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?

Very much a cult and very unhealthy in the long run. Calling food a syn and making up batshit rules about what a syn is! A mashed bana suddenly acquires syns when unwashed it doesn't, an avocado has a million while their own ready meals and chocolate bars have none. Not healthy eating at all.

^I completely agree. I have 2 friends who did Slimming World. Yes they lost weight but they can’t eat normal now. They are continually obsessing over food. They couldn’t stop even if they tried. One even brings her own food to friends houses/ parties because she can’t let go. Based on what I have seen happen to them I wouldn’t recommend it at all.

Has anyone actually managed to keep off the weight after doing SW or WW?

My DC are teens now but WW worked with me twice to get back to my ideal weight after pregnancy. 1st 1.5 stone, second time 2 stone.

I didn't keep on counting points though. By the time I'd maintained for a bit I'd learned the portion sizes and roughly what to eat and how much exercise to balance it.

It was my first and last 'diet' and I'm still bmi 20. I do realise that going by the stats I seem to be an anomaly. Should say as well I was in my twenties and determined not to be the mumsy one among my group of mainly child free friends!

It does work. Exercise won’t do it on its own if you’re still eating unhealthily.

It takes a while to get your head round what you can eat and all the Syns. Once you’re doing it after a couple of weeks though it’s easy, and I get to a stage where I don’t miss crisps and cheese (you can still have some cheee).

As a pp said, Pinch of Nom is great, there’s a fb page as well as recipe books. You do have to work out the syn values of their recipes though. Two Chubby Cubs, Slimming Eats are two more. I would also recommend Fat Girl Skinny as she explains everything on her website and also has all the Syns and Healthy extras on there.

Print yourself out some Syn charts and reward charts for losing lbs as motivation. Also if you know someone else doing it, it helps.

Like with any diet if you start eating like you did before the weight goes back on. It’s about a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix.

It works if you use your brain/common sense. Yes pasta, rice, potatoes are "free" but that doesn't mean you eat them all day long!

I think it also depends on the consultant. I've done it 3 times in the past when it hasn't worked because I just didn't get on with the consultant so I stopped wanting to go and the groups keep me on track so I then fell back into the same unhealthy eating patterns. My consultant now is great and she always talks about portion control, having as much speed/free veg on your plate as possible then abit of protein and abit of carbs. It's working now. I cook from fresh more and try out different recipes instead of buying convenience foods or takeaways.

There is a massive danger of cyclical loss/gain.

I’ve thought a lot about the people who lose and gain the same 2-3lbs too, and come to conclusion that whilst I hope that’s never me- if they weren’t going that they may well be gaining stones so it is success of sorts.

I tried it years ago for 3 weeks and had not lost a single pound. The woman who led the group said it was my body getting used to the diet. Bonkers.

Cheap out team RH fitness on Facebook.
Slimming world is basically a way to reduce calories without counting. It only works to a point. Much more sustainable is to learn about calories, learn about nutrient dense food and find a way to eat food you enjoy in amounts that create calorie deficit and you can sustain in the long term.

I lost 8.5 stone on SW but then slowly regained it all, because it wasn't sustainable long term. They have some weird ideas: mash a banana and it has to he synned ( even though your teeth mash a whole 'free'banana when you eat it ) etc and their allowances of bread abd cereal are pitiful. Plus, you can't have cereal for breakfast and bread for lunch unless you syn one of them. The SW ready meals are pretty dire, yet have more calories than many other high synned ready meals.
If you follow the plan, it works. But to keep the weight off it has to be for life. I found it too restrictive and oh dear God, the meetings were so tedious.
In March this year I decided to lose the weught I'd regained by generally being more active and eating foods I like in moderation. I was 18 stone 7lb in March and this morning I weighed 11 stone 12lb.

Have a look at team RH fitness on FB.

The slimming world rants are legendary. As are the pics comparing slimmin world syn free food with ‘normal’ food.

Another one who lost weight (over 2 stone) on WW more than 15 years ago. I am still at my goal weight. There have been blips up after babies and I have used a combination of WW and my fitness pal to get back to normal weight.

The original points system was actually easy in the days before online food databases. It is a quick and easy way to be mindful of what you eat.

Basically, if you're a reasonably intelligent human being and have a basic understanding of nutrition, it's a great plan to follow to lose weight sensibly and achieve a healthy goal.
This! SW, like any other diet plan, works if you stick to it. It's no better/worse than any other. I lost 6 stone following the plan, and I have kept it off for years now. I've never had a Mugshot or Mullerlight in my life, and if I fancy avocado I have it, but I do follow the main principles (which are basically healthy eating).

Well done Molto. Whenever I read these threads I feel like a lone voice (!)

Yes it works, it's easy to follow and I always feel Better when I'm following the plan. But like anything, if you stop doing SW, WW, calorie deficit, keto, noon etc you'll put the weight back on if you go back to bad habits.

A trainer I know said for weight loss it 90% in the kitchen and 10% in the gym. Every plan when losing weight is based on 'less in, more out' SW is no exception.

I like the weekly groups and weigh in as I'm crap at motivating myself. I always do better in the weeks I stay for the chat after the weigh in and I'll very often come away with some ideas

Don't just rely on one thing. These diet plans aren't viable long term but if it changes your relationship with food in the short term whilst you get to a gym and research what eating plan works for you, why not.

Years and years ago I've lost 5 stone in 6 months by simple calorie counting and gym. I am now gearing up to do it again but because I am now changing the lifestyle rather than just dieting, it takes longer. Basically I eat what I want, predominantly veg, meat, cheese, eggs BUT I count it and limit it a bit and am making my portions smaller each week. I am a greedy little big shit who just needs the biggest portion🙄 That needs to change. So every week I put bit less on a plate. Like this I can go out, I don't have to worry about special occasions etc. I just pick the healthier version, unless it's a super treat, and eat less.

Don't just diet. Make it a sustainable lifestyle change so you don't have to keep going in the up and down weight circle for ever.

A cult?! How the hell is it a cult exactly?!

Yes it’s a con. It’s a huge business which wants your repeated custom.

Of course people lose lots of weight on it. It’s just that the VAST majority of them end up putting it back on (and more). They blame themselves for not sticking to the plan, ‘if only I had stuck to the plan I wouldn’t have put this weight back on’. But the plan is NOT sustainable long-term. SW knows this, this is why their business is so successful.

Lots of strange, non-sensical advice. Syns have absolutely NO scientific basis behind them. Recipes full of sweeteners and crap. Plates absolutely piled high with ‘free’ or ‘speed’ food. Being weighed in front of a room full of people (shame anyone?). Consultants with no nutritional background, they’re just there to try and flog ‘diet’ bars. People beating themselves for being ‘bad’ for eating a slice of cake.

I just think on the whole, it promotes disordered eating. It doesn’t teach about real nutrition.

I think slimming world is a load of bollocks! Look up RH fitness and see what they have to say about them then I bet you won't be considering joining slimming world!
Cannot agree more. SW is batshit at RH will show u!

It cult like and encourages disordered eating. I know a couple of group leaders - they live off SW own brand ready meals and fish sticks. Every waking minute of their lives is obsessing over food.
I have a friend who refused to eat a brownie her daughter made for her at school because it had too many syns (and told her dd this) and another that told me my salad was unhealthy because it contained avocado.

I like SW and lost a stone before Christmas to get to my target. I hate people putting it down. All my friends are slim, I gained my weight once I’d had my DS and was snacking on chocolate to keep me going after the sleepless nights. So having a group of people with the same target helped me so much.

All slimmimg groups are a con. Simple eat less move more. Another James Smith fan here

My Mum has been a SW member since 1985....... and she still weighs exactly the same as she did on joining. She loses a stone, puts in on, loses it again.......... she's caught in a horrid negative cycle with it. And she eats the most horrendous amount of chemical shit imaginable that is marketed as food............

I'm T2 diabetic, and was really pushed by my diabetic nurse to take 12 weeks free SW membership, but once you cut sugar and most carbs from your diet and up your protein intake, weight loss is actually fairly much guaranteed.

I can see why people think it's a cult. I have been to 3 SW groups with different leaders and the support offered isn't great tbh.

The leaders don't make much money at all, they are on commission, so need to get as many people through the door as possible. Once the meeting is more than about 20 people, I found that there wasn't really any time to offer support to people, and it felt quite uncaring.

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

Btw I did lose 2.5 stone on SW, but regained it after stopping. The best thing I learned there was 1/3 of your plate should be non- starchy veg.

The slimming industry makes millions of pounds every year by charging you money to follow their particular spin on a low calorie diet. You will lose weight whilst following those eating plans but in the long term they are unsustainable so eventually most people regain the weight. People then rejoin the club or group and pay again to lose the same weight again.

You don’t need a club or group leader to eat sensibly. Eat a diet with a lot of fresh vegetables, salads and small amounts of starchy, fatty or sugary foods. Drink a lot of water and very little alcohol. Make sure your diet is varied. Cut back on processed food. If portion control is an issue for you make a conscious effort to reduce the amount you eat. In the unlikely event that you are unsure what foods contain a lot of fat or sugar you can check online or read labels.

That’s it. That’s all you need to know. Eat small amounts of healthy foods and keep active. Then you will lose weight. So easy to say and so hard to do but you don’t need to pay a multinational company to do it.

It works if you don’t get too involved with the ‘slimming world fans’ I lost a stone just before Christmas and need to get back on it to stop me over eating.
However I left my last group as the group leader told everyone that easter eggs were more syns as they were blown up with sugary easter egg ‘gas’ 🙄