Slimming World

I have just joined this. Has anyone tried it? If so, what do you think? Have you gotten good results?

Well, first let me say, more power to you! I wish you loads of success!

I looked into it. It is the largest weight loss organization in the Uk I believe. However, I had real issues with it's core principles, i.e. having red and green days where only certain kinds of foods could be eaten but as much of those foods as you wanted.

I genuinely believe you should be able to eat whatever you want, whenever you want as longs as you do it in moderation and strive for a healthy diet - no I haven't succeeded at this but it has a lot to do with lack of exercise as well. I just tried to imagine myself 5 years down the road, ideally with kids then, and saying to them 'Mommy can't have chips today because it's a green day' or something like that. I don't like the idea of long term restrictions like this. I understand that if you do stop doing the plan, even after you've lost the weight, it can be really hard to switch to 'normal' eating.

All that said, my friend's sister lost over 80 pounds on it so it does work for many people!

Good luck!

I definitely agree with balmerhon.

Slimming World, great for a lot of people!

But...

For me, I need something that I can follow. Yeah, my shape's all gone to hell, so I'm not the poster child for what I preach. At least not yet.

That's going to change.

A few years back I went to The Diet Center in the US. I was a great candidate. Pounds just rolled off! When I was done I was fitting into size 9 Calvin jeans. I looked great! But that lasted for about a week. When I balloooned back up I was bigger than ever.

See, when I stop eating, it does come off, but when I get my appetite back, it comes back in huge ways.

Last August I went to a wedding and tons of pictures were taken. *WHAM* a blow to the ego. I was huge, and not only that, the biggest person there! You could compare me. Everyone all in a row standing in happy grins. I took up two spaces. Quite humiliating.

We next had a ski trip coming up and I was determined to get into shape so I could go skiing. so I started going to the gym.

I am so sorry.
This has nothing to do with Slimming World. It's all about me.
You don't have to read on, and I do come to a point; to sum, it pretty much echos what balmerhon writes, just that I'm in a blabbing mood.
 

I have been going to the gym on average twice a week for the past year. I have a personal trainer. And although I feel the exercise has been tremendous for me, I have lost no weight. Zilch. Nothing. Nada.

I'm also a pretty healthy eater. I don't do microwave meals. I try to get at least one fruit a day. I'm big on veggies. always cut the fat off meat. Opt for fresh food over processed. Don't do many fizzy drinks. Do grilling and stir-frying mostly. Rarely eat chips, crisps. When I get an order from the chippy, I only get the fish and never the chips, for instance. I love sushi and eat it whenever I can find it...even make it myself. Blah blah blah...I'm NOT doing things wrong.

So why am I still fat?

First, let me say the good news. As a result of the eating habits, the trying to eat the good and not the bad, I have always been very healthy. And I'm not troubled by some of the non-specific health things that doctors can't seem to find a cause for (surprises me they don't look at diet as a big culprit). The exercise hasn't been a waste because I do feel like I can keep up with people; I don't wimp out. (The other day I walked three miles without stopping and it was no big deal.)

I've known my personal trainer Mike for a year now. We chat about anything from movies we've seen to problems that kids face nowadays, from the silly to the serious. All this chatter while I'm on the equipment, mainly because it keeps my mind off the pain and makes the sessions go faster. I have a personal trainer because if I just went to the gym on my own I wouldn't go. I wouldn't push myself.

So during one of these talks I bring up the subject about me not losing any weight. An enormous look of relief went through Mike as he confessed something he's held back because he didn't want to hurt my feelings. He felt like he wasn't doing his job right with me. He's been putting me through the ringer, giving me as much exercise as I could take, and it wasn't making any difference. He told me that for all the fitness he could advise on, it was only good for two hours a week...and that he couldn't follow me home to give me advice for the other 166 hours in the week.

That lead to a dissection of things I was doing right and wrong. We had another look at what I needed to do to have the proper effect from all my work.

Basically, I'm eating the right stuff. I'm just eating it the wrong way, at the wrong time.
What I am doing now is not cutting anything out, just rearranging the order.

One rule of thumb: if you're body isn't metabolising, then teach it how. Eat smaller portions more often. The worst you can do is not eat for a long time because your body will store food until the next meal.

Breakfast is most important. I eat porridge with fresh blueberries. Not religiously, but as often as I can.
Try this for some of the best porridge you've ever had:

• one cup oats (Large Scottish is a good choice)
• one cup whole milk
• one-half cup water (or 1.5 cups low-fat milk in place of water and whole milk)
• heat over medium heat, keep stirring (five minutes will do)
• when thickened, add a tblsp of butter and a tblsp of light brown sugar
• add fresh fruit, blueberries work great; strawberries, etc. will do

What am I trying to change?
Carbs.
Oh, I'll still eat them. Like I said, I don't want a "diet" that isn't the way I naturally live.
It's the timing of carbs that I'm working on.

NO CARBS AFTER 5 PM
- eat vegetables and carbs together
- eat protein and vegetables together
- NEVER eat carbs and protein together

I've been doing this for two days now and the change is almost immediate. I have much more energy, just feel more "alive". And this is only my third day!

So while I am still not the poster child of fitness, I do feel like I may have stumbled onto something that not only I can do, but also will work for me.

How does this tie in to Slimming World? Mike told me that he's training another woman who has recently started a diet center and he was thinking it might be Slimming World. And this stuff, the idea of when and when not to eat carbs, was something she said she learned from this group. So the organized groups definitely have the right things to teach and these are good life lessons. And, like I use a personal trainer, I feel it's also important to actually go and do...be with other people, get the social out of it, commiserate with others, chart your progress, etc. Even the idea of paying money to do it is an incentive to not give up.

So although I probably would not opt to go to such a place (because I did it before), it's ONLY because you're encouraged to lose weight more quickly and in a way that you can't keep up for a length of time if you haven't fully committed to it for life. I want a "diet" that takes me through life, not just one that gets me looking fabulous for just one week.

Sorry for the hijack. 

I highly reccomend to anyone wanting to lose weight that you read  "Perfect Weight" by Depak Chopra. It changed my life and my weight.

I highly reccomend to anyone wanting to lose weight that you read  "Perfect Weight" by Depak Chopra. It changed my life and my weight.

I'd echo that and also add that while it's not weight related per se, Jon Kabat-Zinn's Wherever You Go There You Are really helped me a lot as well.

About 10 years ago I lost 100 lbs in a VERY innappropriate way and when it started coming back I went into therapy with someone who specialized in eating problems to figure out WHY I eat rather than WHAT I eat and also to learn how to eat mindfully. That approach really changed everything for me too - I'm never less than 55 lbs under my heaviest and I attribute it to this sort of approach. Having said that, I still over-indulge a bit here and there and don't get as much exercise as I should, so I still sometimes use Weight Watchers when I'm over my comfortable weight (like now!  ) but my first stop is always these books and some soul searching about what's going on - almost always for me it's not about the food - and even something like making unhealthy choices can be traced to what's going on in my head and my heart!!

Mind, this is definitely not the fastest way to lose weight and I'll be doing WW along with it from now until the wedding, so I'm definitely NOT a holier-than-thou type, lest you get the wrong impression! 

Lisa, you may have hijacked but what a great post! I may try to adopt some of your ideas! I really need a jump start...

I do agree that Slimming World has some good ideas but the whole idea of 'days' puts me off. Your plan is more realistic. Another good plan is all the low GI diets that are coming out. My only issue with them is the almost complete dependence on artificial sweeteners and cutting out so much diary. I don't do fake sweeteners and, though I need to cut the dairy, won't ever exclude it.

And guess what I have in the house? Oatmeal and fresh blueberries!

 

Lisa, is that oatmeal one serving or 2? I can only do about a 1/2c of oatmeal at a time.  I would tweak that slightly to add a pinch of salt to the oatmeal unless your butter is well salted.

When blueberries aren't in season, I cook raisins with the oatmeal. It plumps them up nicely.

So on that no carb after 5 thing, I guess that rules out sausage and mash for dinner?  Can I ask why 5? Why not 6 or 3 or whatever?

I just know that while this would be great for me, cooking for 2, when the DF can eat anything, will be hard. Either he gets what I get, which he won't like to do all the time. Or I have to make the potatoes or pasta for him and not have any. Very hard.

See, this is what I do... set up obstacles before I even get going. Grrrrrr.

1. Oh gosh, I would personally stay as far away as possible from artificial sweeteners, but that's me. I don't like the idea of fake anything, so I do butter, not margarine, sugar (preferably not the white stuff), etc. Having said that, again I stress I am not svelte.
2. The oatmeal is actually two servings...thanks! I usually share with Graham at the same time, though I have been known to eat the whole thing myself, too.
3. No carbs after 5. I was told carbs just sit there and don't digest without a boost (meaning exercise). Most of us become vegetables after work, ie come home, sit in front of TV, etc. Before 5 is when we're running around and doing things. also, this gives the carbs time to go through our system before we lay down to bed for the night...where they just sit and mastize to our thighs and hips. Veg and especially protein are fine after 5. The protein burns straight to muscle. Or something like that.
4. I know exactly how you mean with the partner's eating habits. It's frustrating because mine really does want to help but he's gotta eat (and like it) too.

I've been doing this for two days now and the change is almost immediate. I have much more energy, just feel more "alive". And this is only my third day!

This is my third day today and I dont feel anything like you do :\\\'( I'm tired and I get more hungry.  Have any tips as to what I might be doing wrong, and anything I can do to change that?  To be honest I feel like I'm gaining weight.  Then of course that throws me into being depressed and hungry because it isn't working, which makes me give up and want to eat more. :\\\'(

kas, just one thing to keep in mind (and I'm sure Lisa will have some better tips/advice than this)-not every diet works for every person.  For some people, low-carb is a miracle, for others it makes them sluggish and hungry.  For some people, low fat diets make them happy, others it doesn't.

I was a vegetarian for six years, eating lots of veg, pasta, etc...when I started eating meat again I lost about 8 pounds and felt better, looked better, had more energy within a few weeks.  But there are peole for whom a vegetarian diet makes them the healthiest people in the world.

So if a particular plan isn't working for you, by all means give it a longer try-at least 2 weeks, I would say-but it may just be that your particular body doesn't respond well to that particular way of eating.

I've been interested in everything that has been said here. I don't know what to do! Usually I'm not one for diet "gimmicks" but I am desperately trying to find something that works for me. I have gained 10 lbs. since I moved here in March, and though it's not my highest weight, I don't want to let myself get to that point again (I used to weigh 35 lbs. more than I do today) and I am starting to creep back up there. I'm just so frustrated. Lisa, I'm the same as you. I'm very cautious of fake" foods (margerine, artificial sweeteners etc), which is why I can't fully get into Slimming World, as they rely heavily upon those things. I've always been a big beleiver in the "eat less, exercise more" theory, but it's easier said than done. I used to exercise really regularly and eat quite healthily, yet I never lost any weight. I know that for me, it's a matter of consuming too many calories....they really add up in ways I don't realise!  But I don't know, I'm just trying to find something that works and is relatively healthy. Thanks for all your input so far. It's given me a lot to think about.

BTW, have you ever had strawberries on oatmeal? It's gorgeous. I use more strawberries and less oatmeal now, as oatmeal is so high calorie and I can consume such huge amounts of it. The strawberries are so complimentary to the oatmeal and vice versa, that I don't even notice that I'm eating less oatmeal.

For some people, low-carb is a miracle, for others it makes them sluggish and hungry.

Thanks saf.  I have been ANTI low/no carb ever since the whole idea came up.  It was a pastor that first introduced me to it about five years ago.  I did it a day and quit, I felt so unhealthy eating all that cheese and meat, which was what I was told to eat.  Now everyone around me is doing it. I have an uncle who lost 11 pounds in one week and a friends dad who lost 18 in two weeks.  When will I (IF I do) see the difference?  Three days...I SHOULD be able to tell, right? Atleast a slight difference.  And what frustrates me is that I've gotten so many different opinions.  One person will say, "Eat this, but dont eat this" and then someone else will tell you, "Oh, no, no, thats all wrong, dont eat either."  So...what do I do??  I've looked online for the low carb recipes but you need so many different things.  And I try to change my meals around.  Mix them up a little.  I am so frustrated!  Does anyone else get this way?  You try your hardest, follow it by the book, and nothing??  This is what I mean when I say I get depressed.  Cause for one, I'm freaking hungry!  But I'm telling myself, "No, you've eaten too much already" and then nothing.  No pain, no gain, right??  Well, theres lots of pain, but NO gain.

I guess when I'm told it works, by MANY people, and 'Oh, you should do this', then I do and it doesn't work...what makes me so different??  Why wont it work for me?? 

I'm sorry for ranting guys.  I dont mean to whine.  I'm getting married in less than five months and I want to look good (for ME, not him).  And I'm just so tired of things working for "everyone"...but it doesnt work for me.  If that makes any sense.  I'll shut up now :\\\'( 

Kas, if there was an easy answer no one would be overweight. 
The thing is, you shouldn't be hungry.
Eat stuff at the beginning of the day that will stay a while with you.
Oatmeal is good for that. Bread is not (starch will make you hungry again in a half hour).

Keep your body's metabolism working by eating between meals. A carrot, an banana, an apple between meals.

Breakfast at 8 (oatmeal is good)
Snack at 10 (a banana)
Lunch at noon (pasta with beans or potato with tuna or beans on toast)
Snack at 3 (an apple, a rice cake, dried fruit and nuts)
Dinner at 6 (salad with a steak/wilted spinach with a salmon steak)
Snack at 8 (nuts, or some sort of protein)

JUST SUGGESTIONS!
I have yet to prove it all works. But it makes sense to me and this is what I'm trying out.
But no, you shouldn't be hungry. Smaller portions, yes, but snack between meals with the good stuff to tide you over. Plenty of water. No soft drinks, especially diet.

Lisa...loved reading through your posts! Your "food combining" principles sounded a lot like Harvey Diamond's "Fit for Life" program. I bought his book waaaay back, sometime in the 80's. I liked a lot of his recipes. He does go overboard with some of his ideas! Anyway, I never lost weight like some people I knew, but I was also breastfeeding at the time and trying NOT to lose weight, just eating for optimal health. (He stresses whole foods, as close to their natural state as possible.) I resurrected this book last fall and gave it to my UK honey and he tried it out and lost some weight (gained it back eventually, he drinks a lot of beer and had stopped the gym, could have something to do with it!) but mostly it helped him with his energy and metabolism. Like I said, some of Diamond's suggestions are extreme, but the veggies with carbs or veggies with protein do seem to work. Something about proteins and carbs requiring totally separate digestive enzymes to break down efficiently.  So, you might want to check out his book for recipes etc. if you're trying this plan (but ignore his suggestion that you don't need additional water if you're eating plenty of fruits and veggies...I STILL needed my water!)

I haven't budged a pound since my twins were born 4 years ago! Doesn't help that I have been eating these past few years instead of snuggling with my honey...eat chocolate when I miss him, eat a pint of super-fat icecream instead of going out without him and so on. I always lose a few pounds when I am in the UK...even though I am drinking and eating pretty much what I want...but once I am back home that pound or two comes back. LUCKILY, I haven't gained any...I do go to the gym 4-5 times a week (nothing too strenuous though.) So...I need to exercise more AND stop eating junk on top of the good food I normally eat. Sounds like a plan?!

Good luck to everyone with your individual battles!

The thing is, you shouldn't be hungry......starch will make you hungry again in a half hour

Maybe this is my problem.  Thank you so much Lisa.  I will definitely use this.  The low carb thing, although it may work for some people, just made me feel so unhealthy.  Maybe its all in the mind, but I'd rather do it slower and have a balanced meal than try and stay away from carbs completely.

Sorry for freaking out ladies Its amazing what can happen when your food intake is compromised