Slimming World is SO much better

KittenKat said:
In relation to the comments about people on low incomes, etc... both OH and I work full time (in mid level jobs) and are actually worse off financially than a pair of our friends, neither of whom work, are on benefits, get their rent paid/council tax paid, etc. But that's an entirely different discussion!


Your friends must be very lucky. My sister lives on benefits because her youngest is disabled & needs 24 hr care. She somehow has to feed herself & 4 children on £30 a week.

For everyone of your friends there 10 of my sister. The situation you describe says far more about the appalling lack of protection for wage earners than it does about the benefits system i'm afraid.
 
Nevertheless, many people do exist who literally don't have two pennies to rub together. Just because your friends aren't one of them doesn't mean everyone's in that situation. Benefits are complex and still unfair - and many, many people *in* work don't have two pennies to rub together either. Those sort of people don't have access to things like SW, or even the internet to get the general gist of things on sites like this.

Not having a go btw :) and I'm not going to get into the politics of benefits - just that people exist - working or not - who can't afford things like SW so maybe a 12-week countdown introduction would be a good, and relatively cheap, start in at least in motivating and educating them about eating plans.

I completely understand that there are people out there who really struggle while on benefits, etc, but just wanted to point out that there are also some people who do darned well on them as well, and that not everyone who does work is financially well off either.

Didn't see it as you having a go at all :)

As I said in my previous post, quit ehappy for people to have an initial 12 week countdown as a referal and then stand on their own 2 feet afterwards.
 
Your friends must be very lucky. My sister lives on benefits because her youngest is disabled & needs 24 hr care. She somehow has to feed herself & 4 children on £30 a week.

For everyone of your friends there 10 of my sister. The situation you describe says far more about the appalling lack of protection for wage earners than it does about the benefits system i'm afraid.

I am fully aware that there are people out there who really struggle on benefits and I have every sympathy with them. My post was NOT a generalisation on all of those who are on benefits, etc.

I was merely noting that not everyone who works their butts off is financially well off either.
 
i think it is about getting people througth the door and showing them it can be done. people with a lot to lose aren't always comfortably attending a group or feel its not for them, get them in let them see how much it can help and if it costs the taxpayer a bit of money then so be it.
smokers get smoking cessation on the NHS, drinkers have alc dependency clinics and drug addicts get certain drugs on the NHS how is this any differant?
obesity is a growing problem, cos it is precieved as lazy and greedy help has been very slow to come about, so i for one am glad this idea is coming to the fore.
i in the past, with a very big weight prob, have been to a gp told to lose weight but not offered any assistance or advice, maybe if i had had this oppurtunity 20 yrs ago i wouldn't be as big nowx

sorry rant over xxx
 
I think that - post above - has the hit the nail on the head for me.

It's a good step in recognising that obesity isn't solely about greed. It's about education and support.

Getting someone through the door of a slimming club with referral (regardless of financial circumstance/group they join), where they get to learn about healthy eating and get support and motivation for 12 weeks is a tiny committment compared to the years of therapy and support for those with alcohol/drug addictions.

It's a step in the right direction.

xx
 
Initially we'd probably all feel a little cheated knowing we're all paying for classes etc when others are be given the chance to do the same thing for free but as said by others some may have no idea about healthy eating so it's a way of educating them so they have that opportunity to learn.

No doubt there will be some who are given the chance & say no because they don't want to change or can't be bothered, but lets hope those ones who genuinely want to lose weight the healthy way take hold of whats being offered & change their lives.
 
Getting someone through the door of a slimming club with referral (regardless of financial circumstance/group they join), where they get to learn about healthy eating and get support and motivation for 12 weeks is a tiny committment compared to the years of therapy and support for those with alcohol/drug addictions.

Totally agree. And if those that do it for 12 weeks see results & have really learned how to eat well etc they'll WANT to carry on.
 
Perhaps if it were related to the prescription charge system it would be fairer?
Maybe if you pay for prescriptions AND in the obese catagory, you could get a reduced rate, but if you don't pay for prescriptions, and are in the obese range you'd get it for free... or drastically reduced rate.
 
Perhaps if it were related to the prescription charge system it would be fairer?
Maybe if you pay for prescriptions AND in the obese catagory, you could get a reduced rate, but if you don't pay for prescriptions, and are in the obese range you'd get it for free... or drastically reduced rate.

You should be in charge my luv. Thats a very sensible suggestion.
 
Perhaps if it were related to the prescription charge system it would be fairer?
Maybe if you pay for prescriptions AND in the obese catagory, you could get a reduced rate, but if you don't pay for prescriptions, and are in the obese range you'd get it for free... or drastically reduced rate.

A brilliant suggestion - I'd be very happy with that :)
 
The NHS needs all the money it can get so in theory shouldn't be funding this - however look at the bigger picture and how much money can be saved in other areas / diabetes / joint replacements / heart / strokes etc and the £100 odd is a drop in the ocean.

Personally I think obesity needs to be taken seriously and schemes like this rolled out nationwide, but it should be means tested. I say this because I know of 2 people who heard about this scheme a few months ago so went and asked for it, they were funded. While they obviously met the criteria weight wise, financially they didn't need support. (I realise this may not be as easy to administer as I'm suggesting) I'm sure there are hundreds of people who genuinely can't afford £5 per week who would have taken it more seriously than they did.
 
Sometimes the referral isn't about money though, my consultant offered me slimming world on referral because of high bmi during pregnancy. I was very offended, and said no. My problem was never overeating, I quite often went for days and ate nothing because I just don't feel hungry so I couldn't grasp how going on a diet would help. I contacted slimming world and they were able to explain things a lot more clearly to me, I changed my opinion and decided to accept the referral. I paid for the first few weeks while I was waiting for the vouchers to come through, but since then I have used my countdown, I have missed a total of 2 weeks due to circumstances beyond my control, I am currently just over 29 weeks pregnant and still showing a lower weight than I started at. I have been really sick through this pregnancy like I was with all the others but there seems to be a lot less issues with the baby than normal (maybe because she's a girl and the others were all boys or maybe down to slimming world, I am not really sure and neither is my consultant). My countdown is almost up but I am still dedicated to the plan and this week my husband has actually registered himself, so even more incentive to stick to it. We are probably going to struggle some weeks to find the £10 for both of us to attend meetings and weigh in, but even on the weeks when we can't afford group we can still try and stick to plan. Either way slimming world is forcing me to at least try and eat 3 meals a day, and starting to make hubby realise that he was pretty much living on crisps, bread, coke and junk food. Would any of that have happened without a slimming world referral in a word no. I admire the people who have the dedication to make the decision to change their lifestyle and lose weight on their own, but a lot of us need a shove in the right direction first and allowing slimming world or weight watchers on referral gives that. Hugs Crystal xx
 
Sometimes the referral isn't about money though, my consultant offered me slimming world on referral because of high bmi during pregnancy. I was very offended, and said no. My problem was never overeating, I quite often went for days and ate nothing because I just don't feel hungry so I couldn't grasp how going on a diet would help. I contacted slimming world and they were able to explain things a lot more clearly to me, I changed my opinion and decided to accept the referral. I paid for the first few weeks while I was waiting for the vouchers to come through, but since then I have used my countdown, I have missed a total of 2 weeks due to circumstances beyond my control, I am currently just over 29 weeks pregnant and still showing a lower weight than I started at. I have been really sick through this pregnancy like I was with all the others but there seems to be a lot less issues with the baby than normal (maybe because she's a girl and the others were all boys or maybe down to slimming world, I am not really sure and neither is my consultant). My countdown is almost up but I am still dedicated to the plan and this week my husband has actually registered himself, so even more incentive to stick to it. We are probably going to struggle some weeks to find the £10 for both of us to attend meetings and weigh in, but even on the weeks when we can't afford group we can still try and stick to plan. Either way slimming world is forcing me to at least try and eat 3 meals a day, and starting to make hubby realise that he was pretty much living on crisps, bread, coke and junk food. Would any of that have happened without a slimming world referral in a word no. I admire the people who have the dedication to make the decision to change their lifestyle and lose weight on their own, but a lot of us need a shove in the right direction first and allowing slimming world or weight watchers on referral gives that. Hugs Crystal xx

A brilliant example of how it works - well done Crystal!
 
Probably won't be very popular opinions but two things I have to say on the subject

1. If it's going to be done it should be free for everybody not just some. Not being able to afford things such as SW doesn't come from just being out of work/being a single mother/having children etc. I'm no better off than most but get nothing for free if I want to do something I have to save money cut back in other areas of my life.
2.why shouldn't things such as referral schemes exist ppl have been getting smoking patches on nhs for years and years and that is no more or less of a lifestyle choice. Again if your going to do it for one issue then its fair to do it for both.

Just my opinion!
 
I can see your point of view jo, I'm also in the catagory of people who JUST don't get the exrtras - free scripts, glasses, dental treatment etc. As a family of 4 with only one wage coming in, things are very tight, and there are weeks I find it difficult to find the fiver for SW.

In an ideal world, yes it would be free for all. But while SW/WW remain commercial companies, I can't see that happening simply because there will be people who abuse the system.

There would be those who would say yes to the refferal, the company would get the 12 weeks worth of money from NHS, then that person wouldn't go after the first week or two, then 12 months down the line they'd be back at the docs for obesity related diseases.

That is why with the smoking cessation measures, as I understand it, you're only given 2 weeks worth of patches or whatever method.

The few always seem to screw it up for the many. How it may work is if the NHS were to set up their own slimming clubs based on SW/WW so it was none profit making. But I wouldn't like to see that as it could make things very difficult for the existing companies to continue - and that would be sad.
 
My personal feeling is that £5 a week for 12 weeks would be a saving for the nhs compared to, for example, a lifetime's drugs, treatment and care for type 2 diabetes. It costs the nhs a crazy amount of money each year as the consequences of becoming diabetic are many different, serious conditions. All unpleasant, many requiring expensive treatment and lengthy hospital stays which can be problematic in itself.

I can see how some people would be offended by the offer of slimming club membership, but on the flipside, some people who would love the opportunity perhaps don't realise that the help is out there and accessible.

If this could prevent someone from developing obesity related illness, surely it's a good thing?
 
i think the problem with the NHS running its own ww/sw style clubs is that it does not have the resources to provide the level of support they do.
it also doesn't have the resources to be continually improving its plans as sw/ww do. In the long run providing vouchers will work out cheaper.
I think it needs to be assessed on the clinical need as oppossed to the financial ability to pay in order to provide the best service.
I certainly wouldn't accept vouchers as i can afford to pay, but if i couldn't i would see them as lifeline.
 
SW are still accepting GP referrals as far as I am aware, I know someone who got one recently. I don't think one diet is better than the other, its a personal choice, and, often 1 will suit a current lifestyle better than the other. In WW classes you will find just as many people going there from SW as the other way around. Ive done both, several times, currently WW suits my life better but in the past that has been true of SW.

I totally back having GP referrals to either diet plan. If one doesn't work for you the other certainly will and its a sight cheaper than a gastric bypass or treatment for other obesity related diseases.

I assume the statement has been made because I know from talking to my doctor, she really wasn't happy that you could eat unlimited amounts of potatoes, pasta and rice on SW and thought it should be restricted, so she was naturally more of a fan of WW - so maybe its come on the back of GP comments - of course thats just my assumption and not based on concrete evidence.
 
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