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

I cannot imagine eating grated cauliflower or that blasted singing turnip for 10 years, good god.

I've kept my hebweight iff for ten years my group has several members who have. My group has constant new members who come there's no need for people to rejoin my group is heaving with successful members who tell friends and family and colleagues SW doesn't need to recycle the he same members to make money. I genuinely dont recognise SW in these posts. Perhaps it's different in different areas? Someone gets me o target almost every very week in my group and it's all about food and recipes. I'm hiding this thread as it's really unpleasant and I'm sorry for anyone who reads it and gets the wrong impression my experience of SW is nothing like this

I gave up SW because of the happy clappers. I lost the will when it changed from nice and simple Red or Green. If I even smell a Mullerlight I feel sick.

Infinite, it sounds like you've got a good group and leader. Many of the rest of us haven't. It is what it is.

Infinite you sound as if you have the holy grail of groups
I'm Northern Ireland and in my area they struggle to retain consultants due to all the costs particularly the travel to Sheffield regularly for training.
I think a group were the talk is about recipes would be much more interesting

"in WW your secret shame stays secret."

It didn't when I went, they made us all stand up and worked backwards from the biggest loss till just the gains were left standing there having to explain what they did wrong, it was horrendous.

Slimming world groups can be a bit variable, but good in good ones it is all recipes and ideas about problem areas (like snacking or social stuff)

I went to sw a year ago. It did kick my dieting but I didn't feel I learnt anything from the group. There was very little information about slimming. I hated the happy- clppy - I felt I was in an infant school show-and - tell session! Also, hated the fact that if you missed a session, you still paid £5.

Saying that, a friend has gone from a size 22 due to size 12 due to sw.

And the games! Omg the games!

I just can't bear it......

Only started last week. My consultant said there would be games?? What sort of games?

eatsleep I just properly belly laughed at that! 😂
I've been debating re joining. Did really well a couple of years ago and lost three stone. The weight's creeping back on now and I feel huuuuge after Christmas!
This thread has really made me laugh though as it's all true!

Hmm... I'm not really recognising my SW group in these descriptions...... but I guess with every gathering, it's the people who make the difference.
My SW consultant is a bit "samey", to the extent her mother took class one week and it did seem like a script Having said that, we did learn through the week her team leader took the class, that our consultant does rebel slightly! She goes against SW-grain and never mentions how much you gained ... whereas she said she's supposed to, and gets marked down on assessments for it. But she didn't like it when she was a member.
She's kind of honest .... said how much she'd put on over Christmas though, and that most of it came from drinking Prosecco
Her main downfall is trying to convince us re Quark never happening love

Never done games .... except on Christmas party night!

I love quark! Asda one is thick so you can spread it on bread. Mmmmmm

Infinite are you a group leader? Our leader had a great class she went off piste a little, so not too much happy clapping, not asking everyone how they had done and therefore avoiding the groundhog day people and excuses. This left more time for a topic and useful ideas to encourage and swap in her busy successful groups.
Until her manager constantly marked her down, telling her that all classes must follow the same format and gradually wore her down. Apparently a person should be able to walk into any SW in the country and recognize the same format.

I'm now so curious about these groups that I've decided to go along to my local one tonight and join! Worst case scenario I get the updated books and never go back but I think I'd benefit from being held sort of accountable for my loss/gain.

Well, I know some people like to try to dispel the myths about SW, but I was behind someone in the supermarket, yesterday, with a huge pile of Muller lights and sugar free jelly pots, plus umpteen little pots of pre-prepared fruit and I just groaned inwardly. She did have a pack of chicken breasts, there, but no veg or anything.

I'm amazed at some of the pictures of food people put up. People keep saying remember your 1/3rd speed food but people have a massive mound of peas on their plates and no speed foods.

I have recently re-joined SW and the chap who takes the class speaks so fast I could well believe that newcomers to SW wouldn't be able to understand what he was on about! (Or it could just be my age of course!). The one thing I've always disliked about SW is their fondness for food with lots of nasty things in them. Their chocolate bars, which actually taste OK, have a list of ingredients to make you weep, most of them unpronouncable and probably very bad for you. It's like low-fat spread - it's plain yucky stuff full of god-knows what including palm oil. I'm a huge believer in 'clean' food, which makes following the plan quite hard, as using butter has a lot of syns, but I'm loathe to give it up. And as for cooking mushrooms in water - get real! They come out slimy and rubbery! The other thing that bugs me is that we're told we can eat as much as we like of the free foods - well, I thought the whole point of losing weight was not to eat so MUCH food to try and educate our stomachs to need less. All my moans will probably make you wonder why the hell I'm going in the first place, but I really do need to lose weight (quite a lot of it) and it's the discipline of being weighed every week that takes me there. I don't stay to the meetings because I can't (rehearsals), so I avoid all the chummy stuff, although I have to say it's not too bad in ours, probably because it's taken by a bloke!

Can't stand muller lights. I'm not a huge yoghurt fan at all TBH but I do like a fruit corner and I'd rather have one of those and take the hit in syns!

I think you totally can follow the plan and eat clean and avoid all of the synthetic type stuff (mullet lights and hifis etc).But it would be a problem I guess if you don't like fruit and veg. I love veggies but only eat a small amount of fruit so snacks are tricky. But personally I think it's better to get out of the habit of snacking than ty and eat as much crap as you can for 15 syns/day!

I agree. I've never had a mug shot. Tried a Muller light & thought they tasted chemically and synthetic. I'd rather have Greek yoghurt & syn if necessary.

I think SW can be a struggle if you don't normally cook or enjoy cooking. There are some ready meals now and a couple are ok but I'd still rather make my own if I can.

I'm fortunate in that I love both veggies and fruit so if I do need a snack (I try not to have any, but sometimes the rumbles are just too much to ignore!) I can have some satsumas or an apple or even a banana if the rumbles are gargantuan! It's a pity that nuts are so high in syns as I often had a handful of walnuts or almonds as a snack, both of which are GOOD for you, as is avocado. The oils in them are GOOD oils. I love using good olive oil too, but again, too many syns. I loathe fatfree mayo and dressings too, as again, there are too many unpleasant things in them, including SUGAR! But the idea of sugar doesn't seem to bother S/W at all! Strange .

You can have some nuts as your HEXB now - but yeah, I agree it's crazy that they're syns when they're nutritious & filling.

It's better now there's the emphasis on 1/3 speed food, last time I did it I don't remember that, I remember a lot of mullerlight and mashed potato made with laughing cow extra light

I suppose the idea is you have 1/3 Speed foods which you really can have as much as you want of, then balanced amounts of other free food.

I love the idea of mullet light Basin

Oh are they still obsessed with muller light, frylight, egg&cottage cheese baked in a tin, batchelors rice and pasta n sauce? I trieed sw for a while. Thought it was only me who couldnt stand the fake friendliness and the 'you can eat 20 meringues and that ok, but you cant eat avocado'. And every group ive been to has members who cannot survive without drinking alcohol. I always felt like i didnt fit in because i dont drink. And ive been to around 5 different groups.

I've never been to SW, but this thread is fascinating! I've lost weight previously by doing low carb but found it too hard to do long term so would love to find a diet that was more practical. However I'm not a fan of fat free/synthetic foods so don't think SW is for me!