Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

Have you checked whether your Area is paying for people to attend SW? My county wasn't but is about to I hear. Lots of GPS are referring people now as SW a has such excellent results.

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

Flowerpower,

Slimming World, and for that matter Weight Watchers and all the others are businesses plain and simple. They make money from weekly subscriptions/memberships and from proprietary materials.

Eating healthily is not in the least bit difficult. It does not require anyone to pay weekly subscriptions, it does not require people to get together with other people and it does not require any specific regime, diet, eating plan or otherwise.

All of that is a load of complete nonsense but such baloney exists because every business has to have a USP, a unique selling proposition. Something to distinguish it from competitors and allow it to tailor its products and services.

Nutrition advice is available freely all over the internet. Here's an example:

http://nutrition.getfit.com/tips/


The bottom line is simple. People tend to fall into one of two groups.

1 - The people who genuinely, determinedly want to lose weight and thus will simply change their bad eating habits to good ones of their own free will

2 - The people who like the notion of losing weight but have not yet reached the mindset of really understanding nutrition and genuinely wanting to change habits. People in this category tend to dabble in temporary eating changes, eating styles, diets, plans etc

My opinion is that people in category 2 are the ones that jump from one miracle diet to the next, from one weight loss club to another, and invariably they find that they never ever succeed because all they are doing is temporarily changing eating habits. Again, in my opinion, the weight loss clubs like SW and WW don't help here because they create the perfect environment for temporary change, making the weigh-ins a public affair rather than private so that people try hard to temporarily change their habits so the next weigh-in isn't bad. In the end many people I am sure, stop going because they know deep down they aren't permanently achieving weight loss success.
Studies show of course that temporary eating changes and diets don't work and invariably result in people putting any lost weight back on in the subsequent 1-2 years, often putting more weight on than they had before.

Good eating habits and good nutrition should be a personal thing and something you do because you:

a) Understand the importance of it
b) Understand the consequence of eating badly
c) Understand the futility of diets, plans and fads
d) Understand how businesses seek to profit from processing foods and selling crap
e) Understand how Nature operates and the bounty it provides
f) genuinely want to

In addition I would say that anyone genuinely wanting to lose weight requires a basic grounding in food education, again which is all available freely online. This should include:

- Understanding what triggers hunger
- Understanding the dangers and role of sugar
- Understanding the dangers and role of processed foods
- Understanding that the food industry and labelling laws are corrupt and seeking to maximise profit at the expense of your health
- Understanding fats, cholesterol, carbohydrates
- Understanding the health benefits of many specific foods and herbs

and so on

Slimming clubs are imo a part of the problem, not a solution.

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

I've never read such a patronising post! We all know that any Slimming group (or keep fit or exercise or yoga, whatever) is there to make money.

SW has been going for over 40 years and at all groups there are people who have lost weight many years ago and kept it off and are what's known as Target members so they go for free. SW Magazine also always features people who have kept their weight off for decades. So for many people it does work.

We have a new GP at our practice, a lady aged about 40 and she is VERY obese and I mentioned SW and she asked whether I would lend her some literature as she is considering going. This is a qualified and experienced doctor so not quite the dim and ignorant type of person you are trying to portray.

If losing weight was as simple as you are making out then there wouldn't be record numbers of people having gastric bands, gastric bypasses, joining slimming classes and going on bootcamps. So we all sit at home, read up on it and just do it do we? YEah right!

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

In a nutshell yes. Every obese person must make the conscious personal decision whether to address the issue(s) or to just carry on as before.

Those requiring gastric bands are in the latter camp. They ignored the problem, continued to be obese or get more obese until the point was reached where their life was in danger and drastic actions had to be taken.

A key problem with all this is the mind set. The world and media has focussed everyone's attentions on weight. It has done so because "weight" as a focussed issue is very big business. Companies make $billions from dieting products, potions, pills, books, plans, clubs and so on.

So it is these people who have directed people's mind sets towards "weight" being the issue.

In fact weight is just a symptom. The issue isn't weight at all.

The issue is in fact, what are the right foods for humans to eat and to ensure good health?

Because most people have been duped into focussing on weight and weight-loss, their mind set is not set on the more fundamental issue of what should we really be eating, and more importantly what should we NOT be eating.

The big businesses operate like this everywhere. Big Pharma via the media, brainwashes people into focussing on symptoms of illnesses and conditions and not on the root causes. That allows them to sell useless products like throat lozenges and flu powders and other crap. Things which don't address root cause and which in the main prolong the conditions because they obstruct the body's own defences.

So, people have a simple choice really. Either they understand that they are humans, and then research and determine what the best foods for a human are, and what foods they should avoid . . . or they succumb to the mind-numbing brainwashing of corporate businesses and go off trying to treat symptoms (largely unsuccessfully).

My view is simple.

People should throw away their silly weighing scales. Stop focussing on weight.

Determine to eat healthy foods.
Determine to no longer eat bad foods.
Determine to understand the fraudulent ways the State and manufacturers try to sell you bad foods and utter crap

It is a life decision. A decision to understand who and what you are and to give your body the right fuel.

Once this change is made, with absolutely no diets involved, no silly eating plans, no red-green days, no counting sins, no food optimising and no other gimmicks, the body WILL respond and do so positively. There will be a number of benefits and just one of those benefits will be gradual but permanent weight loss. Other benefits will include stronger immune system, better skin, more energy, more alertness, better sleep patterns and much more.

I'm not suggesting all this is simple. The research into foods can be a minefield given that significant wealthy powers are putting out dis-information at every stage and try to disparage anyone who tries to expose their nefarious deeds. People who have tried to whistleblow the sugar industry have even been killed.

Nevertheless, we have to wake up from the brainwashed slumber, understand who and what we are, and start the process of identifying good foods vs bad foods.

The body is an absolutely remarkable bit of machinery. Once you give it the right fuel, it undertakes all manner of self-repairing / healing actions and rebalances itself.

Everyone has a choice.

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

REalist ..... why do you keep mentioning Red and Green days ... SW haven't done that for ages.

You aren't oversimplifying things. I would say 98% of obese people KNOW full well that eating sweets, cakes, biscuits, crisps and other high calorie foods and lots of alcohol will make them gain weight in eaten in excess.
It's putting it into practice where the problem lies.

You also don't take into account that some people gain weight much more quickly than others. My friend is a prime example. She has always struggled with her weight. Her hubby is as thin as a rake but they do similar things like gardening, walking and tending their allotments.

They have two girls and one takes after her and one after the hubby. From toddlers they have eaten the same yet one was chubby and the other skinny. She fed them the same food which was all home grown and homecooked but by the time they were in their teens the skinny daughter was so thin her school was ringing her parents suggesting she was anorexic!

You also don't take into account that some people eat because they are depressed or very unhappy and the last thing on their mind is whether or not the food will make them fat.

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

yes, i did check--a few months ago--my doctor did not have a clue what I was talking about. !

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

Because it demonstrates that it is a business that constantly has to re-invent itself, introduce the next eating gimmick, in order to maintain it's profits. The history imo shows how there hasn't been a consistent basic nutritional message of simply eating good foods. It was red-green days, then when people were bored of that they switched to counting sins, now it's food optimisation and in a year or two it will again change to the next "new kid on the block".

Meanwhile, the simple, no nonsense issue of just eating good natural foods remains the same as it always has for decades.

This is a clear example of out-dated pre-programmed thinking. Weight gain is not about eating cream cakes. If it were then all those obese people who stopped eating cakes would have lost weight. But they didn't. The reason they didn't is because they are suffering a different problem.
They are suffering from their own bodies having been deliberately sabotaged by chemicals and sugars hidden away in ordinary (supposedly healthy) foods which makes them "feel" hungry when in fact their bodies are not in the least bit hungry or in need of additional calories. Hence these people eat because they need to satisfy that false hunger and as a result they put on weight.

This is about education. Proper concerted research which can only happen when a person has truly made the decision to take food seriously rather than centre on the symptom of "weight-gain".

These people need to be educated. They need to understand that they are caught in a real war with food manufacturers who are out to scrape every penny of profit at the expense of our health. They are aided by a corrupt State which permits them to mess with labelling laws and use all manner of tricks to hide the true ingredients of their products. They also get away with massive misleading advertising campaigns making really bad unhealthy products sound super healthy. Take soy as an example.

Education is the key. When people start to properly assess each and every food they have been eating and forget thoughts of weight-loss, they then enter a different world, an unpleasant world in which they realise they are victims of a pretty evil State. Once you gain the information, and crucially, begin to act upon that information, everything else will drop neatly into place of its own accord.

Whilst this is certainly the case, it remains personal choice. Should my state of emotion dictate whether I eat healthily or not? Should I start drinking petrol because I am angry?
Nope. These are very separate things. Understanding what your body needs to function is a fundamental issue. It has nothing whatsoever to do with state of mind. No matter how I feel, whether happy, angry, depressed, suicidal, I still put diesel in my car because that is the correct fuel that it requires. My body is no different.

Bottom line.

You either want to learn to eat what is right for your body

or

you want to find ways to lose weight


If you are in the latter camp, you will simply yoyo and likely put back on any weight you temporarily lose with often more besides. You will also expend money along the way unnecessarily.

An obese person is not suffering from being over-weight.
They are suffering from not understanding what foods the body needs and what foods it should steadfastly avoid.

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

Totally agree with Flowerpower---eveyone is sifferent--everyone has their own issuse, committments, problems etc---why do many people still drink, smoke, take drugs---everyone knows how bad they are for you--but without knowing the circumstances and problems that anyone else has to face, then noone has the right to judge anyone else---how about people who will not eat, make themselves sick-are anorexic etc etc---they do it because they have problems--just as people who eat too much, drink too much, smoke too much also have problems. But if someone is making an effort to overcome these problems---in whatever way they find best for themselves then i think they should be allowed to do so in their own way.
So tell me this Realist--would you slate or criticise anyone who goes to an AA meeting because of alcoholism--i have known people who have lost all their money, their homes, their familys, their jobs, their liver--almost their lives--purely though drinking too much--they know they should not do it---but nothing will stop them--would you deny them the help and support of an AA meeting---and if you would not deny this to alcoholics, why deny the same support and help for people trying to lose weight. Some people have noone else to turn to for help and support---and knowing what is the right thing to do is sometimes just not enough.
Personally , i eat no junk food, no ready meals, no sugary or fizzy drinks, no butter or margarine--very little bread--a couple of slices--a week----i rarely eat meat, no processed meat--sausages etc, no cheese-no pastry-no potatoes, no fried food, no crisps no alcohol..I eat no sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, cream. .plus if i need to get anywhere--i walk---as i have no choice. !! But i still struggle every day to keep my weight steady. let alone lose anything.
Plus its a well known fact that men can lose weight faster than women, and as women get older it is more difficult to lose weight.
So Realist, please do not judge everyone by the same standards---as I said earlier--we are all different--and we all react differently to different things in different ways.
Please let us solve our problems in our own way without critism.

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

Morning Mariana

People do those bad things because of personal choice. No question. At some stage they have chosen to participate either knowing or not knowing the dangers and likely impact to their bodies. Once they have put themselves in that danger zone, or trap, it becomes harder to get back out due to the effect on the body and mind. You can not reason with a drunk person by definition. You first have to wait until they are sober.

Let me set something straight. No-one is being judged here. I haven't judged anyone in my posts. I have simply highlighted that a person has to reach a specific mindset before they can truly appreciate that they are human and that their human body needs good foods and needs to stay away from bad foods. This has nothing to do with weight-loss. It has everything to do with understanding who and what we are.

Everyone is free to tackle their problems however they see fit. What I am pointing out however, in the specific context of the problem of obesity, is that focussing on weight-loss and trying diets and slimming clubs, is not the solution to the underlying problem, imo. Those things try to tackle a symptom of a more fundamental issue and imo that's why they don't work for many people.

I can't really comment on this specific issue because I don't know much about AA or how they operate. A quick glance at their website however shows that they are:

" a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other"

and very crucially that:

"The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership"

This is a marked difference to slimming clubs who charge attendance fees and/or membership fees and who frequently operate with the selling of proprietary materials such as eating plan books or "our system" books and recipe books.
These are simply businesses who are there to make money from those who are suffering the symptoms of weight-loss.

So, no, I wouldn't slate or criticise anyone for attending an AA meeting and getting support there.

And I'm not criticising anyone for going to slimming clubs. I'm simply stating my opinion that it is largely a waste of your time and money because they are businesses who perpetually re-invent themselves and find ever new ways and gimmicks for people to try.

What is needed in the UK and across the world, are food education associations which are totally free, and which offer plain and simple advice and support on what foods the body needs and what foods should be avoided together with education on how to protect oneself in today's corrupt world of bad food manufacture and associated fraudulent advertising. A "Food Education Association" would have nothing to do with weight-loss. It's sole aim would be to inform you how best to eat and drink for the best health and upkeep of your body. Losing weight would be a natural by-product of following the nutrition advice and making a life-style change to eat well but it would not be the focus or aim of the group.

And all that is great but your particular circumstance is unique to you. I know from what we have discussed in other threads that you eat well and have resolved to eat well. If that doesn't result in you losing weight as a by-product of that decision then it speaks to a different underlying problem.
A lady friend I have has weight issues and what she eats doesn't seem to help. Turns out she has damaged her thyroid and has other medical issues to boot so she needs specific help and treatment.

In the end, I re-iterate that I am not judging anyone. In the context of a thread about Slimming World, I am simply saying that my opinion is that such slimming clubs do not address the fundamental issue of the life-change to eat properly. What they do is skip from eating gimmick to eating gimmick and relieve people of their money along the way. Many attending have definitely not reached that life-changing mindset. They have simply come to try and treat the symptom of being over-weight. It's like paying to attend a "Sore Throat" club when you come down with a cold or flu instead of making the life decision to understand how your own immune system works and making the life-choice to support and nurture that immune system. People spend £millions each year on stupid cold/flu "remedies", throat lozenges, cough syrups, flu capsules, night time potions and so on. They are all duped. They could avoid the symptoms totally if they looked after their immune system, bought some cheap lemons, ate good amounts of garlic, ginger etc etc. It's a personal choice, a life-choice. Each to their own.

Re: Slimming World--anyone tried it ?

Realist ... I pay £4.65 to attend group and some months buy a magazine which costs me £1.95 ....... so they're hardly making a fortune from me. I don't have to buy any other books or special foods at all.

If only it was all as easy as you are making out! You keep going over and over the same points but you don't listen to anybody else's.

Why are GPs now prescribing SW sessions if they're not effective as you claim?