Helping my partner with SW- meal plans and sync values

kt.

Member
Hi,

My partner has decided to start SW ( never done it before) and I promised him some help with planning his meals etc.
He wants to try and do it without going to meetings as he says he is too embarrassed to go - I tried to convinced him to go but no luck so far.

He is 16.3 stone and is trying to start with having 20 syns a day.

I am new to SW as well and although I am not necessarily trying to lose a lot of weight I want to eat relatively healthy so I usually make SW meals for both of us. If I make something that can last 2 days I usually make double portion and we have it for our meal in the evening and the leftovers are for lunch the day after.

Just trying to get my head around syns and your healthy a and healthy b, superfoods etc - it is all so confusing if you are trying to find all the info online instead of attending a club.

We are only on our third day and I think he slightly went over the 20 syns on his first day but then again I am not sure if I am calculating the syns right... it probably takes a while anyway until you get into the swing of it and start making better choices.
It is difficult as my partner snacks as soon as he feels hungry which is not a good habit.

My understanding is that you can have one choice of hex a and one choice of hex b.
If I am making a meal and it is a SW recipe I make sure I weight all the ingredients.

I would really appreciate if someone could have a look at the below and give me some info on how accurate my calculations are:

DAY 1:

Breakfast: Baked Oats - SW recipe but used blueberries instead of raspberries
  • 40g oats used as hex B
  • used about 50g blueberries in one portion, found out that cooked fruit are synned and 50g would be 1 syn - not sure how accurate this info is
Lunch: Chicken Salad plus mayo plus 1 Aldi sesame crispbread
  • crispbread 1.5 syn
  • mayo - used 3 level tsp - 1.5 syns
Dinner: Bacon and Mushroom Quiche - SW recipe, with corn on the cob, 3 slices of avocado and steamed broccoli.
  • reduced fat cheddar used as hex A
  • broccoli and corn are free ( i hope)
  • avocado - surprisingly I just found out that avocado is quite high in syns - probably had about 50g- 5 syns according to what I found online
Snacks:
  • 4 light baby bells - 8 syns
  • 2 mandarins free
  • 4 brews with milk and 0.5 tsp sugar in each - milk 100ml all together 2.5 syns and sugar all together 2 syns
DAY 2:

Breakfast: Muller Light Skinny Cappuccino plus 2 Alpen Light Double Chocolate bars
  • Alpen bars used as hex B
Lunch: Leftover quiche from previous day plus Aldi tin of baked beans
  • reduced fat cheddar used as hex A
  • tin of baked beans - free ( not 100% sure on that as someone said they are free on EE and green but not on red - no idea what that means)
Dinner: Tuna Pasta Bake - SW recipe with salad ( cucumber, tomatoes, green peppers and spring onions)
  • it is 3 syns per serving ( the whole bake makes 4 servings) but I could only find creme fraiche in the shop, the reduced fat one is 1.5 syn per level spoon, I must have used about 2 syns worth in a portion
Snacks:
  • Bbq Beef Mug Shot - 1 syn
  • 2 mandarins
  • 4 brews with milk and 0.5 tsp sugar in each - milk 100ml all together 2.5 syns and sugar all together 2 syns
That is it for now, just wanting some advice and what we have done so far - i think i need to balance the syns between days a bit better but its only a start.

Thanks


 
I do it with my OH. He comes to class with me. He doesn't always stay cos then it would mean having to drag our two kids along as well. But by going to class he at least gets access to the sw website and app which he finds really useful. He also likes our group's Facebook page.

The one condition I made for him was that ifhhe was serious about doing this he would find out about it all and do it all for himself if that makes sense. We eat totally different, although both 'on plan' he will have loads of mug shots, and live on roast dinners if he could. Whereas I like a lot more fruits and veg etc. He's lost 16 pounds since joining a few weeks before Xmas and I honestly believe he's done so well cos he's done it for himself rather than me doing it for him.
 
Thanks Caroline1980.
Wow your partner has done really well.
I am helping him as we eat similar things ( except of portion sizes sometimes, less snacks for me and I don't really eat mug shots) but you are right he will have to take more responsibility if he wants it to work for him.
I told him I made a meal plan for the first week just so we can try certain recipes and he can check for himself what he likes and what he doesn't like and also see if what he eats makes him feel full.
Then after that he is going to make his own meal plans, he has done some research but its more about checking syns values.

We will see how it goes and maybe one day he decides he wants to go to classes.
 
Hiya

That all looks really good - you've made a great start.

Beware that blueberries are not speed foods, so you swapped out raspberries (speed) for blueberries, which are just a free food. I find it takes more blueberries to help bulk out a meal than it does blackberries or strawberries or raspberries. It's not a major issue but one of the key SW ideals is that we have a third of our plate with speed foods. Having said that, as you have cooked the fruit, I am not sure if it counts as speed... sorry I may have confused us both there but it's an interesting question - hopefully someone can clarify that for us! 1syn per 50g of cooked blueberries is correct.

Baked beans are absolutely free - all varieties, however things like sausages in baked beans would not be free.

Does your husband normally eat much chocolate/crisps etc... My only concern when looking at your day was the lack of something sweet. I use my 15 syns each day and look forward to a cup of tea and a biscuit e.g. a teacake or small kitkat at the end of each day, so I keep some syns like that. I find if you are used to eating sugar like that, then going cold turkey on it makes it feel like a bit of a slog. If you're trying to cut those kind of foods out on purpose then great! But just don't be afraid to use your syns on something that feels a bit naughty.

Agree about avocados, it does divide opinion on SW as it has so many health benefits and heavily used in various diets and plans as a 'healthy fat', so some do wonder why it's not a free food. SW promotes things like Mullerlights, which contain quite a bit of sugar and are free, but an avocado is 14 syns.

Best of luck to you and your husband - your meticulous planning and counting will stand you in brilliant stead! Keep writing everything down, I find it helps immensely.
 
Hello!

As orangesuitcase said, I think you're off to a really good start! It's correct about the blueberries though, unfortunately they're not speed food and if you cook them they have to be synned so wouldn't count towards it (the same would go for raspberries too, if you cook them they're not longer speed or free).

One thing I'd suggest is try to make sure you're having one third speed food with each meal. It looks like on day 2 you only had a yogurt and 2 Alpen Light bars for breakfast but no free food with them. Could you chop up an apple or something and add that to your yogurt for a bit of extra bulk? It could also mean that you only want 1 Alpen bar rather than 2, which can still be counted as a HEB but it would be a speed one :) Alternatively, you could have the other one later in the day if you wanted something to snack on.

I wouldn't worry about the red/green days either, SW no longer support them so they don't really exist any more. They were the plan a few years ago but now there's just the one plan and baked beans are completely free on it.

The rest of it looks really good and you seem to have plenty of speed foods in your other meals. One thing you can do if you're not aware is to split your healthy extras. For example, you've had cheese and milk on both days. 250ml semi-skimmed milk is a HEA and 40g reduced fat cheese is also a HEA. What you could do is split it so that you use part of your HEA as milk, which goes in your drinks and the rest as cheese - you'd just need to put less in the quiche. Going with the information above, two fifths of your HEA could be milk (so 100ml) and three fifths could be cheese (so 24g). That way you can save on some syns, as long as you measure them out correctly. It works with HEBs too, so you could have 1 Alpen bar and 1 slice of wholemeal bread from a 400g loaf. Some people question whether this is OK but it does state on the SW website that you can do this as long as you measure it all correctly.

Best of luck to you and your partner! :)
 
Hiya

That all looks really good - you've made a great start.

Beware that blueberries are not speed foods, so you swapped out raspberries (speed) for blueberries, which are just a free food. I find it takes more blueberries to help bulk out a meal than it does blackberries or strawberries or raspberries. It's not a major issue but one of the key SW ideals is that we have a third of our plate with speed foods. Having said that, as you have cooked the fruit, I am not sure if it counts as speed... sorry I may have confused us both there but it's an interesting question - hopefully someone can clarify that for us! 1syn per 50g of cooked blueberries is correct.

Baked beans are absolutely free - all varieties, however things like sausages in baked beans would not be free.

Does your husband normally eat much chocolate/crisps etc... My only concern when looking at your day was the lack of something sweet. I use my 15 syns each day and look forward to a cup of tea and a biscuit e.g. a teacake or small kitkat at the end of each day, so I keep some syns like that. I find if you are used to eating sugar like that, then going cold turkey on it makes it feel like a bit of a slog. If you're trying to cut those kind of foods out on purpose then great! But just don't be afraid to use your syns on something that feels a bit naughty.

Agree about avocados, it does divide opinion on SW as it has so many health benefits and heavily used in various diets and plans as a 'healthy fat', so some do wonder why it's not a free food. SW promotes things like Mullerlights, which contain quite a bit of sugar and are free, but an avocado is 14 syns.

Best of luck to you and your husband - your meticulous planning and counting will stand you in brilliant stead! Keep writing everything down, I find it helps immensely.

Thanks for your advice orangesuitcase.

I didn't know about blueberries and I think the most difficult thing will be to make sure that one third of his plate contains speed foods but I have printed the list today and it is going to be displayed in the kitchen from now on so this should makes things easier.

You are right about my partner's love for chocolate ( he doesn't really eat crisps) the only reason I didn't add anything sweet to the meal plan was that he wanted some Freddos bars and we couldn't find any in our local Asda. Got some yesterday though and enjoyed one today with a cup of tea :)
 
Hello!

As orangesuitcase said, I think you're off to a really good start! It's correct about the blueberries though, unfortunately they're not speed food and if you cook them they have to be synned so wouldn't count towards it (the same would go for raspberries too, if you cook them they're not longer speed or free).

One thing I'd suggest is try to make sure you're having one third speed food with each meal. It looks like on day 2 you only had a yogurt and 2 Alpen Light bars for breakfast but no free food with them. Could you chop up an apple or something and add that to your yogurt for a bit of extra bulk? It could also mean that you only want 1 Alpen bar rather than 2, which can still be counted as a HEB but it would be a speed one :) Alternatively, you could have the other one later in the day if you wanted something to snack on.

I wouldn't worry about the red/green days either, SW no longer support them so they don't really exist any more. They were the plan a few years ago but now there's just the one plan and baked beans are completely free on it.

The rest of it looks really good and you seem to have plenty of speed foods in your other meals. One thing you can do if you're not aware is to split your healthy extras. For example, you've had cheese and milk on both days. 250ml semi-skimmed milk is a HEA and 40g reduced fat cheese is also a HEA. What you could do is split it so that you use part of your HEA as milk, which goes in your drinks and the rest as cheese - you'd just need to put less in the quiche. Going with the information above, two fifths of your HEA could be milk (so 100ml) and three fifths could be cheese (so 24g). That way you can save on some syns, as long as you measure them out correctly. It works with HEBs too, so you could have 1 Alpen bar and 1 slice of wholemeal bread from a 400g loaf. Some people question whether this is OK but it does state on the SW website that you can do this as long as you measure it all correctly.

Best of luck to you and your partner! :)

Thanks :)

No I didnt realise you can split your healthy extras, thanks for letting me know, that is a very good tip.
I shouldn't have any problems with measuring my ingredients as I have just bought a little electronic kitchen scale and have been using it every day since then.

Will try and post some more meal plans for the the last 2 days when I have a minute - I think I am getting into it now, lets hope all this effort pays off :)
 
Posting another 2 days:

DAY 3

Breakfast: Overnight oats with blueberries and cinnamon( now I know they are not a speed food so will use raspberries next time although my partner wasnt the biggest fan of this breakfast neither was I)
  • 40g oats per portion - hex B
Lunch: Leftover Tuna pasta bake with some salad ( lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, yellow peppers, spring onions )
  • 3 syns per serving ( the whole bake makes 4 servings) but I could only find creme fraiche in the shop, the reduced fat one is 1.5 syn per level spoon, I must have used about 2 syns worth in 1 portion
  • reduced fat chedar about 5g sprinkled on top ( a lot less than the recipe ) - 1 syn
Dinner: Chicken Jalfrezi - SW recipe - absolutely delicious, so surprised as its syns free as well.
  • had 2 slices of wholemeal bread with it - 6 syns
Snacks:
  • muller light
  • Costa skinny flat white plus 3 brews during the day 0.5 tsp sugar each - 2 syns plus milk as hex A


DAY 4


Breakfast: One pan full English brunch bake SW recipe ( very tasty and my partner was very happy with it)
  • 1 syn per serving
  • had 1 slice of wholemeal toast with it - 1/2 hex B
  • ketchup 1tsp - 1 syn
Lunch: Leftover chicken Jalfrezi
  • had to use Aldi Basmati Microwave rice due to being at work - 1 pouch - 3 syns ( i think)
Dinner: Omelette with ham and mozzarella plus baked beans
  • lean ham 2 slices - 2 syns (?)
  • mayo 4tsp - 2 syns
  • half of mozarella - hex A ( ?)
Snacks:
  • 5 brews - 2.5 syns sugar and 2.5 syns milk
  • 2 x muller light
 
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