Slimming World - cult?

[usofake]

I lost quite a bit on sw a few years ago and like most people, have put it all back on. Simple fact is it's not sustainable. Doesn't teach you about portion control, calories or nutrition. The minute you need to socialise or are not prepared your immediately "off plan" or "synning" theres no balance. I agree with the user a few posts back saying a lot of the consultants are overweight. Such an oxymoron. Last group I went to the consultant rested her iPad on her pot belly while saying "theres been a few gains this week...lets see who's fault that is". She then proceeded to single out people who had put on a bit of weight. Also went to a group where a mother of the bride was being shamed into losing weight as she wouldnt want to regret not getting at least another 2 stone off for the pictures as no one would want them on their wall . I ended up with a pretty big following on ig(10k +) and people started flodding my inbox with offers to promote teas and all sorts of nonsense...I deleted the whole thing as its all a massive marketing ploy.

 

[Madasmolly]

Did sw on and off for about 5 or 6 years. Can never credit any weight loss i ever had with following the diet. I started using MFP which opened my eyes to what i was actually eating. It takes getting used to the weighing of everything but you essentially can have whatever you like once it fits in with your calories which is great. I bought a fitbit aswell which is great for tracking exercise and you can sync it with MFP so if you burn off extra calories they will be added to your total daily calories. Cant afford to join a gym myself so i started doing lucy wyndham reeds youtube workouts which i find great. Combining both the calorie counting and workouts is really working for me and its not costing me anything apart from buying the fitbit. Found with sw because its so low in fat youre constantly hungry, which means youre constantly thinking about food!

 

[DietGossip]

I know so many people who are off an on slimming world every single year. It doesn’t actually teach you how to have a good relationship with food, it teaches you how to add up numbers that frankly make no sense half of the time. Focus on eating fruit and veggies, fresh prepared food, watching portion sizes and making sure you’re eating adequate protein and enough food at mealtimes so you’re not snacking.

 

[HasnaEmilia]

I enjoy slimming world, I lost 3 stone on it steadily and enjoyably but over the years I’ve put it all back on because I quit and went back to old habits. I’m back to it now, so like anything I suppose it suits some people and not others. Tracking on my fitness pal is good too but I personally find that quite regimented, slimming world for me is quite relaxed and flexible

 

[judsmum]

i had lots of IVF and due to my immunology issue related to pregnancy I had to take steroids all the way through. Needless to say that by the time I parted with my one child I had a gravitational pull to rival Saturn’s. I joined SW and lost 7 stone. I never stayed to the meetings and only kept paying as getting weighed in front of people kept me motivated. I lost all the weight and stopped going, I am no longer on SW but have kept my weight off by exercising and generally not being a piggy! I can’t stand any weight loss group but it did help me!

 

[FCD]

Yes it’s a cult. If it really worked then the business model would have failed already as everyone would only join for six months/a year then go it alone. It is not sustainable and doesn’t teach healthy relationships with food. Any weight loss plan that promotes processed food/artificial sweeteners is a dodgy one. Calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight and then keep it off (with calorie maintainenance). It is basic science/maths!

 

[dontgetit]

Just an update, have lost 3lbs using My Fitness Pal, so a good start!

 

[wotdidijustwatch]

Slimmind world bullshit advice i was actually given at group.....

Encouraged to eat a curly wurly as its less syns than an avocado which is packed with nutrients and healthy fats....but no eat the curly wurly and save syns for another treat later on.

Go to the xmas markets and pack your own healthy extra b wholemeal roll so then when you go and get a hog roast sandwich just ask for the meat so you can put it in your own bread roll. Dont get stuffing or apple sauce as that is syns but you have a nice syn free pork sandwich and not feep left out with your friends.

If you are out and about shopping pack an options hot chocolate and a hi fi bar. When you all dive in costa for your lattes and cakes ask at the till for a cup of hot water to warm up a babies bottle. Then when you're at the table you can mix in your options and tuck into your hi fi bar. Stay in control!

NEVER ever make a smoothie unless you want to count syns. Just eat a bowl of fruit its syn free.

White sauce for a lasagne? Just mix natural yogurt and a couple of eggs and a pinch of nutmeg

Burger in a bowl? So a beef mince salad

Anyone else ever been given 'advice' at group?

I also remember the uproar when muller lights and mug shots were given syn values.
I didn't care they taste awful anyway but there were women in my group who were livid. Our poor consultant cracked and said listen i do not make the rules, it wasn't my decision to put syns on them...syn them or dont syn them its your funeral.

 

[Scvee13]

I couldn't eat 1200 calories that would be starvation. My maintenance calories are 2483. I think if people are going to track calories then they should work it out properly. My fitness pal tells me to eat 1657 to lose weight. I have done all diets and they all work for me, my issue is my lack of will power. I won't sign up to another weight loss club again.

 

[Pinchme]

I've done SW twice now, each time I'm on a roll and lost weight, it was easier the first time as I was alot younger and more active.

As soon as I get comfy with it, I stopped going to class, and like others put the weight back on.

At the end of the day I felt I was paying to be told what I and everyone knows, and that is eat less, move more and don't eat crap. It really is that simple, but saying it and doing it is a different matter.

I need to lose weight again but won't ever be going back to SW or any other 'diet' club.

 

[letsmeltthatlard]

I’ve put on weight, wedding, hitting my 30’s and reducing sport. Want to lose 2-3 stone. Starting my own instagram page. My wife is very active but does slimming world too. She wants me to join. I want to do it but I’m apprehensive. The wife shows me a few of the slimming world Instagram accounts of men some of them are absolute melts. Bloke being run over by a car and thanking slimming world for it. Never seen something so stupid in all my life.

we're not all bellends.

stear clear of big ben to slim ben, harry pickard and snaresybellend and you'll be ok.

 

[frustrated]

Losing weight is hard and it's a slow process. I lost 2.5 stones in 6 months through a combination of following Chloe Madeley's 4 Week Body Blitz plan, then counting cals and taking up running. Have tried SW in the past and it didn't work for me. The thing that did work for me was that through Chloe's book and Instagram, she educated me about calories and macronutrients, portion sizes, exercise, TDEE and with that knowledge I was able to find a way that worked for me, that I could ahere to then adapt when I wanted to maintain the weight I was at. Education, consistency (every day, no cheat days when you're trying to lose weight as you don't want to wipe out all your hard-earned calorie deficit by blowing it at the weekends) is the only way.

SW and WW and all the points and syns are like a halfway house - they give you a bit of knowledge but not the full picture, so you have to keep going back to them (and giving them ££££). They are businesses trying to make money after all. Would defo recommend Chloe's plans to anyone. Two years later and the weight has stayed off, and that's with 6 months out injured from running too.

 

[diygirl40]

I cannot get along with slimming world but that's just me.
I feel like slimming world is all about social media, through a vlog I found out that in one group session they spoke about how to take a good photograph of food....

 

[Slithering]

It's ironic isn't it. People want to lose weight so, in reality, it should save money because you are eating less. But by signing up to these multi million making Corporations, people spend a fortune.

Its actually really easy if you put your mind to it. 1200 calories a day to lose weight. 1500 to maintain it once you get to your ideal weight.

So many fab free apps that you can download to daily track your food intake and exercise.

 

[Orange Creme]

Total cult! Yes people lose weight but that's because they have just happened to eat in a calorie deficit. The only way I ever lose weight is counting calories and I use my fitness pal to track.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

Thank you but I have a lot to lose and I remember years ago i lost that in the first week! I'm just impatient but I'm determined to keep at it.

Do you know about set point weight theory? It is only a theory so pinch of salt and all that... but it might make you feel more positive about your progress. In short losing 4lbs in four weeks means it’s much more likely you’ll keep that off long term so do not despair, you’re doing very well.

Loads of articles online about this, here’s one: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.huffpost.com/entry/set-point-theory-the-fat_b_11017624/amp

 

[imaginedragon83]

I have done SW and got to target through following the plan. It then all went down hill, I felt there was little support as a target member and it was always “well you know what you are doing”. I am currently nearly a stone away from that target and determined to go it alone to get back where I was.

I'm in exactly the same position but I hit target just before xmas so it wasbt a great time to start "maintaining".
Lots of bad stuff on here about it but to be honest I like it. It has made me eat more fruit and veg and cut down on mammoth portion sizes. I think its changed my mind set for the better but I know a lot hate it
The group I go to isnt very tech savvy and theres never any chat about Instagram
I follow a few sw instagrammers but none of the group leader ones or anything. Mainly for recipe ideas or ideas for snacks.
I dont bother with any of the slimming world hacks like making cakes with egg whites and sweetener I stick to tips where I can eat real food and not fall off the wagon.

 

[frustrated]

but then my opinion is that weight loss shouldn’t be the be all and end all and personally that’s why I don’t think places like SW or apps like MFP work at all. They’re not cut out for long term sustainability in terms of your overall health and for some people a healthy balanced diet equals weight loss - then that’s a bonus!

I disagree with what you say about MFP. It's a great tool to teach you what the calorie value of different foods are and what a portion size looks like. Most people underestimate the calorie content of things so it can be a real eye opener. I used it for a while to get a handle on this now, but now I don't use it at all, as I have got to the stage where I can look at something and know pretty close to what the calories are. Also, I'm maintaining my weight now not trying to lose so I don't have to be as strict on what I eat.

I couldn't eat 1200 calories that would be starvation. My maintenance calories are 2483. I think if people are going to track calories then they should work it out properly. My fitness pal tells me to eat 1657 to lose weight. I have done all diets and they all work for me, my issue is my lack of will power. I won't sign up to another weight loss club again.

I agree with this too. Best to work out your TDEE and subtract say 500 cals from that to get your target cals. knowing you have built in a deficit.

 

[Pot2PeeIn]

It definitely does retrain your brain- you have to be receptive to it though I guess- like a cult member instead of reaching for a bag of crisps I automatically go for the fruit bowl now for a snack etc. Like any plan tho if you stick to it it works.

 

[Hairraiser]

we're not all bellends.

stear clear of big ben to slim ben, harry pickard and snaresybellend and you'll be ok.

And dannsully.
He’s the biggest prick of them all