JestersTear
Silver Member
Has anyone spoken to their consultant since reading this thread? I'd be interested to know what their reply about it might be.
Peeved.....(SW/Woman of Year)
- Thread starter StaceyUK
- Start date
victorial85
A moaning old boot!!!!
Write people, when I first read this thread, I was quite confused and angry and thought that SW should tell us why these criteria in place and see if we could understand it, so I emailed them with a link to the thread and thought I would never get a reply...............but this morning I recieved this:
Thank you for getting in touch with me about the Minimins site. I’m really glad you’ve let me know about the confusion our criteria has caused on the forum, and very happy to explain further.
We hope that all our competitions will inspire and motivate our members - the last thing we’d ever want to do is leave anyone feeling undervalued or discounted. The fact that one of our competitions has left a member feeling upset concerns me greatly.
We have criteria in all of our competitions, and they’re in place because it’s necessary to have some kind of system for entering – it really wouldn’t be fair or sensible to run competitions with no entry criteria at all – we could have thousands of members entering! Having criteria is a more up-front and kind way of operating our competitions, especially for members, as without them we could potentially be setting entrants up for failure. We’ve spent a lot of time, over the years, setting criteria which we think are fair and realistic – for women, the upper entry criteria is set at a stone over a BMI of 25 (which is the Department of Health guide to a healthy weight). Given that we have criteria in place, we do have to stick to them – while I do completely understand that being out of criteria after an amazing weight loss of 6 stone may seem difficult to understand, if we started to ‘tweak’ the criteria, we’d then be being unfair to other people who could have entered – it becomes a slippery slope.
Although the lady that you mention isn’t eligible to continue to the District and National competition, her fantastic achievement should have been celebrated with bells and whistles in group. We believe that this stage – celebrating a fabulous winner in every single group – is the most important part of every Slimming World competition: knowing how proud her Consultant and fellow group members are, being nominated and voted for by them, and celebrating together. We know members don’t join Slimming World to win a competition, they join to lose weight and lead a healthier, fitter, longer life. However we also know how important it is that we help to manage their expectations about the competitions, and we do ask Consultants to let nominees and winning members – along with the other voting members - know about our criteria for continuing to the District finals.
I know this won’t change the disappointment your forum friend will be feeling right now, but I hope this clarifies our process and the reasons for having the competition criteria in place. I’d be very happy for you to pass this message on to your fellow members of the forum to help them understand this too – it would be such a shame for this issue to cloud anyone’s excitement and enthusiasm for their own weight loss journey.
Very best wishes for your continued success, Victoria, and thank you once again for getting in touch.
Catherine
Catherine Fox
Assistant Marketing Manager
Thought it was quite good that I got a reply!!!
Thank you for getting in touch with me about the Minimins site. I’m really glad you’ve let me know about the confusion our criteria has caused on the forum, and very happy to explain further.
We hope that all our competitions will inspire and motivate our members - the last thing we’d ever want to do is leave anyone feeling undervalued or discounted. The fact that one of our competitions has left a member feeling upset concerns me greatly.
We have criteria in all of our competitions, and they’re in place because it’s necessary to have some kind of system for entering – it really wouldn’t be fair or sensible to run competitions with no entry criteria at all – we could have thousands of members entering! Having criteria is a more up-front and kind way of operating our competitions, especially for members, as without them we could potentially be setting entrants up for failure. We’ve spent a lot of time, over the years, setting criteria which we think are fair and realistic – for women, the upper entry criteria is set at a stone over a BMI of 25 (which is the Department of Health guide to a healthy weight). Given that we have criteria in place, we do have to stick to them – while I do completely understand that being out of criteria after an amazing weight loss of 6 stone may seem difficult to understand, if we started to ‘tweak’ the criteria, we’d then be being unfair to other people who could have entered – it becomes a slippery slope.
Although the lady that you mention isn’t eligible to continue to the District and National competition, her fantastic achievement should have been celebrated with bells and whistles in group. We believe that this stage – celebrating a fabulous winner in every single group – is the most important part of every Slimming World competition: knowing how proud her Consultant and fellow group members are, being nominated and voted for by them, and celebrating together. We know members don’t join Slimming World to win a competition, they join to lose weight and lead a healthier, fitter, longer life. However we also know how important it is that we help to manage their expectations about the competitions, and we do ask Consultants to let nominees and winning members – along with the other voting members - know about our criteria for continuing to the District finals.
I know this won’t change the disappointment your forum friend will be feeling right now, but I hope this clarifies our process and the reasons for having the competition criteria in place. I’d be very happy for you to pass this message on to your fellow members of the forum to help them understand this too – it would be such a shame for this issue to cloud anyone’s excitement and enthusiasm for their own weight loss journey.
Very best wishes for your continued success, Victoria, and thank you once again for getting in touch.
Catherine
Catherine Fox
Assistant Marketing Manager
Thought it was quite good that I got a reply!!!
That's AWFUL!!! I am so shocked that SW would have a criteria like that....I think it should be on the personal achievement of the person, not that they HAVE to be a size 10 or whatever!! Awww....I feel very bad for you.
BUT....on the other hand, screw em. You have still lost nearly 6 stone, which quite frankley is amazing, and I think you need to keep your eye on the end goal!
BUT....on the other hand, screw em. You have still lost nearly 6 stone, which quite frankley is amazing, and I think you need to keep your eye on the end goal!
HellieCopter
Gold Member
I've held off from posting on this thread for a while!
Stacey - there's absolutely no doubt about your amazingly fabulous weight loss so far. You honestly are a fantastic example of success, and your contributions here are invaluable, certainly to me! I wanted to state that for the record!
I'm with SW on this one. I think the SW person has written a thoughtful, well constructed response and makes very valid points.
They have to have a cut off point and criteria that they adhere to. If they don't, it's not really generally 'fair' is it?! And surely if their cut off point is just above being a healthy BMI, then that's reasonable? We're all here to lose weight. Ok, some people don't hold much sway in BMI as it's such a vague measure, and that's fine. But as BMI is what's used by SW and a lot of slimming clubs as a guideline...surely what most of us are aiming for is to be a healthy bmi? If someone sets their own target higher than that, that's fine and their choice. I don't see how SW can really justify selecting a competition winner who isn't a healthy bmi or thereabouts.
What I don't agree with at all is the 3 stone minimum rule. It shouldn't be about the most weight lost, not for me anyway. 1 stone or 10 -it should be about the journey, the motivation, the dedication and the inspiration. But I do think that someone who has done it rather than is currently still on their journey should win it.
I'm rambling!
What should have been made clear in Stacey's class...and at all classes...was exactly what the criteria were for going through to regional/national finals. Then disappointment would have been avoided!
Stacey, and everyone who's lost any amount of weight, should be supported and praised...and anyone who loses is inspirational!
Stacey - there's absolutely no doubt about your amazingly fabulous weight loss so far. You honestly are a fantastic example of success, and your contributions here are invaluable, certainly to me! I wanted to state that for the record!
I'm with SW on this one. I think the SW person has written a thoughtful, well constructed response and makes very valid points.
They have to have a cut off point and criteria that they adhere to. If they don't, it's not really generally 'fair' is it?! And surely if their cut off point is just above being a healthy BMI, then that's reasonable? We're all here to lose weight. Ok, some people don't hold much sway in BMI as it's such a vague measure, and that's fine. But as BMI is what's used by SW and a lot of slimming clubs as a guideline...surely what most of us are aiming for is to be a healthy bmi? If someone sets their own target higher than that, that's fine and their choice. I don't see how SW can really justify selecting a competition winner who isn't a healthy bmi or thereabouts.
What I don't agree with at all is the 3 stone minimum rule. It shouldn't be about the most weight lost, not for me anyway. 1 stone or 10 -it should be about the journey, the motivation, the dedication and the inspiration. But I do think that someone who has done it rather than is currently still on their journey should win it.
I'm rambling!
What should have been made clear in Stacey's class...and at all classes...was exactly what the criteria were for going through to regional/national finals. Then disappointment would have been avoided!
Stacey, and everyone who's lost any amount of weight, should be supported and praised...and anyone who loses is inspirational!
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Sorry Stacey re your news, but lets remember that slimming clubs regardless of who they are, only want what is best for the company n what brings them in dosh. Sure if there plan was a one off answer they would be out of bis. Listen lass ur a winner to the one that is most important and thats UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
StaceyUK
Gold Member
Just come back from Italy and am bowled over by all of the love and responses so a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who replied and for your support! And thank you SO much Victoria, for taking the time to write to SW on my behalf and it has been enlightening reading their response. My C perhaps should have mentioned the criteria first, but I feel that she probably didn't because she wanted the group to decide, unbiasedly, who their WOY was based on their choice rather than who meets the criteria, if you see what I mean.
It's good that SW took the time to write such a detailed response and that has helped me to understand it a bit better!
It's good that SW took the time to write such a detailed response and that has helped me to understand it a bit better!
Scarlet Daisy
Hungry For Life
JoJosing
Full Member
Hi Stacy
Firstly well done for loosing so much weight and being voted WOTY and as above for being so classy.
In my class my C always says that the group should decide who they want to put up for any competition but always points out the restrictions about going foward to the next round.
My class just votes for the person they want whatever point in their journey they are on and no one seems to worry in any way about progressing further.
I feel realy bad for your disappointment especially after having done so well. You did not let your group down at all 'cause they just voted for the person they wanted to win just like my group.
I hope that you had a lovely holiday.
Firstly well done for loosing so much weight and being voted WOTY and as above for being so classy.
In my class my C always says that the group should decide who they want to put up for any competition but always points out the restrictions about going foward to the next round.
My class just votes for the person they want whatever point in their journey they are on and no one seems to worry in any way about progressing further.
I feel realy bad for your disappointment especially after having done so well. You did not let your group down at all 'cause they just voted for the person they wanted to win just like my group.
I hope that you had a lovely holiday.
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