Slimming world fail

[Beachcountrysidetown]

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.

I think you were being a bit too rigid about it. I eat very well doing it, (when I do it, I dip in and out but that's my choice) lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meat. If I want sausage from the butchers I have them, I don't count the syns. I don't have wholemeal bread because I don't like it. I choose bread I do like and I don't syn it. I'm just a bit more careful for the next few meals to offset it. I eat less sugar now because I eat less crap, although I still have chocolate but not as much as I used to. You don't have to eat the hifi bars. If you were eating lots of processed food that was your choice, SW doesn't make you do that.

Here is what I’m finding hard to understand.. There has been many comments here that if people are choosing to use their 15 syns on a chocolate bar - and using their healthy extra B on a chocolate bar (healthy extra) then they can’t moan about getting a sugar addiction etc. And they need to take responsibility for their own actions for their weight issues. But, didn’t they take responsibility for their weight issues when they signed up to slimming world in the first place? Is that no smiting you have a problem and trying to address it? Then when you go to the club - there is a table full of mug shot packets, miller light packets and packets of “healthy” hi fi bars - and you’re told you can eat them if you’re hungry. So at that point does the responsibility not shift to the slimming club to give the people who have signed up in good faith the correct information on nutrition? I feel like there is an attitude of “poor sw - they are just trying to make money like everyone else, they HAVE to tell people these hi fi bars are healthy or they won’t make any money”. That simply isn’t true. They could make money from their plan and the consultants start up fees etc and actually selling really healthy branded food rather than chocolate bars. They could have partnerships with health clubs, gyms etc rather than muller light yoghurts (a quick scroll of the menus and recipes on lifeline online shows me that at least 11 recipes include a miller light yoghurt). I feel that the slimming club has a responsibility to its customers that it is not fulfilling to everyone.

Falange but if I didn’t stick to it 100% and didn’t lose weight then I would be told it was because I didn’t stick to the plan.
I have been to 4 different sw clubs and each consultant would say “we have new hi fi bars in today everyone!” Or “here is the new miller light flavour” etc so no - no one is force feeding you this food but it is a big part of slimming world

What’s the point of paying for SW if you just eat a normal, healthy diet and ignore all the SW rubbish about syns and free foods and scary healthy fats? You can do that for free!

If you already know how to eat a healthy and lose weight, what use is SW? And if you don’t, then you end up like the OP, actually following SW’s rules to the letter and learning nothing about healthy eating.

Then when you go to the club - there is a table full of mug shot packets, miller light packets and packets of “healthy” hi fi bars - and you’re told you can eat them if you’re hungry
We were always told the HiFi bar /muller light would be a better option if you were desperate for a sweet fix, and from this point of view I would agree they are better than a lot of other available items. Mug shot is super quick and filling, so good in certain situations. I think your group leader may have introduced them badly for you to have had the wrong idea.

But SW don’t say Hi-Fi bars or mug shot or whatever are ‘healthy’! They tell you the syn value so you can decide for yourself, how to use your syn allowance, if you so wish. They are

These products are not bring presented to you as being better for your body, but as being better for weight loss, IF you chose that option over, say a mars bar or a big bowl of carbonara pasta made with double cream for example. Surely by now, we can work out ourselves that any type of convenience food and food labelled as low fat/sugar will contains all sorts of nasties in terms of additives etc... So what you are really looking for is clean eating and an exercise regime, more calories being used than consumed.. so it’s that simple... no SW required!!

The emphasis on weight loss, any loss is ridiculous. I lost 7lb in a week once as I had severe D&V - my friend doing SW at the time said she wished it was her as that type of loss in a week would be celebrated. I mean anyone can lose weight quickly, but what type of weight? It’s fat loss that matters surely, and that takes time. Is this factored in at the meetings? Depending on your goals, you may also want to get leaner which involves building muscle…which wouldn’t reflect on the scales & so wouldn’t get you the desired result at class, even though you probably lost inches & body fat that week & feel on top of the world. The over reliance on the scale as a measure of success is deeply flawed, IMO.

The terminology used (syn, speed, free) also perpetuates a fear around food and as other posters have pointed out, confusion & a pre-occupation or making the wrong food choices. Why faff with making something fucking syn free when for the calories it cost you could have the real deal? Case in point: a lasagne made with macaroni cheese for the bechemel sauce. Yes, I’ve had this served up to me by a SWer friend who wanted to stay ‘on plan’ when she had us over for dinner.

I’m surprised no one has yet mentioned the porky light scandal. Corporate bullies spring to mind.

I know not one person who has lost weight with SW & kept it off. I know many, too many, that have lost, gained, lost, gained. And for someone like me, who’s interested in nutrition and fuelling my body and exercise and all that guff, it’s fucking soul destroying to watch.

It does sound totally fucked up.

Problem is, some people are very confused about food. Muller lights and Co are accessible, familiar foods. Which probably seem healthy if you are coming from a turkey twizzler and chips mentality.

My biggest issue with sw (apart from the 7lb I put on in a few days) was the bloating.

A friend who has lost a huge amount of weight has thin arms and legs but her stomach is still big. Even though she swears by SW she says she is always so bloated.

I couldn't carry on as my stomach had extended so much I seriously thought the ski around my stomach would split.

@Oliversmumsarmy most likely due to the carbohydrates. Try and cut it down or change to wheat/gluten free pasta/rice?

In my brief encounter with SW the first thing I observed was that our group leader was the most overweight person present by a long way. That didn't inspire confidence. You are better off counting calories if you want a points/numbers based system IMO, but I don't think you can blame SW for the shape you are in now. Apply common sense to sugar consumption!

Oliversmumsarmy I've been on/off SW for years and am now being tested for IBS. I was struggling with bloating and gas so visited my GP who recommended trying the low FODMAP diet. After some research and trial and error, it seems onion, garlic and pasta don't really agree with me. Neither do broccoli, cauliflour or other highly fermentable foods. Seems low FODMAP and SW are completely incomparable.

I used to use onion and garlic as the base of most of my cooking but have had to cut right down. Not saying SW caused my problem btw, just sharing my experience in case it helps with your bloating.

I think you can do slimming world successfully without relying on Hifi bars, fake sugar yoghurts and slimming world sausages etc. Some things are there for people who don't like "healthy foods" but if you do like healthy foods you can deffo work with slimming world and not have to use all the processed crap they market!

The point of paying for it for me is, as I said before, it focuses me and I enjoy the groups. I use the SW plan as a guide but I question things about it and don't stick to it rigidly because I think some of it is daft. My consultant knows this. No one has to eat muller lights and my consultant points this out in group. They also point out that muller lights are nearly 100 calories each. SW is good for me but I think about what I'm eating and how much of it. Each to their own.

I think slimming worlds ok. I always followed it very loosely ... didn't count syns or anything, just had an awareness of them. Likewise the healthy A options.... never really adhered to that as I carried on drinking lots of coffee with full fat milk. So my weight shifted very very slowly ... prob an average of half a pound a week. Which I was ok with. But the principles of it were fine ... lots of fruit and veg and try to cook from scratch and stick to low far healthy protein stuff , nothing wrong with the basic principles at all.

It’s working for me, in December 10.4st today 8.13st. I’m vegetarian and it has helped me with lots of new delicious recipes. It’s stopped my cheese & bread cravings and I’m trying hard to introduce more vegan dishes into my diet.
For me it’s easy not to be tempted by the mug shots, frylight, mullers & ready meals but I can imagine for others it would be hard to resist.
I know I can maintain my weight loss (I’m back to pre pregnancy size) and I don’t feel deprived in any way. it’s sensible healthy eating with a few treats thrown in- because life is to be enjoyed.
If it doesn’t work for you, find something that does

@Bluesheep8 @FelixCited - do you exercise alongside the sw plan? I think it’s great, but feel like i’ve stalled a bit. I’ve managed to lose nearly a stone, but I’ve still got a stone & a half to lose to reach my 9st7 target. I love cooking from scratch, but think my portion sizes are too big. Also think I need to exercise more..... currently do one dance class a week & going to increase that to two. May start running again too.

Morning pixie, I do exercise 2x Pilates class and do a long 7mile+ walk once a week.
It definitely come off slower when you are nearing your goal weight. I do have smaller portions than I see others having (I couldn’t eat 4 poached eggs for breakfast!) I try to be mindful, paying real attention to the food and stop eating when I’m full.
Good luck

@FelixCited - thanks for the tips!
I’m an emotional eater & love eating, but 4 poached eggs??!! Lol I’m trying to be more mindful, but it’s difficult breaking out of the mindset where I like to reward myself with treats. I’m much healthier now. I just look back at when I was in my teens, only 9st & practically living off takeaways, thinking I was fat It’s definitely harder to shift when you get older. I do quite a bit of walking anyway, but exercise is the way forward.

I have the ‘map my walk’ app, it’s free & very good.
I’ve been rewarding myself with mini pamper treats rather than food. After my 2nd child was born I would eat biscuits chocolate cheese bread constantly as I was so tired & depressed. He’s older now and sleeping through the night so finally feel I have the motivation to eat healthy.

Thanks to SW I am in the worst shape of my life

There. Right there. That’s the problem.

Your body. Own it.

Highhorse yes I know - which is why I’ve come off the diet, been eating clean for a month and training. My point is is that people ARE taking responsibility for their weight by joining slimming world - then being bombarded with terrible nutritional information and often coming out worse off

I had a look at them. Supposedly a smoothie is bad for you! I lost weight using green smoothies and felt amazing. I like the WW ready meals for work.

When I was talking to my(diabetic) daughter's dietician she said you are better off eating full fat products rather than the slimming ones! And everything in moderation. I can't get my head round buying frozen slimming world food, How about getting back to cooking from scratch and not eating processed food.