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?

Yanbu. Done sw a few times, weight falls off when you do it properly. Personally I will only do it if feeling I want a bit of weight off on a hurry, it’s certainly not long term as it goes back on for me

I’ve had success with SW over the last year, I joined because I was pregnant and weighed far too much but wanted an approved diet. It worked and over the whole pregnancy I lost 5lbs and gave birth to a healthy 8lb boy. Another stone came off within 2 weeks. I’ve kept it up and the weight is steadily coming off but I’m under no illusion about pasta, potatoes, rice etc. I spent far too many years on My Fitness Pal to know that if I ate all I wanted, or even every day I wouldn’t lose. For me now it’s more about the group incentive and I do think it’s a healthy eating plan.

@slashlover

And didn’t they once do an about-turn on Porky Lites? Used to be free, but now not, even though the make up of them hasn’t changed. Ridiculous.

They did the same with sweetener, used to be free but now has a syn value. Unless you think no diet every changes?

Of course not, but diets (IME) usually only change when a food changes and has something added/removed. Sweetener (I don’t have it anyway as it’s bloody awful and I get migraines from it) hasn’t changed, so why have SW changed it in their plan?

I lost over 3 stone a few years ago with a PT, who is also a qualified nutritionist. If I went back now, he wouldn’t suddenly tell me to eat those new 100 cal Mars Bars, because his take is that if I want chocolate then eat some and keep to his plan the rest of the day/week. He believed having small amounts each day wasn’t a good idea. If I was struggling and said “I really want a KFC”, he’d suggest I get some wings and wedges from the hot counter in Asda, for example. He described the yoghurts and cake bars as “monster foods” - having a lot of calories for little to no nutritional benefit.

Oh also will never return as you are forced to attend the first group despite if you are a returning member. So you’ve done it before but they make you sit and listen to all the chat for at least an hour which is a waste of precious time

It's actually the only diet plan iv manages to maintain over the years after trying them all. Sensible meals, not cutting out food groups. If you read the whole pack theres loads about mindful eating and eating until you are full.

It’s great at eating a lot of weight off quickly. But it’s terrible long term and doesn’t encourage the sort of attitude to food and eating that could sustain weight loss long term: it doesn’t retrain you to eat smaller portions, it doesn’t encourage eating healthy fats, and it encourages a huge amount of carb consumption. Also lots of shit in there such as processed meals and sweeteners. The only good, sensible bits of the plan are filling one third of your plate with fruit and veg, and I think the healthy extras force you to make sensible choices (e.g. if I want toast for breakfast, it’s not a good idea to have a sandwich for lunch/if I want cheese on my jacket potato, I’d better not have any on my spaghetti bolognaise later).

It's a business if it worked people wouldn't need to go back and they wouldn't make more money

BarbaraofSeville. sums it up in a very sensible nut shell

My SiL lost three stone before her wedding with SW, put it all back on.

I am suspicious of a programme that refers to 'syns', and also has it's own brand of snack bars.

I eat a diet full of fruit and veg and proper food, but probably more important, have a genetic inheritance that tends to run to tall and lanky...

Of course not, but diets (IME) usually only change when a food changes and has something added/removed. Sweetener (I don’t have it anyway as it’s bloody awful and I get migraines from it) hasn’t changed, so why have SW changed it in their plan?

Because people were trying to game the system and make cakes etc. with loads of it.

JurgensCakeBabyJesus i have an aunt who has never stopped going after getting to goal weight, she's never paid a penny for around 6/7 years - goes and gets weighed every week with her mates

I think the actual getting weighed is a big factor in the weight loss and retaining the weight. Stop going and not get weighed and that s when things can not stay on track

@samwitwicky

I joined last night. Had my first meeting. Even while sitting in group I had this sinking feeling of 'this isn't going to work'.

I've had that feeling all day and now I'm thinking of leaving.

I don't know what to do

You’re right. Any plan telling you that you can eat as many spuds and pasta as you like is destined to fail. I suppose that’s how it’s still such a money maker.

It's like any diet - it only works long term if you are in the right head space to make proper changes to how you eat. If you go boom and bust with it then your weight will do the same. SW is no different to any other company that profits from weight loss.

6 years ago I was 10 stone heavier than I am now. I've maintained my weight for 2 years now, despite lockdown.

It's not the first time I've done SW, but it's the first time I've done it in a way that wasn't looking for cheats. Where I didn't want to have unlimited pasta or whatever. When I was actually in a place where I could learn what works for me and what doesn't.

A lot also depends on your group leader as well. If they have a bad attitude to it then it really negatively impacts the whole group. Whereas a good leader who has the time to look at your diaries and help find what works for you and what doesn't is great.

SW gives me proper rage. All it does is encourage yo-yo dieting, which buggers up your metabolism and attitude to food FOREVER.

I had a friend who would always make sure she had a poo before ‘weighing in’ so she’d weigh a pound less.

If that doesn’t tell you it’s awful then I don’t know what will.

Slimming world has the same longterm stats as any other way of losing weight, because there isn’t some magical way of losing weight and keeping it off that works for everyone.

I find it the most sustainable thing I’ve tried, because if you actually like cooking and want to cook from scratch things like calorie counting are a huge pain in the arse.

And avacadoes btw, are not in any way demonised (no idea why they keep coming up because they’re not even nice) it’s a low fat eating plan, they’re high in fat, so if you’re going to eat them then it needs to be in controlled portions - you are in fact encouraged to add things like that back in once you’re trying to maintain. Foods that are in fact healthy are unlikely to trigger the habits you’ve spent ages changing but too high in either fat or sugar to not be controlled.

You’re right. Any plan telling you that you can eat as many spuds and pasta as you like is destined to fail. I suppose that’s how it’s still such a money maker.

Why do people keep spouting this when it's been refuted by many people who actually know about the plan?

I joined in 2015, lost 2 stone in 6 months and have kept it off ever since.

Got me cooking things like spaghetti Bolognese and curries from scratch instead of using jars like I used to, which is cheaper and tastes better.

I have not paid to attend since I got to target in 2015.

A neighbour of my DM's lost about 12 stone with SW years ago. I think she was one of the Slimmer of the year winners.

Within 3 years she'd put all the weight back on and more besides.

I was going to give intermittent fasting a go, does anyone know much about it?

It encourages members to cook from scratch, massively up their fruit and veg intake and stop having all the crisps and chocolate and biscuits they were having before. They can still have some but in moderation. You don't have to follow the plan blindly to lose weight. If I followed it to the letter I could lose 2-3 lbs a week, I choose to generally eat healthy but also not beat myself up if life gets in the way. I know a McDonald's is not going to throw me off if I track the calories and keep it to under 500 kcal for lunch for example. It's not rocket science but unfortunately too many members stop everything once they've lost the weight, like it's a prize or something.

I've fallen into this trap previously but have now started portion control especially with carbs, having the recommended portion size on the packet and eating from smaller plates. I'm also roughly tracking calories at the same time, keeping meals to 400, 600, 600 and having a couple of low calorie snacks in between.

I had this very conversation with someone today.
I’ve never joined so I don’t really know anything about it but from what I’ve heard they don’t actually teach you to reduce the amount you eat, they push overly processed food and you pay for someone to tell you that you can eat as much pasta as you like - it’s a cult!!
The minute you stop eating like it the weight will inevitably go back on because you haven’t learnt to train your body into eating ‘properly’.

IMO none of them work long term for the majority. I’m late 40s and never used to diet, always stayed a size 12-14 regardless (yeah I know, huge by MN standards 😂), but after I lost my mum (at 41) I was put on sertraline and went up to a size 18. It was after this weight gain that I first tried these diet clubs / plans and I swear all they have done has made my head spin with rules and terminology - syns, points, free food, on plan, low carb, mindful eating, fasting blah. I even tried rebelfit and while they seem to actually care about why people gain weight, I still felt like I was on a plan. These diets work for some for sure but many of them don’t address the reasons why we overeat in the first place. I thought the medication made me gain weight (maybe it did) but I’ve been off it for 3 years now and still no real loss (16-18). I’m not on any plans now and even though I’ve not lost; I’ve not gained, but most of all, it’s so freeing.

I've followed the SW plan many times over the years and have always lost weight. I do put the weight back on because I can't be bothered thinking about food/ counting suns/ working out if I've had my healthy extras, I end up getting sick of not being able to order a takeaway without counting it into my weekly food plan!!
But I'm the same whatever diet plan I follow 😅
I actually think I need to have cognitive therapy when it comes to my eating habits as I'm very famine or feast and I really get on my own nerves!!

And avacadoes btw, are not in any way demonised (no idea why they keep coming up because they’re not even nice)

They came up because all the women on SW kept going on about them.
The irony being -Im slim and not on a diet !

Same here, Amy2021. I find the basic principle of SW, as an eating plan, to be sound. I don’t do the strict measuring, or buy any of the supermarket things (that I don’t like). I’ve realised now, that I’m older, that I won’t be able to eat whatever the hell anymore... SW is helpful to me right now, hopefully I can take what I need from it, and not attend the classes in future.

“They came up because all the women on SW kept going on about them.
The irony being -Im slim and not on a diet !”

I lost track of how many times they were mentioned reading through this thread - and they come up in every thread like this.

It’s just weird, I kind of assume at this point tbh that no-one actually likes avocado, everyone is just eating it because they think it’s “healthy”, so they get angry when they have to weigh it out because it’s pretty high in fat and calories. that’s my conclusion anyway

I’m not serious, but it does confuse me how often people mention it when talking about slimming world - I wasn’t willingly eating it before slimming world either.