Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Slimming world fail

196 replies

Beachcountrysidetown · 29/03/2018 21:38

Slimming world has left me fat, tired, unfit and addicted to sugar.
Their whole concept is rubbish (for me) the fact that a chocolate bar has less syns than an avacardo or handful of nuts is mad and has left me in a state where if I don’t have sugar I get a headache. Two healthy extras being those hi fi bars is also mad - they are full of sugar and no nutritional benefits except a bit of fibre.
I have become frightened of normal foods and never know what to eat as in obsessed with counting a fictional number of points is supposed “bad” food.
The weigh in is crazy - everyone has starved them self all day to then binge on quavers and hi fi bars after their weigh in. Not being able to eat freshly prepared sausages from the butcher as the syns are unknown but able to eat processed crap sausages with the SW branding....
I never exercised as it really isn’t a thing with SW. Yes there’s mentions of body magic but that’s it - getting steps in for body magic if you want to but I was constantly told it’s not needed unless you want to. Thanks to SW I am in the worst shape of my life and I have a good 12 month fight to get my fitness, diet and weight back on track in a healthy way.
Rant. Over.

OP posts:
childmindingmumof3 · 31/03/2018 07:50

I can definitely eat more calories in chocolate than I can in broccoli or rice. So I limit chocolate and eat as much broccoli as I want.

Totallytopsecret · 31/03/2018 08:07

The thing that works about slimming world is the public shaming if you don't lose weight each week. The diet plan is very much secondary.

Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 08:43

The soup was made with veg which was free but it also had a little milk and oil in it so without knowing the exact recipe i would not know how many syns to give to it.
Unfortunately the diet is centred around processed sugar filled food. Yes it’s your choice not to eat these foods but it is very difficult when slimming worlds own foods - which are sold in group - are filled with rubbish. I know not everyone is going to agree with me but for the vast majority of people it leaves them with a sugar addiction and faces them with years of yo-yo dieting. If they didn’t want you to make the bad choices they would never call hi fi bars “healthy” extras and they wouldn’t have recipes using miller lights in their own promotions. This is fact unfortunately.
And just to be clear I wasn’t one of the people eating quavers and starving myself for weigh in but I really felt for the people who were doing this.
It’s not the group leader either - I’ve tried 4 different groups and they are all the same. One of which has a leader who’s been on her weight loos journey with SW for over 5 years and has lost and gained the same 2 stone over and over again. It’s sad.
I am so happy it works for a minority of people - I am not being a bitch against SW - I am concerned at how the vast majority of people are led into a truly unhealthy way of life for corporate greed

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 31/03/2018 08:51

Op, as said I agree it is not great or sustainable, but i do think you are looking at it wrong. Sure they allow people to eat sugar, but eating muller lights or hifi bars may be forcing many people to eat a lot less sugar than they were before the diet whilst still allowing them something.

There are many different diet plans, and many different ways of eating and it's important to find something that works for you. If something doesn't work for you then you find something else. Chosing to stay on it, making the wrong choices then blaming the diet is removing your personal responsibility. You chose to do that. So slimming world didn't leave you fat tired and addicted to sugar, you did that.

We all need to accept personal responsibility for our choices. I joined a slimming club years ago, I can't remember if it was SW or WW. but I knew within a couple of weeks it wasn't for me. It all seemed to be a bit complicated which led to an obsessive focus on food, the meetings were dull with the leader talking to the class like they were idiots about food choices, and the weigh ins and fake congrats and comaraderie were just completely cringe making, so I didn't go back and did it my way,

You can't keep on it, decide not to exercise because someone says you don't "need" to, eat as much crap as you're allowed then whinge and say it's all their fault. It's not, it's yours, I'm sorry.

Bluntness100 · 31/03/2018 08:59

I know not everyone is going to agree with me but for the vast majority of people it leaves them with a sugar addiction and faces them with years of yo-yo dieting

No op. Many of the people there already have a sugar addiction, that's why they are overweight and there in thr first place and many are all ready yo yo diet, it's hugely common, we all do it.

Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 09:05

Maybe it’s hard for a lot of people to accept as they have invested so much time and money but into the brand of slimming world. Look at slimming world Instagram accounts - 9/10 times the person is “back on plan to get back to target” and showing photos of themselves at target saying “I will get back there”.
The mindset is - they lost the weight the first time quickly - they can do it again.

OP posts:
BarbaraOcumbungles · 31/03/2018 09:10

Unfortunately the diet is centred around processed sugar filled food

This is just not true.

Bluntness100 · 31/03/2018 09:11

But that's the same for many diets, folks stop then start eating as they used to, which is what made them overweight in the first place.

I agree as said it's not great or sustainable, but if we go back to the original op, no one forced you to join it or stay on it.

Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 09:11

Their own branded food is full of sugar - that’s a fact

OP posts:
TheClitterati · 31/03/2018 09:11

It can hardly be a surprise that any organisation that talks about food as syns is a load of utter tosh!!!

rebelfit.co.uk/blog/2017/if-you-could-see-the-panic-at-slimming-world-hq

Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 09:13

13.2 grams of sugar in 2 hi fi bars

OP posts:
Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 09:15

If they wanted you to do well on the diet then they would t make products filled with sugar, sell them in group and call them a “healthy” food

OP posts:
Sakurasnail · 31/03/2018 09:18

Unfortunately the diet is centred around processed sugar filled food
I don't agree. It's been a while since I was on sw, but I'm pretty sure my impression was of being able to eat massive quantities of a lot of fruit/vegetables and some plain complex carbs. The processed crap has sums attached so you can more easily limit the amount you eat.
A friend on sw currently asked the local butcher to make her some low % fat sausages, which she knew had no nasty fillers/preservatives etc, so could factor it into her meals.
I think you just need to apply some common sense.

piercinggelo · 31/03/2018 09:20

13.2 grams of sugar in 2 hi fi bars

I'm not sure how many times, or how many people need to say this but...

YOU DON'T HAVE TO EAT THEM

Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 09:21

I’m aware of that. But if the company didn’t want you to eat them they wouldn’t make them would they?

OP posts:
piercinggelo · 31/03/2018 09:22

The mindset is - they lost the weight the first time quickly - they can do it again.

Everyone says this about SW but fgs it's the same with EVERY diet/weight loss plan. You stop following it, you put weight back on.

People have yo-yo dieted for years, on every plan.

Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 09:22

And the processed crap doesn’t have syns - that’s my point. Their branded ready meals - free. Miller lights - free. Hi Fi bars - free

OP posts:
Beachcountrysidetown · 31/03/2018 09:23

Sorry - hi fi bars are “healthy” extras

OP posts:
piercinggelo · 31/03/2018 09:23

But if the company didn’t want you to eat them they wouldn’t make them would they?

But it's not a forced 'part of the plan' like day, slim fast shite. A hi-fi bar is a fibre filled option which satisfies the sweet tooth.

BarbaraOcumbungles · 31/03/2018 09:23

I’ve been doing sw since Christmas and haven’t had one processed meal or a miller light or a high fi bar!

If you diet and continue to eat processed shit what do you think is going to happen? It’s a diet not a magic wand.

The problem here is your eating habits.

Sakurasnail · 31/03/2018 09:23

Look at slimming world Instagram accounts - 9/10 times the person is “back on plan to get back to target” and showing photos of themselves at target saying “I will get back there”.
The mindset is - they lost the weight the first time quickly - they can do it again.

A lot of the ppl I knew on sw set their target as a weight they had been pre-dc, or before they started eating badly due to more money/less time situations. For them it wasn't a case of redieting to reach target. Not saying that doesn't happen though.

SleepFreeZone · 31/03/2018 09:26

I do remember SW heavily promoting muller light yogurts so that’s absolutely true. I assume SW has a deal with them. Advocating the packet stuff called MugShots is also true, vile stuff.

Bluntness100 · 31/03/2018 09:26

Op, again though it's better to eat two hi if bars and a muller light than it is to eat a large bar of dairy milk and a large bag of Doritos. So for many it's a lot less sugar than they were consuming, so a better choice for them that will enable them to lose weight, and as others said, you don't need to eat them, but some people need something.

Sakurasnail · 31/03/2018 09:27

And the processed crap doesn’t have syns - that’s my point
I'm talking about any processed food here. Can of processed soup/lasagne etc. They have syn values. Whereas you could make your own healthy meals from fresh ingredients, herbs and spices, with v few syns if you didn't use any shop bought processed foodstuffs.

overitalready · 31/03/2018 09:32

I have lost 5 stone following slimming world. I have never ever brought a hi fi bar, a ready meal or made McDonalds using weetabix Infact ive never been to group therefore havent paid them a bloody penny either.

I have maintaned my goal weight that I set for myself for 3 years now & i shall continue with the help of the basic plan plus excercise.

This isnt about the diet your following OP, if it isnt working for you then try the good old moto - eat less, move more.

Swipe left for the next trending thread