Slimming world explain please

JulyMamma17

Hi im due to start slimming world on tuesday 1st of jan but could someone tell me how it works please prob sound really stupid but want an idea first.
Thanks

tigersword

Never heard of it.

lorcart

Never heard of it, but I googled it....it looks like Weight Watchers?

AnneC77

I have tried Slimming World three times now and it never worked for me. Basically it is really complex and I am too lazy to explain here. But when you sign up you will have it all explained to you and you normally get booklets that you can take away with you. Anyway good luck with it.

maricash

It looks like the British version of Weight Watchers.

Here's what the British Dietetic Association had to say:

Slimming World diet

Slimming World’s weight loss plan encourages you to swap high-fat foods for low-fat foods that are naturally filling. You choose your food from a list of low-fat foods they call 'Free Foods', such as fruit, vegetables, pasta, potatoes, rice, lean meat, fish and eggs, which you can eat in unlimited amounts. There’s no calorie counting, no foods are banned and you’re still allowed the occasional treat. You can get support from fellow slimmers at weekly group meetings and follow an exercise plan to become gradually more active. The plan is designed to help you lose about 1lb to 2lb a week.

Pros:
No foods are banned so meals offer balance and variety and are family-friendly. The portion size from each food group will vary depending which plan you follow. The 'Body Magic' booklet they provide gives ideas to help you raise your activity levels. Meeting as a group can provide valuable support.

Cons:
Slimming World doesn’t educate you about calories. Without having learned about calories and portion sizes, you may struggle to keep the weight off in the long term when you come off the programme.

BDA verdict:
The group meetings encourage members to share successes, ideas and recipes with each other but they may not appeal to everyone. While the meal plans may lack some flexibility, they are generally balanced. However, without learning about calories and portion sizes, you may struggle to make healthy choices once you’ve left the programme.

(Taken from here: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/top-10-most-popular-diets-review.aspx )

It doesn't sound terrible at all, but why not give MFP a try first? It's free and will allow you to figure out calories and portion sizes so that you can sustain losses long term.

huwiesmummy

Slimming world if a UK diet group which is why a lot on here have not heard of it (there are a lot of Americans on here)

Slimming world is kinda like weight watchers but different. The basics are you can eat all the raw fruit and raw/cooked veg you want then depending on what you prefer you have 3 options to add either extra easy, red day or green day. Extra easy means you can eat as much meat, pasta, rice and potatoes as you like with fruit and veg along with healthy extras a and b which are you dairy and wholemeal breads or cereals. On a red day you can have all the meat you want but no starches, but you get 2 lots of a and b. Green means as much veg and starches you'd like but no meat (I'm not sure but fish may be allowed here been ages since i did SW) and the 2 lots of A and B.

So that's the basics you also have syns you get 15 a day which are things like a options hot chocolate, oils, or extra dairy. You will get a book with all this information in it.

So the rest I would say is like any group weight loss clinic. You go in get weighed then have a chat about why you have lost or gained and get support. When you go to your first meeting the lead consultant will sit you down and tell you all this stuff and give you all the booklets and such. Good luck!

tigersword

Unlimited pasta? No wonder it doesn't work... I love pasta, and can easily eat a whole pound of pasta at a sitting, which is 1600 calories, without even counting any sauce or cheese or anything else eaten with it... Meh, if it costs money, I'd say save it and just count calories.

huwiesmummy

Unlimited pasta? No wonder it doesn't work... I love pasta, and can easily eat a whole pound of pasta at a sitting, which is 1600 calories, without even counting any sauce or cheese or anything else eaten with it... Meh, if it costs money, I'd say save it and just count calories.

Yes unlimited pasta... this is why i stopped SW ages ago. As i have no self control when it comes to pasta rice or potatoes!

sandradev1

I did Slimming World years ago and did get down to my target weight.

You turn up at the meeting and queue to get weighed. On your first time they will also give you leaflets etc. Once weighed people either leave straight away or you take a seat and wait.....and wait.....and wait until everybody has been weighed. The leader of your group will then give the weigh in results for the people who have stayed. People ask questions, share experiences etc. There is usually a slimmer of the week award for the highest loser of the week (in ours it used to be an 'apple'!!!! ) Then you go home and wait until next week to turn up again. The leader does usually give you a phone number to call if you are stuck. Oh and they will try to sell you their own brand of crackers, cereal bars, shakes etc and you also have to pay extra if you want a directory of food values.

Unfortunately I was not able to continue going to the meetings and immediately started to put the weight back on and here is the reason why..........

They use a point system like Weight Watchers. Its like a diet with monopoly money. You do not learn the true calorie values and always have to use their directory which is difficult when in the supermarket and making decisions.

MFP is absolutely brilliant. It offers all that SW and WW do and MORE. Make some friends and you have 24/7 contact for advice and just chat about weight loss/exercise, you learn real calorific value of foods and best of all its absolutely free and you are not bombarded by sales patter.

Whilst it did initially work, now I have discovered MFP I could not see the point of doing both and MFP would be my first choice.
Hope this helps.

SRH7

Hi im due to start slimming world on tuesday 1st of jan but could someone tell me how it works please prob sound really stupid but want an idea first.
Thanks

I know loads of people who have been successful on Slimming World. I believe there is a real emphasis on making food from scratch and keeping things simple (so lots of fresh fruit and veg, meat and fish, pasta, potatoes and rice). You can also eat less healthy food in moderation (known as 'syns'). Colleagues who are on it seem to live on baked potatoes with beans and homemade curries, which (for my anyway) means it seems very sensible and not too faddy. They also say that the weight loss is slow and steady, rather than a quick fix, which might be discouraging to some but is far more sustainable long-term.

The main reasons I haven't tried it myself is that I believe alcohol is really discouraged (I'd rather save calories midweek for a drink at the weekend) and you have to plan your meals a day in advance (I often grab food on the go). I also worry about any plan that says I can have as much fruit as I want every day as portion control has always been an issue for me. I haven't ruled out ever trying it, though.

Good on you for making a commitment - if group meetings and a sensible eating plan works for you then it could be just what you need. Good luck!

JulyMamma17

Thank you everyone for explaining that to me im heading there tonight decided i wont know if i dont try and after tonight ill know if it works for me thanks again