Which slimming club?

[ladyfingers]

Hello everybody,

My GP has put me in touch with the Lighten Up programme https://www.sbpct.nhs.uk/your-services/lighten-up.aspx which gives you 12 weeks free at the following slimming clubs.

Slimming World
Rosemary Conley
Weight Watchers

I've never attended a slimming club before so I was wondering if any other Type 2's had and what their experience was.

Regards
Jen

 

[DazG]

Hi Jen

I have never visited a slimming club, I just reduced carbs and stopped all sweet things and 2 stone fell off within a few months.

I did walk 2.2 miles each day on top of this however.

Im not sure how a diet at a slimming club works out for diabetics, but good luck if you decide to go that way.

Daz.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Hi Jen, diabetes is for life, diets are things people do for a couple of weeks/months. What you need is a total lifestyle change that you can stick to for the rest of your natural

I dont know anything about the diets you mention but you need to reduce the portion sizes of your meals especially the carbohydrate content and test your blood glucose levels before and after every meal to fine tune your meals to your control. Most diets are not suitable for diabetics regardless of what their marketing says.

Have you read the Basic Information For Newly Diagnosed Diabetics post it lays out pretty much exactly what you need to do to control your diabetes.

Click this link to the info viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

Hope this helps and good luck

 

[ladyfingers]

Hi Jen, diabetes is for life, diets are things people do for a couple of weeks/months. What you need is a total lifestyle change that you can stick to for the rest of your natural

I dont know anything about the diets you mention but you need to reduce the portion sizes of your meals especially the carbohydrate content and test your blood glucose levels before and after every meal to fine tune your meals to your control. Most diets are not suitable for diabetics regardless of what their marketing says.

Have you read the Basic Information For Newly Diagnosed Diabetics post it lays out pretty much exactly what you need to do to control your diabetes.

Click this link to the info viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

Hope this helps and good luck

Hi Sid,

Thanks for your reply, I have read the post you've mentioned and it has opened my eyes to a lot of new things. I completely agree that a lifestyle change is needed but I can't see what harm joining a slimming club would do if they have the same ethos. Which is why I wondered if any other Type 2's had tried any of the clubs to see what their experience was.

Regards
Jen

 

[viviennem]

I've never been to a slimming club as a diabetic, but went to 'Slimming' many years ago. The advantage they have is a regular weekly weigh-in, in front of everyone else - you don't dare not lose weight! - and lots of like-minded people who are all after the same goal, so in general you get lots of support.

They don't usually announce how much you weigh, though - just how much you've lost or gained!

You need to make sure that you get one that understands controlling carbohydrates. If you find one advocating low fat/high carb, it's a no-no.

The disadvantages I found were the cost, and the odd ***** (of either sex!) who couldn't help but put a dig in.

Good luck!

Viv

 

[jaykay]

Anything that helps right? However, please be aware that slimming clubs have a different agenda to diabetics and that most diets fail. The problem being that people take the weight off but then go back to their old ways and it all goes back on. That's why as a diabetic, your lifestyle change is much more important than any short term weight loss. As long as you keep that in mind and are aware of the low carbs rule you should be okay with whichever you fancy. The only thing I would say is that many years ago Rosemary Conley brought a no-fat diet that nearly crippled half of the women of England! Our bodies do need a variety of foods including fats and because hers was zero fats the physios noticed a huge upsurge in women with joint problems - well she was blamed anyway!

 

[noblehead]

Jen,

My wife did the Slimming World diet with great success, there was a chap on the course who was a type 2 and he lost 5 stone over 4-5 months, the course co-ordinator told my wife that they had plans for both type 1's and 2's but I cannot say which foods are included or excluded. I can't see any harm in popping along and speaking with them and explain your situation, if you don't like the sound of it you can always walk away!

Nigel

 

[dectjoh]

Check out http://www.myfitnesspal.com - it's not a slimming club but I think it is a fantastic resource for those of us who need to know exactly what we are eating. It works like weightwatchers online but gives you much more in the way of useful information about carbohydrate content of a wide range of foods. You can also build your own recipes in there so that you know exactly how much carb / fat / protein etc is in that favourite meal. Since being diagnosed in December, I have found it invaluable and have now dropped my subscription to WW. I know it doesn't do the public weigh in thing but then that never was for me!

Tracy

PS I should also say that it is free and there is an iphone app for when you are out and about.

 

[sugar2]

Hi, I am type 1...and I currently attend weight watchers. It works great for me. What Sid says is absolutely true...it is a lifestyle change, and low carbing etc works great.

So why WW? well fo rme it works, as they do not tell you what to eat...you can eat wht you like, just give you a limit of how much you can eat...which is my problem! I have a healthy diet, and reasonabally low carb...I just eat too much!

Having to go each week, keeps me on the straight and narrow most of the time. I am paying for the disipline, which alas, I lack.Once you get to a weight, you are happy with, they receommed an amount of "points" that help you maintain that weight. I haven't got there yet, but I hope by that stage I will have made the lifestyle changes required. WW works well with my diabetic diet (well eating plan rather than diet I suppose) not against it....but, if you have more self disipline...then you really don't need it, and would be just wasting your money.

 

[ladyfingers]

Thanks for all the replies

I've decided for a taster at Slimming World next Tuesday, I'll let you know how I get on.

Regards
Jen

 

[honeybear10]

If it is free for a while - you might as well give it a go - you will probably learn some useful stuff.

I lost nearly 3 stone by following a low glycemic load diet. I didn't use a slimming club - and worked out what I would have spent over the year that it took to lose the weight. With that amount, I bought myself a half price rowing maching in an Argos sale - and do 15 mins per day on it (albeit at the lowest resistance setting).

 

[Etty]

Check out http://www.myfitnesspal.com -

I just looked up Green + Blacks 85% chocolate on this website. They give 14g carbs for 12 pieces of choc. Maybe I've got something wrong, but that doesn't seem anywhere near what I make it from the back of the packet.My packet says 15.7g in 100g of choc.-- that's 30 pieces.

 

[dectjoh]

Yes unfortunately, because anyone can add to the database, some inconsistencies do seem to arise. The 3rd one down in the search box in the case of the Green & Blacks 85% chocolate is the correct one and you can go on and edit the other entries to reflect the correct values if you want. I tend to check out a few similar entries for a particular food to ensure consistency before I rely on a value if the first one I look at seems odd. The real bonus for me is storing my own recipes and tracking exercise and I have to say that I haven't found too many inconsistencies so far after a month of using the app. Sometimes there aren't any carb values (because the person entering the info is only interested in the kcals) and that's not much use to us! :evil:
Tracy

 

[ladyfingers]

My ironically named 'Taster Session' went ok. I was immediately struck by the number of food bars, books and magazines on sale. It looked more like a shop than a support group.

I was late arriving due to mad traffic so missed the newbies talk. Despite that it all seemed very straightforward. I explained I was type 2 and they introduced me to another type 2 in the group. Unfortunately I didn't get much chance to talk to her but one of the women running the group explained that one of their food plans was low carb that might be suitable.

The women in charge went around each member stating how much they had lost or gained. We were all encouraged to clap despite the result She didn't have anything negative to say about anyone which was good and offers of help to those who had gained were given.

Everyone seemed very friendly and supportive so I've decided to join up with them as it's free. Not sure I would fork out my own money however.

Jen