How I lost 2 stone by ditching slimming world

I lost a stone in a month with slimming world. A year later I lost 2 stone more on my own. Saving hundreds of pounds in weekly fees and no faffing about with free foods, syns or allowances.

Two years later 18 months later my weight is still 9 and a half stone. Here’s how you can lose pounds too, without spending pounds.

I lost a stone in a month with Slimming World

You can catch up on my story with slimming world and what led me to discover this easy, maintainable weight loss way.  I will still be eating what I want and when I want. I have cut out NOTHING.

Lets just remind you – Slimming World in the UK has over 900,000 members attending every week. Membership is £10 but you can usually get that free, so lets ignore that. Weekly membership is £4.95, less if you get a plan, and once you reach your goal you don’t pay. Let’s underestimate the revenues here, say 800,000 of the 900,000 weekly members are paying £4.95 a week. That’s a WEEKLY revenue of just under £4 MILLION. Now it’s clearer, add on the special Slimming World sweets and biscuits and meals and bars and books and, well, that’s a fortune.

A year at slimming world costs you over £200 in weekly fees alone.

Look, I am pretty cynical by nature and this is only my view. Slimming World works for many people, I am sure you know plenty of people who have lost weight, kept it off and never returned right? The Slimming World model is to make money by selling the group/lifestyle/comfort, disguised as weight loss.  Like Weightwatchers, just because it’s popular does not mean it is the answer.

If it worked, nobody would be overweight and Slimming World and WW would not be million pound businesses.

I had to come up with a different way to lose weight

To find a way of losing weight that worked for me, I looked at the positives and negatives I could take from the Slimming World plan, have a look back at my Slimming World post to have a read of these positives and negatives. This give me something to work from and I came up with some simple ideas.

Why willpower to lose weight does not work

We make hundreds and hundreds of decisions every day, some good, some bad, some totally unnecessary. This is one of the reasons why relying on willpower fails. It’s another decision, another choice.

Put some simple ideas and rules in place to help with weight loss, then you don’t need to plan, to measure, to go without. Your choices are automatic behaviours that cut out the need to rely on willpower.

• Idea 1. Food is fuel, we need it. Our body needs a certain amount of nutrients etc to function. Restricting food / food groups is not an answer. If our body is telling us we are hungry then we need to eat.

• Idea 2. Food can bring joy. This is a good thing, whether it is the most delicious roast dinner or fab meal out with friends or family. Taste is to be savoured and enjoyed.

View food as either fuel or a joy

So how do we tweak our own behaviour to lose weight. Everyone is different, we have different likes, dislikes and eating habits and when we try and go on any diet, it usually means DRASTIC changes. Whether it is measuring portions, counting calories or avoiding certain foods – it’s a major lifestyle change that you just cannot keep up long term. Fighting what you want, what you are used to and what everyone else is enjoying just isn’t going to work.

So make some decisions to suit you, not vague decisions, just make no nonsense rules that fit how you want to live.

You already know that you eat too much of the wrong foods. You need to look at food as either fuel or joy. There is no in between.

How do you lose 2 stone and keep it off?

Here is what I have done to lose 2 stone and keep it off. Look this is not medical advice, we all know what we should and shouldn’t do. Just as we all do what we want regardless.

• Skip breakfast. I spent years listening to advice saying start the day with a healthy breakfast, kick-start  your metabolism etc. So I always did, even though I really didn’t fancy it. By skipping breakfast I realised I didn’t actually get hungry. When I had breakfast, I was always hungry mid-morning.
• Choose go-to meals and snacks. So for this pick what you like, pick with ‘food is fuel’ in mind. These are the foods that take the what do I fancy decision away. If I’m hungry, I choose a fresh roll or bagel and a banana. Or a bowl of bran flakes with raisins and full fat milk. Most people have the same core breakfasts and dinners, week in week out. Just tweak them a bit.
• Eat when YOU decide. Say at work there is always someone who brings in cake or chocolate And you just can’t resist, every time. If they didn’t bring it in, you wouldn’t eat it right? Then make a decision for yourself now. Like ‘I will have cake on a Friday IF I fancy it’.  That’s it, that’s your rule. It doesn’t mean you have to have some on Friday, but if you want to then you will. The rest of the week it’s a simple no thanks. You don’t need to have a ‘I shouldn’t… but…’  mental battle with yourself.
• Enjoy your food. If I go out for a meal, I want to have something I wouldn’t have at home, something deliciously different. Seriously this is a joy moment, don’t spoil it by stuffing your face on EVERYTHING. You don’t need starter and bread and main and dessert. Pick what you like most and have 2 courses max.
• Restrict nothing. I love cheese, and butter and anything baked. But having these foods all the time means it’s not such a treat. It gets boring and you just eat mindlessly. If I fancy a croissant and it’s not that nice, then I leave it. Food often smells better than it tastes, you don’t HAVE to finish it.
• Eat fresh foods Ready meals/slimming foods may be convenient but lets face it they are rarely delicious so what’s the point? If you are eating for fuel and want something quick then you’re much better off making something like pasta or an omelette, chuck in whatever you have and it’s ready and yum in 10 mins. There’s something really depressing about cooking something in a plastic tray.  Figure out some easy meals you enjoy and keep the freezer / cupboard stocked with those ingredients. We have frozen peas, sliced onion, sweetcorn, pitta bread, peppers as well as pasta, risotto, rice, couscous in the cupboard and halloumi, cheddar, eggs and feta in the fridge. One of our go to meals is smoked salmon and pea risotto. Cheap, easy and absolutely delish. Even better when hubby Taz makes it.
• Full fat milk and butter Really? Yep, enjoy the full flavour. You’ll find you eat less and feel fuller. Get back to natural, healthy foods. Make your own cakes and biscuits – much nicer than many shop bought ones.
• Drink loads Whether it’s coffee, teas or herbal teas, water or cordials, drink a lot. You may think you are hungry but have a drink and miraculously you won’t feel that way anymore. Try lots of different teas until you find the ones you like, my summer drink is green tea, which has many other proven health benefits, have a read on BeHealthyNow for the low down.
• Stay away from additives, preservatives and chemicals. If you want sugar in your tea, have it, or switch to honey. Keep away from artificial sweeteners in anything.

What about the usual excuses for not losing weight?

If you were trying to lose a stone in a month then you’d be a lot stricter with what you eat. Maybe not go out for meals or cut out anything that’s got any fat / sugar in it (bit like slimming world). It works for a month but this type of restriction is not sustainable long term. Willpower fails, denying yourself what you want is a sad and unhealthy way to live.

One of our favourite snacks is Mini Chips – we could demolish a bag in minutes while watching a film, not because we were hungry – we just fancied something ‘snacky’. Have a read of our article What’s your favourite snack? and you’ll find out one of the easiest ways to make a massive difference to your weight and health, you’ll be as shocked as we were.

Losing weight is easy with a minor lifestyle change, not a diet.

Look this is a long term plan, a minor lifestyle change. But this is slow(ish) and steady. In 6 months time with these small changes you can be 2 or 3 stone lighter, and in a years time the same, no dramas, no mental anguish or feeling hungry, or naughty, or like you are missing out.

Add products that make eating fun and easy. Here is a reminder of some of the things I have found useful, The trick here is to make your choice to lose weight FUN. You are not denying yourself, you are just making some changes. For these changes to work long term they have to be simple, cheap and enjoyable.

• Slimming world compatible planner. Essential – you need to make this fun. This one is only £8.95. It is perfect for kicking off your weight loss and covers for 7 weeks. Plenty of time for you to lose at least a stone. There are loads more planners on Amazon , different layouts, lengths, contents and prices, pick any one you like. The most expensive is £39.95.There’s no need to spend that! You’ll probably only use it as a novelty for a couple of weeks.
• Portion control guide. There are special plates you can get that show you what food and how much of it goes on the plate. I’m not a fan – this is a lifestyle change so you don’t need to have a ‘special plate’ every time you eat – you’re not 5! This portion control guide is a template that you put on your normal plate, put your food on , and take it off. And eat like everyone else. You won’t need this for long. You will initially be shocked at the recommended portion sizes vs your normal sizes, and can aim towards those portions. There are various ways to control your portions, pick any ones that suit you.
• Apple slicer. I love this. So you are peckish, apples are boring right? Not with this little gadget. Cores the apple and cuts it into wedges. So much nicer to eat. The snack feels like a treat, not something that ‘isn’t crisps’. There are plenty of other apple slicers, chose the colour that you like . Make sure you get a simple, sturdy one though.
• Chip serving baskets. Make food fun, you can easily make slimming world chips and serving them in a basket like this means you don’t eat so many plus when you are eating with the family – everyone can enjoy the same food and experience. The chip serving link is for all the fun ways to serve chips.

How to make your action plan  

You know yourself better than anyone. Forget what you think you ‘should’ eat and look at ways you can eat what you want to. I love cheese, any bakery food and potatoes. So for me mini baby bels, home made cake and home made chips are perfect. I will not be eating eggs, nuts or Avocados. Ever!

• What are your go to foods?
• What will you keep in the freezer / cupboard?
• What decisions can you make now to deal with your triggers?

Take your body measurements and your weight now and a photo of yourself trying to squeeze into some trousers that are far too small.

Then what?

Then do the same in a month. Weigh yourself, take your body measurements and try on those trousers again . Stay off the scales in between, you may feel or notice any difference during that month as you are losing weight slowly. When you compare the measurements and photos a month later – you will be amazed.

Do the same a month later and keep going, you’ll be surprised that it was actually so easy and you’ll know this is not a diet, it’s little changes that make a big difference.

Let me know if you are going to give this a go – you have nothing to lose (except weight!). Any questions, please ask and let me know how you get on.

Here are some of our other articles that you may enjoy

• I ditched Slimming World and lost 2 stone
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• What’s your favourite snack?
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