Question about syns and "not eating enough"

[zombiecakes]

Hey, i suppose this is a silly question in a way, but just thought i would ask to get it off my chest so to speak.


There's not a lot in the flat to eat at the moment, and so i haven't had my syns today, and tbh nor do i fancy any.
Now don't get me wrong, i DO have my syns. Just some days (most week days actually) i don't feel like having any. I don't need or crave the synful foods and i don't feel my meals need improving with syns. The only meal syns i think i would enjoy are freezer items, and currently we don't have a freezer Perhaps having some in the day might work, but then i get to the evening and become very aware i have few/no syns left, which instantly makes me want synful things (i know i know, but it's just the way i am, and not just with syns). I do his with my HE also. Save them for the evening but then rarely eat them. But if i use them earlier in the day i literally obsess about them!

I've deviated slightly. I've read quite a few posts over the past few months about people not having their syns etc and it's harming their weight loss and body in starvation mode. However... i eat BIG portions at dinner time (a small meal just won't cut it) and do mostly green, so i feel my body gets more than enough calories so that i am nowhere near starvation mode!

As far as HE go i get my calcium as each day i'm at least guaranteed to have my milk as i can't live without tea/coffee! But, i find it hard to eat my HEB. If i'm eating lots of veg (which generally i do!) do you think this gives a decent amount of roughage/fibre? I don't have any problems with "going"... And i mostly use my HEB for extra cheese tbh. I know there are cereal bars, but they seem awfully expensive to our budget atm and bf ends up eating them out of necessity as they are easy to hand and carby enough before bed (which means i feel bad eating them as then there will be none in the flat).

So, i know i am an anxious and obsessive person, but besides this, if i am eating big portions (ie more than enough food to sustain me) of green day food (ie lovely lovely carbs) do you think i can stop worrying that i'm not having my syns and possibly facing starvation mode.

I guess i just need to hear other peoples opinions.

Thanks for listening to my rambles and obsessing.

 

[zombiecakes]

Yes, i do have some syns Usually on a weekend when i can't avoid going out etc. But definitely more than 35 a week. (Plus i fret i'll get asked out for impromptu things then i obsess that i don't have syns left! Can you see a pattern here So then i just don't enjoy my syns in the week anyway)

I definitely think i'm eating enough!

 

[mrsrobinson]

I'm new at this, so don't take my word as gospel by any means! but the reason for HeB is fibre, so I guess it depends on what you're eating on green - ie if you're eating pulses and wholegrains (brown rice and pasta, for example) then I personally wouldn't worry. But if you're mainly eating white pasta etc then I'd probably try and eat my HeBs.

As for syns, I heard that you shoud try and eat them for a few reasons:
- To get used to portion sizes and what is doable (sweet stuff and alcohol wise) for when you start maintaining
- To have something to cut back on if your weight loss slows down
- To give you flexiblity when you do need it, so you don't feel like you've "broken" the diet and therefore should just give up (worked a treat for me on Saturday when I ate a box of chocs, I just called them flexible syns and carried on!!)
Not sure how bad doing without syns is, you'd have to ask someone of greater experience!

Anyway, good luck on your journey!

 

[MadameLaMinx]

Right, I went for a good peek at your food diary before replying, because I wanted to get a better idea of exactly what you meant.

Firstly, BREAKFAST WOMAN!!!! - where is it? A huge chunk of your food diary entries have no breakfast listed. It is CRUCIAL to get your metabolism motoring and fuel you for the morning ahead. If you dont eat something, even if it is only a small bowl of fruit and yogurt, you are missing valuable hours of working metabolism. It will stay in "rest" mode until you eat at lunchtime. I am absolutely 100% sure you dont need me to tell you all this, you are an incredibly intelligent woman, but it was the very first thing that leapt out at me.

Secondly - this whole feeling bad if you dont leave cereal bars over for the BF thing. Yes, they can be expensive and lots of people manage without them and do SW very successfully. But you are BOTH doing SW and so you should BOTH be able to eat those things without having to worry about the guilt of leaving the other without. Either have them in for both of you, or not at all. You are setting yourself up to feel deprived and thats a fast track to a binge. I appreciate you are on a tight budget and that its not easy to do, but seruzly missus, if you are going to have them in, then have enough for both of you so that you can both eat them without feeling bad.

They are called Healthy Extras for a reason, and the reason is because they provide you with nutrients that may be lacking from other areas of your daily intake. However, they are "extras" and therefore if you feel you are getting sufficient fibre from the rest of your diet then dont worry about that too much.

As for the syns - well, not having them doesnt make a significant difference to your weight loss. There are ways to incorporate them, and you should try and have five at least. Maybe use them on some ketchup with BREAKFAST!!!

Lecture over, for now Much of what you eat is great and all good healthy stuff, but I do think you should make more of an effort to have three good meals every day instead of just the two and try and get some sort of syns down you, even if its a couple of cups of low cal hot chocolate or a biscuit at work or something.

 

[zombiecakes]

Thank you for such an in-depth and well thought out reply MLM! <3

I know i should probably eat breakfast, but i just can't seem to face food in a morning. If i do eat it either makes me nauseous or absolutely ravenous. Plus i tend to start work late and finish late, so lunch is breakfast in a way.... (i know, excuses excuses). Perhaps i should have something in my drawer at work that i can have with my morning coffee(s) as a breakfast. I'm absolutely awful at getting up, so something that i could eat once i've made it to work (usually within 40 mins of my getting out of bed) would be good i think. I can't handle fruit that early as my stomach/bladder will not be my friend.
Ketchup in a morning?! /shudder
But you are indeed right about the breakfast :sad0071:

Thank you on the HE front <3

As for the cereal bars, he just needs them for his blood sugar really. So if we have no banana's in (like now) i just feel i shouldn't eat them so he's got something that will keep him ticking (esp before bed).

Oooo such a good idea about the hot chocolate! I never realised how tasty Options were until i tried on the other week. These would feel like a real treat at work, and stop my bladder whinging about all the coffee i'm drinking! <3

I shall try and incorporate some syns into lunch i think, as i'm beginning to get fed up of noodles, which is a pity as they are so cheap and easy (and we have no fridge in our office).

I just don't really seem to miss the things i would have said i'd spend my syns on. But i guess i need to stop obsessing about using them at certain times of the day/days of week and just have them with meals etc opposed to thinking i need to eat them as separate evening things.

Thank you MLM! :sign0168:

(PS excuse any typing errors, i've got a lizard sat on my knee so having to reach over )

 

[xxmooxx]

I know i should probably eat breakfast, but i just can't seem to face food in a morning. If i do eat it either makes me nauseous or absolutely ravenous. )

I used to feel the same and I still feel if I have certain things for breakfast I end up so hungry an hour later. Have you tried having a hard-boiled egg in your breakfast? I feel these keep me full for ages and maybe using your HE for some toast to go with it?

Don't worry about the Syns, as long as you're having the minimum you should be ok

 

[tinkerbellsmum]

ok they do say you don't have to have your syns but if you don't have syns and your body gets used to what you are eatting and you platue what are you going to cut back to help you get moving again.
these things are extras but sw does work best when you are having everything thats 1 or 2 heb/a and aleast 5 syns.
the thing about breakfast is you should eat within half hour of getting up to kick your meth going. if you don't eat your body is still asleep and not only are you not burning calories when you do eat your body is likely to store those calories becuase its not sure when you will eat again.