Weight watchers vs slimming world

[Wenchelda]

Hi, never posted on this topic before so be gentle! I need to lose about a stone. I'm rubbish at dieting - always feel hungry. Do minimal exercise (20mins approx 4 x a week). I did slimming world 4years ago and did lose but only stuck to it for about a month and to be honest it made me miserable. I know there's all the "free food" but I didn't want to eat that and so still felt hungry. I've tried using "my fitness pal" for the last couple of weeks and am struggling to stay within my daily calorie allowance. Last night I came across ww again and had a look at the website - it seemed a bit confusing saying there's several different ways to do it... Counting / pro points etc. can someone explain these to me please? There's an offer online at the mo for £12 for a month or £30 for 3 months and I don't know whether to join. I'm unable to get to actual meetings so would be doing it all online. Any advice please?

I think either plan works but neither sorts your head out!

Have to disagree. I've been with WW for seven or eight years, have lost six stones and am maintaining it. By using their ProPoints/SmartPoints approach (I've done both), I've been completely educated as far as portion sizes go.

I mean, it was never rocket science. ALL diets work one way only—by creating a calorie deficit. It's the methods used to create the calorie deficit that vary and you need to sample stuff until you find the one that best fits you and your lifestyle. I find the group support at my class the best way of staying where I want to be.

I've attached my before and after pics for anyone who wants to see. Please do feel free to ignore, if not

My head has never been more sorted

I think that they don't sort your head out if you are an emotional eater and rely on it for comfort or reward, or eat (overeat) if bored, upset, lonely, tired - they probably do sort your head out as regards better foods to choose and portion sizes.

Am a WW gold member for 6 years now and have always maintained at or below goal, however, my head isn't fixed as I still retain all the same triggers that I have had since I was a child and that make me want to stuff myself. I just manage not to do it so often, but yes I still do it at times.
If you are overweight because you simply enjoy your food and do not have a bad relationship with food then both plans are great but I agree that they don't fix your head if you actually need counselling for bingeing or some other eating disorder.
I do think though, that I would be heavier if I didn't go to a weekly weigh in. I could not have got to goal, nor maintained without my meeting and unlike many, I carried on going even after I got to goal.

Have tried SW and overall think it is a great plan, but I don't eat meat or quorn so I find it restrictive as I want to eat lower fat feta & halloumi instead etc and that is not free and don't want to use my syns for my protein in my meals.

Stevie69 you are so inspiring!

Thank you so much, FannyBurney; that's a lovely thing to say

The reason that I post on the weight loss threads is ........ that I'm an ordinary person, with an ordinary life. I'm ............ well, ordinary And seriously, if I can do it, anyone can do it. I just want everyone to know that, to believe in themselves and to keep going. You get there in the end. Promise

SW v WW
Got to be SW and I’ve tried both on and off. With SW I’ve kept weight off and found their support fantastic... really helpful, love the different talks when you stay to group. The WW watchers was painful to listen to, one by one discuss gains and losses... took forever.
Had a fall off wagon due to illness and after watching the hyp about the new system, WW! Any way started a 3 month plan with WW... complicated, confusing, time consuming, and I might have been unlucky but my group had no support. Should of known when on signing up, I was left to my own devices. No help, given, told to read the book. Oh boy, really was taken aback, well I did not get to grips with it and the following week, yet another cover lady... who had to rush away!
Gave up and went back to SL £90 poorer. Happy to say week 2, 4.5lb lighter and great, really great support. And the consultant rang me both weeks to ask if I was getting on with the plan and did I need any help? And I’m eating cous cous, pasta and potatoes till they come out of my ears, they’re pointed on SL.

The WW watchers was painful to listen to, one by one discuss gains and losses... took forever.

That's strange - any WW meeting I've been to has been really inspiring talks and different topics each week. SW has always been going around the circle hearing about gains and losses, clapping everyone and then you leave. Sometimes it takes over an hour and I've never learned a thing by staying to group!

Agreed! That sounds like a SW meeting rather than a WW one. Everyone's weight and progress at WW is confidential unless they want to share.

Hi - snap! i’m following with interest - turn 50 this year and suddenly belly fat is piling on along with knee/foot pain and muscular niggles I used to hover between 60-63kg (i’m 5ft 2), wanted to lose 2-3kg, but over the last year or so have gone to 70kg and can’t seem to shift anything, despite mostly sensible food (or so i think) and moderate regular exercise. Now looking at either WW/SW - but WW sounds complicated with needing to count points. I cook from scratch a lot...so do you add all raw ingredients? How do you calculate points for a homemade veg smoothie for instance - unless they all fall into free points? Confused! Are you allowed to drop in to meetings to try out before deciding?

I've done both and for me WW is the better option. BUT I think it comes down to personal choice and what works for you! Both programmes are good. Why is WW the better option for me? I have always like the points system. The app is fantastic and far superior to the SW app. The barcode scanner is brilliant. I agree with previous posters that the SW meetings go on for way too long, and I used to find myself getting very bored. But our group leader was fantastic, hugely supportive everyone on the diet, both at meetings and outside of meetings. The WW meetings are shorter but the support is there outside of meetings if needed (eg FB group, online coach, live chat etc) I was never 100% comfortable with the unlimited pasta, rice etc on SW and found it hard not to rely on this. One thing I find that helps on either programme is to do it with friends - it really helps to have others to be in the same boat!

Like you when I started SW I only needed to lose a stone, I got nowhere even though I stuck to plan. In the end I gave up and joined the gym and lost weight easily. I now need to lose weight again thanks to the summer holidays and the lack of exercise, the problem with only needing to lose a stone is it’s easy to put it back on if you stop exercising for a month. I will be joining the local swimming pool next week in hope to shift it again. When I’m exercising every day I don’t really diet, I just think about what I’m eating and try to select healthier options but if I want something I tend to eat it.

I had less than a stone to lose on SW too when i started to stop losing and then putting on over the summer. I'm trying to cut my refined carbs with it now and will see if it makes a difference. From my very unscientific observations I think if you have a lot of weight to lose the SW allows you to slowly adjust your appetite but if, like me, your only problem is that you love cake too much, then you need to adapt the plan quite a lot to suit you.