Weight getting me down

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  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,539
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    My main target is Slimming World, because it is their hell I lived in for most of the 2 decades I refer to. And because most people think it's healthy, when in fact, it's the opposite.

    This is also something I posted in response to someone who had posted on something my friend had written:

    As I said, I am not knocking you..or anyone who's aware of what healthy eating is. Or even anyone who's doing SW. And I do know what I am talking about..I did it on and off for 20 years and gained an eating disorder because of it. Ask K, I was never overweight or had an issue with food before SW. You are correct when you say that they tell you to eat fruit, veg and protein..but they also highly promote mullerlights (full of sweetener poison) hifi bars (highly processed and with more ingredients than you can shake a stick at), fat free versions of things (also highly processed and not filling, tasty or healthy), mushy pea curry, diet coke/fanta chicken, mug shots etc etc. The list goes on. It also encourages people to become obsessive about their 'syns', creating an unhealthy relationship with food. You can disagree with me all you want, that's your choice, of course, and as I say, I say none of this to belittle anything you've done. However, I can categorically say that SW caused me to go to hell and back because of its effect on my relationship with food. And you know what? Since stopping dieting, my weight has stayed the same (well, it's actually gone down slightly but I only know that as I had to get weighed at the hosp - I don't own scales now) . As I said above, I eat a wide variety of whole foods and proper treats (not low syn versions of them that leave you wanting more). I don't have a mental struggle every time I go to a restaurant over whether to eat what I want or what's 'on plan'..I remember the days of being torn and miserable, because if I chose what I really wanted, I never enjoyed it because it was too many syns and I was full of guilt, yet if I chose what was 'on plan', I didn't really enjoy it either because it was not what I wanted. You'll find that's the same for the majority of people who follow any diet. So, if you are one of the 5% who don't end up with disordered eating and who keep the weight off, then I will be genuinely glad for you, because I only put my neck on the line by saying this because I honestly don't want anyone to go through what I have.
    Re the highlighted part of your post:
    I posted this earlier in the thread:
    Pollycat wrote: »
    I followed the Slimming World diet 14 years ago.
    I didn't go to the classes, just used my friend's books.
    I've always cooked most of my own meals from scratch so found it easy to adapt my own recipes.

    I did exercise quite aggressively at the same time.

    I lost just under 3 stone in 8 months and have kept all but half a stone off.
    I still follow the 'red' and 'green' days so if I'm having pasta for dinner, I'll have a jacket potato with beans for lunch.
    I still exercise most days for about an hour.
    and this:
    Pollycat wrote: »
    I don't rigidly stick to SW diet, just really to maintain, my exercise also helps.

    I like carbs but I'm also a protein fan so lots of meat, veg and a few potatoes works for me.
    I'm not a snacker and don't eat biscuits, cake and very rarely chocolate. A 100gm bar of Green & Blacks dark chocolate can last me more than a month.

    I found I used very little 'sins' when I was following the die
    t.
    so I guess I'm in the 5% you mention.

    Perhaps it was because I didn't go to the classes but more likely it was because I would never eat any of this rubbish anyway:
    mullerlights (full of sweetener poison) hifi bars (highly processed and with more ingredients than you can shake a stick at), fat free versions of things (also highly processed and not filling, tasty or healthy), mushy pea curry, diet coke/fanta chicken, mug shots etc etc.
  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    Pollycat wrote: »
    Re the highlighted part of your post:
    I posted this earlier in the thread:

    and this:

    so I guess I'm in the 5% you mention.

    Perhaps it was because I didn't go to the classes but more likely it was because I would never eat any of this rubbish anyway:

    Maybe you are, and I know that not everyone who does SW eats those things, but the fact is, they promote them still. All of the classes I attended did anyway.

    In addition, the bit about the disordered eating is for the most part, true. How many people can relate to what I posted about the mental struggle not only when they're in a restaurant, but whenever they eat anything? Eating is not supposed to be like that, and has only become so since we have listened to external cues about what and how much we should eat.

    I would also argue that the exercise contributed quite considerably to your 'success' - it seems you probably know that. However, there are many people out there who do SW and exercise (me included at the time) and believe it it is the diet that's the magic bit.

    The fact is, there are many, many people who return to SW (and all the other diet clubs out there) so many times - I appreciate there will be a small percentage who get to target and maintain it, but really, not many. If dieting was the answer to obesity and good health, people would go to these places once and 'be fixed'. It is my belief that these places actually keep the 'obesity crisis' going, not solve it.
  • ecgirl07
    ecgirl07 Posts: 662
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    I've lost 3.5 stone with SW, and find its a lifestyle change not a diet that works for me. I have kept the weight off for 18months and no intention of putting it back on. Losing weight is relatively easy, keeping it off is much harder for me. We tend to eat slimming world principles Monday to Thursday and what we want at the weekend. This works for us and we will do this going forward.

    In reality SW is sensible eating, use lean meats, cook from scratch, eat more fruit and veg than cake and biscuits. It won't work for everyone but it does work for me. The key to being healthy with eating is to find what works for you.
  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    ecgirl07 wrote: »
    I've lost 3.5 stone with SW, and find its a lifestyle change not a diet that works for me. I have kept the weight off for 18months and no intention of putting it back on. Losing weight is relatively easy, keeping it off is much harder for me. We tend to eat slimming world principles Monday to Thursday and what we want at the weekend. This works for us and we will do this going forward.

    In reality SW is sensible eating, use lean meats, cook from scratch, eat more fruit and veg than cake and biscuits. It won't work for everyone but it does work for me. The key to being healthy with eating is to find what works for you.

    Well done to you and I hope your success continues.

    Lifestyle change really is just another way of saying 'dieting', albeit in a slightly different context. It's a bit like 'clean eating'. And as I said, SW IS a (calorie controlled) diet - I know, I was told, by way of their training manuals. And without wanting to knock what you have done, 18 months is not really a long time to have kept the weight off. Most of the studies done look at long term as being at least 5 years. That's not to say you won't achieve this, and I hope you do.

    I also disagree that SW is sensible eating..as I said above:

    You are correct when you say that they tell you to eat fruit, veg and protein..but they also highly promote mullerlights (full of sweetener poison) hifi bars (highly processed and with more ingredients than you can shake a stick at), fat free versions of things (also highly processed and not filling, tasty or healthy), mushy pea curry, diet coke/fanta chicken, mug shots etc etc. The list goes on. It also encourages people to become obsessive about their 'syns', creating an unhealthy relationship with food.

    I have just eaten a breakfast of full fat, greek yoghurt, strawberries, hazelnuts, and a drizzle of honey - it would be approx 10 syns if I was following SW, yet is natural unprocessed and as close to nature as possible. Now, if I had taken away the nuts and honey and used a highly processed, sweetener laden mullerlight, it would have been 'free'. And also totally unsatisfying. I didn't overeat my breakfast because it was naturally filling. Utter madness!

    I also appreciate I will probably get flamed for saying what I have about SW, such is their almost cult like following.
  • meer53
    meer53 Posts: 10,217
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    SW isn't a calorie controlled diet. You don't have to eat Mullerlights, HiFi bars (i find them inedible anyway) you can eat unprocessed foods. It's a personal choice and one that millions of SW members make, just as people who follow other methods do.

    Disordered eating is what makes people go to SW, if SW helps them then thats good, as is any type of plan that works for them. It's great the you've found a way of managing your food issues Anoneemoose but SW works for many people too, so knock SW all you like, it's still a much healthier way of eating for a lot of people who have issues with controlling their weight. You sound just as obssessive about your way of eating as any SW member does.
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,539
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    Maybe you are, and I know that not everyone who does SW eats those things, but the fact is, they promote them still. All of the classes I attended did anyway.

    In addition, the bit about the disordered eating is for the most part, true. How many people can relate to what I posted about the mental struggle not only when they're in a restaurant, but whenever they eat anything? Eating is not supposed to be like that, and has only become so since we have listened to external cues about what and how much we should eat.

    I would also argue that the exercise contributed quite considerably to your 'success' - it seems you probably know that. However, there are many people out there who do SW and exercise (me included at the time) and believe it it is the diet that's the magic bit.

    The fact is, there are many, many people who return to SW (and all the other diet clubs out there) so many times - I appreciate there will be a small percentage who get to target and maintain it, but really, not many. If dieting was the answer to obesity and good health, people would go to these places once and 'be fixed'. It is my belief that these places actually keep the 'obesity crisis' going, not solve it.
    You don't need to 'argue' - I do know that exercise was a big part of my losing weight.
    That's why I mentioned it in 2 separate posts.
    What I didn't mention was that I started my exercise regime a month before I started to follow the SW books to give me a kick-start.
    And I know that my exercise routine helps me keep the weight off - that's why I do it.
    I'm a very determined and strong-willed person.

    Maybe I was more clued up about food and exercise than you and (according to you) the majority of other people.
    But I am proof that SW can work just as you are proof that it might not.

    You're right, I can't relate to what you posted about the mental struggle when you eat anything.
    Eating - for me - is not like that and has never been like that.
    I enjoy food, I enjoy planning menus, shopping for food, cooking it and I enjoy eating it.
    We sit down at the table for both lunch and dinner and I always set the table nicely with proper napkins at dinner.
    My weight gain came about because I stopped doing a very strenuous sport 6 times a week (at the same time as my metabolism was probably slowing down) but carried on eating the same.
    It took me a while to get my head round it, then I did something about it.

    I think there are some people who think that following a diet - any diet - is a magic fix and once you've reached your target weight, you can go back to eating what you used to do.
    I know it's not.

    I'm not part of any cult. :cool:
  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    edited 17 April 2017 at 11:08AM
    meer53 wrote: »
    SW isn't a calorie controlled diet. You don't have to eat Mullerlights, HiFi bars (i find them inedible anyway) you can eat unprocessed foods. It's a personal choice and one that millions of SW members make, just as people who follow other methods do.

    Disordered eating is what makes people go to SW, if SW helps them then thats good, as is any type of plan that works for them. It's great the you've found a way of managing your food issues Anoneemoose but SW works for many people too, so knock SW all you like, it's still a much healthier way of eating for a lot of people who have issues with controlling their weight. You sound just as obssessive about your way of eating as any SW member does.

    SW IS a calorie controlled diet, as quoted by SW themselves in their consultant training manuals. I wouldn't say obsessive, just passionate in my wanting of other people to see it for what it really is. So counting syns, healthy extras etc is natural..hmm, I think not!

    Also, I have already said I know you don't have to eat those things, but they still promote them regardless and there are many people out there who aren't as clued up who will actually think these things are healthy - that's where the danger lies. I am one of those people who blindly believed it all, so as I said, I am not knocking the individual members. Just SW, the business.

    I also believe that SW does not help disordered eating, as I say, calorie counting, syns, points, healthy extras should have no place in nutrition. They are not natural.
  • Anoneemoose
    Anoneemoose Posts: 2,258
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    Pollycat wrote: »
    You don't need to 'argue' - I do know that exercise was a big part of my losing weight.
    That's why I mentioned it in 2 separate posts.
    What I didn't mention was that I started my exercise regime a month before I started to follow the SW books to give me a kick-start.
    And I know that my exercise routine helps me keep the weight off - that's why I do it.
    I'm a very determined and strong-willed person.

    Maybe I was more clued up about food and exercise than you and (according to you) the majority of other people.
    But I am proof that SW can work just as you are proof that it might not.

    You're right, I can't relate to what you posted about the mental struggle when you eat anything.
    Eating - for me - is not like that and has never been like that.
    I enjoy food, I enjoy planning menus, shopping for food, cooking it and I enjoy eating it.
    We sit down at the table for both lunch and dinner and I always set the table nicely with proper napkins at dinner.
    My weight gain came about because I stopped doing a very strenuous sport 6 times a week (at the same time as my metabolism was probably slowing down) but carried on eating the same.
    It took me a while to get my head round it, then I did something about it.

    I think there are some people who think that following a diet - any diet - is a magic fix and once you've reached your target weight, you can go back to eating what you used to do.
    I know it's not.

    I'm not part of any cult. :cool:

    ETA - 'argue' probably wasn't the best term tonuse!!

    That's why I said you were probably one of the ones who knew that it was a combination of the two..and in fairness, for although you say you followed SW for so long, it sounds like you 'did it your way'. Food is supposed to be how you describe..enjoyable in all its forms. Planning, cooking (if that's your thing) and eating!

    It is also really good that you don't have a mental struggle when going to arestaurant etc. I am sure for the majority of SW (and WW, Rosemary Conley et al) members, this is not the case for the most part. My mum and dad are naturally slim and NEVER have issues around how much and what to eat..sadly, neither did I until I started dieting.
  • ecgirl07
    ecgirl07 Posts: 662
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    Regarding exercise, my friend and I did SW at the same time, I exercised 5 hours a week and over the 1st 4-5 months was only half a stone ahead of my pal. The difference exercise makes is probably as much mental as physical, it feels good to get fitter.

    All eating in the modern world is a compromise, we would all love to sit about drinking and eating as much as we liked of what we like and be a size 10-12 but for most of us this is not possible. So the compromise I'm happy to make? SW principles for 5 days a week. If we are lucky we find the compromise that works for us.
  • FBaby
    FBaby Posts: 18,367
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    as I say, calorie counting, syns, points, healthy extras should have no place in nutrition. They are not natural.
    I don't understand that. To me it would be the same than saying that looking at a clock to balance your day is not natural. Doing it excessively isn't healthy, but getting on with life without ever looking at a clock is likely to mean you end up losing track of time.

    I see counting what you eat the same discipline. It's not about counting every individual calorie or even every meal, but keeping track of how much you put in your body is a good way of making sure you don't over do it without notice.

    Exercising in an interesting point. I know that many people control their weight with exercise. That's never worked for me. I do quite intense interval training 5/6 times a week as well as endurance, but increasing or decreasing how much I do makes no difference. My losing weight/putting on weight is fully dependent on how much I eat. This is probably one area where we are indeed all different.
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