Thread: Newbie going from WW to SW

Hi everyone...
i'm new on here but have spent the last few weeks gathering lots of useful tips (and motivation) from various posts that i've come across.

i've recently cancelled my ww membership and plan to join a SW group in January.
I lost just over 2 stone within a year of being on ww but then pretty much wasted the last 12mths paying every month and getting nowhere...other than heavier??!
I love the flexibility that ww gives you - being able to eat a wee bit of anything as long as you point it in...and i used to save my "weekly points" as we go out for dinner most weekends so that was pretty much "guilt free"
what i noticed was that i struggled the most this last yr due to the fact that i felt hungry a lot as my points reduced (due to my weight reducing) and just couldn't seem to lose more than 2 weeks in a row...it was 3 on, 2 off, 1/2 on, 1 off - you know that frustrating way (and more frustrating when i wasn't doing anything different to what i had been??) i guess i didn't need to be as hungry cos i could have dipped in to my weeklies but as i said, i kept them to eat out or have goodies at the weekend so it was a catch 22...

i lost 6 stones years ago doing scottish slimmers myself but over the years and after children etc...it crept back on (as it does...)

I've been looking at SW for weeks now - trying to work out what i can have, how "do-able" is it, can i fit it in with my routine etc and i'm determined to give it a bash.
i know a few people who are doing it now - successfully - but always questioned how it could actually work and would it work for me if there was no weighing and measuring and had that wee bit concern that i might just eat for the sake of it...cos i could?? (i don't need to be hungry to eat....hence the reason i'm overweight! lol)

Anyway...i decided that i was going to have December off of everything...just eat what i'm going to eat and stop thinking so much about things...i can honestly say i'm exhausted with the amount of years i've spent with food/diets consuming my whole life (constant thoughts like: what have i had, what will i have, oooh that was bad...i feel guilty...i want that etc etc ) and start somewhere new with my (no doubt) heavier me and that somewhere new is going to be slimming world.
i'm looking forward to getting started (fed up eating rubbish!) but i am a little wary (probably cos it's new?) so want to start properly through a class and get more of an understanding once i have the proper books as i've noticed that some of the threads online can be older ones and not sure how much is still accurate with the updates and new things SW has.

I'm not really sure why i've decided to post now - before i start my journey...mostly because reading through people's posts, it's clear that there's a lot of people in the same boat and able to "support" each other, help each other out and generally get what we mean when we're having a "wobble" hehe
i do think that unless you've had a weight problem, you can't understand properly how difficult it can be at times (no offence meant to anyone with that - its just my opinion) as for most of us not blessed with the "eat what you want" gene...it can be a constant battle and i think i now want to share my battle.... in the hope its the last one.

i hope to post and learn a lot from here....might take me a wee while to get to grips with the site but i'll get there....and i'm excited to get started and share how i'm getting on once i've managed my 1st class.....

hoping you are all well and maybe hear back from someone
regards xxx

Welcome to this forum & SW.
Remember we are all following the same journey so if you need any help then just ask!
write yourself a weekly menu and only buy the ingredients for these meals as this stops you buying "rubbish foods" keep a food diary so if you get stuck your consultant can see where the problem is.
There are hundreds of recipes on this forum so please take a look.
Good luck.
Pete

thank you pete....
i posted that last week and only just saw your reply...i'm sooo not sure what i'm doing on here lol
i've done nothing but think about getting started...the count down is on until i join on monday and i just posted a question a few mins ago but the thing is...i have no idea where it's gone or how to view it...i'll get there eh!
thanks again for getting back to me x

Hey and welcome to SW!!

I have dabbled briefly in WW years ago but wasn't in the right frame of mind until August lag year when I just got up and went to a SW group! And it was the best decision I ever made. I rarely feel hungry and when I do it's because I'm unprepared and haven't got a stash of free snacks in.
Best advice I was given was to search for my current favourite meals, find the SW version and make a weekly plan then shop! So I really love salt and pepper chicken from the Chinese...found a SW version, spag Bol...SW version, KFC....SW version!
Always have some low syn/free snacks in like mugshots or cooked meat and you won't go hungry
There is very little weighing and measuring but a lot of cooking from scratch so it all depends on your lifestyle and how you can fit SW into your life.
Ask as many questions as you like people on here really want to help!

Xx

thanks amy....
i got on great with WW - to start but as mentioned, pretty much the whole of 2012 was spent with the scales showing up and down results. yes, there were times where i expected it, or knew why i didnt get the result that week but a lot of the time i was just getting disheartened if i had been really good but the scales didnt show it.
i spent most of the time being hungry but wanting to save my points so i could eat out....its just so hard.
i've looked at lots on this website and there really is a lot of support which seems great!
i'm now at the stage where i'm counting down until i join on monday...i've spent the last 4 weeks having all the things that i think i miss out on when i'm following a "Plan" and what's ironic is that i don't even really want them now...funny that when we think we can't have things, we want them even more and for the last few wks, because i've planned, in a sense, a blow out, i'm looking forward to getting back on the good stuff!
i really really hope this works for me...i'm committed to using my day off on a monday to cook and prepare for the days at work and have already noted recipes i want to try and making a shopping lists for things to get the day before i start. and i'm quite a routiney person so a wee tweak to my routine, then getting used to that and i'll be fine!

i could write a book on bloody diets lol....its hellish but more than that...its all the time we spend worrying and thinking about it all in some way....years of energy wasted on trying to be perfect eh!

i'm not sure i've got my head round this website just yet - but i'll get there...so apologies in advance if every question is a new thread (or should it be??? lol)

thanks again x

Good luck for tomorrow I am restarting myself after a month off and am actually really looking forward to getting back on plan. Hope that feeling lasts

Welcome. I have done ww before and never had as much success as i have had with sw. Never felt hungry and you can eat fabulous free foods.

Good luck on your journey. Everyone here is very friendly and always willing to help. X

Thank you....
well tomorrow is D day and i'm actually really looking forward to it.
i've spent the last 4 weeks not bothering with pointing or counting (or whatever i'm used to) so, as you can imagine, i've kicked the backside right out of it and had all the things i always think i'm missing out on (except now that i've been having them all...they've lost their appeal BIG TIME!!)

because i've been gathering info on starting this, i've spent a lot of time looking at recipes and preparing in my mind so now i'm like "bring it on" for tomorrow cos i'm on a cooking spree once my little one is at school
just back from shopping (had written a list before we went) and i'm pleased that i have a fridge full and packed cupboards of useful things that are going to help get me started.
i dont go to a class until tomorrow night so i'm going to do a green day tomorrow (think i can manage that) until i get all the books tomorrow night - i dont want to wait another day - my journey starts tomorrow
one thing i'd say is i'm actually wary in a sense of how much/what i'm going to be able to eat at meal times. my OH is freaking a bit at the thought of me putting down lentils etc to him every night (lol) but i've reassured him that i'll be trying the chicken recipes (when i do EE days) and that i'll be making burgers etc from the extra lean mince that we bought. he breathed a sigh of relief but in the back of my mind i'm thinking "burger, (with bacon and cheese if i want and if i wanted to use the cheese as a healthy extra etc) plus SW chips and salad....i mean that's a pretty decent dinner in my mind so there's part of me thinking "How! How can i eat things like that and expect to lose weight?"
dunno if i'm wary because of the plans i've followed before so i'm going to put everything out my mind and start my journey tomorrow all fresh and new

think i might post what i'm having/had tomorrow so that you lovely people can keep me right until i get to a class...and i'm fully prepared to take what weight i've put on (since i left WW) on the chin cos tomorrow is my NEW DAY!!! yippeeeeeee hehe xx

Originally Posted by xmisskx

Thank you....
well tomorrow is D day and i'm actually really looking forward to it.
i've spent the last 4 weeks not bothering with pointing or counting (or whatever i'm used to) so, as you can imagine, i've kicked the backside right out of it and had all the things i always think i'm missing out on (except now that i've been having them all...they've lost their appeal BIG TIME!!)

because i've been gathering info on starting this, i've spent a lot of time looking at recipes and preparing in my mind so now i'm like "bring it on" for tomorrow cos i'm on a cooking spree once my little one is at school
just back from shopping (had written a list before we went) and i'm pleased that i have a fridge full and packed cupboards of useful things that are going to help get me started.
i dont go to a class until tomorrow night so i'm going to do a green day tomorrow (think i can manage that) until i get all the books tomorrow night - i dont want to wait another day - my journey starts tomorrow
one thing i'd say is i'm actually wary in a sense of how much/what i'm going to be able to eat at meal times. my OH is freaking a bit at the thought of me putting down lentils etc to him every night (lol) but i've reassured him that i'll be trying the chicken recipes (when i do EE days) and that i'll be making burgers etc from the extra lean mince that we bought. he breathed a sigh of relief but in the back of my mind i'm thinking "burger, (with bacon and cheese if i want and if i wanted to use the cheese as a healthy extra etc) plus SW chips and salad....i mean that's a pretty decent dinner in my mind so there's part of me thinking "How! How can i eat things like that and expect to lose weight?"
dunno if i'm wary because of the plans i've followed before so i'm going to put everything out my mind and start my journey tomorrow all fresh and new

think i might post what i'm having/had tomorrow so that you lovely people can keep me right until i get to a class...and i'm fully prepared to take what weight i've put on (since i left WW) on the chin cos tomorrow is my NEW DAY!!! yippeeeeeee hehe xx

Sounds good you could post a food diary too. Helps keep me in check x

think i will Lotty
meant to say i even made to SW ferror rocher type things today and they are tasteeeee!
i know i shouldnt be worrying about treats just yet but i think its more realistic (for me) to include them (so that i dont not have any goodies then feel deprived and eat a bloody multi pack of something lol) and my thing is once all the things in my day are done, and teeny is in bed, i sit down with a pkt of crisps and a wee bit of chocolate. i kept this up on ww (had walkers lights and maybe a ww choc bar) so i wanted to try them and see if they would be good for when i wanted to do this (or if seeing i'll be eating proper meals so wont be hungry!) and they're a winner for me!
only made a few cos i was frightened if i made the 30 that the recipe stated, i'd eat them and i think they're def worth it for 1 syn meaning i could have 2 or 3 if i wanted to and even fit in a packet of lower cal crisps.
my son even liked them...and that's saying something haha!
have you made them before? x

Originally Posted by xmisskx

think i will Lotty
meant to say i even made to SW ferror rocher type things today and they are tasteeeee!
i know i shouldnt be worrying about treats just yet but i think its more realistic (for me) to include them (so that i dont not have any goodies then feel deprived and eat a bloody multi pack of something lol) and my thing is once all the things in my day are done, and teeny is in bed, i sit down with a pkt of crisps and a wee bit of chocolate. i kept this up on ww (had walkers lights and maybe a ww choc bar) so i wanted to try them and see if they would be good for when i wanted to do this (or if seeing i'll be eating proper meals so wont be hungry!) and they're a winner for me!
only made a few cos i was frightened if i made the 30 that the recipe stated, i'd eat them and i think they're def worth it for 1 syn meaning i could have 2 or 3 if i wanted to and even fit in a packet of lower cal crisps.
my son even liked them...and that's saying something haha!
have you made them before? x

Its fine thinking about treats! Most days since i have been on this plan i have had a curly wurly every night. Its my nightly treat. X

I felt exactly the same as you in my first week! I had burger and chips, pizza and chips, hunter's chicken, pasta bake....and I was really panicked that come weigh in I would have gained. But I lost 6.5lbs and 5lbs in my second week before evening off at 2/3lbs a week average.
Follow a few food diaries for inspiration (I've hot one called Fresh Start Diary feel free to subscribe!) and ask us anything you want chick.

Good luck and enjoy!

i just think its more realistic.
i lost about 6 stones within a year (years ago on scottish slimmers) and that included a packet of crisps and a wee bit of something every night.
if we don't feel deprived, it doesnt seem as appealing eh...or so i think. i mean, if someone said to me you can't have any crisps for a week i'd be like "ehhhhh nooooo" then probably drool at the thought lol. and funny how i've not been bothering for a few weeks but now i'm a bit like eeeurgh at the thought of the crap and not even sure what, if anything, i want.
think we're replying on 2 threads here arent we?x

I have just started SW after having a baby, before i was pregnant i did WW. I was always hungry!!!

SL lets u have as much meat,potatos,rice,pasta..etc as u want (obviously within reason always remember portion control) but aslong as you still eat lots of fruit an veg its easy!!!
On ww i used to eat curly wurlys and french fries or quavers as a treat, SW is just the same!! Instead of having 29points for ALL you food on ww, you get 15syns just for treats!! Cos u dont need to use syns to make meals if your clever about it.
Things like spag bol using tomatos rather than a jar of sauce, curries using all fresh stuff, cottage pie, pasta bakes,jacket potato, i find im never hungry with SW but with WW i i had used all my points all i could eat was fruit, with SW if ur hungry u can have a jacket potato an salad as a snack!!! Its amazing!
Good luck

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins