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I like a dollop of Dijon mustard in mine. But I'm odd like that :D

Chips aren't "naughty" and you needn't worry about "behaving" :) Nothing is banned on this plan and if you enjoy chips then by all means have chips. Round up the syns if you're unsure. Many's the happy day I've spent my syns at the chippy :D

There is a lot more to it, it's not just about eating more; mashed, cooked or pureed fruit does need to be synned as the plan says. I often point people to this post which explains it very well: http://www.minimins.com/slimming-world/324486-logic-blending-mashing-fruit.html#post6616944

Ah go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on! </mrsdoyle>

I lost 6lb the week after a nasty bug but that paled in comparison to my other half who lost 11lb after the norovirus! I think of it as a cloud with a silver lining :) Bear in mind though, if you do lose a lot, that it is healthy to put some of it back on over the next few weeks. I'd be somewhat...

I eat green potatoes, never done me any har...*glarrgh*

As a bloke who has to live with the effects, I tend to call it "argh week", well, the week before anyway :D

That's right, you wouldn't think it but the sushi rice vinegar mix contains a fair bit of sugar. I've not tried it but apparently you can make your own with sweetener and it works fine. Wasabi is also synned but I've never been given a convincing explanation as to why...

I'm such a sadsack lol, the other week I bought a special sports shirt just because it weighed precisely 95 grams! Anything to get that extra sticker and certificate :D Our C says most people she knows do weird things on WI day, but we should see it as a bit of fun and concentrate on average losses.

I sometimes do the 60g trick, which is indeed 1.5 slices. Although if you do this every day, keep an eye on if it affects losses. Other point is your HEb bread has to be wholemeal :) Full lists of what qualifies are on the dropdown menus in the online Food Diary - much more than is listed in the...

Morrison's Mullers were 10 for £3 today. Also, and this is an amazing bargain, 12.5kg sacks of potatoes for £2 down from £6.99! Almost everybody was buying one. Dunno if it's all stores or just some; I think mine is trying to compete with Farmfoods (which is also great, 15 eggs for a quid) next...

If you enter the nutritional info into the calculator (0 kcal, 0 carbs, 0 protein 0 fat) then surprise of surprises it comes out free! Who'd have thought? :D

Hiya, Can any of you, especially the Consultant members who have access to the dark knowledge of SW, answer me this: Why is Bicarbonate of Soda synned (0.5 per tsp) when it is zero calories (Google it) and pure chemical compound? Baking powder fair enough as it is bulked out with flour. But...

Cheese Thief - you're very welcome :) Let me know if you find a syn-free version of stilton or brie and I'll happily thieve it! I love Green days so I can have stilton as HEb and a 15 syns worth of Port :D

Swings and roundabouts - I tried a fakeaway (I only make them for the pun) doner kebab and although it was essentially thinly-sliced meatloaf in a pitta, it were bluddeh luvleh. But on the other hand my SW success has come from adapting my own cooking to their principles rather than running...

Again, this comes up quite often. I know it is completely counter-intuitive to be told you can eat as much fruit and (allowable) carb-rich food as you like, not count calories and still lose weight, but you can! Nutritionally it makes sense when you delve into the plan. I stuff myself...

Just to add to this discussion, I also love a good rant about the more bizarre finer points of the SW plan, but on the whole the plan does make very good sense. In this case there is nutritional know-how behind their thinking. I'd like to direct you to this post last year which I thought...

If you have potatoes then maybe fish pie, or if you have rice and eggs then kedgeree. Or just steamed with new potatoes, green veg and parsley sauce. Yum!

To be honest this drab cold morning I wish I'd saved a couple to go with my coffee! £1.50 for six at Co-op! I'll tell my Consultant that it was dark in the kitchen and I thought they were Alpen Lights ;)

Where exactly about your person? Aren't there laws against that sort of thing? ;)

So? I had six creme eggs last night! I still expect to lose at WI today as I've balanced some strenuous body magic with relaxation time (unwrapping the eggs!) this week. Please don't beat yourself up, it is far more unhealthy to do that than have the syns. This is exactly what Flexible Syns...

Can't have it going flat, perfect reasoning :D

Three weeks without a drink?! You could always have a flexisyn day and enjoy the fruits of your labours :)

You've done all the right things. Keep it up and the losses will show. I wonder if you're eating or drinking a lot on weigh-in day? If so then food weight may be masking fat loss. Don't fret too much!

Ignore him! In fact, eat much more fruit than that!

0.5 syns per slice and delicious!

I agree, that one word "punishment" is probably more unhealthy than all the syns you had! Relax and start afresh :)

Free food and speed food but not superfree. And synned on original! Likewise mushy peas, even my knowledgeable consultant insists they're superfree when they aren't, they're superspeed! It can get quite confusing :)

Definitely. If I had a penny for everytime somebody in group gained unexpectedly and said something like "I've been 100% but it's been a stressful week"... I'd have at least 50p by now :) Sorry, wandered a bit off-topic I think :)

Yeah it can be a minefield. Did you know though that sometimes the products have the same calories but one is highly-synned and the other not? I fiddled around with the calculator a while back and it sometimes comes down to differences between protein and carb content of the items. I think a...

Oh yeah, I definitely agree with that bit. It does work both ways though, sometimes the cheaper option is lower in syns than the brand. One of the problems which I try to ignore is with SW's "pet brands" like Frylight and Muller. I would not be surprised if there were some sort of...

Supermarkets are there to make as much money as they can and the best way of doing that is to fleece their customers without them realising. The "healthy" demographic is what we are talking about but it happens to other people too. If you're buying DVDs, or wine for example, or if you are a...

Fair enough, in which case I hope you don't compain about prices ;) For the help of those with less time we have the fantastic bargains thread where others do the hunting work for you. Pandaeyes - yes, quorn can be pricey. Lidl had mince for £1.49 a big bag the other week. In Tesco it has...

Hiya, I do feel the need to take issue with this post, but not in a nasty way (promise!) because it encapsulates some of the attitudes I've seen on here occasionally, also in group every now and again, but usually before people get going, that is before they see the results and get the hang of...

Well done, 7lbs is a super result! Is that 13lbs in two weeks? If so that's quite an achievement. If you've not been eating much then you may put a bit back on, but that will be healthy and actually good news, as you mustn't deprive your body of nutrients for too long. Why not use the...

Hopefully things will work out for you. There's at least two friendly hippos on this forum so we should stick together in the minimins wallowing pool :)

Flexi-synning is also about removing the guilt and wagon-falling, so this could be done as a flexi day. Why not I say! My record is something around 150 in a day but don't let it bother you, onwards and upwards. 38 syns is about 750 kcalories and that does not a pound of fat make :)

Or do a run of the local supermarkets at 8pm. Last week I bought £100 worth of groceries for £18! The sell-by dates are a joke and can be ignored for at least a week, often much more.

Agreed, your Consultant won't be able to accept that target because you will be underweight. You're already on the edge of the healthy range, why not have a chat to the Consultant and see what they think?

Think of it as airline food for pigeons...

Often for the (slimming)world-famous curry loaf. Recipe should be easy to find, uses batchors curry rice and a few eggs. I can imagine it gets the old digestion going nicely lol!

Oh and PS, stuff yourself silly with free and superfree food. It sounds counter-intuitive but the more you eat within the plan the more you will lose. Don't get swayed by other people who say you need to limit fruit and pasta and carbs and calories. You don't! These are habits from other diet...

Hiya and welcome! I was very much in the same boat as you when I started, only a bit younger. I've lost 4.5 stone in under a year, and although I've put a bit back on, it doesn't stress me out. If you follow the plan (start with Extra Easy) you should have phenomenal success from the start :)...

It looks a bit more like a Green day to me. Try to make the most of the free food meat and fish - I know meat can be pricey but perhaps a packet of Lidl smoked ham as well with your lunch. The extra protein should come in handy or you may find you aren't eating enough to keep your metabolism up...

You do have to be careful of letting habits creep in from other diets. On the SW plan fruit is superfree so that really does mean you can eat unlimited amounts of them. Of course you have to follow the rest of the plan and use your common sense, it wouldn't be much good having a flexi-syn day...

I bought some of the frozen stuff on offer last month and have used it once, in a spag bol. It looks very nice but the texture is very soft and mushy, not inedible but not that nice either. As it was my first go at using it I decided to use it as a direct mince replacement so therefore probably...

Yup, that's the stuff. It's definitely 44p over here (and definitely a free food!). I wonder if Lidl Spain are a different company and can charge what they like? Or perhpas it costs a lot more in refrigerated transport to get things like that from Germany to Spain than it does to the UK. Shame...

Bought some of the Tenery cheese triangles last week and glad to report they are as good as Laughing Cow Light! At first glance they looked and spreaded, and tasted the same, but I think they are actually slightly cheesier. At £1.89 for 24 compared to £1 for 8 with Laughing Cow Light (and...

Look at post #22 in this thread. Lidl's own-brand triangles ("Tenery") are 2 syns for original or 1 syn for light. Haven't tried them myself, are they any good?

My latest thing is getting tons of cheap cherry plum tomatoes (thanks Lidl!!), leaving them on a sunny windowsill for a few days then chopping up and mixing with fresh basil and a load of balsamic vinegar, plus salt and pepper. Then scoff til heart's content :D Fills you up too!

Hellmann's Lighter-than-light is indeed 0.5 syns per level tbsp. So are Aldi and Lidl versions - all have a pale lilac label. I'm not sure why the book says that, maybe the recipe has changed since it was published?

Another effect is it makes you realise just how tasty cardboard is in comparison.

Just to answer your other Q - there is a handy way to work out syns if it isn't on SynsOnline. If the product has NO freefood allowance (for example a choc bar wouldn't have any free food in it, but supermarket mashed potato would) then it is one syn per 20 calories. A lot of foods only give the...

Aimz and aaeasen - have you both signed up to Lifeline Online, SW's website group? It's super, and the app is rubbish in comparison to the mobile website. You'll get a PIN code in group for you to register. Once you've logged in, scroll down to the bottom of the page on the main website and...

Pickled walnuts are made from the green fruit well before they become 'nuts' - it's before the shell forms, and the fruit looks more like a miniature apple at that point. I used to make them myself, you only get about one week in the year when you can actually pick them like that. I suppose they...

Where did you get the idea that free foods are not unlimited? If you read the book, you can eat as much free food as you like. Obviously don't make yourself sick though! The rule about 1/3 of your plate being superfree (most veg & fruit) at mealtimes is not a cast-iron rule either but handy to...

Gherkins are one of my staple storecupboard speed snacks! I especially love Sainsbury's own brand as they don't put sugar in the vinegar so they are very sharp. Not to all tastes but I love them :)

Have a look at the nutritional info on a jar of gherkins. You'd pretty much fill your tum up with that many but it's something daft like under 100 calories for the whole jar. They're savoury so very satisfying for the appetite, and they fill you up for next to no calories so that's why they're...

Yeah, if you've done a lot often it shows the week after. Sounds odd but in our group it's almost the rule. Try to chill out a bit, enjoy the odd glass of something nice, keep on plan as much as you possibly can but put your feet up a bit relative to last week's exercise! You'll do fine! :)

Well, if I were to make burger and chips for dinner (yum!) I'd try and make it as "free" as possible so I could use my syns for things I love, such as booze, cheese and chocolate :) With SW, it's a good idea to start by making something yourself rather than buying it. There are quite often less...

I won't need to let you know how it goes, it'll probably be on the news :D

You really can eat it all! I stuff my face something silly sometimes. Last night's dinner was a tin of stewed steak, six medium potatoes, a whole cauliflower and a third of a kg bag of mixed veg. With frozen mixed berry yogurt for pud. And two cans of lager! All that within my syn limit and...

Cauliflower with gravy on top does it for me! For experimental purposes I might add cauliflower to the mushy pea curry just to see what happens... For safety reasons better not do it in the same room as a smoker though ;)

I know! It's a bit like the new Onken, it says fat free and you think they're fine but they don't mention they've added a ton of sugar! I'm the kind of saddo that sits in the supermarket spotting these things and working out price per 100g and how much beef is in the beef stock cubes etc...

I don't have any in the fridge right now (it's been an Aldi week this week!) but I believe the "FAT FREE" ones are Milbona, and the 2.5 syn 0.1% fat fruit yogurts are Linessa. You have to beware of Aldi though, their fat free Mullerlight copies (Brooklea IIRC) are full of sugar and are all 1.5...

The 2.5 syn fruit yogurts come in a six pack covered in card I think. The individual ones with FAT FREE in huge letters on the foil are the Mullerlight copies which can essentially be treated as Mullerlights. The lemon cheesecake is the highest syn variety and is 1 syn. A couple of others are...

Sushi rice seasoning does indeed contain a fair bit of sugar and this explains the syns. With store-bought sushi I wouldn't be in the least surprised if they used more sugar in there. Also you quite often get mayonnaise in the maki rolls. Seven syns for a pack from the shop sounds about right...

Crabsticks and cottage cheese off that list are a great idea too. Yogurt never fills me up, nor do mugshots. Quick pasta sauce - fry onions and when brown add tin of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree and a load of salt, pepper and mixed herbs. Stick the lot over half a bag of boiled dried...

If you're out and about during a big walk it's quite tricky. I go to the supermarket and get a big bottle of diet lemonade (hunger pangs can sometimes actually be thirst, especially if you're dehydrated). After that I'll have the rest of the stuff I've bought - a bag apples, a pack of wafer-thin...

I'm glad you've posted this topic. Having just been awarded my 4st certificate, I've realised that I can't get away with this anymore. In the early days it was easy to have a big day off and the weight still fell off, but now it's a little bit harder. I fully agree with the OP's point about...

I found the NV's for the Tenery cheese triangles: (Per triangle, 16g each) Original: 40 Kcal, F 3g, C 1g, P 2g [2 syns] Light: 23 Kcal, F 1.2g, C 0.8g, P 2.3g [1 syn] So that's nicely in the 2 syn and 1 syn bracket per triangle according to the SW calculator. The big question is whether you...

Yup, they're free, eat as many as you like! But maybe get some air freshener in for the morning after :D

Make a load of pickled eggs to go with fish & SW chips with mushy peas!

Low-alcohol wine as defined by SW is less than 1.2& alcohol, so you can't use these values for your Chenet, sadly. There is an entry for what you need though. "Basic, Wine, reduced alcohol, all varieties, not more than 5.5% vol, 250ml" is 5.5 syns, and as there are three of those glasses in a...

The Linessa cottage cheese is by far and away the best cottage cheese I've ever tasted, it's syn-free and only 44p per pot. I usually buy the whole lot when I go in :) The Goldessa one (dark blue lid) is only 1 syn per pot. The Vitasia chow mein noodles are excellent value and make a better...

The banana custard Mullerlights are very handy for making almost-free trifle as they are just about the most custardy thing you can get for a free food: Put strawbs in sugarfree jelly at the bottom, chill for a bit. Couple of mullerlights on top with added gelatin if you fancy tinkering...

Another thing I do nowadays is buy the Lidl FF 0.1% yogurt at 45p per pot and sprinkle in a bit of sweetener and few drops of flavouring essence, a bit of cut fruit (and food colouring if you want to be really swish), to make a "mullerlight". Each pot does about three helpings so you're talking...

Does sound yummy. Got some couscous hiding somewhere, I always forget about it as it's pretty bland on its own so I'll have to try this myself now! If you do try the Thai-style don't use 5-spice in it, but if you can find 7-spice instead it should be lovely - I use it in my noodle soups...

Do chicken stock as well as five spice, and maybe a dash of soy sauce which should work well. You can get Thai seven spice powder which is worth looking out for - combine a shake of that with a chicken oxo, a good dash of lemon juice and a drop or two of tabasco if you like it spicy.

I used to say only do it once a week at group. Often however I'd have a sneaky peek and now I weigh myself regularly. I do find it keeps me on track, although I can understand why it might get obsessive for others and lead to sabotage. A couple of times I've been away for a week and stuck to...

Yep the low-fat versions don't contain palm oil so they are free. The normal super noodles do contain palm oil though, and are 10 syns per pack!

Try Lidl asian egg noodles, they come in a brick shape pack. These are cheap and SW free, just use a couple of chicken oxo to replace the missing seasoning sachet :) Instant noodles are fried in palm oil hence the syns. SW don't make it abundantly clear in the book when noodles are mentioned!

Tried these last night, very tasty but the main problem is eating all the first batch while cooking the second! I found with courgette that I had to microwave them until very-brown-but-not-quite-burnt for them to crisp up properly. Any tips on how to avoid this? Also tried with finely sliced...

Beware of the dried instant noodles as sometimes these are fried in palm oil and they have syn values, often surprisingly high. If in doubt check the ingredients for palm oil before you buy. Not all fresh noodles are oil coated, but the stirfry ones usually in the veg section of supermarkets...

They sound lovely! Considering an average courgette only has about 30 calories in it, you could eat ten and even with the frylight it isn't a lot. Anyway your stomach probably isn't big enough to hold ten courgettes!

Some of them can be very high (SW quotes 11.5 syns per 100g as a general rule), but I found one in Tesco that wasn't too bad. It is called Bury Black Pudding and comes in a pack of four thick slices. Two slices are 7 syns, which is a decent amount to go on a SW fry-up :)

The first one is per serving, the other three are per 100g, so you need more info to use be able to use the calculator. They aren't 2.5 syns per pot, I can't think of any other way to say it!

If nothing else, the nutritional values given by the OP are incomplete, for Lidl Milbona FF Mint Choc they are: Per 100g: Energy 52kcal, Protein 3.9g, Carbs 7.4g, fat 0.5g. Serving size 165g (99kcal per pot) Taking the yogurt freefood allowance, this equals 0.5 syns per pot on the calculator...

You cannot use the 20 kcal to one syn rule because the yogurt content means there is a freefood allowance. My consultant said they were happy for me to treat the Lidl yogurts as free, because the nutritional difference between these and Mullerlight is so small as to almost not to exist. And they...

They aren't 5 syns - Mullerlights are about 100 calores too. Have a look at a comment I posted under a thread about Aldi's yogurts (I was talking about the Lidl fat-free ones): http://www.minimins.com/syn-values/321482-aldi-brooklea-low-fat-yoghurts.html I treat these Lidl yogurts as free...

4.5st is fantastic, well done! You don't need any help from us then I wouldn't think, just keep up what you're doing :) Another tip, a few weeks into the plan, start on the body magic awards, and the body magic walking challenges online. That really gets the old metabolism going. And saves on...

That is pretty bad, may be worth getting in touch with head office about it. Staying to group is very motivating, and it would definitely be worth researching other local groups; your consultant should be bending over backwards to help guide you through the first weeks!

Actually, you would be following the plan. Pasta is free food and the book says you can eat as much free food as you like without restriction. I bet you'd get bored of it very quickly if you did though! What SW does (again from the book) is fill you up on foods which are low in energy density...

Fruits and veg certainly helps. I've always loved fruit and veg but before I started SW I often felt bad that I would go whole days at a time eating food of only one colour - usually that fried golden brown colour! You don't NEED hard and fast rules about the third superfree, unless of course...

Kantastik, don't beat yourself up about it, and I hope you enjoyed the night out! It is remarkably low-syn really, you chose very well. The rice is free, chickpeas are free (although they may have used ghee in the cooking so best to say a couple at least to be safe). Tandoori mixed grill and...

Once I went on a five mile walk just so I could have a naan bread that evening and not be too bothered about the syns :D Don't forget you can always flexi-syn a night out and give yourself a higher syn limit of for that day.

Flexi-synning is all about letting your hair down now and again and not beating yourself up about the odd blow-out. The book says that your weight loss may be a little bit slower that week but the long-term gain is that you won't have the guilty feeling and you know you are staying in control...

And at 15p per tin they're almost doubly free :)

Just use the 20 kcal = 1 syn rule. 100g would be 9.5 syns and 30g would be 3 syns. They also do a full-fat version. Worth looking out for, Almette is very tasty.

Haven't had the Aldi ones yet but the new Lidl fatfree ones are delicious. According to the syn calculator they are nearly all synned but I brought it up with my consultant as I discovered something suspicious on the nutritional info. They are the same size serving, same or lower calories, same...

*checks my distinctly man-sized hippo pants* Ahem. Lol! ;) Bit silly to buy a dress which doesn't fit yet, but then again the extra pressure to get to that mini-target might be a good thing! Keep up with the exercise though, often you find that with a lot of walking or working out you will lose...

I have a young niece who also has an anaphylactic reaction to banana, even airborne when no banana is present. It's a nightmare. How do you manage, do you have any tips I can pass on? Do they do desensitization for it? Best of luck on sw too, you'll have to be careful as the sotw prize in our...

Well you can tell him that this hungry male hippo has been stuffing his face on sw since February and has lost nearly 3st!

Exactly what PatchworkPuss said! In our group the people who've exercised most are always disappointed with small losses, then it shows the next week as a hefty loss (if you've chilled out a bit!) so the important message is don't stress, and keep up your amazing progress :)

What we think of as "maintaining" is actually quite different from Mother Nature's definiton of maintaining. Over the course of our everyday lives, our weight can fluctuate by plus or minus 7lb for myriad reasons. Of course very little of this weight fluctuation is due to fat. This is why your...

Following this thread with great interest, keep us posted! :)

Beware of the instant noodle packs, the ultra-cheap chicken or curry ones. The books implies that all dried noodles are free, but these packs have noodles made with palm oil and are about 5 syns per pack. I had a whinge at SW for this as I bought a shedload and only found out later on, so I hope...

The cheese one is tasty but 3 syns I think. Get them from the 99p stores shop if you can, they are 3 for 99p. Tesco sell them for twice that. They usually come in tomato and herb, sweet and sour (which I find a bit tasteless), and chicken. Add a chicken oxo to that one before you add the...

Asda do have it, but not in all stores. Asda also do a 250g pack, which can be a bit easier and cheaper as Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons only sell it in 500g packs. My recommendation though is Lidl, not all stores to it, but their 250g packs of Scotch Beef Extra Lean are only £1.79 and very...

Six words to help you keep on track: Food Diary Food Diary Food Diary!!! I find it so much easier to keep to the plan when I'm writing down what I eat every day. In the first four weeks of the plan you're supposed to do it anyway. The mobile website is very good (not the app) so you might find...

There seems to be a lot of people on here who think that the 1/3 superfree is a cast-iron rule, maybe it was once, but really, it isn't. No need to stress about it! I think it is there just to ensure we eat plenty of fruit and veg. For obvious reasons most people on SW (me included!) are there...

Re: Wooho! I did it!! 7.5st is a small person! You've lost a person! Amazing!

Re: Slimming World Survival Kit It should be called a Hippo Hamper! :D Fantastic idea. I'd add a milk measuring jug with measuring spoons (poundland do a good one, disposable for the price), jar of gherkins, Parma ham, grapes, and a pack of Riesen choc sweets - a long-lasting ultra-choc hit for...

Hi, From man to man, I wouldn't panic too much! A few things come to mind: 1) Are you having lunch? If not, try to have lunch or a bigger breakfast. 2) The day of your hike you are almost in negative calories for the day. Your body won't like that. Eat and drink more! A pile of green veg on...

Heehee, I've done it once or twice! Mind you I didn't save the syns up... If weight loss is a bit slower that week and you get a great night out once in a while, all the better I say :D

Ask your consultant - they may well be free. Normal Muller Lights are 99 calories in about 170mls of yogurt and they are all free. The only types which aren't are the greek-style and the cheesecake varieties. I think it depends on the fat content. You could always buy one and enter the...

I certainly wouldn't recommend having no syns at all for six days then 105 syns on the seventh. The syn = synergy definition is worth remembering here, the plan works by allowing you to have everything you like yet fill up on free food which is bulky and filling but relatively low-calorie. All...

Re: Syn free treats!! The entire nando's menu :D Or failing that a trifle!

Those big bags of fresh spinach are really good done in the microwave - prick the bag and zap for 3-4 mins, that's it. Not very watery this way either. Great accompaniment to fish or chicken!

Not a fan then I take it?! The stuff in the square tubs from Tesco (Meadow Vale I think) is a lot more solid than the runny gunk in the round tubs elsewhere. Could never eat the stuff on its own though :eek:

Sheppie - I think there is a thread about mug shots, not sure where though as I'm new to this. The cheesey ones have syns but not a huge number. Most are free. Have you registered with SW using your group card? When you do just use the "syns online" page and search for mug shots :) Najtaek -...

You can eat however you like and as much as you like - just stick to the 15 syns a day and fill up on lots of free and superfree food, the rest is up to you!

Smoked salmon trimmings from big supermarkets are only 99p and make a good sandwich with quark spread on the bread and a bit of lemon juice and pepper. Lidl's cottage cheese (Linessa) is only 44p a tub (free) and by far and away the best I've had from a supermarket. Other good things I like to...

Yay, hippos are great - they eat as much as they like and don't worry about their weight :D Can't do much on here until the newbie restrictions are lifted but already preparing for the hippo-related avatar etc :D

It can do yes, there are lots of reasons why you might weigh a bit more on the scales than you'd hoped, but if you've kept to plan it's probably weight rather than fat. Water retention, toilet trip timing, big meal before WI, illness, hormonal balance, bloatedness - it all makes a ±3lb...

Tubs of fatfree cottage cheese could be good. If you have wholemeal bread for your HE then weigh out 60g which will conveniently be 1.5 slices of an 800g loaf (a sneaky trick), add another half a slice (2 syns) and make yourself a ham and cheese sandwich using 2x Laughing Cow extra light...

Busybee, rather than feeling despondent, be proud that you've lost 3lb and your journey has started in the right direction. Weight can vary throughout the day by more than you think, this is why your Consultant will recommend that you weigh in at group every week, at the same time, and wearing...

By the way, even gherkins with sugar in the vinegar are superfree, I just prefer the super-sour vinegary ones. Satisfyingly crunchy too, nothing more disappointing than a soggy gherkin!

Annie, they're superfree according to my book :D

Sainsbury's gherkins in vinegar, they're the only ones without sugar in them, and they're oh so yummy - we're talking a whole jar in a sitting! Mmm. Cheap too at 95p. (No, not pregnant - bloke lol)

With supermarket burgers, how confident are you about that one? ;)[/COLOR]

Do you have access to a car? If so then look for an exercise bike on eBay, you can search locally and as they tend not offer postage for such big items, you can often get one for as little as £10-20. Put that in front of the tv and bike through your favourite programme, taking a rest in the ad...

Keeping the food diary is one of the best and most important things you can do as a SW newcomer. The mobile website is very good, as is the website when you register with the card. You can use it to write down your meals via the "journal", this is handy because if you had a great week you can...

The fat free ones are usually labelled as about 0.1% fat. Sainsbury's and Tesco's have it under their "be good to yourself" and "healthy living" range. A good alternative is fat free natural greek style yogurt. To be honest it's practically the same, and the Total 0% one is very yummy, if a tad...

The photo looks fine, in fact I'd probably have twice that amount! In my first and second weeks I absolutely stuffed myself on free food, one meal was five boned skinless chicken thighs done in the frying pan (no frylight even) with a whole 300g bag of spinach microwaved, 2 whole courgettes...

They call it Hexman on the website though because they're silly.

Lol I just "walked past" Hexham on my Body Magic Challenge! Trying to do enough walking this month to complete the Hadrian's Wall challenge in 24 hours :)

Excellent tip about using sweetener in sushi-su, I bet Truvia would work a treat as well.

I'm a huge fan of sushi and make my own occasionally. Initially thought it must be free and was very surprised to read the syn values in the book, and brought it up with the Consultant. Since then I've thought more about it, and there are hidden syns. The fish will be free of course, also the...

Don't worry Geoff. I'm very much in the same boat as you, in fact I took a week off the plan just to reassure myself that I could still put weight on, and I put on 0.5lb. Like you, I had never really heard of 5lb+ losses in one week, but that's the wonder of the plan - you eat healthier food...

Hmm, my brand new account got banned for putting SW awards in my signature, but thankfully it got sorted out. My post got deleted but I'll try to remember and rewrite as what helped me in the first week will hopefully help you (and others who stumble upon this thread) Hi Poppy, I certainly...