[Fea]

Hi, Im a newbie and Im not sure if Im posting this on the correct board but I thought Id give it a go anyway.

Ive put on at least 3 dress sizes in the past 12 months and I wanna get rid! I have used both weight watchers & slimming world (the latter most recently) and Im not sure what healthy eating plan to go for.

Ive heard SW & WW are pretty similar now with 'free' foods and the like but as Im only really familiar with SW and because I want to really stick with a plan/diet I wanna be sure Ive chose then right one before I start - hence me being here
I hope some of you lovely lot will be able to help and offer me some advice.

Thanks in advance.

[jiffypop]

Welcome aboard, Fea! those of us in the US are completely clueless about slimming world - BUT, 3FC does have a UK forum!! http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=75 there's quite a bit of info about SW. and, if you take a look at the main forum list, there's also a whole section of WW groups. some folks do CORE, and others do POINTS.

hope to see you around!

[mandalinn82]

Fea - In my experience, ALL plans will need to be tweaked somewhat to fit with your own lifestyle. Both of these plans emphasize healthy foods, good choices, and reasonable portions - neither is "better" than the other, and if you stuck with them, both would work. The key is finding something you can live with, as you said, but you WILL have to modify and adjust ANY plan so it works for you.

WW does have "free" veggie foods - not sure about SW.

We have a WW forum where you can ask questions about the plan if you have them - have you visited there yet?

- can't wait to see you around!

[Fea]

Thanks Jiffypop & Mandalinn.

Im just browsing now. Ive been hooked on looking at the transformations in pictures of some posters. Wow.
Im looking forward to starting afresh and getting fit, healthy and slimmer. Woohoo!

[rockinrobin]

Hi and welcome to 3FC. I'm glad you're here, as this is a FABULOUS place for advice, support and encouragement.

Yes, the most important thing is to find something that you can stick with longterm. Like forever. Cause' that's how long you want to keep the weight off. So, it's vital to find a plan that you can indeed stick with.

I wish you tons of good luck as you embark on your journey.

[Glory87]

Hey, welcome! I completely agree with Robin - I "dieted" for years. I could always lose some weight, but I always regained the weight when I stopped dieting and started eating normally.

It took me 20 years to realize that losing weight is not really the hard part, the hard part is keeping the weight off. I had to finally accept that short term diets did not have long term results. I had to change how I ate normally, everyday since it was my everyday habits that made me heavy.

So, really - it's an intensely personal question that only YOU can answer. What can you change about the way you eat now that will help you stick to it forever, how can you make enough little, permanent changes to have long term results?

For me, I did the following:

* Stopped eating so many processed foods and started eating as many "whole" foods as possible (more fruits, more vegetables, more whole grains, more organic)
* Started being accountable - forever. Food journaling, calorie counting - forever (I only estimate calories now that I'm maintaining my weight loss, it takes about 2 minutes a day). Get on the scale once a week.
* Learn portion sizes. Wow, a serving of pasta is SMALL. A serving of nuts is TINY. A serving of ice cream is 1/2 cup - I had no idea. I bought a food scale and use my measuring cups. When I buy meat/fish, I ask for 4 oz a serving.
* Learn what I can live without (sugary soda, fast food, packaged baked goods) and what I can't live without (dark chocolate, red wine, natural peanut butter). Learn how to fit in the foods I can't live without!
* Learn how to love cooking, try to eat most meals at home, try to pack most lunches/snacks for work, start each day with a good breakfast. Experiment, have fun in the kitchen.
* Learn how to socially say "no" to food - it's okay to say no (this one was REALLY hard for me).
* Abandon my former "all or nothing" approach. Life is messy, complicated, I eat offplan food (surprise - cheese and crackers at work!) I just get right back on track, not give up and call the day "ruined" and eat a cheesecake.

I never went hungry, I am never deprived. I love the foods I eat, I feel WONDERFUL, I can't tell you how good I feel, so much energy, so happy. Now that I am maintaining my weight loss, I would estimate 90% of what I eat is healthy, whole foods "on plan" but I still have treats (dinners in restaurants, desserts, etc). This 90/10 balance allows me to maintain my weight loss easily with no feelings of "missing out." While I was losing weight, I WAS a lot stricter (probably 98/2 heh) but it was completely worth it.

These were changes that I could stick to - I lost 70+ lbs and next month will be the third anniversary of beginning maintenance. I love shopping, I love clothes, I love seeing myself in pictures. It's like a miracle happened.