How Important is it to eat Syns?

[Principessa N]

How much difference to weight loss do you get by eating syns?

I only ever use a few syns a day on sauces mainly and i don't think i've ever used 10 syns in the times i have done the diet. I eat mainly free foods.

Do you feel it makes a difference to you?

 

[loobylou]

I think we should use our syns as i never really bothered, only used maybe 1-2 a day but when my weight loss started to slow down i didn't have any means of changing the amount of food, otherwise i could of reduced the amount down a bit and hopefully started loosing again. If we don't use them in the beginning we have nothing to work with later on. I always regret not having all of mine. xxx

 

[Melanie]

I think syns are important as they can keep you on the straight and narrow rather than total deprivation which may result in you coming off plan for a long time and undoing all your good work. Syns are there to be eaten (and enjoyed). I tend to use mine mainly on wine - a small glass or two a night after a hard day at work always goes down a treat! My downfall is crisps. I know I could have some and syn them but am afraid that if I do, that'll be the end and I'll go mad on them and eat them till I pop... I avoid them altogether and am extremely proud to say that not one crisp (or even pringle - my favourites) has passed my lips since I started SW in July.
I also agree with the comment about cutting down should the weight loss slow down.
I try to have approx 70 syns per week.

 

[SpaceAngel]

They are important in terms of plateaus. If you are having 10-15 syns a day and reach a plataeu, you can cut back to say 7-9 syns a day. If, however, you are only having 2-5 syns a day, you would have to cut back to zero, which would make the diet very hard to stick to.

My consultant advised us never to go below 5 syns a day. I think that using your syns for say, sauces, mayo, gravy etc, is better than spending 15 syns on chocolate, but thats just me, everyone likes to spend their syns on different things.

 

[Annie68]

I was told the same about having syns. If you don't have around 70 syns a week (around 10 a day) you have nowhere to go by cutting back if you get a sticky patch or almost at target and the last few pounds don't seem to want to shift.

I don't always have a daily allowance but it levels out over the week. I also try to use mine up in meals rather than chocolate (apart from a curly wurly now and then for 6 syns) because if I start eating chocolate, I'll want more. I'm not a drinker either so don't need to use them on wine.

 

[bettylollypop]

I always have my 10 syns a day and it means if i am going to have a drink or something at the weekend or going to a party i can save them up and have them all in that night knowing that i haven't came off plan. As has been said above i think it is good for when we hit plateau then we can maybe reduce our syns for that week to give our body a boost.

 

[abigail09]

i always try to have 10 but if i go over one day ill cut back the next to try and even it out

 

[Principessa N]

In that case i'll make an effort to eat more of them. I don't really want to have choc or crisps cos i won't stop once i've started. But i might start syning my alpen lights and having a different healthy extra.
Thanks Everyone

 

[bettylollypop]

If i am having a red day, i will have a hex b at breakfast and a hexb at lunch and for my dinner i will have potatoes with my dinner and syn them. I usually do this on a red day coz i kind of miss eating lots of carbs, but on a green day i usually have a packet of the knights savoury snax from lidl and a chocolate digestive and that is around 9 syns. If i know i am having that i look forward to it but it helps me not to go off the rails.

 

[BrittW]

So do we think it's more of a 'just in case' to stop us eating the interior of Thorntons?
When i did the plan last time and my weight loss slowed down, i just had a little more variety in the things i was eating and all went ok. xx

 

[lentil2]

I think sometimes people are a little afraid to use their syns because they feel they are being naughty, especially if they are used on chocolate. Thing is, syns are part of SW and are there to be used just like all the other foods on the plan, so use them and enjoy!!

 

[BrittW]

I don't like using my syns after 6-7pm..
I try not to eat after 8pm anyway...
No real reason for it, just a subconcious thing i think...