Weight watchers , etc...

[Tessababy1]

Does anyone do Weight watchers or Slimming world? or do you all do the NHS lose weight plan? which do you think best?

[Hidden]

It's personal choice, some members do various - depends on what works for them

Me - I do NHS 12 week plan

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

I use the NHS plan, but the best plan is the one that works for you, for good

[Hidden]

Advantages of being here : Well the NHS 12 week plan is FREE. There are daily weigh ins to choose from. Daily diary to support and advise on menus. Calorie counting makes sense - no silly points or syns to get your head round, just healthy eating. 24 hour support and encouragement, not just weekly. There are challenges to engage in and badges to earn. Recipe tips and menu ideas. It’s secure, private, anonymous but there are online “friends” to be made. Oh, and it worked for me 😊👍

Advantages of WW or SW? Well I can’t think of any personally, but maybe others can come up with some?

[Tiggerr]

I know there are others here doing WW and SW but I'm a 12 week planner through and through

I lost all my weight through it and this forum and have kept it off due to both as well. All for free.

Good luck whichever road you travel.

[SquirrelNutkin Healthy BMI]

I kind of do my own thing around mainly healthy eating and choices and counting calories. I lose weight and feel healthier so I guess I have found what works for me.

Think there are lots of different things people are doing here and some people have to plan things differently because of special diets for health problems too.

[Weighless 2 stone]

We all have to find what works best for us. I have tried various slimming clubs in the past, lost weight and gained it again. I embarked on the 5:2 eating plan in 2013 for health reasons. I needed to reduce my triglyceride levels and read that this was a benefit of the 5:2 plan. The plan worked, my triglyceride levels reduced and so did my weight. I have kept both at the reduced levels since by continuing with this plan on a maintaining level. Find what works best for you and go with it. All the best in your weight loss journey.

[Cwtch2018]

I follow sw - I like the plan it works for me - although I am a slow looser and finding it harder after hysterectomy - I stick to the plan religiously

[IndigoBlue61]

I follow a portion counted plan (very similar to the BHF one here bhf.org.uk/publications/hea... ) but have done WW in the past, and kept weight off for quite a while.

To answer your question, the best plan is the one that works for YOU . . . Finding the right one, that you can genuinely follow for life, is key to success 😊

Good luck

[SP21]

I have tried weight watchers but found it so hard to stick to. The points do not bear any resemblance to the calories and seem fairly arbitrary. Also - you are led to believe fruit and veg have no calorific value as they are "free" however since calorie counting i have reduced fruit intake due to high sugars. Also nuts are ridiculously high in points but when including them in my calorie count they are a staple snack - very filling. Calorie counting works for me (when i actually do it!!!). I think calorie counting makes you learn to be accountable for everything that goes into your mouth. Nothing is off limits but you learn that if you have a treat you need to account for it.

[Tessababy1]

Thanks guys for your response. I did do low carb and lost a lot of weight but was not sustainable, hence I put most of the weight back on. I must get back into the right mindset,.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Tessababy1]

Mindset is everything Tessababay 😊. I read everything, listen to podcast, read success stories, all and everything to keep me motivated and on track. I strongly recomend coming onto the forum everyday 😊

[Tessababy1 in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks Anna61, I will take that onboard

[Estellemac]

I do WW it’s my preference due to the flexibility and app that tracks everything and syncs with my Fitbit. I like the WW leader and meetings with the group members. I think preference goes on availability location and personal experience.

[rozwalts]

I do calorie counting, have done for the past couple of years, though I guess I have done it whenever I have tried to lose weight. This time it is actually working, though since increasing my activity level it isn't. This is probably due to my not eating enough for the exercise done, if that makes sense.

I don't think I could take in WW and SW as the points/syns system doesn't make any sense to me. A friend of mine does SW and eats far more than I do of what she calls 'free food'. She has been stuck on 15 stone for several months, so reckons that is her proper weight. No she isn't nine foot tall, she is five six at the most.

I don't think she understands that they may call it free, but a plate of pasta and topping is a lot of calories. She then follows it up with a huge dish of fruit and yogurt. I honestly couldn't stuff my face with even half of what she eats. I struggle to eat anywhere near the 1600 calories I should be eating, and that is the lowest recommended allowance.

[sequinnedsinger in reply to rozwalts]

I do wonder whether SW teaches unhealthy attitudes towards food. Unlimited amounts of any food would be no good to me because I am a glutton so telling me I Can eat as much as one any of something in dangerous. I feel like a lot of people - including myself - use food as an emotional crutch and it's this that needs addressing to solve the problem long term. So I'm always wary of any diet plan that you have to pay for....isn't it in the interest of profit that people so often pay for It, lose weight, stop paying, regain the weight and then go back and pay some more. Sorry if this sounds cynical - I've seen set success stories with SW for some of my friends but I believe it really depends on the reason people over eat in the first place. Hope this makes sense!

[rozwalts in reply to sequinnedsinger]

It makes perfect sense to me. It seems to be a bit like a merry-go-round. One friend found it worked for her, she lost not only what she was supposed to, but quite a bit more besides. She still goes each week for the weigh in, then gets into trouble when she has lost a few extra pounds.

It obviously isn't working for my other friend, but she seems happy enough at 15 stone plus. The same with a family member. He has lost a couple of stone, and is quite happy at the weight he is, though he could really do with coming down another 4 stone or so.

[elliebath Maintainer in reply to sequinnedsinger]

It certainly makes sense. A good reply😊

[Joanney69]

I am 6 weeks into the 12 week plan, & so far it's working! I have a friend who does slimming world, & it baffles me when she says there are foods she is not allowed. That surely has to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks to losing weight and keeping it off - the minute you're told you can't have something, the more tempting it is. This is a way of life, getting used to eating better, being accountable for what you eat, & having a treat if you want it, but 'budget' for it in your daily calories.

I can't think of anything worse than going to a meeting & having to stand on the scales in front of everyone, while your weight is read out, then having to explain why you haven't lost anything this week, & what you're going to do differently next week (as described by another friend who is an ex slimming world member) it sounds so humiliating, why would you put yourself through that?

On this forum, no one is berated for not losing, you can get support & encouragement, cheered on when it's going well & help if you are struggling - what's not to like?!

As everyone has said, it has to be personal choice & what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another, but whatever you decide, I would join in here for sure. Good luck ☺👍

[rozwalts in reply to Joanney69]

Terrible thought, especially as although I don't normally go up, except by four ounces, which always my friends laugh. On the other hand I don't always go down either, as in the last two weeks.

I've done as I was told and increased my calorie intake, which is more or less in line with what I am burning off in exercise, give or take a calorie or two! It will be interesting to see what my weight is on Tuesday.

[Hidden]

I’ve done both weight watchers and slimming world. Each time I initially lost weight for the first few months but then it stopped. No matter how I tweaked it I’d lose a pound one week then regain the next. I started logging my calorie on my fitness pal when I was with weight watchers and found for a 23 point a day plan I was eating 8-900 calories a day and when I plotted a 1350 calorie intake on weight watchers, my points consumption was 35 a day. If there’s fat or sugar in what you eat, they are higher in points.

If it’s got fat in it with slimming world, it has a syn value. For example an avocado is 14 syns. They’re full of good fat and essential nutrients but you’d use up your daily syn allowance eating one. I felt I was missing out on essential fat soluble vitamins and protein being vegetarian so decided to join the nhs weight loss programs as it works for me. I discovered I’ve been under eating for years. Before joining the nhs plan I was considering rejoining slimming world and chatted about it with a work colleague. I then realised another colleague has been with slimming world for as long as I’ve known her (20 years) and has never looked like she’s ever lost weight

If it works for you, do it. Everyone is different and some suit one plan whilst others are successful elsewhere .

[rozwalts in reply to Hidden]

Crumbs, calorie free ones of course! Just shows what a difference working out the calorific value is compared to points/syns, what have you. 8-900 calories is way too low, even if you are a little titch to begin with. I'm on 12-1400 a day, though I have upped it by a couple of hundred over the last few days.

[elliebath Maintainer in reply to Hidden]

That's a helpful example and I shall show it to a friend of mine who is a great fan of SW but keeps regaining the weight ...but SW are happy as she keeps returning every year or so..lol

[Hidden in reply to elliebath]

Well it is a business after all. Call me cynical. I think the nhs weight loss program offers a lot of sound advice 😀

[ArctoLindy]

I've been following the Slimming World plan and been losing weight successfully for around nine months. Weight loss has slowed down recently but I've been eating more with the colder weather and less mobile for the same reason. I am trying to develop more awareness of the calories I'm eating as I want the weight to stay off once I reach my goal.

I've been lucky in finding a plan that worked for me and that I've been able to stick to, I hope you find the plan that suits you too - good luck x

[elliebath Maintainer]

The best plan is the one that enables you to lose the weight and KEEP IT OFF.

Personally I think the NHS plan and calorie counting is a great way to learn how to eat normally but with healthier options and healthy portion sizes.

SW an WW appear to produce good weightloss stories but people always seem to be " going back" to these clubs after a year or so, which implies to me that no longterm lessons are being learned.

Before you embark on losing weight just have a think of how you will maintain it longterm, which method is easier to adapt for life? I'd say an awareness of healthy options and calorie counting is the most flexible longterm and it's definitely worked for me, now over 3 years in maintenance.

[Hidden in reply to elliebath]

Great reply x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Shall carry on with this with all you great people and my son who is now working in a gym and very in control of what he eats (He used to laugh when I talked about syns )

He is a great inspiration to me and my struggles but I am now in a much better place mentally to tackle this.

[Rignold 3kg]

WW and SW are highly reported to have recidivism rates of around 70% in a year and 90% in 2 years. The amazing trick to their business model is that people do keep going back - when they regain the weight they lost they somehow see this as their own fault rather than the fault of the WW/SW plan.

[elliebath Maintainer in reply to Rignold]

Says it all then! 😊