Should I stay or I should I go?!?

The answer to this question is simple, stay. Staying to group is a vital part of a slimming world members journey. This post is inspired by a thread I read in a facebook group. There were some negative comments about staying to group. This makes me really sad as you can get so much out of staying, if you give it the time it deserves.It's statistically proven that members that stay to group tend to lose more weight than members that pay weigh and go. I totally understand we all have busy lives and some weeks it's actually impossible to stay, but it's an hour a week out of 168 and you deserve that. If you look online there's loads of groups, all on different days and times, so try and pick one that means you can regularly stay to class.I always try really hard to make my groups fun and inspiring, our very unique method of supporting members is called image therapy. This is your time to shine or get some support. We aren't lecturers at slimming world, we don't believe in telling our members what to do, we are all about empowering people.I asked my group what they love about staying and I was overwhelmed with all the lovely replies. Words like family, support, motivation, inspiring, love my group, community, fun, laughs, hugs and so on........ Bloody love my members!!!!Our website puts it beautifully. "You'd be forgiven for thinking ‘Image Therapy’ is a type of makeover. In a way it is! It actually stands for ‘Individual Motivation And Group Experience’ and is at the very heart of a Slimming World group.Image Therapy has been specially developed to empower, encourage and enlighten you each week as you share ideas, recipes, inspirational stories and laughter. It’s the most effective support there is – and you’ll only find it at Slimming World.How Image Therapy worksEach week you’ll be helped and encouraged by your Consultant and the other members of your Slimming World familyYour fellow group members will share information, tips and advice so you can build up your knowledge of Food Optimising week by week – and your motivation stays sky-highYou’ll share recipes and ideas for eating out and menu planningWe’ll help you recognise where you could be sabotaging your slimming and help you discover how to overcome those difficult times and develop healthy new habits that will stay with you for goodWe’ll celebrate your success, week by week, pound by pound, until you achieve results you’ve only dreamed of – and together we’ll have lots of fun doing it!Attending your group every week and staying for Image Therapy is the real key to permanent success!"Here are some testimonials from members:-I’d joined Slimming World before, but made the mistake of not staying to Image Therapy and once I'd lost 1st 7lbs, I stopped going altogether. Without that support I put the weight back on - and more - so when I joined the second time I was determined never to miss a week and always stay to Image Therapy. I think it's the most important thing you can do: if you just 'weigh and go' you miss all the support and the advice, which is what Slimming World is all about. Anita Parton lost 4st 10lbs at her Stoke-on-Trent Slimming World group.Whether shy and quiet or loud and bubbly, you’ll always be a very important part of the group!I came away from every group feeling positive about the week ahead and full of enthusiasm and ideas. It was so reassuring to feel like I was in a room full of kindred spirits – the group soon became like a second family. And I couldn’t believe how much I could eat! Sharon Thompson lost 3st 2lbs with Slimming World in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.Target members are always living proof that Slimming World works – and that it works long-term!I’ve made some wonderful friends at my Slimming World group and I still go every week as a target member. My Consultant, Kerry is a star and is always on the end of the phone if I need her, plus she sends us weekly texts to keep us on track during the week. Our Image Therapy sessions are always fun, inspirational and full of recipes and meal ideas – I wouldn’t miss them for the world! Jayne Davis lost 4st 4lbs with Slimming World in Redditch, Worcestershire.I stayed to group every single week without fail. There is no way I could of lost my weight so quickly without the support from group, just saying my goals out loud made me more committed to them. Some members are tempted to ditch group altogether and follow the plan from home, this may work for a very small percentage but for most it's short term and we soon lose our willpower. If we could do it by ourself, we would never of joined in the first place. I lost three stone in three months as a member, yet now I've been messing around with the same 1/2 stone for over a year!! I'm not a member but I should be! It's hard as a consultant and a manager to switch off and just be a member, but I think it's going to have to be done. I know the plan inside and out, I've got all the tools I need but I haven't got a group or the motivation from awards and praise or support from other members.You pay your money for a service, it's like going to the cinema, paying for a film then walking out lol. Outside support is effective, such as your groups secret fb groups or motivational messages from your consultant, but nothing can replace image therapy. So if you've got in to the habit of going, have a think about how much you want this and try and diary it in for next week.Below are some yummy recent meals I've hadHave an amazing day all and Happy Fopping xxxx