What is the deal with Slimming World weight loss??
Charliecatesq
Posts: 100 Member
I have started following Slimming World to use my 1400 cals more effectively (working ok so far) but i see people dropping stones in mere weeks! I doubt they are under eating by that much (the eat as much as you like ethos must stop that, i know if i did i would be going past my weightloss threshold), most of them don't look severely overweight so what is the science? It can't be just cals in cals out or is it?
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I'm not sure, I never lost more than half a stone. I can only think that their previous diet was full of calorie dense foods or they are eating very few calories. It is hard to get an answer to the question as some of the free/synned foods make no sense, and when I queried it I was told it is food optimizing and had been worked out by scientists.0
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That is hilarious! IT'S SCIENCE, EAT YOUR QUARK!
I just can't understand how some people have lost 3 stone in 13 weeks, it's madness though maybe you are right. I know it isn't "magic" but it's something.0 -
I did terribly on Slimming World, until I started secretly counting calories... then I realised I was paying for counting calories, and quit x)0
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I have always wondered how it's so successful with regards the 'unlimited' free foods too. Never tried anything but MFP and it has worked so will just stay here.
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Stones confuse the hell outta me but I gather 3 stone is 19kg. I am almost at week 14's end and so far have lost 23.6kg. No way I could have lost so much if any of my foods were unlimited.
I have some weightloss friends online who live in the UK and use slimming world and only lose a pound or two a month and constantly fall off the wagon.0 -
Stones confuse the hell outta me but I gather 3 stone is 19kg. I am almost at week 14's end and so far have lost 23.6kg. No way I could have lost so much if any of my foods were unlimited.
I have some weightloss friends online who live in the UK and use slimming world and only lose a pound or two a month and constantly fall off the wagon.
Yep. I've lost 20kgs in just under 15 weeks, and I'm eating at a decent calorie level. Unlimited anything would definitely screw things up.0 -
Slimming world is a nightmare IMO. I put weight on following the plan! I eat much better when doing CICO as I'm not thinking woohoooooo unlimited pastaaaaaaaa lol0
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I started out on SW and did really well on it. I lost my first 50 ish lbs on it, although I was losing 2-3 lbs a week, and I never had the huge losses in the first weeks that many people have. I would suspect that most of the big losses are people in their first few weeks. I loved it as I didn't really know what I was doing in terms of losing weight, and it gave me a lot of confidence to cook more. I also learned how I can make my normal foods in a more healthy way, which was something I appreciated. For me, it worked to help get me started in my new lifestyle.
I started keeping track of my calories as I started doing a lot of exercise and found that I usually had a 1500-1800 calorie deficit a day, which I felt like was too much, and so I've stopped SW now and am just counting calories. I think using MFP is more sustainable in the long run, for me at least. I personally would get too full on free food (as much of it is filling) and so just wasn't eating enough calories. I'm sure for many people this is the case as well.0 -
I've done both slimming world and weight watchers on and off for years, then it dawned on me...why am I using my ww calculator to input CALORIE, fat, protein and fibre info to come up with magic points number when I could just count cals?! Cals are listed on almost every food, no more guessing points values or converting, meant to be easier but nothing is easier that adding cals up! both diets are a con imo!! with slimming world I found the same rules are across the board which is madness, I'm 5' 0" yet could eat unlimited and same portions of healthy extras (milk/bread/cereal) as a 6' 5" fireman....wonder why I didnt lose?!
That said, you get people like me that eat pasta, rice, yogurts etc as 'free' then grumble that not losing then you get the sensible people who follow the sw rules but be careful of carbs, have sensible portions etc and do lose. Doubt I'll ever do sw again though.... bananas = 5 a day if you like, banana smoothie...not allowed. Pasta 'n' sauce, low fat packet noodles, full of chemicals and free, avocado...not allowed. White pasta/rice= eat endlessly, yet oatbran.... tiny portion once a day only. How the science works is beyond me!0 -
I enjoy making the recipes from the website and sometimes use the recipe books (have family members that go) but personally I prefer to follow the CICO method.
For some people, having to weigh in, in front of people means that they push themselves to do better and eat healthier.0 -
The plan has helped me make better choices to stay fuller i have to say, plus curbing my bread eating. When i was counting calories before i was trying to eat how i always ate but with smaller portions and it made me miserable whereas this way is making me think about eating more veg (i don't care for fruit really, i'll have a banana in the morning but thats it) to fill up and leaner meat etc. I think i just needed something to hold me hand and suggest i try something else instead. However fat free cottage cheese, quark and processed junk doesn't interest me at all. Watching people put hot choc powder, quark and an egg in a cup, microwave it and claim its lovely is horrifying. The amount of sweetener people chuck down their neck is frightening too.
One upside is discovering www.twochubbycubs.com and laughing my *kitten* off whilst getting ideas on how to make nice food lower calorie without skimping on taste.0 -
Stones confuse the hell outta me but I gather 3 stone is 19kg. I am almost at week 14's end and so far have lost 23.6kg. No way I could have lost so much if any of my foods were unlimited.
I have some weightloss friends online who live in the UK and use slimming world and only lose a pound or two a month and constantly fall off the wagon.
Stone is 14lbs so yes 19kgs
So in just over 3 months you have lost 2stone, that's great and i am very jealous.0 -
I've done both slimming world and weight watchers on and off for years, then it dawned on me...why am I using my ww calculator to input CALORIE, fat, protein and fibre info to come up with magic points number when I could just count cals?! Cals are listed on almost every food, no more guessing points values or converting, meant to be easier but nothing is easier that adding cals up! both diets are a con imo!! with slimming world I found the same rules are across the board which is madness, I'm 5' 0" yet could eat unlimited and same portions of healthy extras (milk/bread/cereal) as a 6' 5" fireman....wonder why I didnt lose?!
That said, you get people like me that eat pasta, rice, yogurts etc as 'free' then grumble that not losing then you get the sensible people who follow the sw rules but be careful of carbs, have sensible portions etc and do lose. Doubt I'll ever do sw again though.... bananas = 5 a day if you like, banana smoothie...not allowed. Pasta 'n' sauce, low fat packet noodles, full of chemicals and free, avocado...not allowed. White pasta/rice= eat endlessly, yet oatbran.... tiny portion once a day only. How the science works is beyond me!
They do encourage you to have a 3rd of your plate as "super free" food which is very low cal veg, i would assume this is to curb how much tagliatelle you're scarfing down
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I also gained weight on slimming world, probably because I was already coming from -quite- a healthy diet onto it. When i talked to the group leader about it she said I should stop eating any 'syns' at all. So I quit, because the whole attraction of s/world was that I could have more variation and 'unlimited' food.
The friend that I went with was a bit of a party animal and used all her 'syns' for booze (and more), ate huge pasta bakes and loads of junk after nights out, and starved herself half the week, but lost over 5 stone and kept it off on slimming world.
So who knows.0 -
I also gained weight on slimming world, probably because I was already coming from -quite- a healthy diet onto it. When i talked to the group leader about it she said I should stop eating any 'syns' at all. So I quit, because the whole attraction of s/world was that I could have more variation and 'unlimited' food.
The friend that I went with was a bit of a party animal and used all her 'syns' for booze (and more), ate huge pasta bakes and loads of junk after nights out, and starved herself half the week, but lost over 5 stone and kept it off on slimming world.
So who knows.
Sounds to me that way madness lies. Group leaders don't seem to know much about anything from what i have heard. Bit odd.0 -
I did SW and also only lost 7lbs, it suits some people and others it just doesn't work. I was the latter.
I suffered terribly with constipation and actually debated with the leader how unlimited free foods ( inc carbs can make you lose weight) I got confused with the eat as much pasta as you like. Really they need to stress on the amount you are having rather than contradicting it wth the line eat as much as you like
I was going over the amount I was eating and becoming too full and bloated and miserable.
Ive come back to MFP as I've lost weight 14lbs previous to SW. I'm not a big eater meals wise but I do graze on chocolate and love a dessert. Sweet tooth. I think it helps me as I'm a person that needs boundaries and MFP and clean eating helps that. SW was like letting me loose and not really giving me much control although they do say you are in control. Although I also noticed the foods with artificial sweetener was encouraged. Low fat but loads of artificial sugar in ??? Didn't get that either. Processed noodles and *kitten* etc are great low fat, ignore all all the additives in it, it's fine...lol, but not allowed a fruit smoothie in the morning because apparently fruit juiced contains more sugar than it does eaten whole? Confused much?
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I follow it because the 1/3 speed, 2/3 free works well for me. As well as syns and healthy extras which generally stop me over indulging. Certificates are surprisingly motivating too, but I still calorie count. I'm not going to lose weight following the plan eating 5000 calories a day -which is possibly if you see free food as food you can eat as much as you want instead of food to fill you up.
I never had the big week 1 loss and my loss is slow compared to most0 -
My SiL has just lost 5.5stone on SW and looks amazing, but I am baffled by a diet that allows unlimited pasta and rice but my SiL has had to give up bread because she can't fit it into her syns- bread and pasta are practically the same thing!
At the end of the day, SW is a very low fat diet and that is how it works. My SiL and I sat round the same table this week for a roast dinner and we both used similar strategies- lean meat, loads of veg and only one or two small roast potatos. Only difference was I drank a shed load of wine. I've lost 1.5kg this week so I am doing something right.0 -
My Mum is a slimming world fanatic. It works for her and has done for years. She lost weight and has kept it off for years following the SW method of eating & is able to do so eating pretty big portions of a lot of delicious meals....so it most definitely can and does work but the rules boggle my mind with all her "red day" "green day" "syns" & "healthy extras"! It all makes complete sense to her. When it comes down to it, she is still basically monitoring her intake, just in a more convoluted way that means she doesn't feel like she is counting calories & therefore doesn't feel restricted but really it is still just a way of controlling calorie consumption dressed up to look like something else.
I've never seen her lose weight dramatically on the plan though as OP is saying others have, it was steady and consistent.0 -
Interesting to hear from people it hasn't worked for. A lot of people do seem to spend time trying to not eat their syns too which seems to defeat the object.0
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Charliecatesq wrote: »Interesting to hear from people it hasn't worked for. A lot of people do seem to spend time trying to not eat their syns too which seems to defeat the object.
I think for me it was too carb heavy. I respond better to protein and fat. 0 -
I think "the theory" (if there is any) is that it is very, very loosely inspired by the "Hay" method of eating, where you don't combine starches and proteins at the same meal. (Hence you can choose 'green' days where you get all the pasta you want, but no meat.) Apart from that it is just very low fat. I did it around 15 years ago for three months and lost two stone (from 13st to 11st) and then went onto the Hay diet and lost a further stone.0
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I don't need any i'm all good , just maintaining myself or may be little gain . "No Pain No Gain "0
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Me too. Gave it five weeks. Lost a couple of pounds. Joined MFP lost over 2 stone. I hated the whole cult of SW. Shudder.Marchmallow wrote: »I did terribly on Slimming World, until I started secretly counting calories... then I realised I was paying for counting calories, and quit x)
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If you actually read the book or on the website it explains the 'science' behind it. By choosing free food you are automatically lowering your calorie count also there is no more green or red days so every day it is a well balanced diet with carbs, protein, fruit veg, fibre & calcium. The free foods in particular the Speed are low in energy density so low in calories but slow in energy release. Don't know if someone has already said it.
Also it's all about moderation & fits with any appetite & preferences. If you don't like starchy carbs don't eat them, if your not a meat person get your protein from other sources0 -
RobynKinnaird wrote: »If you actually read the book or on the website it explains the 'science' behind it. By choosing free food you are automatically lowering your calorie count also there is no more green or red days so every day it is a well balanced diet with carbs, protein, fruit veg, fibre & calcium. The free foods in particular the Speed are low in energy density so low in calories but slow in energy release. Don't know if someone has already said it.
Also it's all about moderation & fits with any appetite & preferences. If you don't like starchy carbs don't eat them, if your not a meat person get your protein from other sources
They still do Green and Red days.
Just seems the "moderation" part isn't really pushed, a friend of mine was in a group with a woman that was eating 6/7 Muller Lights a day and not understanding why she wasn't losing.0 -
Slimming World is some sort of crazy sorcery. My mum has lost 20lbs so far with Slimming World. She can eat unlimited pasta and potato. Just WTF?! She phoned her leader to double check that point in her first week. She's not doing green/red days - the latest version doesn't have those, though you can choose to follow a plan that still has them.
She's always failed with calorie-counting because she likes her big portions and hates feeling constrained.
I'm happy it's working for her, but I'm totally confused.
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Iv lost 5stone on SW but there it stopped so changed to SW based eating but with calorie counting and weight loss started again. Turned out calories on just SW was eating about 1800 a day, now keeping it to 1550 per day to get off that last stone0
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googie4066 wrote: »Iv lost 5stone on SW but there it stopped so changed to SW based eating but with calorie counting and weight loss started again. Turned out calories on just SW was eating about 1800 a day, now keeping it to 1550 per day to get off that last stone
Glad someone is here doing the same thing i am, congrats on you weightloss.0 -
Pinkteapot- it is because it is all super-low fat. Sure you can have as many baked potatoes as you want, but really, what is the point without the butter and cheese?0
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