I joined Slimming World at the beginning of June this year, following an uncomfortable feeling about my growing weight. I was not classed as overweight but was on the higher end of where I should be medically and wanted to shift about a stone and a half. I had done the Slimming World diet before ... Read review
Advantages: Loads of recipes Disadvantages: True Life stories not so inspiring
I joined Slimming World at the beginning of June this year, following an uncomfortable feeling about my growing weight. I was not classed as overweight but was on the higher end of where I should be medically and wanted to shift about a stone and a half. I had done the Slimming World diet before but never joined a group so was pleasantly surprised to learn that for members of Slimming World the magazine costs just £1.50 every month instead of the ... ...who have had success with Slimming World, I would still buy the magazine and thoroughly enjoy it without these "inspirational" stories.
One of my favourite sections is the 7 day eating plan. It gives you a guide menu for every meal for 7 days and is meant to be as a starter's guide to "Food Optimising" as Slimming World calls their diet. I have found that the majority of recipes and menu combinations that are printed ... more
I joined Slimming World at the beginning of June this year, following an uncomfortable feeling about my growing weight. I was not classed as overweight but was on the higher end of where I should be medically and wanted to shift about a stone and a half. I had done the Slimming World diet before but never joined a group so was pleasantly surprised to learn that for members of Slimming World the magazine costs just £1.50 every month instead of the £2.45 price tag that non-members have to pay if they buy it from various stationers and supermarkets.
Having been reading it for quite a while now I can honestly say I have enjoyed every issue that I have brought and I look forward to the new magazine coming out every month. This is the only magazine that I actively buy and then make time to sit down with a cup of tea and look through every page, because there is so much information crammed into the glossy covers that every page is usually captivating and interesting.
It usually starts with the stories of real people who have lost large amounts of weight and tells us all about their journey, pitfalls and reaching target weight. I do read these true life stories but don't find them particularly inspiring, which is what I think they are meant to do. I feel pleased for the person involved in the story and I guess I feel slightly guaranteed that the diet does work and I can achieve my target weight too, but it certainly doesn't make me feel fired up about following the plan and achieving my goal. In fact to be honest, although these sections take up roughly about twelve pages and usually feature four or five different people - men and women - who have had success with Slimming World, I would still buy the magazine and thoroughly enjoy it without these "inspirational" stories.
One of my favourite sections is the 7 day eating plan. It gives you a guide menu for every meal for 7 days and is meant to be as a starter's guide to "Food Optimising" as Slimming World calls their diet. I have found that the majority of recipes and menu combinations that are printed on this plan are foods that I enjoy and like, therefore meaning I can usually follow most of them and have varying dishes to feed myself and the family over the coming weeks. Quite often with Slimming World, their recipes include foods that can be substituted for things you like better and if you understand the principle of Food Optimising it is easy to pick an alternative ingredient to suit your palette. In addition to the eating plan it also provides you with a shopping list which you could just cut out and take with you, if you were going to follow the plan all the way through the week. Very useful!
Of course, not everyone who picks up the magazine is going to understand Food Optimising, so in every issue they run through the basic rules, usually over a page or two, and try and explain how it works. Being a member of Slimming World and attending weekly meetings means I get a lot more information on different ways to include and amend Food Optimising which are not detailed in the magazine, but then if they told you everything in the magazine, no-one would sign up to be a member and they would lose millions. However the magazine is what I used when I first began losing weight through Slimming World and I did not attend meetings at all. I can personally vouch for the simple explanations of how to do it and what foods are the best etc. They explain in an easy to understand way that means you can start this journey in the privacy of your own home if this is what you feel more comfortable with.
Interspersed throughout are little articles which I have found very interesting. For instance in the October issue it has an article on How to Curb Comfort Eating. Basically it explains about how eating and emotions can go hand in hand and it offers ways to eliminate the associations. It is quite fascinating to read about and most of the articles Slimming World put into their magazine are related to the way people view themselves. They are not just psychological themes like the one I mentioned though because they also offer beauty tips and ideas. This is all about personal image and in trying to boost your confidence. I feel they have done a good job with their target audience on these articles because they are not beauty tips and secrets that would be totally unmanageable in normal everyday life like a lot of glossy magazines can be. They are geared to normal everyday people like me and millions of others who read this magazine. Easy to follow and designed to increase your self esteem.
Another favourite of mine is all the recipes they provide. They are usually broken down into sections like Lunches or Mince Dishes and the average magazine issue has around 40 recipes in it throughout. I think this is fantastic value and a real help in trying to stick to the plan. It gives you loads of choice and the recipes are easy to cook on the whole and provide you with all the information you need to incorporate the meal into your daily plan. I have to admit most of my meals don't turn out quite as nice looking as the pictures in the recipes but that is hardly Slimming World's fault! They also state next to each recipe whether it is suitable for vegetarians and whether it is freezable which is great information if you are going to batch cook for the freezer.
One section I always pour over is the Food News. This is where it details what foods are new into the supermarket and how they impact on Food Optimising. They are always foods that you can eat and always foods that are within the range of things you can eat. For example they would not advertise the latest flavour of Hagan Daz ice-cream as this is just too much for Slimming World Food Optimisers and instead they would tell you about the mini Strawberry Splits Sainsbury's are selling and how many "syns" they are. (Syns are treats you can have on a daily basis). I always enjoy this section as I have a large appetite and love to find new things to eat that are "free" when you are optimising which means I can satisfy my appetite and not spoil my weight loss. This section is extremely useful.
Lastly, peppered throughout, are adverts for various slimming products like sweeteners and yoghurts which are useful too, and occasionally coupons for money off. Competitions and subscription offers are included as well which could prove financially sound if you are not a member of Slimming World but want to receive it monthly.
I am more than satisfied with this monthly magazine and all it offers me. I have a large selection of old magazines in my kitchen as I frequently revert back to them for old recipe ideas and cook something different. It does inspire me when reading it but not through the true life success stories, rather through the recipes. They show me that I can eat healthily, lose weight but not compromise on taste or quantity, even if I do miss my Hagan Daz!
Well worth the £1.50 each month for this wealth of information.
Several months ago I joined slimming world (see separate review). Every month slimming world published its own magazine called surprisingly enough slimming world! Slimming world magazine is actually the UK's best selling slimming magazine. So what's inside and is it worth buying?
Slimming world magazine is not only available from supermarkets and newsagents at the cover price of £2.45,but can be bought from slimming world meetings at the reduced ... ...will need to read my slimming world review to make sense of syns! There is a very helpful 7-day eating plan for those lacking inspiration. Again the recipes are easy to follow and well illustrated.
There are several pages devoted to fashion advice, something that most slimmers can't wait to explore! This month there is a feature on what type of swim wear to wear to flatter your shape.
This month there is a section on fitness with lots of ideas ...
anwar 05.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Slimming World Magazine
Advantages: Brilliant Value, Inspiring, Plenty of variety Disadvantages: Probably aimed for women more than men
...op/review is based on the slimming world magazine not the principles of the diet itself – I have assumed that you have a basic knowledge of these.
Slimming World publishes a magazine every two months of which you can buy in the shops or at your slimming world club at a reduced rate. The rate in the shop is £2.35 but it is £1.50 in the club so you certainly save yourself a few pence buying it that way.
I have bought this magazine for a while now ... ...get bored and this lists slimming world free foods as well as syned new foods. They include green and original so there is somehing for everyone.
DIET
There is always a 6 to 8 page diet sheet to follow, which is good for both new members, and those who know the diet principle. They quickly give you an over view of the diet principles although it is not to details as I suppose they want you to join the club not follow the diet from the magazine. ...
couscous 31.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Slimming World Magazine
Advantages: Full of inspiring Success Stories Disadvantages: Bi-monthly - should be monthly!
The Slimming World Magazine is a very high quality glossy magazine that motivates and inspires slimmers everywhere. Packed from cover to cover with information and guidance, this magazine shows that there is a proven way to lose weight. The Magazine is split up into five main sections:
1) Real Life Success stories
Here we read of Slimming World members who have successfully lost weight following the Slimming World plan. Typically there are 6 full ... ...be used whilst following the Slimming World plan. All recipes show the Sin values of foods and are excellent ways of adding interest and variety to your diet. This section always includes a 14-day meal planner for readers to sample dieting with Slimming World. The recipes feature main meals, light meals, deserts and seasonal topical meal planning like planning Christmas, Easter etc.
3) Body Magic
Body Magic is what Slimming World refer to as 'exercise'. ...
MrsBBurn 27.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Slimming World Magazine
Advantages: value for money Disadvantages: little over the top with the advertising
...previously did a review on Slimming World complaining about how i felt cheated about the fact they had changed their Syns system.
Well here is a review of the Magazine (not the diet),
It comes out every 2 months and will put you back £2.25 - which is really quite good - they obviously dont want to rip us off every month like some slimming magazines - they wait and gather the revelavant info for their slimmers and deliver it when ready.
A good ... ...though an enjoyable read.
Slimming World "believe that successful weight loss is about being free - free from hunger, free from guilt and free to enjoy life"
The "Syns" system is unique to Slimming World and works on a "Food Optimizing" basis where no foods are forbidden and there is no counting of calories - just loads of foods to eat- foods that will fill you up - and still allow you to lose weight.
IN THE MAG .....
You get about 5 "real-life ...
freaklikeme 17.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Slimming World Magazine
Advantages: Very easy to read, extremely good value for money and very easy to get a copy from your local newsagents. Disadvantages: Magazine sometimes mentions products that can only be bought at the meetings but aside from that no complaints!
...magazine when going to a slimming world group meeting where it can actually be bought cheaper than the normal price and haven't looked back since. A must if you are trying to lose weight and finding it difficult. Keeps you up to date with new low fat products available in your local supermarket and goes through the slimming world process step by step. Very easy to understand. The magazine also gives you valuable information on exercising which is ...
keelyjb 27.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Slimming World Magazine