Should I join now???

I've been putting this off for ages now but I think the time has come that I must do something about my weight. My probs are: 1, what slimming club to go to and 2, do I join now or after christmas??

I've done SS before and got to about 2lbs of target but low and behold I've put it all back on and more. Typical. How do I keep my motivation??

I am also going to be starting a new job in the New Year which is going to be more physical than my current desk job and involves me working shifts. Will that help or hinder my weight loss attempts.

Any advice would be appreciated (I've got about 6+ stone to lose).

Andrea

Hi andrea and welcome to minimins and well done on taking that first step!

Like most people on here, I have done nearly every diet under the sun - so can give you an insight into the different ones.

My most recent weight loss was done using W8 ( a VLCD) - I would never have thought in a million years that I could do a diet like that. I have now done 11 weeks - 10 on foodpacks and have lost 32lbs. This has by far been the easiest diet for me and it has been very quick to lose weight. I have followed regular so that i could eat some "normal" food each day. Now that my bmi is below 25, I have switched to Weight watchers to lose my final 7lbs and then on to maintenance.

I Would always have thought that VLCDs were dangerous and expensive yet I have found that I have felt healthier and spend less on food than I would normally. W8 is £49 per week (then add cost of water flavourings if you can't stand drinking normal water - and you have to have 4ltrs a day!!!)

The big thing for me this time is not putting the weight back on. To learn new eating patterns - and W8 taught me a lot about my patterns - and to keep the weight off. By losing the final 7lbs with WW it means that I can then keep going to class and getting weighed and keeping an eye on my weight. None of us wakes up one morning having put back on 3 stones so I am hoping this will stop the slow and steady weight creep.

I did Slimming world and loved it - but couldn not control my portion sizes so didn't lose quick enough and lost interest. So if you can be disciplined around food, this is a great diet.

WW is really good as nothing is forbidden as long as you count it. Danger is that I spend my food credits on garbage rather than healthy food -but so far, so good really.

Did scottish slimmers years ago and so their diet has probably changed, but remember losing over 3stone on it so it must have been ok

At the end of the day, there is a simple calories in/calories out equation - so any diet will work if you stick to it. Its just how quickly and how easy is it to stick to.

Having increased activity in your job should help you with the weight loss as it will burn more calories. On WW you get extra points for a physical job so you can eat your extra hard work....yum!

Let us know what you decide.

LRO xx

Hi and thanks for getting back to me.

I too have been on every diet under the sun and have been dieting on and off now for about 21 years since I was 14!! I've tried WW, SW, SS, cambridge and lighterlife. Don't get me wrong they all worked but as soon as I lost the weight I went back to "normal" eating and put all the weight back on. I kept it off the longest when I did SS as I was exercising as the same time. I do think that is the key to it. I really want to get my eating habits sorted out but I just can't do another meal replacement plan even though they do give you quick results.

I'll keep weighing up my options and let you know.

Take care, Andrea x

Hi Andrea,

It's such a minefield isn't it! I've also tried various options over the years, but have to say SW wins for me. I lost 3 stone and kept it off for 5 years, but recently put some weight back on, so have gon back to SW. For me, it's the most flexible, but everyone's different.

Best of luck whatever you decide - keep us updated

Hi Andrea

I've tried lots of diets over the years, and had a fair amount of success with a now defunct class called 'Slimming Magazine Clubs'. I think Scottish Slimmers was a similar sort of diet?

My most successful diet was doing CD this time last year (I ss'd all the way up to Xmas day, had my Xmas dinner and then carried on SS'ing Looking back I amaze myself that I was so disciplined ). It's not a diet that works for everyone, but I cannot praise it enough as it got me where I wanted to be. I just didn't have the patience to stick with other diets and loved the fast results that CD gave.

I dropped 3 and a half stone, and have managed to maintain to within a couple of pounds. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it isn't easy. Some days I win the battle and some days I don't but I just keep on plugging away at it. I still have a terribly sweet tooth and sometimes struggle to keep it in check.

I agree with LRO, learning about eating patterns is the key. WW is good in that you can have whatever you want as long as its within your points allowance. It's a steadier loss than CD, but you are learning better and healthier eating habits as you go, therefore making the changes that you can stick with to keep the weight off. I definitely feel that this is where I have problems, because I never completed the maintenance steps with CD.

In any case, what ever you chose to do I would definitely start your diet as soon as, rather than after christmas. You sound like you are ready to take action, so by Christmas (just over 6wks) you could well be making in roads into your weight loss. This in turn could make you think twice about your choices around xmas meals, drinks etc.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do!

Kirsten x

Hi Andrea, I'm doing Scottish Slimmers and like many others have tried various differant diets over the years. I like SS and its doing it for me. What I am planning to do is become a target member when I get there. It will help me maintain I think.
I would start before Xmas. Its a hard time to diet I know, but if your heads in the right place its sometimes better to get in there with it. Best of luck with whatever you chose. If you go back to SS you can come and keep me company on this part of the forum xxxxxxx