Slimming World...how does it work

(Robert Burress) #1

I believe there’s Slimming World in the US as well as here in the UK. What I’m interested to know is…how does it work. I have a friend who has lost 5.5 stone (77lbs/35kg) since Nov. I’ve lost 3.5 stone since Sept (where I admit I took a few hiatuses). She’s clearly evangelistic about it just as I am about Keto/LCHF/IF/EF/ADF etc. Neither of us are wrong, we are both happily invested.

She tells me how she can eat all the pasta and potatoes and fruit she can eat. How these foods have no sins (their measurement currency). Similar I guess to how we eat fat and cream and cheese etc.

But knowing what I know about metabolism I can’t see how it all works for her. Clearly it does. But it seems to me that all the starchy food and fructose must be spiraling up blood glucose and the negative effects on weight loss that would bring. But it doesn’t seem to be. Every week I see her (she does some work for me) she’s a little bit thinner.

Clearly there are other advantages (probably on both sides) to our methods. But can someone who may have experience in both shed some light on it.

My DW(2b) is interested whereas she’s been totally disinterested in Keto. So finding how these can work in synergy could be good all round.

Thanks in advance!

#2

My sister is doing SW, and she has been very successful with it, while it did not at all work for me.

I think, from what I hear and see from my sister, that SW is mainly focussed on low fat, low carb and calorie deficit. You are basically encouraged to eat lower fat, lower carb and hence lower calorie foods. They don’t eat cheese, cream, milk etc. and fairly low carb. SW also focusses on the gaseous state of food, e.g. you are allowed to eat an apple or a banana as such, but you are not allowed to eat mashed apples or bananas.

Please don’t ask me for scientific details as to why that is - I only speak from what my sister tells me. She has lost 25.5 lbs since she started in April and she loves it and would recommend it to anyone. I was not keen on SW, but that was mainly down to weighing and measuring stuff.

I think SW is like any other diet: calorie deficit and healthy choices and this either works for you or it does not.

(Robert Burress) #3

Thanks very much for the insight. Sounds like lower carb and lower fat is a difficult proposition. But like your sister, my friend says she loves it.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #4

[quote=“Ketolicious, post:2, topic:15417”]
low fat, low carb and calorie deficit
[/quote]…is perfectly fine for anyone who’s not metabolically deranged. But low fat usually means increased carbs to anyone that’s not careful about it. Keto works for folks with years of insulin resistance that’s deafened their metabolism when it comes to storing or burning excess energy. Folks that are in this later boat usually find that low fat diets make them extremely hungry all the time, which can lead to a high failure rate as well.

#5

I can’t comment on if my sister is metabolically deranged? She might be as she has tried many diets before, however SW is the first one that works for her. So it can’t be all wrong.

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #6

Yep. Everyone is different (there will always be measurable exceptions too) and there are too many variables that radically change the outcomes. There is no one solution that works for all and that’s been one of keto’s major stumbling blocks where it’s such a radical departure from conventional thinking, but after trying lots of other diets, stick to what works (for you). :smile:

Is she hungry or feeling drained doing SW? Some people handle hunger just fine and others turn into angry bears.

#7

@Keehan: not at all, quite the opposite. She said she’d never felt as full and satisifed and on top of that her hair and skin has become a lot better. For her SW seems to be the right thing.

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #8

Good to hear! :smile: Tell her to keep going.

(Cathrine Helle) #9

Personally I’m sceptical to low fat WOEs. Vitamin A and D are for instance two vitamins that is not water soluble, but fat soluble. It’s very likely to get deficient in such nutrients when eating very low fat. Low fat means either high protein or high carb - none of which suits me, but that’s my n=1 experience. If I would choose something other than keto, it would definitely not be high protein. It would be a higher carb version without grains or processed foods.

(Crow T. Robot) #10

I’m skeptical of these high carb low fat diets as well. Basically, it’s same as veganism. Fruits and starches? Really? Where’s the nutrition in that? Sure, you can lose weight doing that, but at what cost to your body long term? They never show you what happens to their overall health (including their teeth!). It’s not all about weight loss. Death causes weight loss, too.

#11

SW isn’t high carb though, they have a limited amount of carbs per day. Same for fat. SW focusses on a balanced approach of all groups.

(Linda Culbreth) #12

What do you mean by SW diet?

(Robert Burress) #13

Slimming World