I’m not losing any weight. What am I doing wrong?

[MemorableLlama]

I’ve been doing slimming world online for about 6 weeks. I’m sticking to it rigidly but have only lost 2 pounds.

I think the issue is, I have a huge appetite and am eating large portions of free food (eggs, chicken, salmon, pasta, potatoes). If I don’t, I get really hungry.

Consequently, I have maintained the last 4 weeks. (I lost 1lb in week 1 and 1lb in week 2. )

I’ve got about 2 stone to lose to get to a healthy weight so not massively overweight- but significantly so.

Any advice?

Just get yourself on the weight loss injection s. Then you'll be able to eat whatever you like because your appetite will be severely reduced.

Lose the weight and then after you come off the injections eat the same things in the same quantity.

I find it easier eating with an eat well plate. It has 3 sections- half of the plate for veg and a quarter each for protein and carbs .... Honestly I don't do SW but ensuring half of my plate is veg- with lots of crunch helps satisfy me. Honestly if the veg isn't crunchy it doesn't help to satiate me....

Yes - I think they also rely on it being self-limiting in that the 'free foods' are generally less palatable without sauces or fats which would need to be counted, but if you are happy to eat the free foods on their own in unlimited quantities and you have the appetite to eat 2000+ calories' worth, it's biologically impossible to lose weight.

Are you being really strict on one third of every meal/snack being speed veg (or whatever they call it). The more of the other free foods you eat, the more green veg you need to be eating too.

Also 2 stone is not that much to lose and you have lost 2 lb in 6 weeks so that's not exactly zero weight loss. I lost weight on SW but it was pretty slow.

Slimming World is more or less volume eating. That's what the OP and a lot of others seem to have missed.

A third of everything you eat should be non starchy vegetables, or fruit on average. It's not 'unlimited salmon and pasta'. Those foods are good choices within the plan, but need to also include sufficient speed foods and eat until full, but it's not a green light to eat endlessly until you're so stuffed, you can't move.

But that’s not what it says, anywhere, this is not what they tell people. No where on those links do they say that, they are very clear you can eat as much as you wish, no measuring, which also means no measuring on plate size, no nothing and they then explain the science behind this mind boggling ascertion.

Yes that was it in a nutshell. I didn’t care that there was no skin on the chicken or butter in the potato or only a drizzle of fat free dressing on the salad I was ravenous and ate the lot easily. Then a fat free yogurt and fruit for dessert then more cold chicken and fruit before bed. As well as the full 15 sins and the two for you or whatever they are calling it now. I really ate everything that was allowed. In fact after 3 months on SW I was 4 pounds heavier than when I started. 🤷🏻‍♀️I gave up in the end and spent years being obese until I went on Mounjaro 2 years ago and it’s been life changing. 6.5 stones down. I’m back in the gym and loving life although my bank account is looking rather sick 😁

Do you understand jist how much some people can eat until they are full? How much volume that is, without feeling stuffed?

It’s not just pasta rice and potatoes though is it.

So a form of tracking food intake then? So like tracking calories? . And let’s be honest if people with long term obesity could happily be satiated by eating non starchy salads and fruit we wouldn’t be obese to begin with.

No, indeed - that was just an example.

Yes, that's marketing-speak because they want people to sign up.

Exactly. When hunger hormones are out of whack and working against you the hunger a person can constantly feel is overwhelming.

That really is not the whole point of slimming world. Calories are calories. If your TDEE is 1500 but youre eating 2000 calories of 'free food', youre not going to lose any weight. You still have to be accountable for how much you are eating. Its very basic stuff.

No it’s not, did you even read the links.

I've lost just under 2.5 stone so far, since late Feb. No calorie counting, no exercise. Just cut out refined sugar except for an occasional treat, and gone very low carb. Basically no potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, pizza etc - again unless it's a treat. A treat for me is something like going out for dinner with a friend once every couple of weeks, in which case I'll have the garlic bread, I'll have the pizza, and I'll damn well have the chocolate cake after! But other than that, virtually no carbs or refined sugar.

I eat full fat dairy as it keeps me satiated. I haven't felt hungry at all on this diet. Low fat alternatives are usually padded out with starch or sugar - which is actually not an aid to weight loss.

It was a prediabetes diagnosis that forced me to change my eating habits. So basically, cutting the carbs (which turn into sugar) and cutting out the actual sugar have been what I had to do. Had no idea I would lose so much weight so quickly from just these 2 changes!

Might be worth a shot or at least looking into, OP.

My cholesterol has also considerably lowered since going low carb and virtually no sugar, despite eating full fat dairy.

I am not a doctor or nutritionist; this is simply my own experience. Every body is different - my disclaimer!

This is why SW would never work for me. I need calories measured and then have to stop eating when I've reached my limit.

You need to get used to being hungry and feel that it's actually helping you get to where you want to go.. After a while your body adjusts and expects less food. That and increase your exercise. Keeping the weight off is another matter

Slimming World is literally the worst weight loss plan around. I've struggled with my weight all my life but I was never truly fat until I did SW.

It doesn’t work for anyone, it’s a 97 percent regain rate.

what I can’t get over is the people trying to defend it and say oh there is a secret that it needs to be a third of your plate, they don’t say that.

this is what they say, you can eat as much of these items as you please, with no measuring at all. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever read.

• lean meat (and meat replacements)
• fish
• eggs
• rice
• pasta
• potatoes
• beans and lentils
• vegetables
• fruit

Regaining weight is due to stopping the eating plan and going back to old habits. It's precisely why they offer free weigh ins and class attendance to people who reach their target weight.

Where do you get the figure of 97% from? That's not even the 100% of people you claim it is!

You are focussing on one element of the SW eating plan to the exclusion of the rest of it.

Honestly with all the free foods/syns/healthy extras/speed food rules i can't see how it isn't simpler to calorie track tbh.
I take 20mins on a weekend before I do my shop to plan my meals out for the whole week including snacks and enter them onto MFP. I focus on volume and fibre (a MN special MASSIVE salad for about 80 calories, using lemon juice or balsamic vinegar for dressing) with high protein. I find all the chewing and swallowing is most of the battle with satiation as I feel like I'm eating tons. Follow Bethany Dobson on FB as her reels give you really easy "meals the size of your head" ideas.
Yes, you will be hungry - that's a hormonal response to being in a calorie deficit which is the only way we can physically lose weight. But doing the above i have lost 11kg in 3 months and kept it off for 6 weeks after stopping calorie tracking just by changing my perspective and habits.
Bear in mind that exercise can increase hunger - it has other benefits not just weight loss so do still exercise, just bear in mind to eat something satiating afterwards to prevent binging on foods that don't support your goals.
Everyone I've ever known do SW has put more on than they've ever lost - its a business at the end of the day and doesn't focus on changing to lifelong healthy habits. They WANT repeat business.
Good luck!

This is why I don't follow slimming world, their 'free food' policy can only go so far, and starchy foods and pasta are an issue for me, so I limit those foods and go with mostly protein and veg.

Yes, I’m permanently hungry and was even when concentrating on protein
what actually satisfied me was fibre
if I volume eat veg, salad etc and try and hit the recommended fibre intake, I feel satisfied

You'll have to make yourself a bit uncomfortable if you want to lose weight more quickly. You'll need to be hungry sometimes, you'll need to finish a meal and accept that although you could eat more you've had sufficient.

Advising members eat limitless pasta and potatoes does seem particularly counterproductive. That's what I'd choose to eat if I knew it wouldn't lead to weight gain!