I've tried so many times and SW doesn't work

[marshmallowmama]

What on Earth am I doing wrong? Granted I haven't tried in a few years but seriously when I last did slimming works I stuck to it religiously and really tried so hard and I just didn't lose weight ?! I'd love to try again as anyone else that does it just melts the fat off easily. Can anybody help me?

Surely the mashed banana thing is because it's far easier to over eat mashed/puréed/juices fruit that whole? If it wasn't synned you'd add two bananas adding ~100kcal. Doesn't to act of chewing also give signals to the stomach/brain too?

I think if you go for all the cheats which are advertise as low syns then SW will not work for you. I did SW and lost 3 stones but I used the main principles of it which are to fill your plate up with more greens and salads and ignored the free yohgurts and stuff.
For me it was more about someone weighing me weekly and the motivation that gave me than the meals and recipes.
There used to be you tubers who ate something like 3 yoghurts daily( the muller ones) and then complain that they'd only lost a pound for 4 consecutive weeks, well if your diet is sugar heavy even if it's artificial sugar 🤔

@notagaim yes, but in my situation I was being syned for mashing a banana to make egg pancakes (1banana and egg mixed together) so not for a smoothie. I did explain this to the person who marked my food diary in red pen but she just kept telling me that the calorie count changes depending on whole or mashed. This was the point where I lost faith in the system, despite losing half a stone in three weeks. What I ultimately needed was to not drink wine, not snack on crap and to eat foods which weren’t processed. SW for those three weeks was just a bit of a reset and then I was fine to carry on by myself.

But the pancakes are far nicer and easier to eat than a banana and an egg. If you sat down to a banana and a hard boiled egg, you'd stop after eating them. Pancakes, not so much. Also tempting to add a little something to top them!

I always saw it as guidance rather than law. Yes, they'll syn your banana, but you can choose to ignore what they say.

I lost 5.5 stone with them, and have kept it off for about 6 months.
It address the fact that people don't recognise sensible portions of 'treat/junk' foods anymore. Crisps and chocolate bars used to be a weekly treat, or just when you were on a picnic. Now they're a daily staple of a packed lunch.

There are anomaly foods- things like avocado and nuts that are really nutritious but still easy to over eat. That's why they are still restricted.

I followed it reasonably carefully to lose the weight- lots of speed food, lots of protein, and enough plain carbs to fill you up but no more. They do tell you to avoid carbs for faster weight loss.

Now I've ditched the yogurts in favour of whole fat yogurt, and introduced avocados and nuts. I'm staying on target so far. It hasn't solved my chocolate problem, sadly.

@MrsMigginsCat how do you work out your calories , i have been following 1200 calories all week except one cheat day of 1500 cals and not lost anything so can't see what calories i need as i thought 1200 was quite low

@worriedatthistime MyFitnessPal has been really great for me, I use it mainly for calorie counting. I’m on 1200 calories a day but I am doing a fair amount of exercise in the evening - so if I put the exercise in (swimming, running etc) it adds onto my allowance. Loads of tips and plans on there too on the free version!

@picklemewalnuts yes they are nicer to eat than a banana and a boiled egg but I am taking one banana, mashing it, one egg, whisking it and adding it to the banana and then griddling on a non stick pan. That’s it. It makes perhaps two pancakes. How is that different than eating a banana and a boiled egg?!

@Fernsinthegarden i am using MFP and i have like 6 stone to loose so 1200 with a 1500 treat type day i thought would be low enough as i have so much too loose
Exercise is limited as i have an injury although have bought some weights and an excercise bike so i can increase this
Not sure i can go lower than 1200 although many days i was 100 - 50 calories below

I wouldn’t go lower than 1200. You’ll get there! I’ve got a couple of stone to lose as well, really struggled to be in the right mindset for ages, I really think you have to be ready for it!

If you have 6st to lose, I expect you can have more than 1200 to lose weight. Have you calculated your TDEE? If you Google, there are lots that you can use.

It doesn't work for me unless I eat hardly any carbs and all lean meat n veg and I don't need slimming world to tell me how do that. Their idea of free foods just doesn't make me loose weight.

I was following their plan and actually eating over 2500 calories a day with all the free pasta rice and potatoes as well as skinless chicken thighs etc. then when they said I needed to cut right back on the free food (carbs) I thought but I only joined because SW says it's so say free food with no weighing or counting calories. But I ended up eating more calories, albeit good nutritional food groups but still it was way over what I should have been consuming.

It really shouldn't be this complicated...

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants

It was so toxic for me and completely ruined my relationship with food. I tried 5 times and ended up in a far worse position! It's unhealthy in my opinion.

I agree with counting your calories for a days eating even if you are on SW.

I lost 3st 4lb on it and then it stopped. Then I started to put weight back on. It's a load of shite.

I do SW currently, but adapted for me. I have PCOS and carbs stick to me like glue, so if I want to be the size and shape I like the. I have to restrict them. I do not have the time/money or joints for the aerobic exercise that lots of people use to stay trim (I have inflammatory arthritis) but am pretty active with dog, garden.

of course the mashed banana thing is irritating, but we’re all adults and as long as you’re still getting losses then don’t worry about mashed, puréed or inch square chunks. I like the structure and support, it makes me accountable. I don’t do the weird and wonderful quark and fucking sweetener shite, but also don’t scarf anything I can because it’s nice.

I can eat anything, just not everything!

SW doesn't work for me even when l stick to the rules of 1/3 2/3 etc....

The reason being l will have a dinner plate the size of a dustbin lid.....

WW has taught me about portion control

I think its a combination of what you make of it, with a side helping of it might just not be the diet for you.

Slimming world does have a problem in that it is very possible to overeat and to play the system once you know what you are doing. So you can be 'on plan' and still eating more than you need. They call all these foods 'free' but they do have calories, espcially the pasta and potatoes, so you do need to apply some portion control.

However, I also think it gets some things right. It goes heavy on the fruit and veg (1/3 plate speed food) and tries to give you some outlet for cravings without totally free reign, and I do find going to group a good accountability tool. Calling excercise 'body magic' is exceeding annoying, but it is addressed.

I try and use most of my syns in making nice meals (not dry 0% fat, quark fulled affairs) rather than snacks, up the fruit and veg, steer clear of the Hifi bars and it is working again so far (joined again post baby).

I tried second nature and the online aspect just didn't work for me.The meals were really good but I found the low carb, high fat diet they push just unsustainable. I would feel totally wiped out mid afternoon, and I don't get that with SW, but perhaps that plan might work for you?

I have lost a stone in the last 6 weeks and am continuing to lose but have not cut back my daily calorie intake at all as I didn’t want to be on a diet restrict myself then put it all back on.
previously I was having breakfast lunch and dinner and mid morning mid aft and evening snacks . What I have done is had breakfast then waited 4-6 hours till I feel really hungry and had lunch same with dinner just hours after lunch when I’m actually really hungry and added my snacks after lunch and dinner . Exact same amount of food but I think the key is the hunger is when I’m burning fat

Flower arranger yeah you're are right

Slimming world don't claim that. The idea is that a whole unmashed banana is 'free' because you are likely to only eat one at a time, whereas if you have a mashed or liquidised banana, in a smoothie, for eg, you could easily eat a lot more - so it's given a sun value. It's also potentially about how you digest said banana - your body has to work harder to digest an unmashed banana so it doesn't carry a syn value.

Slimming World does work, if you actually use your brain cells. Obviously you cannot eat a caserole dish of pasta at each meal and expect to lose weight, you cannot drink 10 litres of mashed banana and expect to lose weight. When you turn fruit into smoothies its easy to gulp it down. Eating 1 apple takes 5 minutes, drinking 10 apples in juice form takes a few minutes (why don't people get this?) Forget all the slimming world groupies and crazy food ideas and the basics are healthy home made food, low added oils and fats lots of fruit and veg. Minium processed foods. I am not one to condone diets but as plan for people who have no idea what a healthy diet is it's quite a good one. It's very easy to moan and say its rubbish but is that because it's easier to blame the plan then yourself? I've never been to a, slimming world meeting but I've used its approach to lose weight. It is hard to stick to as it restricts junk food but what duet can you eat junk food on and lose weight?

Just to add, non of the above was aimed at the Op, but the people that just don't get IT with free food, cooked fruit etc.

I get what you are saying buster but SW big selling point is the no calorie counting, free food thing. It's what draws us fatties with big appetites in. Then to find out it's actually no different to any other healthy eating plan is very disappointing. It's a con in my view.

@BusterGonad exactly. There’s no silver bullet, and it’s not rocket science that piling up the carbs might not encourage weight loss. If you’re not losing on it, you’re overeating something or under-sunning something.

I hate the term body magic too, but luckily don’t take it as a personal affront. Makes me laugh the same people moaning about SW jargon will happily trot into Starbucks and order their double shot vanilla and blackberry squirt iced latte frappafuckingchino, and slurp down half a days calories and at the same time moan ‘no diets work’ I would add ‘no diets work unless you stick to them - forever’.

the I lost xxx with SW and then put it all back on so SW is rubbish is also annoying. You put it all back on cos you started stuffing your face with crap again! 😂 that’s why you put it all back on. You have to change how and what you eat forever, or you’re wasting your time.

Agree with everything you’ve written there @BusterGonad