Thread: Why are syns needed for the SW diet to work?

Hi there,

I'm new to SW and I was wondering whether anyone could tell me how it is that eating the recommended daily allowance of syns is needed for the SW diet to work?

I don't go to a group, so I haven't got a consultant to ask

If anybody can, first of all, make sense of my rather confused post, and secondly, explain it, I'd be grateful!

Sian xx

Syns are needed for SW to work because without them it would be a restricted diet which would make you feel deprived and therefore more likely to fall off the wagon. This is a lifestyle plan that incorporates foods that you eat everyday (which includes sugar, honey, oil, chocolate etc).

Imagine if we could NEVER have sugar or extra cheese or wine or whatever, what then? Do we avoid them forever? Or just for the duration of the diet? And then what happens when we're done with the diet and start eating them again? Yep you guessed it... Back to square one. So rather than having free reign over treats, which is what got us here in the first place , we can enjoy them in controlled amounts so we can still lose weight but not feel deprived. And most importantly it turns what could be a "diet" into a healthy eating plan that we can sustain for life.

Thankyou for that explanation hun! It makes a lot more sense now

Sian xx

Originally Posted by dudette2001uk

Thankyou for that explanation hun! It makes a lot more sense now

Sian xx

You're welcome, enjoy your syns!

Yup, that's exactly it!! Honey has said it all! I can't believe how many 'diets' frown on people having treats like cake and choccies!! Most people like to have sugary/fattening things sometimes (there are some weird people who don't but I've yet to meet them!!!) and we're destined to fail in the long term and go overboard on such things if we're told we can't have them at all!! SW is meant to be a change for life so it has to be realistic!!X

Originally Posted by funcurls

Yup, that's exactly it!! Honey has said it all! I can't believe how many 'diets' frown on people having treats like cake and choccies!!

I keep seeing posts on other sections on MM (not here or WW obviously) about how people are desperate for a bit of chocolate a bag of crisps or cheese or something and I keep thinking WHY would you do a diet that doesnt allow that.

As you say SW (and WW) are more than diets theyre lifestyle changes and its naieve at best to think were never ever going to have treats again, the trick is to incorporate them sensibly and take away the forbidden element away

I wondered about this too, as I was panicking today having had no syns. I went and ate 6 EL laughing cows just to make a dent in my syn values. I dont have choc or crisps in the house usually.

Are they a necessity or a comfort measure?

I shouldn't be running down any other 'diet' because I believe each to his/her own, freedom of choice etc, but nosing at some of the other forums I have to say they sound like torture to me!! I know that lots of people start off on the vlcds to get the bulk of the weight off quickly and then convert to SW or WW, which is understandable and sensible and is nice to see because it shows that they understand that both plans allow flexibility for life!X

Some people find that if they don't have any syns or have too few their weight loss slows down. It's important to eat enough on SW.

Originally Posted by Honeyoc

Syns are needed for SW to work because without them it would be a restricted diet which would make you feel deprived and therefore more likely to fall off the wagon. This is a lifestyle plan that incorporates foods that you eat everyday (which includes sugar, honey, oil, chocolate etc).



Imagine if we could NEVER have sugar or extra cheese or wine or whatever, what then? Do we avoid them forever? Or just for the duration of the diet? And then what happens when we're done with the diet and start eating them again? Yep you guessed it... Back to square one. So rather than having free reign over treats, which is what got us here in the first place , we can enjoy them in controlled amounts so we can still lose weight but not feel deprived. And most importantly it turns what could be a "diet" into a healthy eating plan that we can sustain for life.

Fantastic answer!!!

Sorry, going a bit OTT just here

Originally Posted by funcurls

I shouldn't be running down any other 'diet' because I believe each to his/her own, freedom of choice etc, but nosing at some of the other forums I have to say they sound like torture to me!! I know that lots of people start off on the vlcds to get the bulk of the weight off quickly and then convert to SW or WW, which is understandable and sensible and is nice to see because it shows that they understand that both plans allow flexibility for life!X

Trying to tread very carefully here You're right, some people on VLCDs do come to SW and WW, some come back again. Some SW/WW go to VLCDs. All evens out IMO. But what I really wanted to pick up on was why you feel that these commonly known as VLCD diets don't offer flexibility for life.

I just wondered if there was a misunderstanding there. Okay, to get the bulk off they use very low cal and ketosis so they avoid cravings and hunger, but after that the main VLCDs have other plans. For example Cambridge is low GI which is what the government recommend and yes, it does include wine and crisps etc, but mainly about eating sensibly, making good choices most of the time etc. I would say 'normal' eating with more of an emphasis on low GI, rather than SW which could be 'normal' eating with the emphasis on very low fat.

Sorry, just had to add that as so many people think that it's just shakes and you're left to find another plan to maintain...which it isn't

I know you weren't meaning to run down any other diet, but perhaps you too might feel a need to expand if on another forum you heard someone saying SW doesn't allow flexibility for life.

Hallo KD!

I'll be honest I though CD was a fantastic plan, and it is fairly flexible depending, like all diets how quickly you want to get to your target weight. If I wasn't on medical monitoring (of sorts) at the moment I'd be on that come end of May, as I know in 3 months I'll have shifted 3.5 stone at least.

Its horses for courses I think, you have to do whats right for you. Some people can cope with conventional diets like WW, whereas I found my weight loss was so slow on them, and no it didnt stay off either , that I got disenheartened.

Anyway - Syns (my original) question, so are they a necessity? I ask because I'm currently toying with eating "rubbish" (crisps n junk ) to make up my syns which I'm not keen on.

We also need a certain amount of fat in our diet to ensure our bodies work properly (hormones are carried in fat and some vitamins are fat-soluble), so by excluding this altogether then you are depriving your body of something it NEEDS to make it work properly.

The key is not to eat too much

i read somewhere 15 syns = 300 cals so are important to balance daily 'diet' ... sometimes though i find it hard getting those 15 in.. yesterday i only managed 9 syns... jut due fact i didnt go out and i purposely dont keep choc/crisp in house what i like! will this affect me? ... as in books it says enjoy from 5-15 syns a day... does that mean as long as we haing 5-15 a day we are okay?

Gemma, the recommended minimum is 5 per day so your 9 will be fine. Also, I could be wrong, but some are told by their consultants that they don't necessarily need 15 ie if they don't have loads of weight to lose.

I struggle to have mine as I refuse to keep tempting food around me because one day I'd likely scoff the lotso it can be difficult to eat them if I don't feel I need to but I have to admit I do tend to have better weight losses on the weeks I really try which is great in some ways and a pain in the bum too! I need to try and use them in meals I think but have got it in my head to always have free meals, maybe I just need to add cheese or something.