Using syns

Do you HAVE to eat syns? I know its recommended to eat 5-15 a day but i tend to not bother cos I don't seem to be craving anything and am always full of free foods! :/
 
I'm confused really, I don't feel like I'm following the plan correctly... :( I wish I could afford to join the groups but I've just been made redundant and all the food alone costs a fortune compared to the tiny amounts on weight watchers :p xx
 
You don't HAVE to eat anything but to be following the plan 100% then yes you need to use some syns.:)

Believe it or not it won't adversely effect your weight loss if you eat them. If you add up the calories in a full week worth of syns you don't have enough to lose an extra lb. By having them you will not only find it easier to stick with long term because at some point I think you will feel you're missing out but you also give your body something to work on. I don't know the science behind it but if you give your body something to 'chew on' rather than the easier to process natural food it seems to increase your metabolism. If I were you I'd try to incorporate atleast 5 a day into your meals if you don't fancy having something like chocolate for syns. Also, once you're nearing target it often helps to reduce your syn intake but with nothing to reduce you're left with reducing free foods which could basically mean calorie counting eeeeek!
 
Hmm reading that back it sounds harsh, sorry don't mean it to sound like that! In my experience syns help. Perhaps I should have just written that....:eek:
 
The purpose of syns is to prevent feelings of deprivation, and to allow you some room to be creative with your cooking. I think incorporating your syns into your daily diet just makes SW feel more like healthy eating and less like a restricted diet.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone :)

Basically this is what I'd eat on a normal day:

B- Fat Free yogurt with banana and strawberries and 28g muesli (HEB)

L- Wholemeal Pasta with cucumber, fat free greek yog, peppers and 28g feta (HEA) & a mullerlight

D- 2 Eggs fried in Frylight with SW chips

Snacks - Fruit, fat free or mullerlight yog, Carrot sticks


I lost 3lb in 1st week but then put on 1.5 in the second week but I didn't do anything different?! Is there a limit on how much pasta or potatoes you can eat in one serving?

Sorry to be a pain, but I don't have a consultant to ask and I'm desperate to lose some weight as a confidence booster :( xxxx
 
There isn't a limit though certain people do find they have to be careful because they can get bloated from pasta. Eat until you're satisfied, don't starve but don't over indulge and your portion size will be fine. Are you just following green days?:)
 
That seems okay but not very much - I think I would be hungry if that was all I had to eat. What fat free yoghurts do you have if not using mullerlights? Not all fat free yoghurts are syn free and it's a common mistake to make. And no there isn't a limit on how much free food you should eat - only that you eat until you are comomfortably full, not overly stuffed.
 
I never 'crave' for foods but now i eat my syns within a meal, or have real tomato sauce with sw chips to add syns! also i love a hot chocolate everynight now and thats 2 syns. It's hard to get into if you, at start of slimming world i was struggling find syns as i used to eat for sake of it and didn't know what i 'loved' enough to use on syns and truth was not much! but overtime i missed hot chocolate so found low cal one and thats a daily treat!
 
That seems okay but not very much - I think I would be hungry if that was all I had to eat. What fat free yoghurts do you have if not using mullerlights? Not all fat free yoghurts are syn free and it's a common mistake to make. And no there isn't a limit on how much free food you should eat - only that you eat until you are comomfortably full, not overly stuffed.

What else do you think I could add to fill the day out abit? xxx
 
I've been told by some people that you do and others that they have amazing losses NOT using syns, although if I'm honest I love my syns because they stop me from feeling deprived :D I can have a glass of wine if I want to :D as long as I measure it ;)
 
try some alpen light bars, 3 syns each :) maybe hot choc also, or have a bit more milk/cheese/bread and syn it. sauces and dressings, mayo and ketchup especially. the odd chocolate - if you're not having any syns during the day then you can really afford to go for a yorkie or something! breadsticks instead of carrot sticks? use real sugar instead of sweeteners, have some ice cream (mini milks 1.5 syns each or a scoop of vanilla is something like 6 syns i think?)... can't believe i'm sitting here thinking of such synful things!
 
I guess I'm worried cos I feel like I'm eating too much food as it is, so the thought of eating treats aswell terrifies me! ha ha ha! I just really want to loose I guess.

I'l have a go at adding some syns in each day and see how it goes..

If you wanted to could you not eat any syns during the week and then have a takeaway or alcohol at the weekend instead?xxx
 
If you wanted to could you not eat any syns during the week and then have a takeaway or alcohol at the weekend instead?xxx

My consultant always says be careful not to do this because for most of the week your body is starving, then getting a sudden injection of calories and it can affect your losses. Some people at group have about 5 syns a day and save the rest for the weekend, but that only works for some people..apparently others don't get losses doing it this way.
If you really can't fit in syns on top of what you already eat you could use non-diet options eg. oil, real mayo, full fat coke etc since you're being saintly elsewhere! :)
 
Why don't you use some syns on full fat yogurt instead of free yogurt? I'm sure it will taste lovely and creamy compared to fat free and help you use some syns too?
There are all sorts of ways of using syns without actually using them on 'naughty' foods.
mayonnaise
tommy K
extra virgin olive oil (also a HE B)
fresh pasta (instead of dried)
...the list goes on....and on.....and on!!!
 
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