Help WW online or SW online?!

[mummy_moo]

Hi, I've just signed up and I'm looking to join an online class. I have a 5 month old baby, I'm a vegetarian and need something simple to do but I do have a fair bit of weight to shift!

I've been looking at WW and SW online, and was wondering if people could give me their views on them if they've tried both or either of them.

I'm sure they basically do the same thing, have recipes online, track your loses etc, however the WW is a lot cheaper, but I like the SW ease of 'syns'.

Can anyone help? I'm looking to start next week and want to get some of the foods instock ready to start so theres no excuses!

Thanks xx

 

[LisaC]

Different things work for different people so I honestly couldn't say what would work for you.

A few years ago I did WW online, the site was helpful & easy but in 14 months I only lost 7lbs. WW is good for you but at the same time you have to 'count' things like some fruit & veg whereas on SW thats unlimited & also on SW the only thing you really count are your syns.

I started SW (going to class) a year ago, I'm also vegetarian, & I had lost a stone & a half but I gained it all back so I started again & have lost 6.5lbs in 2 weeks.

For me SW is brilliant & it really works but as I said different things work for different people.

x

 

[mummy_moo]

Thanks for your reply, from what I've seen SW does look the easier of the 2, I deff dont want to be counting things all day long!!

Well done on the weight loss, I cant wait to get started!

 

[sarahm85]

There are mixed reviews about SW online. I do SW from home using old books and information from this forum. I don't eat much meat so mainly do Green days. I've not done WW so it is a little biased but I've found SW so easy to do and I'm near to target. I would suggest reading the sticky thread at the top for newcomers which explains a bit more about the plans, but shout up if you have any more questions.

Good luck in what you decide to do.

 

[mummy_moo]

Thanks! I think I am leaning more towards SW but its just the £60 for the 3 months which is a lot. I'm not sure I could do it without any sort of outside/online motivation as I'd probably be more likely to cheat!!

 

[Circes]

Well if you decided to go it alone you would get tonnes of support on here - to be honest, more than you would get from an online membership.

The green plan on SW is ideal for us veggies as the free foods are all those that form the basis of a healthy vegetarian diet.

 

[cocktailprincess]

I have been a SW online member for 2 years now, and it is perfect for me, but you have to work out what will work for you.

These are massive sweeping statements, but in general (and having done both SW and WW) I have found that SW is more restrictive in 'treat' food like alcohol, chocolate etc BUT you can eat to your heart's content on lots and lots of free food, so you never have to go hungry even if you have used your treat allowance and the plan practically forces you into eating healthily. WW is much less hassle when eating out or grabbing a sandwich, you can save points for weekends, you can 'earn' points from exercise BUT once you have had your allowed points you stop eating (although there are some veg that are still free) I know that WW encourages healthy eating but also know that a lot of people doing it use a lot of their points on treats and go pretty hungry the rest of the time- again WW don't encourage this but I think it is a reality for a lot of people.

I think you should also ask this question in the WW section to get a balanced view.

I personally would always choose SW for myself, but it is vital that you find the plan that will work for you long term

Good luck

 

[malaika]

I have never done WW, and never want to, as I can't be doing with all that counting, so I am definitely biased. However, some prefer WW, so each to their own.
Could you not go to just one class (if you don't want to keep it up) and get all the latest info? That will cost you about £10. You could then use this forum for all your queries, and assistance.
If I were you, I would much rather go to any group than do it on line.
For me, I need the human support, as well as the support from all the wonderful people here.
However, whatever you decide, good luck!

 

[sarahm85]

Well if you decided to go it alone you would get tonnes of support on here - to be honest, more than you would get from an online membership.

I love the support on here - it's an absolute lifesaver. Without it I don't think I'd be where I am now. I also get support from my lovely OH - he doesn't do SW but eats SW friendly meals and doesn't eat tempting things in front of me!

 

[pesty]

If you chose SW or WW the support you get on minimins is amazing!! Ive never done WW so I shant judge either way but would agree that if your looking for a cheap option i would go to one class get all the info and go it alone using minimins for questions and support, you can then sign up online anytime you wish but i dont think you would need to!!

I assume WW do the same thing - give you a starter pack when you join. So this would work for either diet I know that SW is £9.95 for your 1st week at the moment (includes class and starter pack) that way you'll get the plan explained to you in person and all the info you need to get going! - again i assume WW is the same (probably a different price though)

xx

 

[jen3]

I've done both (though not online).

WW is great if you rely on ready meals and like stuff like jars of sauce to cook with.

SW is great for cooking from scratch more I find

The main reason I love SW (and also why I loved Core when WW did that) is that you dont really think about it all. You know what you can have and thats it. With WW it was always "how many points have I got left, can I have a biscuit or not". With SW I dont bother with the crap I used to use my WW points for like snack-a-jacks etc.

BUT each to their own - they are both successful.

Good luck with your choice

 

[Starlight]

WW is great if you rely on ready meals and like stuff like jars of sauce to cook with.

SW is great for cooking from scratch more I find

Sorry but this is a total pet peeve, the common misconception that WW is all about convenience food - ITS NOT!

Certainly its a lot easier than SW if youre more geared towards it but its not what WW promote at classes at all now. WW Discover is all about cooking from scratch and using 'filling foods'

Yes some people will use mostly conveniece stuff but theyre not following the plan properly if they are, just as people doing SW could eat nothing but pasta & sauces and other free foods. It can be done but its not what the diet promotes.

In reply to the OP the 2 diets are so different Id be hesitant in signing up for wither til you know for sure what ones for you.

Oh and if you do go for WW, I wouldnt waste my money on the online bit - the diet is fab the online bit is rubbish

 

[Woodsylou]

i have done WW and SW and SW is the one for me.

I found myself hungry a lot on WW personally, and although you're not really meant to, i used to go without a lot so i could save my points for naughty food or wine, which in the long, educating yourself way, isn't very good.

i've found SW the best thing ever, i feel like it's a diet that everyone in the world should follow, it's common sense and healthy choices. and the weight is falling off so far!

 

[jen3]

What I was meaning in my post about ready meals is that on SW you really couldnt do it not that on WW you have to. I certainly nowhere said that ww was all about ready meals, sorry if it sounded like I did.

Some people like ready meals - I dont so therefore on WW I did cook from scratch

 

[TobiiRheaStarr]

Weight Watchers have free join up and free meeting offer vouchers all the time for attending meetings. As for online. There is an offer on at the moment where it is £29.85 for the first 3 months and £10.95 for each additional month. If you go to the site you can print off vouchers, or Google it and you can find them all over x​

 

[Littleslimmingbee]

Im a teaching assistant and have gotten to know one of the mum's at work, she weighs in on the same day as me, and is doing WW were as i do SW. we support each other but she openly admits the stress of counting points is alot added on when your a parent, constantly worrying because she's desperate to loose weight, but she also says she is really feeling a lack of energy, due to the fact once her points are gone, they'r gone.. and after a day of running around after the kids and then doing some exercise.. it just wears her out.. i feel for her.. knowing i can go home and eat gammon eggs and chips without thinking twice about it.. even after all my healthy extras and syns are gone... wereas if she got stressed that morning and made a mistake with her points and suddenly she's too low on points for a proper meal or has none left at all.. thats it.


ww is cheaper, im not sure why.. however i'v heard sw membership online isnt great compared to actually going to a group, but then the difference in that is obvious.. because theres no group lol.. but appreciate for whatever reason not everyone can make a class (however if you can i strongly suggest you do )

personally i think sw is so much simpler.. especially if you have alot else to think about during the day. xx

 

[magicmary]

hi was just wondering what one did you decide on

 

[Snozzberry]

I have done both (both online and groups). WW was the first slimming club I ever joined, I found it brilliant and I lost 2 stone with relative ease.

Then I became a helper at the meeting and I have no idea if that contributed to it (losing the financial incentive and not being able to pay proper attention to the meeting) but I stopped losing and just kept gaining and losing the same few pounds.

I joined SW within weeks of leaving my WW group and I struggled a lot with the transition. After 2 years I had WW so ingrained in me that I struggled with the concept of syns and the difference to points. I found it difficult to get my head round the fact that things I was used to eating for a few points on WW would pretty much clear out my syns allowance for the day.

I then to-ed and fro-ed between them (plus long periods of following no plan at all and one pregnancy) and pretty much maintained my weight but never really lost anything. I much preferred the concept of SW but WW was what I knew, if that makes any sense.

I struggled with both of them online as I need the incentive of someone else weighing me, but from a practical point of view, I did find the WW one more user friendly. It is a few years since I did SW online though and I do find Lifeline Online more easy to find my way round now than I did the first time, so maybe it's had an overhaul since I tried it.

I have joined WW three times since having my daughter and have never lasted more than a month. Even though I know it works, my life has changed now and I no longer have the time or inclination to worry about counting points. The last time I joined earlier this year, I found that I lost a few lbs but hadn't actually followed the plan at all so I wondered why the hell I was giving them my money every month. I tried going it alone for a few weeks and failed miserably, so I rejoined SW again two weeks ago and touch wood I feel more focussed and motivated now than I have for a very long time. I like that I can eat a banana in the evenings if I'm hungry instead of getting the hump because I haven't got any points left and saying sod it and having a mountain of toast, and then thinking well I've stuffed this week up now, might as well start again on Monday lol.

 

[TobiiRheaStarr]

Im a teaching assistant and have gotten to know one of the mum's at work, she weighs in on the same day as me, and is doing WW were as i do SW. we support each other but she openly admits the stress of counting points is alot added on when your a parent, constantly worrying because she's desperate to loose weight, but she also says she is really feeling a lack of energy, due to the fact once her points are gone, they'r gone.. and after a day of running around after the kids and then doing some exercise.. it just wears her out.. i feel for her.. knowing i can go home and eat gammon eggs and chips without thinking twice about it.. even after all my healthy extras and syns are gone... wereas if she got stressed that morning and made a mistake with her points and suddenly she's too low on points for a proper meal or has none left at all.. thats it.


ww is cheaper, im not sure why.. however i'v heard sw membership online isnt great compared to actually going to a group, but then the difference in that is obvious.. because theres no group lol.. but appreciate for whatever reason not everyone can make a class (however if you can i strongly suggest you do )

personally i think sw is so much simpler.. especially if you have alot else to think about during the day. xx

The problem I have with SW is that where you say you can come home and eat gammon egg and chips without giving it any thought is that they are still calories, whether they are called points, syns, and the evil free foods. Whether SW says food is "free" or not it is still calories. You can eat as much as you want of foods like pasta, rice, potatoes, meat...these are all high calorie foods. You can easily eat thousands of calories of pasta in a day but this is "free!" At least with WW you get a point limit (calorie limit) and you stick to it just like if you were doing low cal and were on 2000 cals a day you would stick to 2000 cals a day. Whereas on SW its like an eat as much as you want buffet eg eat as many calories as you like as they are all "free" in our books! In my experience I was following the SW plan to the Tee and told I wasnt eating enough. My consultant told me to eat more of the "free" foods and when I worked out the calories, I was eating anything up to 4500cals a day....no wonder I was gaining up to 6lbs a week! But still was told I wasnt eating enough free foods. I like the fact that with WW you get a limit and you stick to it.​

 

[Starlight]

ww is cheaper, im not sure why.. however i'v heard sw membership online isnt great compared to actually going to a group, but then the difference in that is obvious.. because theres no group lol.. but appreciate for whatever reason not everyone can make a class (however if you can i strongly suggest you do )

WW online isnt great either... really not worth the money at all.

Strange 2 great diets have such poor websites