How can I undo damage done by slimming world?

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I've had a love/hate relationship with it over the last few years. I know it really works for some people. But it's not for me.

I don't know how I can undo associating foods with Syns and Speed vs Free?

I want to be able to have a piece of pineapple without worrying that it is Free rather than Speed!

Or eat a slice of white bread for 100 calories or whatever and not feel like my whole day is ruined!

Anyone got any advice on how you did it?

I tried SW to lose baby weight after having DC2 and yes, I lost the weight, but I don't think I did it in a healthy way.

I remember one meeting I was asked what I'd had for dinner the night before and I said mince and dumplings - lean mince in gravy with onions, two dumplings, potatoes, cabbage, carrots. The leader asked how many syns I'd used on that one meal and I said 10.5, i was 'allowed' up to 20 a a day as I was breastfeeding. It was then opened up to the group to pick my meal apart as that was "a lot" of syns for one meal. It was collectively decided that I could have lowered the syn content by making "SW dumplings" from lentils, Smash, and an egg for 2 syns each, whereas my actual real dumplings were only 3 syns each. I could have used "SW gravy" made from marmite, hot water, and a tiny bit of cornflour for something like 1 or 2 syns, and then I could have used my remaining syns to have some chocolate or to have an extra "SW dumpling" or two

Calorie counting via MFP worked much better for me and I still use it now to maintain my weight. I eat what I want with no worries around it being "good" or "bad" and aim to go no higher than my calorie limit for the day. If I do go over it then it's no big deal, I just account for it the following day.

I’ll dig out the title of an evidenced based book on nutrition. Kind of debunks the whole calorie thing anyway as our bodies process food in such different ways, depending on our microbiome.

I know SW is really fashionable now and has been for a while, and works for many people, but I think Weight Watchers is better. I'm not saying you wouldn't get that "count the points" mindset but it's better for helping you get a feel of how to eat "around" the foods you love, if that makes sense...how to eat healthily in a way that allows you to incorporate pizza all the pizza It just feels less contrived and easier than the others, to me. Also SW is really no good if you're vegan or veggie.

I've spent my entire life either binge eating or restricting my food intake. It controlled my entire teens and 20s and I was deeply unhappy because I was either gaining weight or stuck in the house, terrified to miss a workout or go out to eat. There was no in between for me.

Dr Joshua Wolrich (@drjoshuawolrich) on instagram is an NHS surgeon who lost a lot of weight years ago and now spends his free time fighting diet culture and weight related stigma. He talks a lot about intuitive eating, giving yourself unconditional permission to eat food without having to "earn" it, and debunking what he calls "nutribollocks". There is also a facebook group for those recovering from struggles with dieting.

Another vote for rebelfit!

How does an adult become so programmed though that they can't decide not to do SW anymore & think for themselves about food?

Unfortunately this conditioning will have started before you joined SW they have just used this model as they know it works

Especially on women how often do we see a woman being naughty because she is eating a piece of cake 🙄

We women are meant to only have enjoyment in small doses food is just one enjoyment that we shouldn’t indulge in too much

I’ve never used food as treats for ds as I am all to aware how I binge on treat food (was never an issue until I started gaining weight in my 40’s)

So I think the blame can be laid will them along with all the marketing and conditioning from a young child

Is RebelFit about fitness as it seems to be, rather than diet? I am disabled so need to control through diet really. Been using My Fitness Pal but it’s not really helping as I eat low cal but not losing weight.

I struggle with the concept that SW "encourages you to gorge on Muller Lights and Mug Shots". I have never eaten a Muller Light and don't even know what a Mug Shot is!

I also struggle with the idea that people can't decide not to do SW anymore and think for themselves about food, exactly as Diddl put it.

Sorry, I digressed!

Re slimming world - I have also lost weight on SW before but found it unsustainable. I don’t know how you get it out of your head, not an issue I’ve had but maybe I didn’t do it for that long (a year or so). I think maybe it’s about replacing these thoughts with something different rather than just trying to ignore them.

SW is nutritionally unsound. The leaders are giving out advice and most of them are totally clueless. It's a money making racket. I think you can unlearn it. The usual suspect foods to be kept for a very occasional treat. Sweets, crisps, cakes and so on. Food that doesn't make a meal. Look at some of the other threads the diet section. I can never eat a Muller light again.

It sounds like you want to move away from dietary restraint and restriction OP, rather than try another method to lose weight - is that correct?

If so, seeking a brief period of therapeutic help would not be the worst idea (e.g. a few counselling sessions with a counsellor informed about the Health at Every Size approach). It sounds like you're finding concerns about food quite intrusive and everyone deserves to enjoy what they're eating without feeling perpetually guilty or hyper-aware...

I think most of these sw threads are started by rebelfit so they can promote themselves. There is always a load of fans conveniently there to bring them up straight away.

@Spiderbaby8

ODFOD

I hate Slimming World and have had to work really hard over a few years to get myself out of the SW mindset. I’ve now been intuitive eating for quite a while and it works really well for me, it getting to a place where you feel able to trust yourself to listen to what your body wants and needs is difficult after years of diet bollocks.

SW gets weight off fast. It is useful if you need to get into a dress for a wedding or similar. It is very good at getting lots of weight off of people who have a lot to lose. However, it does not address the psychology of why they are overweight in the first place and actually makes this worse with the”eat as much X as you want” message. It also encourages the use of lots of artificial sweetener and ‘nothing’ foods (low fat stuff) which are bad for you, but discouraged eating healthy fats. Before I did SW for the first time I used to drink nothing but water unless I was on a night out. I ended up with a Diet Coke addiction from SW which I still can’t fully kick (I have a lot less now though). I started drinking it because everything else I was eating was just not very nice so I craved a ‘treat’. Had my diet contained good fats and other satisfying foods I wouldn’t have craved a free treat. I also found that it didn’t address my sugar addiction because it was so carb heavy and sweeteners also exacerbate this.

I now don’t touch low fat or ‘diet’ options of anything, I eat lots of good fats, lots of protein and less carbs and sugar. My body tells me what it needs.

For all the people who say how great SW is and that it’s the way they choose to lose weight every time, maybe have a think about why you keep needing to lose weight. It doesn’t work long term because it’s impossible to stick to that way of eating for life I know well over 100 people who have lost weight on SW and only one of those has kept the weight off long term.

Took me a while but I eventually forgot which fruit/veg was free and which was speed. Remember that it is changing all the time (just after I stopped blueberries changed from free to speed).

I do still have good/bad food ideas in my head but I remember I am allowed 'bad' food (syns) but I shouldn't eat too much.

So in practice nowadays I work on the basis of:

• fruit, veg, lean meat - eat as much as I want (limited by what I buy!)
• carbs - eat a sensible amount (I weigh rice and pasta, and usually only have 1 or 2 pieces of bread)
• sweet treats/ crisps etc. try to stick to one a day

I don't know if this will be useful for you, as you want to break the good/bad cycle, but it is what works for me.

No food is 'Sinful', surely? It is either healthy or unhealthy/less good for us.
Exercise and eating less sugary fatty things will surely help.

Making food have a 'value' like 'Sinful' surely isn't helpful.

I did slimming world and didn’t eat muller lights.

The main message of slimming world is to eat a lot of fruit and veg.

Totally agree op
Your set up to fail so you keep returning to pay them money
It’s not in their interest for you to succeed long term ,as there is no money in that for them

How does an adult become so programmed though that they can't decide not to do SW anymore & think for themselves about food?

Some people get really sucked into it and it does give you disordered ideas around food, portion sizes, and what is and isn't good for you.

You get told things like a banana is free but if you mash it up, it's not. I can chew up a banana with my teeth, mashing it, and it doesn't count but if I mash it up with a fork and stir it into some yoghurt or put it on top of my weetabix its suddenly bad for me and full of syns?

[quote FatBottomedGurl]I strongly recommend this Book - amazon link there

I haven't done SW myself, my DH has and has never been recommended to eat a muller light or a mugshot

Like the OP, he has lost weight on it. Syns are about balance so definitely not 'giggle giggle' from what I've seen either. I've seen threads like this before where there seems to be no relation to the version of SW that my DH has! No mugshots, no airfryer, no muller lights - honest!

If the OP wants to change her mindset about food that's fine, there have been some suggestions of groups. Well done on the weight loss OP - what do you think is stopping you changing your thinking about food?

Download My Fitness Pal. It’s free. Log everything and keep under your target.

Nothing off-limits. Just tot it all up. Pure and simple calorie counting.

Intermittent fasting has really helped me. I'm losing weight v slowly but my relationship with food is totally changed. I'm free to choose healthy foods because that's what nourishes me. No more diet substitutes or low fat alternatives. I eating fatty meats, butter, avocados etc. I've even given refined sugar the boot. I eat what I fancy and that's rarely processed food now. More exercise too.

I'm very conscious of the messages around food since having DC. So many foods are deemed as 'bad' or given 'as a treat'. I am trying to educate DC that foods aren't necessarily either good or bad - but it's about balance, eating a good variety of things, and staying active.

DS came home from school the other day saying pizza was unhealthy -we ended up having a discussion about it - i.e. it depends what you put on it, our homemade pizza is healthier because we limited the cheese and add loads of vegetables (no meat) which is good. And that we do need fat and sugar in our diets but in moderation

I need to lose weight but I'm personally trying to focus on nutrition and preparing and eating more vegetarian / healthier meals ( and not snacking because I'm stressed / bored whatever)