How important is your consultant?

[Justincase87]

Hi all,

I’ve been doing slimming world for 10 weeks and have lost 11lb - I have at least 6st to lose, if not more,

I chose the group because it’s close to where my partner does a martial arts class, so it gives me something to do before I pick him up - however I feel really unwelcome there. I’ve stayed to group about 4 times out of the 10, and every time I do I feel like I’m an inconvenience when I asked for support, yet everyone else seems to get more time spent on them. My consultant does 4 classes on the Monday and I think mine (7:30) is the runt of them!

I’m slipping back into old habits, eating for the sake of it (‘free’ foods but too much), my syns are creeping in and I’m not counting, today I’ve had a cooked breakfast at a pub with buttered toast and a slice of birthday cake. I’m wondering if I’m just not cut out for losing weight, or whether having a good consultant will help me with some of these issues.

Any advice welcome

You can't eat too many Free Fiids, you need to count syns , actually you're doing great. Your consultant possibly doesn't realise you are struggling perhaps tell her? If rather a member text me and said I am struggling than suffered on their own and stay every week let them get to know you then they can help you

My old consultant was bad for having favourites and turning image therapy to be about them.

Our current one is really good and I find really supports everyone including the target members.

I think a good consultant can make a huge difference. The group aspect is what has made the biggest change to my lifestyle. It takes time to adjust what you eat and the way you view food. I'd see if you can try another group before you give up.

I don't particularly warm to my consultant. When I joined I mentioned before kids is was in the gym 5 days a week but now I can't manage to got at all and she told me that's no excuse and to join a 24 hour gym as she goes at 2330hrs at night . I don't stay for the meeting but go every week to get weighed and have lost most weeks but she barely acknowledges me. I just use it as a means to an end really. Only reason I stick to her classes is she does 4 different ones in a day which suits my shift work/kids etc

I've tried 3 different groups over the years.

First one was just bloody irritating, I didn't click with her, she found it amusing that she was off plan and had gained weight, stating every time that she needed to 'get back on plan'. I should have run then...

Tried another group, which was enormous. The consultant there referred to herself at every opportunity as 'a foodie' and spent a good 3 minutes at the bit where they read our your weight loss asking everyone what they'd cooked, how they'd cooked it etc. The class was always 2 hours long at least and having gone straight from work I'd leave hangry and stuff myself with crap.

The third one was really cliquey - the consultant had her favourites and as a newcomer I felt unwelcome. I stuck with her for a good 6 months, but often didn't feel comfortable enough to stay after weigh in. After my weight plateaued, I asked her for some help (as she'd explained at the initial weigh in), and she was less than helpful, utterly indifferent and uninterested and that was the point I decided to stop putting money into the pocket of someone who couldn't care less if I was successful or not - in fact she probably didn't want too many people to reach target as that would mean reduced income for her wouldn't it?

So I stopped going and I don't regret it.

consutant wise, I think she isnt that important in the diet / journey but they are the glue in what is important - group.

If there was no consultant there would be no group and therefore no support as we all support each other in our group. I would say 35 - 40 members a week through the door and only a fraction of us stay (maybe 8-10).

I can do the plan in my sleep and backwards but I need the support / pressure of group to keep me on track

I think your Consultant is really important...mine was welcoming when I first joined, but the groups are really cliquey (there are several during the day and I've been to all of them). I have tried really hard to join in and be positive, but she still can't remember my name and I've been going for over 6 months. I suffer from low self esteem anyway and that just makes me feel really good! I have lost weight but the support that I thought was going to be there hasn't been. So I am going to travel 30 miles to my friends group ....

I only joined last week so early days, but the welcome from the consultant was lovely. Very encouraging, comforting, seemed genuine and also someone I'd be a little afraid of hiding from lol - very old style matron personality!!

The negative, and I feel so, so awkward saying this, is that she's quite a large lady. I was buying into everything she said, but the bitchy voice in my head was saying if it's that simple to follow, why don't you follow it.
Obviously there are a thousand, very personal reasons she may not be slim, but that logic goes out of the window when you're so emotional yourself about weightloss.

Sorry, not sure what happened to my
paragraphs!!

I know what you mean about the consultant being overweight! My consultant isn't huge but she clearly still needs to lose weight! However, she has been doing it for a while and she enphasises cooking from scratch, exercise and not overeating on free foods. The group is also really supportive and I've met some really nice people there who I chat to every week. There are also several people in the group who are target members and come most weeks, and 2 consultants who are slim who were in her group, so she knows what she's saying. I do kind of like it that when I haven't lost weight or put weight on, I think she doesn't judge because she's obviously been there!

Consultants make a massive difference.

The first group I joined had an overweight consultant who would witter on forever about "eat as many free foods as you want" and all of the 'junk' options like Muller light yoghurts etc.

Second group I joined had a consultant still very much on plan but losing steadily too because she understood how it worked. Her emphasis was on the speed foods - basically you only had free reign to eat as much as you wanted as long as a 3rd of what you ate were speed foods, even better if it was half your plate.

It's impossible to gorge on pasta if you have to get through a plate of green beans first (for example haven't followed plan for a while so can't remember if they are speed but principal stands).

She made a massive difference to my weight loss and attitude towards food. If you can find another class that is suitable definitely try swapping. A good consultant is worthwhile.