To think that slimming world doesn't work?

[Waifwafer]

Many of my friends (including myself) have joined Slimming World over the years. There is a trend - they all lost quite a substantial amount of weight over a relatively short period of time. Kept it off for no more than six months, then ended up putting it all back on... Sometimes more.

Looking at the plan, it doesn't look like a sustainable, long term lifestyle and it doesn't even seem like a healthy way to lose weight. Viewing treats as "syns" seems dangerous. Encouraging in group for members to eat unlimited pasta is ludicrous. It's essentially a calorie deficit just like every other method of losing weight, but encourages members to view food in a negative way.

Also, the whole experience is based on the number on the scales, which may fluctuate week-on-week and not actually be anything to do with fat loss.

AIBU to think that Slimming World is all a big con and doesn't work on a long term basis?

SW definitely works. When I joined our local GP's were recommending it. You eat real food, you do not have to have any processed food or convenience foods , you can buy fresh and cook your meals from scratch as you would on a healthy diet anyway.

I do agree that SW and WW rely on people succeeding just enough to keep coming back, and they must know that 95% of people won't actually succeed. But they know that, because they know people won't stick to plan, will take away whatever message they want, don't actually want to change their diets permanently etc so you could argue that, yes SW/WW doesn't work, but then, no system or diet works 100% if the person doesn't actually stick with it long term.

@Elodie9

SW definitely works. When I joined our local GP's were recommending it. You eat real food, you do not have to have any processed food or convenience foods , you can buy fresh and cook your meals from scratch as you would on a healthy diet anyway.

Yeah true but they also encourage low fat alternatives which are full of shite. And pasta n sauce and mug shots.

When people on this thread are saying that slimming world (weight watchers, noom etc) don't work they don't mean that people who follow the plan at the time don't lose weight. What they mean is that the diets are designed to help most people lose weight in the short term but not be sustainable for most so people lose 1-2 stone then struggle to sustain it and come back again in the future as they remember how they lost weight before (and repeat many times).

The people who lose weight on these diets and keep it off are in the minority, if they were in the majority there wouldn't be any money to make.

Oh no I'm not saying its healthy, sorry for confusion.

I just meant it's much better than the takeaway alternative which is probably 1000+ cals.

@Morgan12

"Yeah true but they also encourage low fat alternatives which are full of shite"

So what? Even the NHS recommend low fat/sugar free stuff... Schools give kids sugar free stuff all the time.. they're all getting their advice form the same place.

"And pasta n sauce and mug shots."

Errmmm ... no, these have neem Synned for years now, and they had to do that because people were eating a ton of packs a day and wondering why they weren't losing weight - same reason things like Muller Lights were Synned - people were ignoring the plan and using them as "free" snacks, when instead they should have been turning to Fruit/Veg etc.

People are idiots.

@NerrSnerr

When people on this thread are saying that slimming world (weight watchers, noom etc) don't work they don't mean that people who follow the plan at the time don't lose weight. What they mean is that the diets are designed to help most people lose weight in the short term but not be sustainable for most so people lose 1-2 stone then struggle to sustain it and come back again in the future as they remember how they lost weight before (and repeat many times).

The people who lose weight on these diets and keep it off are in the minority, if they were in the majority there wouldn't be any money to make.

but that can be said for ANY weight loss plan, be it SW, SlimFast, calorie counting, 16:8 or any regime.

It's definitely a money making scheme that relies on failure, no denying it. The weight-loss industry is worth billions because of this - people want to lose weight...But, the overwhelming majority don't make life long changes, they don't address life long food relationship issues, they want an easy fix etc but it still doesn't mean the diet/lifestyle change doesn't inherently work

I did SW and lost 100ish lbs. Kept it off for a while, then got ill and have put 4 stone on over 4 years, due both to medication and emotional eating.

When I started it was at a very low point in my life and the support and positivity is what kept me going back, I never faltered and lost weight every week.

Then I got to my target weight and the group leader didn't want to know and the support ended. More than likely because she was no longer getting my £5 a week.

I stopped going a few weeks after target and still managed to keep the weight off roughly using the diet plan.

There were a lot of women who didn't seem to understand the diet though, you're meant to replace at least a third of your food on your plate with "speed" foods which are fruit and veg, not having a pear and an orange after a huge plate of spaghetti bolognese.