Slimming world. Is it a con/cult?

[Emcont]

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?

I think what makes sense to me about the 'intuitive eating' is that if I'd never demonised and deprived myself of things like chocolate, I don't think they would be nearly so alluring. Those 'naturally slim' people who seem to be able to largely eat what they want but are able to nibble one square of chocolate (or not bother, as they're not hungry) - they never learnt not to eat intuitively. That's why they are slim.

Have a look at Minimums Diary of a slimming world consultant. It makes the whole thing seem more MLM boss-babe

Is that the thread on Minimins? It is good reading... I'm only a third of the way through but its gripping reading! A couple of posters are being totally honest and saying they have earned less than a fiver after a meeting. One person who hasn't even done their training yet saying it's a business, you need to work harder, you can expect to earn straight away...

I'm dying to find out how she gets on after her training.

People are like yay I got the job. A job you need to pay £600 - £1000 to accept!

Well worth a look.

www.minimins.com/threads/a-diary-of-a-slimming-world-consultant.301318/page-47

SW is a franchise business. Doesn't make it a cult or even bad, lots of franchises about for just about anything. The issue is people going into it without making sure there is a suitable market.

I had a quick look at the Fitness Chef and TBH it doesn't look a lot different to SW. The main difference seems to be terminology, they all look much of a muchness just rubbish each others way of referring to what they're doing.

I do SW and when I stick it to it, I lose weight. My diet becomes super healthy and I feel so much better. Basically it encourages fresh fruit, vegetables, and lean protein with a small allowance for treats. It’s a perfectly healthy diet. Yes, they have now brought out a range of ready meals - some are nice and have reasonably ingredients compared to some other diet foods. The tweaks are NOT endorsed by the consultants at all.

My son is slim (only a child at 10 years old).

Just recently he pestered me to get some Christmas chocolates out. So he chose a box. Later I saw he had eaten two chocolates. I said "I thought you wanted these chocolates - you pestered me for them". He replies "I did".

I think that might be what eating intuitively is about. Without the guilt/abstinance/ self promises to not eat chocolate again that year - knowing he could have a treat later or tomorrow 2 chocs was enough. Now we just need to work out how to bottle that mind set.

The idea that 'cooking from scratch' leads to weight loss is wrong. It's still down to how many calories are in the meal, and I find it harder to measure calories if I'm cooking from scratch. People think they are being healthy making a lasagne from scratch but it's more likely to make you overweight than a ready meal. If I need to drop a few pounds I find ready meals work. Normally one thats 400 calories or less with a pile of veg on the side to pad it out. Things like Marksys cottage pie, lamb hot pot. I think ready meals can be a good diet aid if you get decent, low calorie ones. They are not all full of crap. They are a bit pricey, but still cheaper than a takeaway.

Cooking from scratch definitely leads to weight loss if you are eating healthy I'm vegetarian so it's easier. I don't count calories I enjoy cooking simple healthy meals. I wouldn't consider cottage pie to be particularly good for you surely it's stodge and high in calories?

Zara your language is interesting. 'Healthy' 'stodge' - you're equating low calorie with health. I cook from scratch all the time - I'm vegan, and I eat a lot of nutrient dense food. Still overweight. Your logic is flawed and your language is unnecessarily value laden.

ZaraW. Cottage pie is potato, onion, lean mince, peas and carrots. Pretty healthy. There are good and bad ready meals, just how there are good and bad meals made from scratch. (Bad as in high calorie). You might be eating the most nutritious meals on earth but if the result is that they are high in calories you will be overweight, which is unhealthy for your body.

I am struggling to see what is wrong with cottage pie, I wokld actually say that saying that is bad for you is showing a pretty awful attitude to food

Cooking from scratch leads to weight gain here because I’m far more likely to think fuck it and get a take out. 😳

@ClarencesMum yes that's the thread, I meant minimins! It's an eye opener and did make me feel sorry for the consultants.

Since I posted I have had a lovely handwritten letter from my old SW consultant. A full page of A4 saying that she missed me and wondered what she could do to help me.

I felt really guilty and was just about to text her until something about the wording made me realise that it wasn't a personal letter, it was all SW-speak - and was likely to have been a template from Head Office.

I felt better about ignoring it then.

BTW I'm down 5lbs this week doing 16.8

I was 21st 7lbs on my 29th birthday. I joined slimming world, followed it religiously with no tweaks and on my 30th birthday I was 11st 4lbs so 10st 3lbs loss in one year. I'm about to turn 39 and I weigh 12st 4lbs. My body seems to have found its happy weight and is reluctant to re-lose that one stone but I'm not to fussed as long as I don't go over the weight I am now.

I remember watching a documentary about obesity and they did a study of nursery age children. The children ate lunch as usual and then nursery staff were asked to leave plates of chocolate biscuits and other treats out. Some children ignored them, some ate one or two and some children kept eating throughout the afternoon. Surely all of these children were too young to be influenced by the idea of good/ bad food and no doubt the ones who hoovered everything up - even after a decent lunch- would continue to do so into adulthood. Maybe some people just can't 'eat intuitively'.

Thank you to whoever shared the mini-mins diary. It's absolutely fascinating! I can't stop reading.

Neither can I, and I have no idea why I am reading it but struggling to stop!

I find the sensible rules (like 1/3 speed and lean meat) rewards for exercise and structure really helpful in SW but I do take a low processed food approach and mostly have full fat dairy and add oils etc, I aim to use most of my extra allowance (syns if you must use the term, I try not to but it's catching!) for things I use in meals and have a small amount of treat food/alcohol. It's a lot easier to fit around eating with the family than low carbing was and easier to count only part of what I'm eating rather than track calories.

I don't go in for crazy food tweaks and substitutions (hell will freeze over before I cook in diet coke!) aside from where I feel it will either add to the nutritional value or the flavour. Some things you just can't expect to eat and lose weight, so why train yourself to eat meals that are normally very high fat? That's not learning healthy habits for life. If I want avocado (I'm not likely to eat a whole one, who does?) then I can easily fit that in to my daily allowance. In the same way I can have chocolate. I find its suiting me because there are rules but they aren't too restrictive and I can recognise the bits that make most sense and disregard the rest (I don't 'syn' the fruit I add to my porridge just because I'm cooking it for a few minutes to release the flavours - instead of slathering it in honey!).

A friend was telling me how she'd made cauliflower cheese SW friendly by putting readybrek and a mugshot sachet in some kind of sauce?! (not envy) If I want a cheese sauce I'll have it, but less often and I'll allow for it and probably be more mindful of my portions.

@Gammeldragz that's just how I used to do SW when I was in. Full fat yogurt, healthy oils, plenty of veg and reasonable portions. Avoiding the less healthy recipes. I've carried on alone, but with an eye to calories, although not logging obsessively any more.

I was thinking a bit more about the "intention" discussion - I was a bit sceptical about that on first reading but now I think I have a decent example from my own experience.

I used to drink quite a lot of wine. When I tried to cut down for reasons of feeling guilty about the calories or the alcohol consumption, I would cave in very easily - eg it's my reward, I've had a stressful day, I'm happy and I'm celebrating, whatever reason...

Then I gradually developed a consistent exercise habit that I loved. I found that even a slightly foggy head and dehydration would affect my performance and enjoyment. Therefore, I naturally reduced my alcohol intake. I didn't ban it and I still enjoy it guilt-free regularly, just not on most days like I used to and I don't miss that.

So that's one example where the intention is fitness focused, not weight focused, and it's had a far more positive impact than trying to control it by imposing external rules (giving it syns values for example).

I guess it could be the same for food - a fitness based intention would be to nourish your body with the right fuel for performance.

I wouldn't consider cottage pie to be particularly good for you surely it's stodge and high in calories?

What do you mean by stodge? It's largely made of meat and vegetables. Also, there's nothing wrong with something being 'high in calories' unless you eat too much of it. All kinds of healthy foods are pretty high in calories - oily fish, avocados, olive oil, whole grains, nuts. Eating nothing but low calorie food would make you very hungry, unsatisfied and possibly lacking in all kinds of nutrients.

I think that might be what eating intuitively is about. Without the guilt/abstinance/ self promises to not eat chocolate again that year - knowing he could have a treat later or tomorrow 2 chocs was enough. Now we just need to work out how to bottle that mind set.

Yes! We probably all start off with that instinct, but often it gets messed up pretty early in childhood by being told to eat because it's meal time when we aren't hungry, to finish our plate even though we are full and that certain foods are 'naughty'.

I'm a few days into applying the principles of the 'How to have your cake and skinny jeans' book mentioned upthread. It's genuinely making a difference to my eating habits, particularly with regard to snacking and feelings about what I eat. Thanks again to the poster who recommended it.

My problem with SW and other clubs is that you are in a ' diet' mindset rather than a healthy life style. How many people have you heard say I'm going back to slimming world. They are either on a diet or off a diet and seem to put even more weight back on.
I understand about the support of a weigh in and some clubs seem to offer a better service than others and will talk about emotion and eating and portion control, others are more like a social gathering.If you decide to go I would say pick your class wisely, learn about nutrition, dont get sucked in to buying hifi bars and other no nutritional shit. Be honest with yourself about why you are fat and look at your triggers for over eating.
I'm currently doing the same but not with a club.

Good luck!

Personally I think my appetite was set as a baby when my mum fed to a 4 hour schedule despite me not gaining weight. I don't blame her - it was 1980 and that was what she was told to do. When she switched to bottle I gained a lot very quickly. With subsequent babies she followed her instinct and they are all more instinctive eaters.

However history slightly repeated with my baby (not the 4 hour routine, but insufficient milk) and he has the opposite issue - tiny appetite and takes forever to eat anything. So maybe my hypothesis is bollocks or maybe it's combination of factors.

The only thing that annoyed me at SW meetings was the focus on snacking on Slimming cakes/crunch bars/chocolate.

As I’m now following a more intuitive diet, I’ve realised that these slimming bars do not taste good, and do not satisfy a craving for a treat. Far better to snack on a small piece of real cake or a small bar of proper chocolate. Craving is then satisfied, and then I can move on with my day. Those fake treats just make me feel unsatisfied, and left me still wanting a proper treat afterwards.

4 lbs off for me this week I eat clean so no diet bars or yogurts I've lost 3 stone with SW and kept it off for 15 years it's only a cult if you want it to be

Don't SW and WW offer free membership for people who stick to their goal weight? Maybe the answer is to carry on attending and to view maintanence of a healthy weight as an ongoing process, and not something you do when you get too heavy.