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?

I bloody love avocado!

@tabulahrasa

“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.

I love avocado on toast, salt and pepper Ive never weighed my food

I'm on it at the moment, trying to lose the baby weight. It's worked well so far, I'm 16lb down and only have a few more to go until I reach my pre pregnancy weight. I'm not too worried about keeping it off tbh, my goal weight is where I've always hovered around without too much effort but pregnancy made me RAVENOUS.

However I know my body and I know that for me personally, lots of 'free' white carbs like pasta and rice isn't ideal so I wouldn't load up on those deliberately even though its 'on plan'. I try to stick to the main principles of lots of veggies and lean protein.

I enjoy it though. My group is lovely and not at all cult like, and I like the accountability factor. We have had some really tasty meals and our cupboards/fridge are full of lovely fresh ingredients rather than packed with junk.

I have noticed in group though that the plan doesn't really take into account that the more weight you lose, the harder it becomes. So you can get so far while still eating plenty of pasta/rice/potatoes when you have a lot of excess weight but that's not going to fly once you are already at a health weight. That's when low carb comes in I think, at least for me...

Anyway I'm rambling, but I do think YABU as it works to a certain extent but isn't a magic plan you can follow blindly, you need a bit of awareness of how weight loss really works and your own body as well.

It’s basically calorie counting by a different name, but packaged into a nice little bundle with pretty badges and peer pressure.

You can loose weight on it, but if you really look at it it’s not healthy, it’s a very profitable business - the group I attended pushed the bars and meals which were full of crap. That’s why people tend to pile the weight back on, and it suits the business model well as they get returning customers.

I lost a lot if weight on it. I really dont understand how you can eat so much rice etc or how those snack pot drinks at 240 cals are all unlimited. I mean how can a 240 cal snack,( plenty lower than that) be unlimited??
I have kept of a good proprotion of the weight. I am 5 ft and was 9 stone 3 .. I went down too low on sw to... 7 4.. i now seem to be maintaining at about 8 stone 4 years on.
I really did not like the lìghr yogurts full of rubbish. Nor the low fats. However as I dont eat meat, i chosw sw as couldnt do keto etc !

They can claim all they like that syns stand for "synergy", but come on, it's obviously designed to sound like sins, i.e. bad things. Surely nobody is fooled by this ridiculous claim.

Slimming World worked for me to a point but for people like me with a huge amount to lose it did nothing to help with portion control or developing new unhealthy relationships with food. I often thinks it probably works well for people who have been at a healthy weight before or need a bit of steer to lose a few stone but not for people with lifelong weight issues.

Calorie counting based on TDEE has been life changing for me. I have a huge appetite and adjusted calories to reflect my actual size means a slow steady but a lifestyle that I can maintain. I may not be losing a stone in two/three weeks like SW but I hope to have finally cracked the loss.

Slimming world worked great for me... Until it didn't. I'm definitely an emotional eater, which was fine when I loaded my plate with vegetables, but definitely backfired when I mental health spiraled and I would eat massive bowls of pasta "because its all free food anyway, so who cares"? Not to mention when the SW rep grilled me about my subsequent weight gain in front of the entire group during said mental health spiral, causing me to have a (literal) anxiety attack. Ah, memories

Looking back now, I think it was really unhealthy for them to celebrate (and surreptitiously encourage) people losing 4+ pounds a week. The bigger the drop on the scales, the better. Even if that meant people's weight fluctuating week by week, rather than a consistent and steady drop. I remember feeling discouraged and guilty if I post "just" one pound.

I feel that weight struggles can be so tied with your mental health that anyone trying to make healthy changes should be able to work through the process individually, with a professional, but I doubt that will be a reality anytime soon.

They don't want you to lose the weight permanently. They want your repeat custom. They need a few amazing weight loss stories for the cover of their magazines, to keep the money rolling in. However I think the majority of people regain the weight (and sometimes more than they lost in the first place) I'm glad if it works for people but I'm pretty cynical about slimming clubs in general.

YANBU It's a business! Designed to keep people coming back. Not to get people slim and send them on their merry way. It's very sad. A huge % of their customers end up bigger in the long run as the cycle of losing and regaining weight goes on and on. The few that lose weight and keep it off on this plan do it not with the crazy diet club but through discovering and maintaining a love of fitness.

It definitely works as long as you’re happy to give yourself an eating disorder in the process

It's the most tedious meeting ever. I've never managed to lose with SW as I can't bear to stay for the meetings. And I think that's all that keeps you on track. But I don't have the time to waste to go round the entire room finding out who.lost what.

Plus I am no good when told I can eat unlimited anything. As I do. It just makes me eat more.

@Waifwafer

I bloody love avocado!

Not convinced

My theory that no-one really likes it is based purely on the amount of times people mention it has to be counted.

But no-one ever gets irate about cheese or say Brazil nuts having to be counted even though they’ve got things in that are also good for you, they’ll just go, oh I like them, I’ll count it. But avocados? Nope

No weight loss works. Over 95% of people who lose weight will regain it within 5 years. It doesn't matter how they lost it.

@Bluebluemoon

Any diet works if you stick to it. Once you go back to your old eating habits it piles back on obvs. It doesn't matter what you eat - it comes down to calories in v calories out.

If I stick to 1000 calories a day il lose weight quickly - doesn't matter if it's 1000 calories of chocolate or 1000 calories of healthy stuff. Of course il feel much better if it's 1000 of healthy stuff but it will have pretty much the same result regardless.

This^^ But I get shot down for saying so.

I couldn’t stand the mantra of adding sweetener to everything.. I can’t stand the taste of it! And it’s definitely not healthy!

I did have an eating disorder when I was younger. All I want now, is not to be skinny but to be not fat. To just eat sensibly. Yes, in order to lose weight, you do have to go to bed a little hungry rather than a bit full. SW can be about making lighter choices.

The one thing I don’t like about though, is that essentially it is an MLM. I’m being targeted by the SW Consultant to sign up myself, as one. I’ve no interest, but noticed that you have to pay to do the course...

And, yes, I’m aware that I’m paying to do SW. So, they’re already getting my money!

Works for me I lost 5 stone in 8 months from a size 18/20 to a 10/12 in my mid 40s and have maintained healthy bmi since. Gets slated on mumsnet but very positive for me. Encourages lots of lean protein, 1/3 plate minimum vegetables each meal. Emphasis on cooking from scratch.
Muller lights and processed stuff are not compulsory I don’t eat them. Massive bowls of pasta are not sw. As with anything you have to be sensible and mindful of portion sizes, eating until satisfied not overeating. You can have avocado, nuts etc just in sensible amounts.
Group support which has been massive plus to me. I see my friends, we go on walks together.
I eat lots of eggs, oats, homemade soup, fruit and veg. It’s very sustainable and family friendly. Lifestyle not a quick fix. I do some SlimmingWorld recipes also slimming eats, slimming foodie and pinch of nom.
Today I’ve had porridge and berries for breakfast, homemade mushroom soup for lunch, skyr yoghurt as a snack, homemade chilli baked potato & salad for dinner and mini bag of choc buttons and strawberries. I’m not hungry and feel well eating this way.

I’ve missed my group over Christmas and looking forward to going to see my friends tomorrow. I know so many people now locally I’d have never met but for group. Great mix of people, all ages. We have fun, lots of food chat and sharing recipes etc. Group Consultant is very sensible re plan. They do vary a lot.
Slimmingworld podcast is well worth a listen to (it’s free no need to be a member)

At the end of the day any diet that says 2 litres of Diet Coke is better for you than an avocado is not a healthy eating plan.

I lost 2 stone, continued to go to group for 3 years and kept it off. As soon as I stopped going its gone back on plus another stone overa few years, so very gradual. overall I dont think it gives you a good relationship with food and my portion sizes are huge now because of this. Ive just started a calorie deficit and using the nutracheck app and im finding it great.

Of course it only works if you stay on it- how do you think they make money? They don’t make money by people losing weight and staying thin.

All diets work ... when you stick to them ... I've been on every 'diet' going and lost loads of weight over the years .... but I know I am greedy, I love food and I eat too much.

SW did work for me and, because I am used to cooking from scratch I never added artificial sweeteners, ate muller light yogurts etc ... some of the comments on here are from people who haven't recently been to a SW meeting, you are not encouraged 'to eat as much as you want'.

SW promotes an unhealthy attitude to food & can be psychologically damaging for some. A lot of people require therapeutic input to understand and manage their relationship with food. SW ignores this, while happily taking money off some very vulnerable people.

You only put the weight back on if you go back to eating rubbish and over eating again