Back on SW but find the groups awful! Does it get better?

[fruityb]

I used to go to SW two years ago and that consultant didn't do image therapy. She would say how much was lost or gained collectively and pick out a couple of people who had good losses and ask them one thing they thought helped. It took five minutes. She'd hand out certificates and it was all quite laid back. She told the same stories about herself week in week out however and that got frustrating - I was so tired of hearing about how she used to sneak fish and chips every week! It wasn't for the benefit of new members as there weren't any really! I rejoined recently and hated the first group so much I don't ever want to go back. Two hours of listening to "babes" "gorgeous" "shiny stickers" and her speaking to every single person in the room about losses and gains. There were 40 people there!! I can't bear all the air kissing and the mwah mwah business and the "hi girls" banter. It's too pink and fluffy and covered in glitter. Now I just weigh and go.

Should I stick it out and get swept up in it or do I just bail every week? All the happy clapping and sisterhood bollocks gets on my nerves so much. If I didn't pay to weigh I wouldn't be as good on the diet so I don't mind that, but should I really try to stick this out or just run? I'm in my thirties, "shinies" don't really excite me that much lol

[fraggle84]

I could have written that!!!

I went for 18 months and lost 2 stone but stopped in September

I joined again on Tuesday and it reminded me why I stopped!!!

Im trying a different group next week but stocking up on hi fis and probably will do it myself at home!

[fruityb]

I use the scales and pay so that I can make myself do it right. I can't have scales in the house as I'd get obsessed - it's a dangerous thing for me! But I hate feeling like I need therapy over food. I'm not an addict nor do I need a pat on the back from a woman I don't know at all who is far too familiar with me. I think that's my issue, I really dislike it when people are over familiar. Being called babes by a total stranger just irritates me.

[LavenderRains]

Think its your leader! I don't always stay to group but when I do the leader goes through the losses. Answers any questions and dies the raffle. She has a 'theme' each week, last week was Costa syns
The whole thing takes less than an hour and there's no 'babes' 'huns' or air kissing in sight!

[fruityb]

That would be great! It was the longest night of my life when she went round every single person - and a good ten hadn't stayed! I get texts saying staying to group will really help but I just cannot face it. I'm not really up for talking about my targets for the week or why I lost or gained. It makes me uncomfortable! I'll carry on running off at the end. Think I'm just not a girly girl!

[GazingAtStars]

I used to hate staying to group but then my leader was useless. Definitely the same as you it was all the happy clappy shit...I just wanted to weigh, have a little chat about my week then leave but you can't do that

[Jacquinta]

Oh god yes. I feel your pain. A leader who liked a 'cheeky glass of wine'. I used to scarper after being weighed.

[fruityb]

And it's all about the shinies!! I'm 34 - stickers don't excite me as a reward! I like stickers as much as any other person (I'm a teacher so we're a bit weird re stickers) but I like giving them out not receiving them. I don't like being treated like it's some sort of eaters anonymous.

[alibongo5]

I have mixed feelings about staying for group - mostly positive but some annoying aspects. I just let the annoying bits wash over me. For instance I do find some of the "rules" annoying and illogical - for instance why a mashed banana has syns but not a whole one? What magical properties does a fork have to make the change? And adding fresh pineapple to a curry tranforms it into a syn whereas eating it on its own doesn't?

And our consultant never, ever mentions exercise which seems a bit weird to me - she doesn't acknowledge that burning calories has any effect on weight loss at all? Is that normal for SW consultants?

And I almost laughed out loud the times she said to take your own gravy in a thermos flask out to a meal! And your own jacket potato wrapped in foil! Do people really do that?

But on the plus side, she went through loads of stuff about eating out at chains and at buffets etc and how you can be caught out. Which really helped me. So I'm prepared to put up (and ignore) some of the stuff for the sake of some tips.

[frikadela01]

I can relate. I hate the happy clappyness and have found some groups just unbearable at times.

One thing I really struggle with, and it's one reason excuse I'm using that's stopping me going back to my local group is that the leader dies not appear to have lost aby weight in the 3 years I've known her. She is quite significantly obese and I find it hard to get motivated by someone who doesn't appear to be following the diet. It was the same at mt old group, the leader yo-yod the entire time I was there.

[Jacquinta]

My leader...

[Notreallyhappy]

Late to the conversation, I think we should have our own group.
It's much the same in my area. Chuffs me off too. Explain why sticking to the plan including syns and putting on 3lb is possible & I'll come back to the class😏
I'm sure most of the leaders in my area are like frikadelas group. And they tell me 3 wines is too much on Saturday😁😁😁😁😁

[AliceMum09]

The mashed banana thing used to annoy me too! If you pick up a banana and decide to eat just that one banana then surely it has the same number of calories (I know you don't count calories on SW, but I need to mention it here!) whether you eat it in bites or whether you mash it up? Ok, maybe if you were faced with a choice between a bowl of mashed banana and a bunch of bananas then possibly you'd eat more of the mash than the whole bananas, but that's not real life is it? You can't buy mashed banana in packets.

I've been a member of two different groups, annoyingly I lost 2 stone 8 1/2lbs at the one with the rubbish consultant! Once I got to target I couldn't be doing with her any more so I stopped going to group, but over the course of a year put a stone and a half back on So I rejoined at a different group, that consultant was miles better, but like someone else mentioned she was overweight and never looked like she lost any weight over the 18 months I was at that group, despite being a member of a different group herself.

I recently quit again, I have no idea what is going on in my head as I'm still a stone and a half heavier than when I got to target. I need to work out why I don't care about following the plan. Probably need to write a for and against list, I kept telling the consultant I had done but I never did it properly!

[Spartak]

I only went twice. The first time there was a 30 minute discussion on the benefits of quark. The next week there was a debate on the best flavour of muller light to spread on rice cakes. There was also lots of clapping, hunning and stickering. I'd rather stay fat than go through that again.

[NotStoppedAllDay]

Omg muller on rice cakes!?!

I go with a friend and I sit through the whole thing.... but we smirk and laugh and let it all amuse us. We are actually both doing quite well!!!

Our group is exactly like the peter Kay sketch, so that amuses me even more

The mashed banana thing...... I think once mashed it does something to the structure and sugars. Hence being more calorific before it reaches our stomach. I dunno, but it's like smoothies.

[alibongo5]

I got told off again this week for "tweaking".

I had committed the cardinal sin of wrapping a lasagne sheet around vegetables and baking it in the oven to create a sort-of-spring roll (and very nice it was too).

But apparently, while you can bake lasagne sheets inside meat or vegetables, as soon as you wrap it around things instead, it immediately becomes a syn and I should've counted it as an ordinary spring roll! Yes, the same as a full of fat spring roll and she said I might just as well have had an ordinary one! WTF! When I objected, my consultant said "well I bet loads of fat came out of it" "er no, because there was no fat in it to come out you dingbat - because I didn't add any!"

Naughty, naughty Ali! I think I'll just shut up in future.

[alibongo5]

Re the mashed bananas - that's the sort of thing that's bandied about but I think they're talking rubbish because chewing it would have exactly the same effect as mashing it! So can I chew it and then spit it out to use it instead of mashing it!

I think it's just because it can be less satisfying to eat or drink something pulverised than whole. But I refuse to believe that it can do anything at all to the actual calorific value - it's just the danger of eating more of it, or something else as well because you're not satisfied.

[oklumberjack]

I've been on and off SW for years. I'm currently off. However the last few times I've done SW online for the very reasons you say OP.

Classes were dire. They took nearly 2 hours to get through. Speaking to every single person.

Sandra had put on 3 pounds but she swears she only ate salad all week - big discussion about that.

Debbie only lost half a pound because got pissed on her works Xmas do, and had a kebab - but still managed half a pound so big round of applause.

Jane lost 2 pounds and is slimmer of the week do sins a manky fruit bowl.

Blah blah blah. My time is precious. It was serious bollocks. Fuck that.

I have friends that have lost lots of weight with SW. One friend lost 6 stone in 12 months, but then put it back over 2 years. She's back on it now.

I'm just sick of it all. I'm currently off everything

[oklumberjack]

*wins a manky fruit bowl.

[katienana]

I think the reason why tweaks like that are supposed to be synned it's because done people would have 10 plus a normal meal. The consultant obviously doesn't understand the nuances of it. If you're only having one or having something as part of a meal them it's fine.

[alibongo5]

Yeah I'm sure you're right katieana - that's what gets my goat, treating us all as stupid! - and it was the comment that I might as well have had a "real" one that really pissed me off! Because the "syns" would be the same! Forget the actual fat and calorific value - those magical syns!

[alibongo5]

Meant to say as well that they "headline" the free foods and say "you can eat as much as you like" but really anyone knows that that isn't really true - the "tweaking" rule helps to counteract this. As does the third of a plate of super foods - and I do get this. I just need to use my own common sense and not let their blind adherence to the "rules" irritate me.

[Groovee]

My last time with SW had various consultants do our class. One listened to what we wanted like the tasting evenings and would encourage us to share tips etc. Others were the lets clap Groovee for staying the same.

I do think some people continue on how their group was before they became a consultant. While others do have ideas on how to help memebers or ask them what they want x

[BasinHaircut]

I was considering joining a group on Monday but I think I may have to reconsider! Might go to one and get the books though, although I'm thinking online might be better than just having the books so I can continue to have access to the app/website.

These consultants sound laughable, talking absolute nonsense. I think they should get some basic nutrition training as the banana and lasagne sheet things are just mad. The reasoning for saying you should syn makes perfect sense to me and I could explain the reasons for whether you should syn or not if you tweak etc, but i think it's a bit much paying a fiver to someone who doesn't understand it themselves telling you the wrong information.

I thought someone like Emily from the support threads would make a fantastic consultant as she had the plan absolutely nailed and lost every week so I hope that she is out there somewhere giving out sensible advice these days!

[ChuckSnowballs]

I had committed the cardinal sin of wrapping a lasagne sheet around vegetables and baking it in the oven to create a sort-of-spring roll (and very nice it was too).

Genius. Will get some of those today. I don't often make Lasagna.

I went back last week after about 6 years, and the consultant told us that the reason that fresh pasta is a syn is that they use different flour. No they don't!

But you can have pasta and as much as you want but it is made of flour - yet no flour in gravy? Wow - isn't flour amazing?

I tell myself that if I slip up it may mean an extra week at the classes. The awfulness is the only way I lose weight as it encourages me to get it done faster and not to have to go again. I am not working in horticulture any more, a home based desk job and I need a plan to stick to. Otherwise it will be my home made stupendous sticky macaroni cheese for lunch every day.

Sigh. Anyone calls me Hun and they will get the stink eye. Hopefully nobody will talk to me at all. I am not going to argue the toss with her or it will make it last longer and I wouldn't want to do that to anyone else also suffering the same agonising trauma.

[EatSleepTeachRepeat]

Mine call themselves the "Butterfly's" and its like a goddam cult! I saw one in Aldi the other day and she actually TOUCHED MY SHOPPING to see what I had "Oooh how many syns in that HUN?" "Fuck knows Debbie but I can tell you it tastes like a fucking orgasm so shut your fat mouth and don't tell the leader"

She had celery and Quorn mince in hers ...