Is it normal that the only agenda of the meeting seems to be is going around the room congratulating everyone on their individual loss?

[loopylass13]

I have been to my local silmming world a few times but all the meeting agenda seems to be is going around the room congratulating everyone on their individual loss (you still worked hard etc, if a gain). I don't feel like I get anything out of the meeting at all. No advice, no talks. Obviously there is the weighing and paying first but the meeting is blah. Anyone else experience this with other meetings or do I just have a weird one??

We should really complain to Slimming World about it. If everyone feels the same as we do then they'd be getting a lot of complaints about it and then maybe they'd change the structure of the group.

I agree. If there was a decent local meeting I'd definitely be going to it.

At the moment I'm not paying £5 a week to stand on scales and listen to 50 names being read out.

The problem with complaining is, knowing big business, they will likely hit on the consultant from your group (if a member). Mine is lovely and I would hate to think she got the wrap for central policy.

It would be possible to complain anonymously.

Does anyone remember the days when every member had to bring in a piece of fruit and the person who lost the most got to take the fruit home? Without fail there'd be twenty odd bit of bruised fruit that had seen better days/been sitting in the fruit bowl at home for a fortnight. The poor bugger who won it had to lug it all home and bin it. And then the clapping and Brenda telling everyone she'd resisted a sundae at the local Brewers Fayre. Anyone would have thought she'd won the fucking Nobel Prize for world peace the amount of fuss that was made. I lasted about six weeks and by then I'd torn most of my hair out. (That was a half pound weight loss, so not exactly win-win...but...)

Every member still is encouraged to bring in a piece of free food for the slimmer of the week to take home! I stay to group because I chat to my friends there and have an hour of sitting around with a cup of tea without the kids asking me things! I don't know why I would be interested in what everyone else has lost. The target thing seems to be the only reason for the going round the room, but surely that can be done at weigh in and written down somewhere? I never even remember what I said my target is and its never followed up!

Sitting through a Slimming World meeting made me want to cut my own bum off in despair. THE single most tedious thing I have ever done.

"Marjory!"

"(querelous) Yes?"

"Half a pound on, what happened there, Marjory?"

"(still querelous) My brother died"

"Right. SO what will you change next week to get a loss then?"

THAT IS NO AN EXAGGERATION SHE FUCKING SAID THAT

All my local groups still do the fruit thing.

@colditz

I stopped going to group for this very reason. Pay £5, queue for half an hour. Stand on scales. Sit and listen to 30 people's losses/gains and the reason why....
Cons; "Susan, you've gained 3lb, do you know why?"
Susan; "well I ate a bag of flumps and some cake at a christening"
Cons; oh dear, do you think the enjoyment was worth the gain?"
Susan; " well it tasted nice but it didn't deserve a 3lb gain"
and on and on x 30
One lady would get on the scales every week and shout "oh fuck' and would actually cry.
turns out the reason for her weekly gains was the fact that she ate cake every day at work cos people always bring it in and she can't not have any
.....I do miss the comedy side to the sessions

We also did the winners basket, usually full of manky bananas and mug shots.
I got sotw once and thankfully the basket was empty so the consultant gave me a HiFi bar

This thread has given me such a laugh

I think the groups tend to attract people who are quite lonely too sometimes. I have an older lady who comes every week and maintains or gains. Every.single.week. Every week she is asked if she would like a “tool” and every week she says no she will be fine. Every week she has eaten out at the pub.
I sit and wonder why she comes? It must be for something to do!
Yes the bruised fruit! Our consultant moans because out of the 10members at my group only 5 remember to bring fruit (I always forget). She says her other group brim the basket. When it was pointed out that her other group has about 30members she insisted that was nothing to do with it and they are a generous group

colditz

Is it cheaper to do sw online or the same?

You pay upfront whereas you don't have to pay 3 months upfront at group but you can.

I was raging one night when I watched someone dump everything she had wrongly bought for the SOW basket. Typically I won it and fortunately my kids and hubby would eat the high in syns things. Told another member who has become a friend who is single and said she would have been upset with that as she would have no one to give it to.

Thanks groovee. I might give online a go and swap to a group if that doesn't work

I have had a chuckle at this. The comments are so true, especially HotSauceCommittee and MyGuideJools's accounts. We have weeks where people come out with stuff like this as well and I sit there thinking, OK then.

I know a lot of people dont like group but you just need to find the right group that isnt clicky or have a boring leader who cant inspire you to lose weight.

Our consultant will actively work with anyone and those that are struggling will have more time spent on them in the group session and we all try and come up with ideas of resolving their struggle and we all help each other. If you dont want to talk about your week, you just say next and then its onto the next,

Without group, even though its a bit clappy I would have given up by now so I go every week and do my bit to help others where I can and provide some food recipies (not full of sweetener) and ideas to help them achieve their goal.

People talking about clicky groups, I can see both sides of it here. My group were never clicky as such but the more established members never really used to say more than a hello, how are you etc in the queue when I started. When I showed that I stayed every week they then began to be more engaging. Having been there for over 4 months now I have talked to so many people who go for three weeks then stop going so now do the small talk pleasentaries in the queue but thats about it. If you think the group is clicky, its probably just them waiting to see if you are someone who will continue or not. Now, dont get me wrong, they were always nice and pleasant so if anyone has ever experienced anything but then thats not on.

I always try to speak to members I don't recognise and welcome them. There's nothing worse than sitting there on your own as it can feel awful.

At ours there was a ban on people who had lost weight talking about naughty stuff they'd eaten, as apparently it was hurtful to people who'd tried really hard and not lost weight

I do as well Groovee, but its only the small talk how are you, lovely weather etc but it may appear clicky to someone new when i then see someone else who has been there for a while ad have in depth discussions with them and sit talking to them in group before we begin.

Are you being serious Malaco? Thats a piss take. If you stick to the plan it works regardless and it also then shows people, yes you can eat XYZ and still shed the weight. Its been proven time and time again in our group that when people arent on it 100% and then decide to have a 100% on plan week they have always lost at the next weigh in.