Weight Watchers v Slimming World

gettingtheresometime

Have decided I need to lose weight so was wondering what people's experiences of WW & SW are?

In the past I've always lost weight with WW but recently everyone whose lost weight seems to have it with SW.

I would need to do it online (which both do) and I would need apps to help me calculate points or syns


Thanks for any pointers

onlyroz

Neither have good long term success rates. I'd suggest trying something like the 5:2 diet in combination with learning how to cook real meals from scratch.

Weight watchers in particular seems to exist to promote their range of nutrient-poor ready meals.

kathrynha

Both work if you follow them.

I personally like my fitness pal. It's a free website, and there is an app you can have on your phone. You can also sync Fitbits with it.

thegreenone

I beg to differ onlyroz. I've lost 2.5 stone with SW. At my group, members have lost five, even six stone and have kept it off. It has taken me 18 months but for me it was never a quick fix but to change my eating habits for the long term. I have more to lose so even over Christmas, I've been quietly conscious of what I'm consuming. Enjoying myself but not over-indulging. It's Sunday afternoon and I've just enjoyed Roast lamb with plenty of veg and currently finishing a glass of wine. All on plan. I'm on an eating plan, not a diet. Cheers.


I tried WW but it was such a faff counting the points for absolutely everything. I think it may have changed now.

olgadapolga

kathrynha wrote: »

I personally like my fitness pal. It's a free website, and there is an app you can have on your phone. You can also sync Fitbits with it.

I have to agree with this, it's basic calorie counting. You just enter the food and how much and My Fitness Pal calculates the calories. Very easy. I've been using it for six months and have lost nearly 60lbs. If you are going to use online tools then why not go for one that's totally free to use? And one that can be adjusted for your personal requirements?

So far today I've had poached egg on toast, yoghurt, bananas; I'll be having roast beef and trimmings for dinner, all within my calorie goal which is set at a level so that I lose about 2lb/week.

The forums are really good as well; most posters are friendly and helpful.

But like all weight-loss tools, you have to understand that you need to change the habits that caused you to be overweight. From what I've gleaned (and understood about my own habits) a lot of it is to do with large portion sizes and lack of exercise.

ecgirl07

Ive been doing SW since mid august and lost 2.5 stone. Ive used my fitness pal before on its own and lost limited weight due to making up 1200 cals of the wrong foods (and then put it back on again thus loosing the same stone and half repeatedly). Ive continued to track food on sw plan on my fitness lal because it has a good data base and links with fitbit.

SW seems sustainable, to me, and I envisage a future (when at target weight) of sw sunday to thursday leaving fri-sat for beer and pizza:beer: I am also exercising 3-5 times a week too.

But I guess any plan works if you are in the right frame of mind and the time is right for you.

fierystormcloud

Another post here in support of Slimming World. I know a load of folk who have lost 2-6 stone with SW, and kept it off. They seem to help people completely change their relationship with food, and allow naughty things occasionally too.

Can't speak up for Weight watchers (or slate them,) but I do know quite a number of people who achieved success with SW.

It does cost about £22 a month though, and you have to pay even if you don't attend.

I would rather do it myself and use that money for the local gym, where they have a swimming pool, a sauna, and of course the gym!

onlyroz

thegreenone wrote: »

I beg to differ onlyroz. I've lost 2.5 stone with SW. At my group, members have lost five, even six stone and have kept it off. It has taken me 18 months but for me it was never a quick fix but to change my eating habits for the long term. I have more to lose so even over Christmas, I've been quietly conscious of what I'm consuming. Enjoying myself but not over-indulging. It's Sunday afternoon and I've just enjoyed Roast lamb with plenty of veg and currently finishing a glass of wine. All on plan. I'm on an eating plan, not a diet. Cheers.


I tried WW but it was such a faff counting the points for absolutely everything. I think it may have changed now.

Yes, they work short term but the long term results are very poor. E.g.:

http://www.peertrainer.com/diet/weight-watchers.aspx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23463006

june89

Every diet fails long term if you treat it as a short term solution then return to the habits that made you overweight in the first place, which a lot of people do. I have binge eating disorder, and that is the only thing that causes me to gain weight. I am fortunate that my daily habits do not, beyond the usual small fluctuations that everyone has. I sustained a very large weight loss for nearly a decade until I had an extended binge episode this year and put some (nowhere near all) of it back on.

Personally I like SW as meals are unrestricted as long as they're "healthy" foods. I only need to pay attention and count those foods which I have binge issues with anyway (chocolate, etc) so tend not to keep in the house in large quantities. BUT the main reason I like SW is the group support and doing it online isn't nearly as good, IMO. I would save the money and either use MFP as previously suggested, or if you like the look of the plan, join us for free in the SW thread in the health forum here.

tomtontom

What are you looking for from a diet plan OP, is there anything you can't do yourself? Healthy eating is largely common sense - cooking from scratch and sensible portion sizes.

HurdyGurdy

I have used WW and lost 2.5stone in four months. I loved it. It was very easy (that's just after they introduced Pro Points, but I think from an advert I half-heard today, they have changed to some other kind of points since then). I only stopped when I developed a rare form of anaemia and the cure was a massive dose of steroids which made me put back all the weight on again, and I just lost interest after all that effort.

I have been doing SW kind of half heartedly, and have lost the same 2.5 stone, over a longer period of time. I will go back to it properly once the festive season is done.

Of the two, I prefer SW. I find it much easier, and there is no need to count those points. The syns are easy enough to calculate and you eat to your appetite, which means you can, if you want to, have a mahoosive plateful of food, so you don't feel as though you are missing out.

I personally cook everything from scratch, so I don't buy into the WW or SW ready meals or the sweet stuff they sell at meetings.

I HATED the SW meetings. Very much "happy clappy" and everyone gets a round of applause when their weekly result is read out. That's just not for me, so I stopped going to meetings, and just do it online myself.

I think both systems have their benefits - it really is just a case of finding which suits you best.

For me, personally, I think I could live SW for ever more, whereas I don't think I could have kept WW up after I had reached target.