To think that Slimming World just doesn't work

[insomniasucks]

Ok, so I have been following SW for a week and have lost nothing! Exactly the same weight as last week. What am I doing wrong or does SW not suit everyone. Here is a typical SW day for me:-

Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled in Frylight, tomatoes and mushrooms fried in Frylight, slice of wholemeal bread from a small loaf (HexB), cup of tea with milk from allowance (HexA)

Lunch: Batchelors Pasta N Sauce Cheese & Broccoli made with water (2.5 syns), jacket potato and a huge salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, beetroot, onions) balsamic vinegar

Dinner: Either syn free Quorn lasagne with HexA 30g cheddar cheese, salad and maybe syn free chips cooked in Airfryer or syn free Quorn curry and rice, or jacket potato with salad, or roast Quorn dinner with Frylight potatoes and loads of steamed vegetables

Snacks: Fruit, syn free homemade soup made with loads of speed veg, sometimes homemade crisps in AirFryer, Fage yoghurt with frozen fruit

Help! 😩

I'd be like the side of a house if I ate all that in a day and I work out every morning. My mum reckond she lost loads on SW but it's just sugar free bollocks and loads of carbs. It does probably work for some but definitely not all.

I think a combination of old-fashioned calorie counting and the more modern low-carb Is truly the best and healthiest way to eat.

I’m “slimming” (as my mother used to say) at the moment and, honestly, just using My Fitness Pal to log everything is such a massive eye opener and learning experience. You can eat whatever you want, so long as you keep under your target. I eat chocolate every day and plenty of fruit. I eat salads and protein. I avoid bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.

Throw in some exercise and the pounds will go down.

I've lost six stone, two to go, and in the course of 2.5 years the main things I've learned are:

1. Exercise may not be as important for losing weight as diet but it's bloody brilliant for keeping weight manageable. Not to mention all the other health benefits.
2. The only diet you should follow is the one that works for you, and it doesn't have to be the same all the time.

I've switched strategies more times than I can even keep count of, whilst building an armoury of exercise and diet knowledge that allows me to pick and choose what suits.

Which is how without even trying, and being knocked back by getting Covid, and without tracking my calories at all, I've lost 5lbs in lockdown. Because I've taught myself what I need to eat, and ate slightly less than that.

Pasta and rice are my downfall and I'm not even overweight. I exercise a lot for the mental health benefits and notice that I can never quite lose the belly because I still eat these in abundance. I dont even do refined sugar. I personally haven't the motivation to be perfect but I do know that if you eat a lot of carbs, over a certain age, you wont lose much weight.

I tried slimming world, but wasn’t a big fan of the group stuff and the 3 different consultants I met in the space of 6 weeks were all over weight and a little bit strange.

I have a few friends who love it and have done really well by sticking to the ‘rules’. That doesn’t mean eating tonnes of the stuff that is ‘allowed’. If you eat too much, even on SW you won’t lose weight.

I totted up the calories OP had in 1 day (choosing one main meal from her list) and before any snacks it was around 1800 calories. Hardly surprising you have not lost any weight.

My weight crept on when I gave up smoking, so I started calorie counting using the my fitness app. It’s not 100% accurate, but close enough.

I have gone for 1200 calories a day, but in reality it’s more like 1400 a day due to sometimes not being totally accurate. What it did for me was make me realise that the stir fry’s I was eating were not healthy, as I was using a packet rice and a packet sauce. About 800 calories! I now have a small amount of rice that I cook, loads more veg and make my own stir fry sauce with some honey, light soy sauce, chilli and garlic.

It makes me think before I open a packet of biscuits and eat half a pack, as I know the amount of calories. It makes me think about the big fry up and I now have scrambled egg, tomatoes and half a tin of beans.

I had sausage, mash and beans for tea last night, but instead of having the usual 4 large sausage and half a plate of mash, with a full tin of beans, I had 3 small sausage, 150g of mash and half a tin of beans.
Portion size is really important.

A pork steak, with loads of veg, 150g of new potatoes and bistro gravy is only around 350 calories and is a great meal that fills me up.

I have lost 9lb in just under 4 weeks.

Calorie counting isn’t for everyone and neither is SW.

My turning point was actually wanting to lose weight and being in the right frame of mind to do it. Yes, willpower plays a part too. SW maybe could have worked for me, but I don’t think I was in the right frame of mind and did it half-hearted, despite the strange and over-weight consultants.

“2) The only diet you should follow is the one that works for you, and it doesn't have to be the same all the time.”

Exactly....

@Dixiechickonhols

Would you mind giving us a sample day’s menu, please? I’m getting bored already, 2 weeks in! And did you increase your exercise?

@NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace you look bloody amazing!

cherrysoup No need to be bored. I do pinch of nom recipes, love SlimmingWorld take 5 book (every recipe only needs 5 ingredients) Use jdseasonings a lot they are syn free and have easy recipe to follow.
Breakfast I eat a lot of eggs, skyr & berries, oats - overnight oats, baked oats or porridge. Lunch had Hawaiian couscous today recipe on slimmingeats website she has lots of nice stuff on. Salads, omelette, jacket potatoes. I post everything I eat on my Instagram send me a message if you want it.

cherrysoup I walked more (I walk at least hour a day) and added swimming a couple of times a week.

They’re all making money out of us somehow; SW, Rebel Fit and WW etc. They’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts - clicks are revenue and all that jazz.

Slimming world is not a diet. Nor is it healthy.

It's a money making business that requires you to fail at it repeatedly to keep giving them money.

Please look at rebel fit online. He explains the whole con.

The fact that you are apparently able to eat pasta (and processed mug shot at that) as well as potato in one meal and this is still considered a healthy diet speaks volumes about SW.

I'm not criticising you. I really feel strongly anti sw is all! For these very reasons!

I'm convinved those who lose weight on SW are reducing calories and/or carbs consciously or not.

Two examples of valid 'SW' versions:

2000 - 2500 cals:

B: 4 eggs omelette, tomatoe, onion, 2 small wholemeal bread, 1 yogurt, 30g cheese, baked beans.
Snack: 1 banana 1 apple
Lunch: huge plate of pasta with mackrel in tomato sauce or bacon or chicken, side salad, apple
Snack: 300 cals worth of chocolate or crisps (15syns)
Dinner: massive potato and veg curry with mountain of rice, more fruit like mango banana and grapes with fat free yogurt

Vs

B: 1 boiled egg
Snack: cucumber sticks
Lunch: veg soup, or tuna salad with 1 tbsp olive oil as the healthy extra B
Snack: 5 cherry tomatoes, 1/2 avocado or handful of nuts (healthy extra B choice)
Dinner: chicken breast strips and veg stirfry, no oil.
Sugar free jelly
Zero syns as 'too full on free food'

Both will swear they are doing sw only. You can see how sw can look totally different. It's very inconsistent.

Those who have mentioned Noom, how does that work?

DevilsSpawn

I swap, I will go out for a meal and instead of having lasagna - I’ll have fish with vegetables and salad

Instead of having curry and rice at home I’ll eat veggie curry, salad ( chopped tomatoes cucumber and onion) with less rice.

I’m eat the same quantity Of food at meals But reduce the calories & eat complex carbs

The only slimming world plan that worked for me was the red day plan, I lost a lot very quickly on that. Mainly this was because it was high protein and low carb. I tried the new plan but couldn’t lose weight on it. Now on weight watchers but I think some posters might be right in saying that only calorie counting gives you that accurate weight loss every week.

I've lost nearly 2st on SW and hubby nearly 4. It works for us somehow. It's a lifestyle change though, rather than a diet as you have to eat this way forever and it can be time consuming and make your shopping more expensive, but I'm pleased with the results so far. I think it is what you make of it.

To be honest OP I think you need some nutritional education. It will help you to understand a balanced diet better.

I’ve been on slimming world 2 weeks, I’ve lost 10lb (8lb2oz & 2lb) and I haven’t been eating low fat stuff or their meals. I’d rather have less full fat stuff and enjoy it than fat free food. I actually find it’s just redirected me to healthy options and I follow some of their recipes. If their recipe says it’s for 4 people then I divide into portions and fill up on speed foods. Otherwise I’ll have 2 portions of chilli or whatever. We are eating more healthy foods and enjoying new dishes.

Yes, in theory meat/pasta is free but if I ate an entire cow I would not expect to lose weight. That’s obvious and if that’s got you this wound up that “it’s a con” then it’s not for you.

Hi, I don't think SW is a con as such. It is a diet and forces people to be accountable for and mindful about what they are eating. When people stop going, they stop being accountable and stop being mindful. That isn't SWs fault. It doesn't matter whether you do SW, WW, MFP, IF or whatever... you need to be thinking carefully about what, when and how much you're eating. Moderation is key x

How are you doing op? I hope you manage to find a way of eating that promotes a healthier mindset and allows you to enjoy your food as opposed to restricting yourself opposed to stupid and ridiculous rules. Brown bread ok but not white , prepackaged sandwiches the devil, snack on sugar free jelly and pizza is forbidden unless it's on a cauliflower base.

It doesn't work. I know women in my old sw group who has ben going 20yrs and lost and regained the same 5 stone. Realistically who does slimming world and counts syns and all that palaver forever? It's not sustainable, especially when you're busy and working full time. So people dont follow it and having had no education fall back into old ways. And then think sw is the answer again.

And theres no allowances made for different weights either. A 20 stone woman would probably lose on egg and bacon sandwich for breakfast with yogurt and fruit after, jacket potato with cheese and beans and salad for lunch snacking on bananas and yogurt and sugar free jelly, massive portion of curry and rice for tea and syns on wine and chocolate. A 10stone woman wanting to lose a stone probably wouldnt. Yet theres no explanation that when you weigh less you need to eat less to lose. At least ww are better in this regard by adjusting your points as you go lower! The whole slimmer of the week thing fosters unhealthy mindsets. Starving before weigh in is normal as is having a chippie tea to celebrate. Feeling guilty for going over your syns is commonplace. People are encouraged to eat packets of ham with cottage cheese for a 'snack ' or to make sangria using rose, blackcurrant and orange squash instead of making it properly. Cauliflower gravy (yuck!) and smash pizzas (double yuck)
The worst thing imo is that sw labels itself as non restrictive which isnt true. You can eat as much rice, curry, omelettes, potato and pasta as you like, true. But you need to plan your day meticulously. Heaven forbid you want to grab a sandwich from tesco for lunch on the way to work as thatll be 11syns thank you very much, even for the healthy options. It's all based on prep prep prep. Which is fine occasionally bit unless you're unemployed who realistically has time to home cook all their meals each day? My breakfast is routinely a cereal bar and smoothie while walking to work. Oops full of syns on sw! They say nothings banned but in practice it is. Dominos is something like 10syns a slice and thats for the 'healthier ' veggie pizzas so dominos is off the cards. So you crave it more, and rather than having it say once a month and enjoying you have it once a month, starve yourself the next day and feel guilty as fuck for eating it. There are so many things I dropped from my diet on sw. No real butter, no white bread, no white burger buns, etc. Sitting in car while mam and dad had McDonalds and having stir fry later instead. At least on ww I could have had some selects and fries for not too horrific a number and just cut back a little (emphasis on a little) the next few days. 15syns sounds like a lot but it really isnt when you consider how mayo, butter, ketchup, oil etc is syns. It's not just for chocolate or crisps. If you want a chicken fajita wrap for tea having had weetabix for breakfast that's extra syns. Whereas a massive bowl of pasta bolognese is free. And portion size isnt addressed. Before I started losing weight what I thought a portion of pasta was actually 2 portions, and I ate til stuffed. SW does nothing to address this. Now I go by the handful is a portion rule, and just bulk it up with other stuff instead. And yes sometimes when adjusting portions I felt hungry, so I simply had a side salad or something like fruit afterwards. If you look at sw meals on Instagram some people have the most ridiculous sized meals! Sw is not a 'normal' way of eating for me it's not the actual food that's an issue, it's the mindset of syns and I cant have x so I'll have y instead which makes you feel bloody miserable.

Have you actually read the books OP? It seems like you just joined & heard that you can have free carbs & thought great & ate loads of carbs & now you don't understand how you haven't lost any weight. Your allowed 2 Healthy extra A a day. That's at the start of the book. It's obvious your not following the plan. I hate slimming world now because I've been brainwashed by them for years but if you do want to lose weight using their plan you need to follow the plan properly.

I tried. Slimming World over20 years ago and in three whole weeks lost no weight at all!

@Cherrysoup you don’t need to be bored honest! I was at first, but if you get off the slimming world website (which I find really hard to navigate) and look on fb and Instagram there’s loads of recipes, as well as advice and ideas.

I think slimmingeats was mentioned before but also try Pinch of Nom, 2 chubby cubs and fatgirlskinny. I tend to cook pretty normally but use frylight instead of oil.

So for example for breakfast I eat all bran with fruit or make overnight oats and use them as my HeB. Then for dinner this week we’ve got jacket potatoes, salmon, meatballs with spaghetti, some more fish with potatoes and veg.

Slimming eats has a good mince hot pot recipe and a lovely roasted veg recipe which you can put some fish or chicken on top of and roast. We often roast a chicken and use it for lunches (without the skin). The chicken, garlic, and lemon casserole from the SW website is nice. Basically I slow cook loads too you just have to make sure the meat isn’t too fatty and use 5% fat mince. Try the enchilada lasagne from pinch of Nom it’s a favourite in our house.

I appreciate the meaning behind your post, that if you really eat unlimited amounts of the foods SW claims you can, you won’t lose weight.

I’ve thought of this thread a few times this week, even though I haven’t posted in it. I’m in a few low carb groups on FB, and there have been several refugees from SW joining and talking about trying to get their head around the difference between the two ways of eating. All of them mention “unlimited” foods and one has posted asking if there’s a version of the SW soup which apparently you make a big pot of and eat all day, in between your actual meals?

I get that some people lose weight on it but there’s no way I could. If you told me I could eat infinite potatoes (even if it meant having to eat salad as well, I also love salad) I would absolutely eat infinite potatoes. Unfortunately, diet plans such as SW and WW have products to sell, which they make a lot of money on, and because of that they have no incentive to encourage you to snack less. And if they’re teaching you to eat infinite potatoes (or whatever) then when you inevitably stop SW, you’ll still be in those eating habits, just with fats and sweets on top, which of course means the weight comes back on.

I know you’ve already said you’re going to check out MFP which is a great start. (Tbh it’s also tough if you don’t have much to lose, which you don’t!) Good luck.

I think it works if you have a lot to lose. I always lose like 7lb on it and then no more. I can't get on with the free foods idea. I can happily keep eating all day and even making sure I eat the 1/3 of a plate veg or whatever still results in over eating because I have a bottomless pit. It's a carb heavy diet as well which makes losing a bit difficult for me.