Designed to give support, encouragement and friendship, Slimming World asks members to stay to group once a week for 'Image Therapy'.
If you've never been to a group before, you basically all sit around in a circle and discuss how you're doing, what's been going well and what you've achieved. Although your weight is never read out, your loss is.
So what if you haven't had a loss?
Well, you're reminded of your fantastic achievement so far and asked how things have gone and what you're going to do next week to get a loss instead of a gain/maintain. This all seems relatively standard, encouraging and friendly right?
Now I know that this is perhaps a reflection on my self-esteem and willpower rather than the effectiveness of group, but actually I disagree - since joining slimming world in October 2015, I haven't found group remotely encouraging or supportive. Don't get me wrong, the group leader and her team were amazing, I can't fault anything she has done at all; texts, phone calls, Facebook messages of support and a friendly face in the group, she has been amazing. But for me, the group itself has never been a nice experience.
The sheer panic of a Thursday since joining Slimming World has been hell, to the point of starving all day and obsessively weighing myself up until the point of going to group. That followed by walking into a room full of cliques and friendship groups I just wasn't part of, meaning I sat by myself chatting to the little old ladies and glancing at my phone waiting for the session to end! The worst thing had to be the comparisons in my own head, everyone in the room appeared to be doing better than me, that was hard to hear and far from encouraging.
When asked what I could do differently on the occasions when I had lost only half a pound, maintained or gained, I couldn't answer. I didn't struggle because I had a problem with the idea of Slimming World, I 100% get the plan, I didn't struggle because I couldn't be bothered or because I aren't determined; believe me, I want this. I think I struggled because all I focussed on was Slimming World and how awful that meeting was going to be if I turned up and hadn't lost weight. If I went over my syns, or didn't eat enough free food, I would torture myself with how much of a failure I was, I'd punish myself and end up binging. That turned into even more dread for the group and so I'd fast for a day and end up so hungry I'd eat anything in sight. The cycle was unhealthy, unhelpful and simply a nightmare. It had to stop.
So, I'm doing it on my own.
Since stopping going to group I haven't lost any weight. That said, I've enjoyed life, celebrated birthdays and special occasions, eaten out and drank copious amounts of wine without a single pound gained. I've felt more confident and in control than I ever did with group looming over me. I haven't binged once, panicked about my weight, and I haven't beaten myself up over my mistakes. I'm now at the point where I'm going to refocus my goals; I'm pleased to have enjoyed the past 4 weeks or so with a steady maintain, but now it's time to start losing again, with only myself to answer to.
I'd like to think it is possible to succeed without group, and maybe I'm not the only one who has felt this way? What do you think? Can group be a bad thing and can you make it on your own? Let me know!x
- 07:41
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