SW Online - advice/thoughts please

Sarah777

Member
Hi all
I'm new to this site & so far, think its great!
Have been toying with ideas of starting various diff diets, but was successful a few years ago with SW so know it works!
My only problem now is getting to a weekly group - i just can't commit due to childcare/hubby's work hours/caring for ill mum etc etc!
Soooo, was thinking of doing it online, but wanted to know how well people have got on with it; how do you actually weigh-in; cost etc? Any advice/thoughts/suggestions would be fab, thank you.
Sarah x
 
Hi Sarah, I'll be intrigued to see answers to this as I'm in a similar position! My class has been moved to a 6pm start which i now can't attend as I don't get back from work until 7.30pm -all the other classes are the same near me :-(

It looks quite expensive - £60 for first 3 months which you have to pay up front. I dont mind if the site is good but its a lot to fork out without knowing what its going to be like!

Interested to hear other peoples thoughts x
 
I've never been an online member but the views I've heard here and elsewhere don't convince me that it's good value for money. You will get access to the syns online and syn calculator so you can look up syn values but you could do that by posting a thread here. I've also heard that the explanatory information about the plans is not that great and see online members coming here for clarification. As I understand it get a phone call for the first few weeks but after that you're pretty much on your own and online members always seem to complain that they are not kept as up to date with changes as group members. BUt listen to what others have to say before making up your mind.
 
I do SW from home as I'm a full time student and can't afford the classes. I did look at the online option but realised that I could do it from home and ask for syn values and things like that on here as Circes has just said. I get all the advice, support and inspiration from all the lovely people on this board, and I'm doing fine so far. You could just pay the one off fee just to get all the books then do it from home, or look on ebay for the books, but they are expensive on there!
 
I have never tried it i just do it from home, a friend had recommended the diet she goes to group, I researched it online found this amazing site and the rest is history!

all the support you need is right here! the only book i would say you might find useful is the food directory i got one of those eventually just to save from always having to ask on here!

but really i find that after the first few weeks you know all the basic free food that you use and the HEs. and you tend to learn the syns of your fave treats (Asda cheese curls are my fave!)

If you have the money to do it online then sure go for it! but if you don't then this forum is great, lots of really helpful friendly people who give you all the info you need!

X
 
oh and for weigh in just choose a time and day each week and stick to it. a set of accurate scales are important too i have some weight watchers ones from argos!

oh and keep a food diary no matter how busy you are! its all too easy to go overboard with syns otherwise!

X
 
From what I've heard, this forum is one of the best places to get all the information you need, for free! Plus, at least here, you get the support you need, and interesting food ideas to boot!
 
Well, I have been a bodyoptimise member for 20 months and have so far lost 6 stone. I love it as it is perfect for me.

I don't like classes and work away from home a lot so can log on any time and read the features, success stories, fill in my food diary, check syns, get a recipe, weigh in, update my bodymagic log, etc

I get an e-mail once a week telling me it's time to enter my weight and I have all my awards and a graph showing weight loss on my progress page. I can also upload monthly photos to see my progress over time.

It initially costs £60 for 3 months, you then get cheaper resubscription options of £40 for 3 months, or cheaper for longer. These fees have to be paid up front. (I like this because I feel it makes me stick to it otherwise I would be wasting my money)

I have never had a phone call from SW and there is no personal contact (I like this- lol), unless I choose to send them an e-mail asking a question. I get all the info as the changes happen, as long as I check the 'features' section on the site- they aren't pro-actively sent to me.

The real down side is that when I get to target, I will still have to pay for membership as there is no way of them proving that you are still in target (you could just lie to get free access)

I have always felt that I have the support I need using the on-line service, but can see how it isn't for everyone as you get no personal one-2-one help. Although I don't have a personal consultant, I am never given information which has been wrongly interpreted (as sometimes happen at classes- on here we see different views from different consultants) as my info comes straight from SW. If I have a good/bad week I just get a generic help feature to read and don't have an opportunity for someone to go through my food diarys

As others have said you can get many of these services on here or by getting the books or going it alone. This is like some people who think classes are unnecessary and can do it from home. Everyone is different- you really have to choose the option you think will work for you. Online membership really isn't for everyone

I hope I have given you a balanced viewpoint of the pros and cons- ask away if you have any further questions, as you are asking someone who actually uses it every day.
 
thank you all very much, am really unsure if i'll be strict enough to do it on my own am going to have to work something out so i can get to a group i think! Plus £60 straight out is a bit steep at the moment - lol!!!
Will def be using this site though - its great to have somewhere to talk to other likeminded people - great support network.
Sarah x
PS: will def be on here when i get properly started.
 
I am an online member and while I don't think it is good value for money, as we pay exactly the same as those that go to a group for one to one support. I have no choice but to do it online, because living in Canada means I have no meetings available to me. Really though I am only paying for access to the syns calculator. As you can pretty much print off all the other information.

I do find the fact I am paying helps me stay on plan too, as it would seem like such a waste of money if I kept slipping up. (Kind of like a swear box in a way lol).

I do think they seriously need to revise their website, it could have so many more features. I keep meaning to contact them with suggestions, but not sure they would take much notice.

I would love a handheld syns calculator instead of just being able to access it online, as it would be handy to take out with you when doing your shopping to assess syn value in things. But in all honestly I am not sure they will ever do that, as there is nothing for them to gain from doing that. I think they would probably lose the bulk of their online members if they released a handheld syns calculator.

All I can suggest is to pay for the basic 3 months packages as a trial, you can print off all the stuff and then after the 3 months decide whether you think it is worthwhile for you to continue to pay.

Perhaps all online members should contact them with suggestions, as maybe without knowing what us online members would like to see as improvements, they will probably never do it.
 
I agree with you BM, I am an online member, and am sorely disappointed with it, and like you, really only use the syn calculator. I have scouted around quite a bit but found it difficult to find stuff til you get used to it. So, I would say, its probably not that good, and you can get so much info from here.
xx
 
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