Will it ever work?

[LJB12]

Hi
Just a mini rant if I can ... I started SW 4 weeks ago. The "newbie" talk from the Consultant was pretty bad because she had her two kids with her (one a screaming baby) and it came across as much more "Eat whatever you like" and not so much "But remember you are meant to eat less bad stuff..". Anyway, the first week I did EE and put on 0.5lb - we weren't told about the 1/3rd superfree etc. The second week I did pretty much EE but counted calories too and lost 2lbs (1.5lbs really since I had a gain the first week). I switched to Red/Green and felt I was doing really well, but then had 4 days in Barcelona on business where there just wasn't much available to eat (I don't like fish and there was lots of it), and I ended up STS. Think I hadn't eaten enough.
I'm back on track now, doing my Red/Green days, but I see you guys with your 2/3/4lb losses every week and I think I've just lost 1.5lb in 3 weeks which seems rubbish.
I'm going to start a food diary on here for hints and tips on what I'm eating but had to just get my "IT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME" whinge out!!

Anyone else experienced really slow initial losses? I'm motivated and have been visualising SOTW/SOTM/SOTY but its clearly not happening for me right now :-(

 

[sarahm85]

How much you'll lose per week really depends on how much weight you have to lose in the first place. Those with a lot to lose will experience bigger losses compared to those with not as much. For everyone though it does and will slow down and you should expect around 1-2lbs a week. This is a healthy amount which experts recommend so your body adjusts slowly. It also teaches you better eating habits - I know if I lost 3 stone quickly I would end up putting it all back on, SW is a plan for life and throughout your weightloss journey you are re-educating yourself on eating more healthily. Gains can also be attributed to * week or just simply a fluctuation that can't be explained - our bodies are weird things!

I would advise posting a food diary to see if there's anything you're doing wrong. If you're doing EE you should be doing 1/3 superfree. Make sure you have your healthy extras and measure them. Also are you having syns? You should be having 5-15 a day. Not having them now means that if you do reach a plateau in your weight loss you won't have something to cut back on.

SW does work, you just have to follow it to the letter and you'll see results.

 

[cordwell]

yes i am the same really, two gains in the first 2 weeks and slow losses since. My run rate is 1 pound per week.

 

[RubyMoss]

I have had such an up-and-down weightloss!
One week I'll do fantastically well and lose 3lbs, the next I'll go off on one and re-gain the 3lb I just lost! It's all about perseverance really, and figuring out which of the meal plans works best for you! For example, I struggle with EE because I'm not mental on a lot of fruit and vegetables, so Green and Original are much easier for me. A lot of people find that the first couple of weeks are just them 'finding their' feet, and I assure you, it will click soon enough and you'll find it so easy... the weight will just drop off!

I definite;y agree with sarahm85 about the importance of syns - my two failed Slimming World attempts failed because I thought I'd lose more weight by NOT eating syns. This is not the case. I eat all 105 of mine each week and I still experience losses!

xxxx

 

[jaylou]

No excuses for the consultants bad welcome talk BUT you do have your book and it's all in there. I know all our new members are told to go home, read the book and read it again every day. It takes time to sink in.

Why count calories? SW works, if you count calories as well then you may as well follow a calorie counted diet.

Third week if you've had 4 days on business then a STS isn't bad.

So, I wouldn't say your losses were bad, I'd say this

Week 1 - not followed correctly as not told about superfree
Week 2 - not followed correctly as calorie counting too
Week 3 - not followed correctly as away on business.

I'm not being harsh or critical, just please don't think your losses are slow. Give it a few weeks of following the plans as they should be followed and you will be fine.

Don't compare to other people. Some lose a lot, some don't but all losses add up.

 

[sarahm85]

I'll also add, you should not have to calorie count on SW. Because of the way certain foods are restricted and other foods are not, you are naturally reducing your calories as Free Food is lower in calories yet will keep you satiated for longer whereas synned/restricted foods are higher in calories and will not keep your hunger away for as long.

That being said, I would be careful with Free Food - obviously eating a portion of pasta enough for 3 people as a snack is going to be calorific! Everything in moderation - eat until you're full, not bursting at the seams! If you follow this correctly you will be eating calories which set you at a deficit to lose 1-2lbs.

 

[*EB*]

My average loss is 1lb a week. Pre holiday i had lost 52lbs and that was in just under a year....and i had weeks (months even) when the weight didnt budge.

Look over a month or two what you have lost, and even though you have had a shaky start, i think you will learn the plan and know what the 'rules' are and be in a better position to evaluate its effectiveness for your lifestyle.

SW isnt for everyone, a lot of my friends prefer WW as they dont eat a lot of fresh food, and prefer ready meals...its an individual choice there.

The bottom line is that whether its SW, Calorie counting, WW, RC - they all work - its just got to be followed and the rules adhered to.

Good luck - xxx

 

[LJB12]

Thanks all.
My DH is calorie counting, and after a gain in the first week and not necessarily understanding the plan 100% I wanted to ensure that I was eating few enough calories to lose weight - kind of checking I was doing it right. SW, despite all the different day names etc, is just a low fat and low calorie diet, as thats the only real way of losing weight - so I was just double checking by also counting calories. To lose 2lbs a week I need to have 1320 calories a day, which I did that week, and I did indeed lose my 2lbs. I don't think I didn't follow the plan - I just double checked that whilst I was following the plan I was accidentally eating too many calories.
When a food is free - Muller yogs for instance - it was easy to believe I could eat as many of them as I wanted, but I can't because they are 100 calories each - so for me, following the plan but also understanding calorie values is useful.

 

[jaylou]

When a food is free - Muller yogs for instance - it was easy to believe I could eat as many of them as I wanted, but I can't because they are 100 calories each - so for me, following the plan but also understanding calorie values is useful.

Fair point re the Mullers and I think this is why with EE (and more often now with red/green) SW encourage snacking only on superfree foods which does not include things like Mullers. That way people are less likely to overindulge on them as they are often used as a snack.

 

[Naomi F]

I also think its a fair point regarding calories, and I often do this aswell, ie 100% follow SW, but also just double check that my calories are adding up to a reasonable amount. This really helped me as one week I had an 0.5 gain despite thinking I'd had a really good week - I checked the calories of my food diary and I'd had far too many grapes - a superfree food yet the quantity had sent me over. I have them very sparingly now!

Sometimes, it just does take a while to find your feet. It may be that a certain day is better for you, or a certain food is not agreeing with you. Keeping a food diary will help you pinpoint this. My sister did EE for her first 3 weeks and had really slow losses. After changing to red and green, she is now flying. Sometimes it just takes a bit of trial and error to see what works for you. Good luck! xx

 

[10st10lbs]

Want to reply properly but got to run right now, will be back!

xxx

 

[MargyParker]

I am the same as you and have been on SW for about the same amount of time and I lost 2 pounds and gained them again and lost 2 again last week after sts the week before and this week I have gained quarter of a pound.

I keep a food diary and because a couple of people that looked at it said that I wasn't eating enough I upped the intake. Because I put on weight this week AGAIN I counted the calories today and I have eaten more than 2000. How am I supposed to lose weight eating that amount of calories. I am getting a bit fed up now TBH. I have kept the faith for weeks but now I am starting to think it just won't work for me which is a pity because I use body optimise and I have paid for 3 months. And for anyone who is thinking it - no I am not cheating and yes I am scrupulous about putting in the diary what I eat. :sigh: