Thread: healthy extras

do you really need to have at least 1 HeA and 1 HeB each day?

I tend to have alpen light bar as my HeB, but only when I'm hungry and wanted to snack, sometimes when I don't feel that I need to snack, I only have 1 bar instead of two, or sometimes none at all (like today)

And likewise for HeA, because I tend to have alpen light bar as HeB, I don't really need milk as my HeA, I sometimes have laughing cow light as snacks when I'm hungry, but when I'm not I don't. So more often than not I don't have my HeA, but I do eat fat free yogurt quite alot (and sometimes there's cheese in my meals) - I believe I can get my calcium from there?

Does it really matter if I don't have my healthy extras?

I dont think it will affect your weight loss if you don't have them - I've forgotten or struggled to fit them in and still lost in the past. Also seems crazy for you to eat for the sake of eating especially when we're supposed to be learning new habits and rediscovering our full buttons . Think it's mainly to make sure you're including enough calcium and fibre in your diet.

Doesn't matter from your weight loss necessarily but they are there for health reasons. I would look at the list again and see what you can have as alternative HEB there are lots of choices.

If you are having cheese with some of your meals, how come you are not counting that as a Healthy Extra A choice?

If I've had HeA with my meals I'd note that down, but that doesn't happen that often, I'm not really a cheesy person. I have fat free yoghurt almost everyday, would the calcium there be good enough?

I dont know how you cant be using them. I get through all my 2 HEA and 2HEB and 10syns a day and a ton of free food everyday, and lost 2lbs a week everyweek.
I have a hunger Troll.......... which gets very grumpy when not fed!

I use milk daily for cereal and tea.
generally most of my meals will include cheese either for lunch or for dinner
my brekki is HEB for cereal
and i use the other HEB for alpen light or Kellogs fibre plus, or fish if thats on the dinner list, or bread. or whatever is needed for a meal.

To be following the plans 100% means you should have your Healthy extras each day and between 5-15 syns. They have been put in for a reason one would think.

It's not about the weight loss. They are called HEALTHY extra's for two very good reasons

1) Fibre. Adequate fibre helps your bowel motions along. A sluggish bowel results in constipation. In some cases fecal impaction, blockage and surgery. Healthy bowels are much less at risk of bowel cancer.

2) Calcium. In addition to potentially helping weight loss by inhibiting Gherlin, the hunger hormone, calcium is important in the prevention of osteoporosis.

Personally I make an effort to fit in my HEA's, but I'm looking after my health. We can't make you eat them. It's your health at the end of the day.

I absolutely agree, whilst it may not affect your weight loss, you are not following the plans correctly if you repeatedly miss out your A and B choices.
If you don't want extra "food" why not use a tablespoon of olive oil for your B choice when cooking? Or add some nuts or seeds to a dish?
There are ways to get those choices in, and, I agree with the others, they are part of the plans for a reason.

I have lost count of the number of threads that ask this Q and the other popular one is 'do I have to eat my syns'

To me, if you are following the plan 100% correctly, then the simple answer is YES!!! Why knowingly follow half the 'rules' and pick out parts of the plan you want to follow and parts that you don't??

personally, I can't wait 'till I reach goal so I can hopefully have more A's and B's!!!!!

How do you miss them out I love mine. I often syn something so I can have an extra heb.

I have to agree though heas and b's are part of the plan so in my opinion if you aren't having them you are not following the plan according to sw rules.

I stress that its only my opinion though.

I do have my HeB alpen light bars, especially during work, but sometimes I only have one rather than two throughout the day as I snack on fruits quite alot too. Because I have alpen light rather than cereal, and I drink herbal tea most of the time, I don't really need the milk as HeA. I do have cheese occassionally but not everyday. I do EE so the nuts / seeds are not Hex. If HeA is for providing calcium than yoghurt has calcium too...?

Ah fair enough on the nuts and seeds. Yes yoghurt has calcium and it really is up to you if you have the healthy extras.
If you want them, you can fit them in :-) Have a milky bedtime drink.
There are lots of suggestions but we can't make you eat them!
I go out of my way to eat them and am very happy if I have them left at the end of the day!

Originally Posted by dreamaholic

I do have my HeB alpen light bars, especially during work, but sometimes I only have one rather than two throughout the day as I snack on fruits quite alot too. Because I have alpen light rather than cereal, and I drink herbal tea most of the time, I don't really need the milk as HeA. I do have cheese occassionally but not everyday. I do EE so the nuts / seeds are not Hex. If HeA is for providing calcium than yoghurt has calcium too...?

True enough, yogurt has calcium.
However, SW do not state anywhere that if you are eating yogurt as a free food, then you do not have to have your HE A.....infact, SW introduced a 2nd HE A to the plan because studies showed that calcium may help with weight loss.
The plan is as it it written in the book......follow it as best you can for maximum weight loss, that's the best you can do.
To be fair, if you are following EE, then it's not much of an ask to have 1 HE A and 1 HE B per day

Someone at my group was having alot of fruit and missing out other important parts of the diet. Sw is not a fruit diet and to be healthy you should include them. Why not switch a piece of fruit for the other alpen light?

Also if you like fruit, why not have tinned fruit for you heb then?