naturally but I know that WILL NOT WORK. I need to actively work at losing fat and also work on my mindset.
A diet can not solve the mental reasons for over eating. But it absolutely does 'work' in terms of losing body fat. Which is what I want it to do.

I just really don't understand this not dieting lark. Or that eat less move more is wrong. Can someone please explain how I can lose the nearly 3 stone I have put on during menopause without dieting, ie restricting what I eat to create a calorie deficit?

I had been a size 10 for many years before the menopause. I have always eaten a broadly healthy diet. So I don't need to learn how to cook from scratch, I don't need to stop eating processed food because I cook from scratch and never eat processed food in the first place. I eat good good but probably too much of it so I need to restrict what I eat.

I haven't been to the gym for 9 months because I moved to a rural location where there isn't a gym for miles. So I used to do Zumba twice a week, Pilates once, HIIT class once and now I can't do that so I need to move more, exercise more than gardening and walking.

I need to eat less and move more. I am not fat because I eat crap. But I am fat and don't want to be.

Dear god the meetings, we had one woman tell us every morsel that passed her lips....’.....then on Tuesday I had tea with my friend and we ate x....’ I don’t care! If I lost I said ‘I’ll do some of the same meals again!’ If I gained I just said ‘well I’ll try harder’

*I haven't been to the gym for 9 months because I moved to a rural location where there isn't a gym for miles. So I used to do Zumba twice a week, Pilates once, HIIT class once and now I can't do that so I need to move more, exercise more than gardening and walking.

I need to eat less and move more. I am not fat because I eat crap. But I am fat and don't want to be.*

You don't need to eat less, you just need to move more. Moving more will help you feel better and may create a calorific deficit. But by choosing some exercise you like and making it part of your lifestyle then you are more likely to carry it on for the longer term.

I lost 5.5 stone in slimming world 8 years ago and have never put the weight back on. I eat fairly normally now and fluctuate a few pounds up and down but I'm finding it harder to lose more weight (ideally I'd like to lose another 10lb). I just don't seem to be able to get back into the mindset.

When I initially lost the weight I didn't do any exercise at all. I now go to the gym 3 times a week (cardio and weights) and find it doesn't assist the weight loss in the slightest. I wish I could say I've lost inches but I really haven't!

You don't need to eat less, you just need to move more

To create a caloric deficit sufficient to lose weight I'd have to strenuously exercise for over an hour every day which I haven't got time to do, and wouldn't be good for you anyway. I'd also have to watch what I ate to make sure I didn't eat more due to the exercising.
Your advice is simply incorrect.

In my own personal experience, exercise has never, alone, resulted in weight loss.

Eating less with no exercise at all has.

MrsPnut- again like 'stop eating crap' this is just pat, patronising advice, assuming I have never done what you say. I did do exercise I liked and I did fit it in to my day. I now can't do that, so yes I need to move more.

You possibly didn't read my previous comment where I said I lost a lot of weight after giving up smoking 20 years ago by going to the gym 5 times a week. I kept it off until the menopause.

My question was how can I lose 2 stone by not restricting my diet in some way, which is what people are suggesting is what people should do.

All diets work if you stick to them. I'm 4 months into Slimming World and have lost a stone so far. A lot of the people in my group have lost substantial amounts of weight. I'm not finding it too difficult, it's common sense really. There aren't a lot of rules and you don't eat strange liquids or powders. I think it works long term because of the group aspect - you go along every week and it's very supportive. But at the end of the day it's down to you. If you mainline chocolate, nothing's going to work! It has to be a change of eating habits long term, not a faddy thing that lasts 6 months.

Exercise alone won't lose you any weight unless you control what you put in. SW's 'free foods' are basically fruit, veg and protein and foods that are proven to fill you up for longer. So very few refined sugars and restricted carbs. You can eat loads of food as long as it's the good stuff. Exercise will help change your body shape and tone up.

acatcalledjohn SW doesn't keep making money out of people long term - once you reach your target weight it's free to attend, meaning you have the incentive to keep going.

Slimming World & Weight Watchers are really good for a quick start ..stick to the plans, attend the meetings and you will lose weight quite quickly.

The problem is, their whole business plan is based on repeat custom. When you stop going the weight goes back on. If people did 'make a change for life' then they would go bust.

You need to do a lot of exercise to make a difference. Half an hours gym time is probably about a small bar of chocolate or a basic sandwich.

It is good for your health and general well being but keeping up a rigorous exercise regime presents the same problems as keeping up a diet. It also has the problem of being out of the house for an hour or two several times a week. Can be an issue if the gym doesn't have child care facilities in the evening and somewhere to eat. Diet you can do at home without eating into 'family time'.

I exercise strenuously for over an hour a day. In what way is it not good for me?

I run with my dog, 30 miles a week and can say I've only noticed good things since I started (increased fitness, asthma improved, stronger muscles, better balance - oh and a nearly four stone weight loss).

I am very fortunate in having a job where I start work late in the day, so have time to run during daylight hours though.

You don't need to eat less, you just need to move more.

This just isn't factually correct. You need to do an absolute shit-ton of vigorous exercise to make much difference at all to your weight.

I just really don't understand this not dieting lark. Or that eat less move more is wrong. Can someone please explain how I can lose the nearly 3 stone I have put on during menopause without dieting, ie restricting what I eat to create a calorie deficit?

Well I can explain some of the theory (having just read the book quoted upthread). Apologies for the long post...

Dieting usually makes people put weight on in the long term because it creates a really bad relationship with food. Constant cycles of self-deprivation and gluttony, and a tendency to see particular foods as 'good' or bad' make us incapable of having a non-emotional approach to eating which is based on actual hunger and appreciation of food.
In theory, curing that bad relationship by removing the guilt and giving yourself permission to eat what you want, tuning in to whether you really are hungry, and choosing things because you really fancy eating them (rather than that they are 'naughty'things you've been denying yourself etc) will make your appetite and eating habits self-regulate.

Now I don't know if it will work (and it is hard to truly let go of any 'I shouldn't eat that' feelings). But I did begin to see it work already today. When I mentally allowed myself to eat as many biscuits as I wanted after work, I had 2 and didn't want any more. Normally I'd be fighting a desire to eat just one more, then just one more etc.

I can see that if I stick to it, I may become much less inclined to reach for the foods I have considered 'bad' and less inclined to overeat.

TLDR: Let go of the guilt and food rules and you'll eat better naturally.

I exercise strenuously for over an hour a day. In what way is it not good for me?

According to my PT, you should rest a day between workouts to allow muscle repair. Given the way I feel after my sessions I wouldn't be able to exercise the day after at all!
If you are super fit and can do an hour's vigorous exercise daily with no issues that's awesome for you, but you are unlikely to be actually burning that many calories during your sessions so it still would't lead to weight loss.

Of course exercising is amazingly good for you. It's just not very effective as a weight loss tool unless you are doing mammoth amounts of it or eating less/better as well.

I’m no fan of SW but I don’t get the criticism of - “yes you’ll lose weight but you’ll put it all back on again once you come off the diet”

Well - duh 🙄

Losing weight means taking in fewer calories than you use. However you do it, if you start eating more calories than you use again you’ll get fat again - whether you follow SW or low carb or just having smaller meals.

Also the sw doesn't teach you nutrition and maintenance- it does you just have to listen!

100% cult
The whole diet is ludicrous
The only way you can loose weight and sustain it is by being in a calorie deficit

You get a booklet at target. 3 maintain routes depending on how much you’ve lost in last few weeks to target. I’m route b which is a couple of healthy extras a day extra if you want (dairy or fibre eg 40g oats or a small wholemeal roll) and an extra 10-15 syns a couple of times a week with suggestion to use them on savvy syns like nuts. I’m going weekly and maintaining, it’s free lots of ladies at ours are target.
Before SlimmingWorld I massively upped exercise and lost a stone. But then lost 5 in 8 months due to diet change.

I think that the no-diet method, ie intuitive eating, works really well once you are at target weight, to maintain your weight without dieting or obsessing about food.

But losing weight is not easy, if it was just a matter of sticking to a healthy diet then no one would be overweight. Most people need a lot of help and encouragement to lose weight as it is a psychological issue for most overweight people, who need to change their mindset and train themselves to eat differently.

I found that exercise didn’t help me lose weight, though made me more hungry and therefore made me think about food more. Probably more beneficial once at target weight to help maintain.

@SerenDippitty This is my story but with SW. I do know someone who has kept the weight off but it is by following the diet for life and it is hard and tedious to do that. I just don't think that SW or WW teach you to change your eating issues if you do the whole treats and syns things??? However, I m interested in what a lot of people are saying on here about not bothering with the whole syns thing and just using the super-free/free food principle because that does actually make sense.