Slimming World vs Weight Watchers

Anyone done either of these?  I'm trying to shed a stone.  Signed up for Slimming World but find it so complicated that I am either going to have to give up my day job to free up the amount of time it takes me to figure out what to eat today...or swap to WW...

your thoughts?

Comments

  • ClagClag ✭✭✭

    I've tried both, but in years past before I was running. Slimming World is the one with red and green days isn't it? I liked it because I was vegetarian at the time and I could eat plenty of pasta etc as they were 'free' foods - good for running as it means you're not having to skimp on the carbs.

     With Weight Watchers, it was more recent, and I was really just going along for the social - my friends were taking the plan seriously and I was eating cake with my coffee after work before our meetings and then wondering why I didn't lose weight. I think you get extra points for exercising and the points system is quite easy to follow. There are also some really good recipes that I still use as they're genuinely very tasty - my other half is always surprised when it turns out the meal was from the WW cookbook! There's also a really easy guide book that you can buy for a few pounds that gives you points values for all foods, so it's not hard to manage.

     Good luck! image

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    How about just eat less, run more?

    It's way cheaper, and it works image

  • radical attitude that Wilkie....

    What about all the women (usually fat) who sell the idea of eating red foods or green foods to the gullible ?  How are they going to afford their next cream bun.....  The woman next doors goes to Slimming World, Says she has been going for years.. So It doesn't work then ?

  • haha great advice wilkie...

    i want to change my habits - which is currently eating out 7 days a week, not cooking much and not being well prepared.  I am a lousy cook and even worse at shopping.

    What i wanted was a group environment for the support and some help with preparing the right food myself.  If eating less and running more was going to work it would have done so by now - i'm all for paying 4 quid a week if it helps me get the support and skillset i need to achieve my goal.

    Slimming World is the red/green thing...its not really coming naturally to me and seems terribly complicated to adopt long term...i might give WW a whirl....

  • My sister used Slimming World to break her bad habits, she went ot the meetings for a few weeks and then decided to go it alone.  She said once she got her head round what she could and should not eat it was OK.  She just buys food that is on the acceptable list (free foods?) and nothing else.  She and my brother in law both lost wieght and have kept it off which is the most important thing.  She preferred SW because with Weight watchers she said you had to weigh/measure everthing.

     Good luck which ever route you choose

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭
    try Lighter Life???

    go check beebs thread out over in Injury - certainly working for her

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=4&UTN=125481&last=1&V=6&SP=

    anyway - they're one of my clients so please help my business out

    image
  • WaboWabo ✭✭✭
    jj, I am doing ww, online, its easy for me, dont have to go anywhere and its just easy.  Lost at least 9 lbs in about 4 weeks.
    possunt quia posse videntur - we can because we know we can 
  • I've done both- lost 3 stone with WW and it was soooo easy to follow. Tried SLimming world for a week (not long I know) but I really couldn't understand it. I think slimming World is cheaper, but I've found WW to be much better.

    Just make sure you go to the meetings every week because once you start missing them, the weight creeps back on.

    At least with WW, you can eat everything. SLimming world limits carbs/meat etc - can't be good in the long run!.

    Just do loads of exercise and tone up while you lose the weight. YOu'll be amazed how easily it comes off in the end.

    Good luck!

  • I'm doing slimming world and its working great for me. I have lost just over 1 stone and have about 9 lb for target. I did do WW but found that I put weight back on soon after. But with slimming world you can eat loads and I'm never hungry, I only have a small amount to lose now so its taking its time!

  • SezzSezz ✭✭✭

    With Slimming World you can eat chocolate, that's gotta be good!

    I lost a stone on SW and found it really easy to understand the red and green days once you get used to them.  Give it a few days and you'll crack it.   You can eat loads of carbs on it which obviously is good for us runners.  It's more an education into eating healthily than a diet.  In fact, I think I need to get going on it again - one too many Amaretto Syllabubs lately (damn that Nigella Lawson) image

  • FB, ooh didn't know they were one of your clients.tell them to "uncheese" their DVD'simage

    Jungle Jane is too slim for LL, you have to be 3 stone over to join them. 

  • I lost 6st 12llb in 7months,combined with plodding I grant you.

    Like Sezz say's easy to follow give it a few days.

    Someone  made the comment about SW restricting carbs etc you could not be further from the truth.

    Being a veggie I only ever did green days which meant virtually nothing but carbs.

    SW will never admit as much but it is loosely based upon the hay diet which has been around for years.

    I have built the SW principles into my general eating habits & have never looked back.

    You can eat and drink anything on damn well like on SW and work it easily into your weekly programme.

    I used save all my weekly syns up for the weekend & then go out & get sh1t faced on Vodka & Diet coke which is something like 2.5 syns per drink, 105 syns per week for a lad.

  • BigRedToe

    My God you did fantastic!! Well done you!

  • I have lost 7 stone on WW so that is teh one for me image

  • Like any diet you have to be committed to it & go to the classes.

    I used to be the only bloke in a group of 30 odd chubby ladies,which was quite nice as once a few of em had lost a few pounds they were not bad looking really

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭
    What was odd about them, BRT?
  • i lost 2 stone doing WW
    but then realised that once i had got the hang of it i didn't actually need to go to the meetings to get weighed - i could do it for 20p at the swimming pool once a week
    but i didn't really like the meetings cos all the ladies where i were were using it as a social club and were mostly a lot older than me

    so i think rather than which scheme works best - if you are looking for support and a group to help you, go to both groups and see who looks more your type of folk, they can't charge you for looking

  • i did the points thing - you can eat what you like within your points allocation
    and you get extra for doing exercise

    i just went thorugh a list of what i ate often and went through the book and worked out the points and made my own chart which i put on the fridge

  • I found when I did WW, I was hungry all the time, but with SW I could eat lots and lots and lots of free food.

    Neither seemed to address "why" we have poor eating habits, and the SW exercise scheme seemed easy in the extreme, from what I remember, you could get reward certificates for parking your car a bit further away from Tescos main door.

    The SW group leader couldn't explain why I could eat canned macaroni cheese till it came out of my ears if I wanted to as a free food, but if I made it from scratch myself I had to count the flour, milk and cheese as Sins.

  • I found that with sw, I wanted to whizz som Macaroni Cheese down to make a cheese sauce, but I was told I could do that with out counting it as i sin!!!!!
  • Well, it's all much of a muchness as far as I'm concerned. I'm doing WW (points) and have lost near to 5 stone now (with another 6 to go - gulp!).I only go to get weighed - I can't abide the meetingsimage. So I can tell you that it works when combined with plodding. However, I have to see it as a lifelong thing as although I can lose it, I cannot keep it off. In that respect the core programme on WW will help - basically eating from a list of free foods in unlimited quantities with an allowance of pointed goodies every week and I'll be switching to that when I start my marathon training. I also think that this is more sustainable.

    I know very little of SW although a friend of mine has done half heartedly for years with no effect whatsoever. And I'm not sure I like food to be called a 'syn' thank you very much.

    Ultimately you need to find something that suits you and your lifestyle but once found, you'll be away.

    Best o luck.

  • I agree with Wilkie. Eating less calories and exercising more works every time.  Cost me nothing and I lost two stone and have kept it off for 5 years.

    I am extremely sceptical about the dieting industry - it only succeeds cos most diets fail to teach people that they need to eat healthily for the rest of their life not just the duration of the "diet" and so the cycle goes on.

     Re WW v SW  - I think WW is more straightforward as it steers you towards a regular pattern of healthy eating, it's simple and doesn't encourage people to view it as a quick fix diet.   Who the hell has the time to work out what to eat on red and green days anyway!!!  Can't see how that fits in if you have meals as part of a family. You'd either have to get them all on the diet or eat different food from them forever otherwise you'll simply put the weight back on, no? With WW you can simply exercise portion control. Easy

  • I lost a stone and a half through SW diets. I don't think its diffiucult to work out once you've got your head round it. I have a big appetite as I've always done loads of exercise and found the free food on SW excellent. it works on my psychology really well. As soon as I'm told I can only have this much - i want more. If someone says - have as much of this as you want - I eat less. Thats how its meant to work, you eat foods that fill you (the free foods) and therefore aren't hungry for the others. I find it fits well with my training as I can have lots of carbs whenever I need them for training or events.

    I've never tried WW so maybe shouldn't comment but weighing everything would do my head in. And I probably have a chocolate bar within my points and not eat any nutritional food! I exercise so much anyway that I don't feel encouraging me to do more so I can eat more would be good. And I know thats just what I would do!

    I think it depends on your own mindset. SW principles work really well for me personally. Both SW and WW are based on healthy eating and are a good way to change eating habits and the stimulus of a group meeting is a good motivation, no different to joining a running club really....

  • i only weighed stuff once

    then i knew how much it was

    i think what we are all saying between us is go with what suits you

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