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Slimming World - Yay or Nay?

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Replies

  • redandwhiterobsafc
    redandwhiterobsafc Posts: 5 Member
    I tend to follow whatever diet my wife is doing as we eat most meals together. Find weight watchers better for losing weight. She was previously on slimming world and stalled somewhat. We've both been doing weight watchers for past 5 weeks or. She tends to be stricter than me diet wise but I do more exercise so it evens out. We've both lost 3/4 of a stone over the 5 week period and that's with a cheeky takeaway once a week thrown in to
  • wenvinha
    wenvinha Posts: 2 Member
    I lost 28 pounds in the 3 months I was on SW so I can't knock it for getting me going but then I stalled. My daughter uses MFP with huge success and is now maintaining. She encouraged me to use and I haven't looked back. As soon as I started using MFP I was losing again and enjoying a much more varied diet learning all about macros as I went along. I've now lost a further 19lbs with MFP. I learn on a daily basis thanks to the forum, blog etc. I now hit the gym 5 times a week for cardio & weights all thanks to MFP and you guys :) So for me MFP is the way to go :)
  • NadNight
    NadNight Posts: 794 Member
    I’m not trying to lose weight but I know quite a few people who have lost weight using slimming world and their recipes. Ultimately I think it comes down to overall energy in vs energy out and if Slimming world helps people reduce their overall calorie intake in a sustainable way then fantastic.

    Im not familiar with the programme or what the strategy is but they do have some delicious recipes (Chinese curry, salt and pepper chicken) that we cook a lot in our house. They key is portion size- the meal alone won’t cause weight loss so those of us that aren’t looking to lose weight have larger portions. They recipes are also big on cooking from scratch and lots of fresh veggies which is something we should all eat
  • samhennings
    samhennings Posts: 443 Member
    No particular view on Slimming world as a program, but I have to say their microwave meals are the best out there in my opinion.

    And not just in the weight loss/healthy eating category.

    They are consistently the tastiest and most filling out of any microwave meals Ive had.

    Not that I have them often, I try to cook every day. Though we keep a few 'dings' in the freezer for those odd occasions when you just dont have the time or will to cook yourself.


    My mum is following the program, with great success so far. I cant say I agree with all of its principles but from what I have seen from her it has had a positive effect on what and how much she eats.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,449 Member
    I haven't tried the ready meals. Interesting to hear that they are so good! I don't eat ready meals, although I did have Lean Cuisine many years ago. I'm so used to cooking from scratch, I kind of forgot they existed! I'm not disapproving - they're probably good as an occasional quick, portion-controlled, washing up free alternative, and it's good to have a recommendation!

    I have friends who say that SW taught them "healthy eating" and encouraged more vegetables. As somebody who already home cooked and ate a lot of vegetables, I didn't find the same thing. I found if a processed food was free, and the home-cooked equivalent was counted, then it's natural to go for the processed version, even if just for the convenience of not having to count it!

    I know they've changed some of the free foods over the years, but I remember one of the classic "free" foods of the past was tinned macaroni cheese! More recently, tinned spaghetti, dried pasta in sauce, Muller Lights, etc. I used to make my own yoghurt, but switched to the Muller Lights as they were free. Same with baking your own bread, or buying it from a baker - it's much easier to buy mass-produced branded bread because it's easier to count. So I found it tended to push me away from home cooking/baking/yoghurt-making, towards more processed, pre-packaged food.

    I'm tempted to go back for the group support, which I think is the most valuable thing. I would love to set up a local weight loss support group, but I'm sure there are all sorts of rules and regulations!
  • jubo10
    jubo10 Posts: 2 Member
    I am actually with Slimming World now and really enjoying it. I agree, you cannot actually eat as much 'Free Food' as you like; I cannot for sure and I also limit pasta, rice and potatoes. It has given me a sense of purpose, made me really think about what I eat and made me accountable, the group I attend is very supportive. Of course there are people there that think it is an excuse to binge but I am sure there are people using MFP who are also kidding themselves. If it didn't 'work' it wouldn't still be around. People just need to be sensible and monitor what they can and can't eat in order to have a loss. I like using MFP and have done so for years, I just hate the constant weighing and measuring, so I now use it alongside Slimming World to keep an eye on my calorie intake. I exercise regularly and am concentrating on "more cals out and less in". It is working for me and I am keeping an open mind. I think there is room for different methods of weight loss and it all comes down to common sense, which you need regardless of what 'Method' you use to try to lose weight.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,453 Member
    The TRUTH is ANY DIET plan if followed WORKS. Because they all work off the same method..............calorie deficit.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • Aalps
    Aalps Posts: 20 Member
    I've done pretty much every slimming club over and again to try and find the "perfect" answer, but they all have the same problem for me...

    1. They restrict the type of food I can eat so I am not "choosing" not to eat it myself, I am being denied it by the diet. So I want it all the more.
    2. I have to go to a class and sit and listen to a leader talk if I want to make the most of my weekly fee. This works for the enthusiastic 8 weeks/2 stone then I start to dread weigh in, and find myself looking at the leader wanting to argue back with everything they say because they are not talking about me, they're talking to the masses and I eventually grow to dislike them and be immensely irritated by them.
    3. Nobody should have to have a discussion about "star" weeks or why the extra chocolate button or half teaspoon of milk in your coffee has made you put on half a lb. It's ridiculous.
    4. If you fall off the wagon at SW you might as well throw in the towel, everything turns negative.
    5. I am totally calm and in control of my weight loss here on MFP. If I want to overeat one week I do. I don't have to weigh myself, and I can easily put myself back on track when I'm ready. I have all the facts and figures I need to progress healthily in the way that suits me. I am finally in control of my own destiny and it makes me happy.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,449 Member
    edited June 2019
    I'm giving it a go at the moment, and kind of agree with your comments, @Aalps, except that like @jubo10, I don't like to weigh and measure and count calories all the time, so I dip in and out of it.

    I don't really agree that any diet plan works if stuck to @ninerbuff. With some it's quite possible to create a calorie surplus while staying within the rules of the diet (old style Slimming World is particularly guilty of that I think, with the unlimited pasta, potatoes, bananas, tinned macaroni cheese, etc.). And I think it's also very important what an individual finds they can stick with. And there's also the fact that a diet is forever - maybe not exactly the same diet, but you need to "watch your weight" indefinitely to keep it off. And with Slimming World, that's very expensive! (I know it's free at goal, but there's quite a narrow window for goal, with penalties if you go above or below. You can't just have, for instance, a healthy BMI as a goal. Because obviously, being a business, they need paying customers).

    I have a friend with similar stats, except I started off much bigger than her. I lost my weight a few years ago and have kept it off, doing my own thing (some calorie counting, some other methods). She has done Slimming World on and off over the years and spent a fortune, and her weight has gone up and down, including above her start weight and above my original bigger weight. I know two people doesn't prove anything, and I'm not suggesting it does, but just that she is their ideal customer - paying year after year.
  • nooboots
    nooboots Posts: 480 Member
    Aalps wrote: »
    I've done pretty much every slimming club over and again to try and find the "perfect" answer, but they all have the same problem for me...

    1. They restrict the type of food I can eat so I am not "choosing" not to eat it myself, I am being denied it by the diet. So I want it all the more.
    2. I have to go to a class and sit and listen to a leader talk if I want to make the most of my weekly fee. This works for the enthusiastic 8 weeks/2 stone then I start to dread weigh in, and find myself looking at the leader wanting to argue back with everything they say because they are not talking about me, they're talking to the masses and I eventually grow to dislike them and be immensely irritated by them.
    3. Nobody should have to have a discussion about "star" weeks or why the extra chocolate button or half teaspoon of milk in your coffee has made you put on half a lb. It's ridiculous.
    4. If you fall off the wagon at SW you might as well throw in the towel, everything turns negative.
    5. I am totally calm and in control of my weight loss here on MFP. If I want to overeat one week I do. I don't have to weigh myself, and I can easily put myself back on track when I'm ready. I have all the facts and figures I need to progress healthily in the way that suits me. I am finally in control of my own destiny and it makes me happy.

    2 stone in 8 weeks!!! Or perhaps I misread that?

    Ive lost weight with SW in the past but god knows how as I recall at the time eating industrial sized buckets of pasta (free food). I reckon that really messed me up.
  • Aalps
    Aalps Posts: 20 Member
    nooboots wrote: »

    2 stone in 8 weeks!!! Or perhaps I misread that?

    Ive lost weight with SW in the past but god knows how as I recall at the time eating industrial sized buckets of pasta (free food). I reckon that really messed me up.

    Yeah, I used to regularly lose half a stone in the first week then be like an over-enthusiastic puppy for a couple of months losing loads until I fell off the wagon each time and sank back into my food pit!