What is your group like?

[Gemi33]

Hi everyone

I have been on just about every diet out there and now find myself the heaviest I have ever been. I few weeks ago I thought I would try SW as I have never done it before and I though group support would be good so I went along to a group. I was really disappointed - it was basically reading out everyone's loses/gains etc and 'what have you done different this week' for the best part of 2 hours - I had hoped to feel really motivated and inspired but I didn't and it felt like such a waste of my Saturday morning - unsurprisingly I haven't been back.

Just wondered - was I unlikely or are all groups like this? What is yours like?

xx

Our group is similar format in the sense that my consultant reads out each persons loss/gain but then will ask further questions around any struggles, any positives, what's the plans for next week, what's your motivation etc some people talk for ages and some don't but it's motivational for me

Urgh. Mine is massive and the consultant goes around every.single.person. It takes ages! 90 mins of listening to the same thing - people talking about how they're going to plan better next week. There is the occasional nugget of information and it can be inspiring if there are people with big losses. Really wish they would do the WW format of having a topic and just doing highlights of weight losses. Just find WW too difficult to stick to. Now I'm getting back on track after a break I'm going to try and stay for the talk at least every other week so I get a bit more invested than if I just weigh and go all the time

Ours can be sit there listening to weights. But then last week we discussed challenges that we fancied giving ourselves. Little tips for helping us when we get the munchies and a bit of a laugh too.

I only stayed to group the first two weeks. It is like pulling teeth. I can't even explain how dire it is. I honestly don't care that Jean lost a pound even though she had a roast with extra spuds. I'd rather go home and watch crappy evening telly than listen to 20 people discuss individual weight loss. No idea how this is considered 'image therapy'. I've lost 21lb in seven weeks (still a stone and a half to go to target) without staying to group so if you have the right mindset, it's not essential. However I am aware that some people find it extremely useful.

So glad it's not just me - I thought exactly the same, 'is this really image therapy?!'. I have no experience of WW - so are those classes better?

xx

Was going to respond but seeeshhh has taken the words out my mouth.

Plus the obsession my lot have with sweet stuff, it's wearing, tedious and fucking repetitive.

When I follow the plan I lose weight, not much but it comes off. Might just do that and serve the annoying group sessions.

Honestly I find it easier just to get weighed and come away. I've been to two SW groups and the format is always the same - reading out everyone's losses or gains. Takes ages & although they call this 'Image Therapy' or something, I'm just losing the will to live. I've even seen the Consultant print pages off the SW website & just read them out - not very inspiring! There's always a couple of people who talk over everyone else or just have to be loud for the sake of it too. One odd thing is that in the 5 consultants I've seen at group only a couple of them we're at target. I'd think that if they're representing a diet then they should follow it? The diet does work for me though, so I just avoid all the rubbish

Plus the obsession my lot have with sweet stuff, it's wearing, tedious and fucking repetitive.

Oh, this. A million times. The fucking Mullerlight brigade. I don't think I could stay to group for fear of losing my rag and standing up shouting "THEY'RE FULL OF CHEMICAL SHITE AND YOU'LL NEVER GET THIN EATING TWELVE EVERY DAY, JENNY!"

Yes to finding the Mullerlights and Firelight and sweeteners talk tedious as well, and all the talk of synning mashed banana because of the extra sugar I bend the rules a bit and have olive oil spray but would never admit it in group.

I also think the 'eat as much pasta / rice / spuds as you want' stuff is bollocks too. But of course I'd never say that out loud

What's Firelight?

Whoops - autocorrect - I meant Frylight! Not keen on the idea of the chemicals in it, and I didn't find it particularly effective for non-stick purposes

I certainly couldn't getaway with unlimited pasta - one of the key factors in my weight gain was a period where I ate a 250g bowl of pasta pesto every day for lunch! So I avoid too much in the way of white carbs

Fucking frylight. I'd get a better result decaying 5 sprays of Magicool in a pan.

*deploying, even

too miffed to spell

Bahahahaha.

I have found 'my people!'

I HATE group. Listening to Doreen moan on about how she lost 5lbs but doesn't know how as she ate 3 kebabs, a bottle of gin and her body weight in chips on Saturday night. And STILL having to sit around clapping like seals when her weight loss is announced

I think it's such a shame most groups are like that. I'm going to go back soon after pregnancy and I'm looking forward to group. Consultant was like a stand up comedian and seemed to have thought of a weight loss theme for each week. She would ask a few people how they'd done, but she always tried to keep things general- that's how it should be!!

My group is like this. I thought it was because it's relatively new. I stayed for the first 2 weeks but it felt like such a waste of time. Kids running round screaming while a list of weight losses/gains is read out. Rubbish! I would guess that 40 people turn up to weigh in and about 4/5 stay for group now.

I actually really like our group, our consultant doesn't dither and gets through rather quick, we all tend to chat to eachother as well.

Or maybe I just like getting away from this mad house

I do find if I stay to group I have a much better start to the week..

I really liked my group at first, there's about 90 people in it and we didn't do image therapy, more free for all chat, a theme picked each week and lots of tips and motivational discussions. Always finished on time. The bigwigs didn't like it and told us we had to do proper image therapy.

So now the group runs over by about 30 mins, is really tedious and quite boring. My weight loss has slowed down a lot as I'm no longer motivated.

In fact, considering this week switching to online membership as I do think SW works, I just think I'm better off weighing myself and not having to sit through group...

Has anyone else switched to online?

Chippy I've got so much on right now PLUS I really don't like the group bit PLUS I'm emigrating in three weeks so I might just tell them this week I'm going online only.

It does work if you pay attention to the syns; I lost 2lb in 2 weeks, every loss is a good thing but the shitness of group just does my head in. I'm currently in open revolt (eating many Crunchies) as a result of my peevedness 😂

This popped up on my Facebook yesterday. Thought you might enjoy:

Things only people who've joined slimming clubs will know.

1. You will wear exactly the same thing to get weighed each week. Even if it's -2 degrees outside you'll be wearing a floaty summer dress and freezing your tits off.

1. You've considered weighing in wearing just a swimming costume.

1. There's always a Janet in the group who takes 42 cruises a year.

1. You'll save all your Syns/Points up in the week so you can neck a bottle of vodka on Friday night.

1. There's always a Pauline in group who ate 8 sausage rolls at her cousin's funeral and put on 5 pounds in a week.

1. You will not eat a thing before weigh in. Even if weigh in is at 8pm.

1. You'll praise a Susan who maintained.

1. Food on the diet a bit dry? Quark. Need a creamy hit in your pasta? Quark. Broken leg? Quark. End world poverty? Quark.

1. Group leader: "You can eat a whole bag of pasta if you need to.....but you won't be able to"

You: "I beg to fucking differ Linda".

11. There will always be one lone man called Peter in group who loses 9 pounds each week. He seems like a lovely chap but you'll all secretly hate the bastard.

12. You will be unable to poo before you get weighed. As soon as you get home....massive shit.

13. The group leader will try to tell you that potatoes cut into strips and sprayed in Fry Light are "better than chip shop chips". This is bullshit Linda. Bullshit.

14. A new flavour of Müller Light is announced and it creates a frenzy of riot proportions.

15. Linda is no skinny cow herself and doesn't follow the plan.

16. Syns/Points don't count if it's to help cure a hangover. They also don't count if you're eating them off another person's plate.

House such truth. I rejoined today. We were clapping the gains because they were good gains, as in 'Well done for having a birthday and not putting on six stone.'

Quark, as the food to end all ills, used to be scan bran. Everyone was making cakes out of them at the time.

SW has its own culture. I've spent half of my life in it (started at 19 and now 38). I need to get a bloody grip so I can have free membership and swan in and out in exercise clothes, looking fabulous, like other target members. I aren't been nasty there, it is genuine envy .

Literally the best post I've read I had to register on mumsnet to join the chat. I joined again today for the 3rd time and the consultant was basically saying I have to stay to group, which made me feel trapped and not really looking forward to going. Do you have to stay for group? I never the last 2 times I went x

I'm afraid i find sw sessions boring too so don't often stay. Weight watchers was better with a quick talk on a different topic each week, but i really like the sw diet so stick with that. I think Sw need to change the format and not go through everyone's weight loss each week. Maybe they could do a monthly progress meeting instead.