Slimming World v Purely Calorie Counting
mandy_godfree
Posts: 72 Member
I know everyone will find the best way to lose weight and keep it off for them and what is best for one is not necessarily best for another. So all I’d say to anyone reading this, whatever works for you, do that. I’ve tried calorie counting and now on slimming world. For me I find slimming world far more of a lifestyle change than a diet, whereas calorie counting I found more of a diet than a lifestyle change, but never the less both got the desired results.
Calorie Counting
I joined MFP way back in December 2011 and lost 52lbs calorie counting within 5 months. To keep that off I had to do vigorous exercise 4 times per week and log my food even after I’d hit my goal weight. In 2016 I became ill which culminated in barely being able to walk to the bathroom and my food intake was managed by other people. I put back on 43lbs during that time despite still eating conventionally healthily which proved how much my calorie counting success was linked to copious amounts of exercise. I do believe calorie counting works and I have been fairly successful with it, but I do find you have to be slightly obsessed and I found that I didn’t really eat very much. Furthermore, I was the only one calorie counting in my home because my husband found calorie counting a total faff made worse by the fact that he uses a wheelchair so couldn’t offset his calorie intake with exercise. Once I put all the weight back on I mentally gave up because I couldn’t face the mountainous effort it was going to take to get that off again using calorie counting.
Slimming World
I’m not the social sort and I’d always avoided weight loss clubs because I really didn’t want to go to a group. Then a colleague told me about the slimming world online app with no group attendance. ‘Yay’. My husband said he’d do slimming world with me and so we’ve got organised! Slimming world definitely relies on you being organised and planning your meals ahead, but they help you do that. Counting syns is so much easier than counting calories, you only have to count to 15 or 25 depending on whether you’re male or female and they have 9000 recipes to choose from, including alternatives to take aways. Over time, you have a good idea of how many syns different foods have and there are some foods you can just eat and eat and eat with no stopping. My food intake went up by double and my waistline started to shrink. If you’re not organised you can always put a couple of slimming world frozen meals in the freezer for when life throws in something unexpected. I’ve been doing slimming world since May 2023 and have lost 39lbs while running for 30min once or twice a week, and more remarkable, my husband has lost 28lbs since June 2023 without being able to exercise at all. Neither of us are ever hungry.
So for me, slimming world wins hands down it feels effortless compared to calorie counting and I feel like we have a better understanding of nutrition and what we can and cannot eat. When a little unsure we can always assess the calories if necessary, but on the whole fat free and sugar free usually reduces the syns. The hardest job we have is educating our family that we have changed our food lifestyle for the long term rather than a temporary diet but I guess that’s no different to what vegetarians and vegans go through when they embark on a new dietary lifestyle.
Calorie Counting
I joined MFP way back in December 2011 and lost 52lbs calorie counting within 5 months. To keep that off I had to do vigorous exercise 4 times per week and log my food even after I’d hit my goal weight. In 2016 I became ill which culminated in barely being able to walk to the bathroom and my food intake was managed by other people. I put back on 43lbs during that time despite still eating conventionally healthily which proved how much my calorie counting success was linked to copious amounts of exercise. I do believe calorie counting works and I have been fairly successful with it, but I do find you have to be slightly obsessed and I found that I didn’t really eat very much. Furthermore, I was the only one calorie counting in my home because my husband found calorie counting a total faff made worse by the fact that he uses a wheelchair so couldn’t offset his calorie intake with exercise. Once I put all the weight back on I mentally gave up because I couldn’t face the mountainous effort it was going to take to get that off again using calorie counting.
Slimming World
I’m not the social sort and I’d always avoided weight loss clubs because I really didn’t want to go to a group. Then a colleague told me about the slimming world online app with no group attendance. ‘Yay’. My husband said he’d do slimming world with me and so we’ve got organised! Slimming world definitely relies on you being organised and planning your meals ahead, but they help you do that. Counting syns is so much easier than counting calories, you only have to count to 15 or 25 depending on whether you’re male or female and they have 9000 recipes to choose from, including alternatives to take aways. Over time, you have a good idea of how many syns different foods have and there are some foods you can just eat and eat and eat with no stopping. My food intake went up by double and my waistline started to shrink. If you’re not organised you can always put a couple of slimming world frozen meals in the freezer for when life throws in something unexpected. I’ve been doing slimming world since May 2023 and have lost 39lbs while running for 30min once or twice a week, and more remarkable, my husband has lost 28lbs since June 2023 without being able to exercise at all. Neither of us are ever hungry.
So for me, slimming world wins hands down it feels effortless compared to calorie counting and I feel like we have a better understanding of nutrition and what we can and cannot eat. When a little unsure we can always assess the calories if necessary, but on the whole fat free and sugar free usually reduces the syns. The hardest job we have is educating our family that we have changed our food lifestyle for the long term rather than a temporary diet but I guess that’s no different to what vegetarians and vegans go through when they embark on a new dietary lifestyle.
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Replies
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Sounds a bit like the whole Weight Watchers point system.
Personally I'm not a fan of programs like that but hey, whatever works for you. Sounds like you and your husband are doing well.0 -
Happy for you both. Keeping it off is the real work. Just like MFP you've lost following the system. So, I'd wait about 5 years and see how things are going. Then you can evaluate between the two.1
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Like anything you do with eating, exercise, etc., if you become inconsistent, your results change and for most it's weight regain. Adhering to any program will garner results, however just make sure it's a program you intend to do for life. That way your results stay consistent.
I WILL SAY, that as you age something will have to change either with calorie intake or increase in physical activity to maintain.
I NEVER had do cardio up until I was 45 to maintain my weight within 10lbs. As of now I only do 30 minutes of cardio a day (with the exception of classes I teach which are an hour of cardio kickboxing), and it seems to keep me in a good weight limit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Each their own. For me, having to cook specific recipes and possibly using specific ingredients while I have about 90 cookbooks that I use regularly would be very disappointing for me. I don't want anyone to tell me what I can and can't eat. And I can make most recipes in these books work for my calorie level and enjoy what I eat. I mean, 900 recipes... I have 7588 recipes to chose from, plus lots of stuff I find online or just cook from memory. And I can keep this up for years to come, without having to pay money for it (apart from new cookbooks of course). How long does logging take? For a dinner that I've not cooked before probably 3 minutes. Thus it's super easy. But I understand that using MFP is too complicated for some people. No problem.4
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Glad Slimming World works for you!1
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Is "syn" short for something? Or did the company just intentionally misspell "sin" to avoid people accusing them of demonizing food?1
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Is "syn" short for something? Or did the company just intentionally misspell "sin" to avoid people accusing them of demonizing food?
Yikes! That would be terrible!0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Is "syn" short for something? Or did the company just intentionally misspell "sin" to avoid people accusing them of demonizing food?
"Slimming World Syns are referred to as “treat” foods that are generally higher in calories but lower in nutritional value. Syns include items like biscuits, sweets, and alcoholic beverages. These foods are considered less filling and are meant to be enjoyed in moderation to avoid straying from your weight loss goals. By allowing yourself a little indulgence, such as a piece of chocolate or a glass of wine, you can stay on track with your healthy eating plan."
From the slimming world website.0 -
SIN like it's a sin to do.lynn_glenmont wrote: »Is "syn" short for something? Or did the company just intentionally misspell "sin" to avoid people accusing them of demonizing food?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Is "syn" short for something? Or did the company just intentionally misspell "sin" to avoid people accusing them of demonizing food?
Yikes! That would be terrible!
Yet I find it hard to see what their reason for choosing a stand-alone prefix that's a homonyms for sin to describe foods they view as treats, according to the website language.
I don't know anything about Slimming World and have never seen an ad for it -- I assume it's not offered in the U.S.0 -
It supposedly stands for synergy however for many years it was spelled sins and I think it only changes due to the negative connotations associated with the word sin0
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jennylouise91 wrote: »It supposedly stands for synergy however for many years it was spelled sins and I think it only changes due to the negative connotations associated with the word sin
Do you think they chose to shorten it to syn by accident? Or do you think maybe their marketing people thought "ooooh, that's edgy... we'll have them call their fun foods sins because.... edgy! Oh yeah, we bad."0 -
You lost over 10 lbs a month for 5 months! No wonder you’re terrified of going back to that. Ever consider losing 4 lbs a month, exercising less, and eating more?3
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Here we are 10 months on from my original post, I got down to my target weight just before Christmas 2023. Finally learned the foods that are good for me so don’t have to refer to the cook books anymore I just make up my own recipes understanding so much more about nutrition, I indulge in the odd cake or pudding at weekends or eat out for a treat, circuit training 30 min per week. A complete lifestyle overhaul and I have not looked back. Now all I have to do is stop buying clothes. Love shopping now, I used to dread it. Definitely found my thing, I hope others found theirs. Total weight loss May 2023 - Dec 2023 was 3 stone and 9lbs. (51lbs).3
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