Syns

Fruitybabe

Full Member
Hi everyone... I am just looking for a bit of advice. I have been struggling lately to use all my syns in a day and was wondering if anyone had any tips. I know I need to include them for the plan to work but I am finding it so hard.
 
This is a tough topic. syns are important to help you stay on plan - and some people report larger losses when they have more syns (up to the 15 they suggest daily).

I have found that i average 7 or so a day - but that's come down naturally over time - for the first 16 or so months i religiously ate 15 a day.

And althoughh it is important to have some syns - I would say not to eat them because you feel you have to to stay on plan if you're not actually hungry.
 
Thanks for your replies :) I never thought of using higher fat alternatives for mayo and things... feels naughty if you know what I mean :p I suppose that I am just stuck in a rut with foods at the moment and seem to be eating a load of free, superfree and speed foods but the syns have taken a back seat. Need to wait until pay day to do a shop but maybe will get some higher fat mayo (its my vice, worse for me than chocolate) is about 6 or so syns a day ok to be able to carry on with a good weightloss?
 
I use mine mostly for adding stuff - mayo, ketchup, gravy etc, and if I have a lot left I'll sometimes have an extra Healthy Extra (I tend to do EE so only get one)! Sad isn't it!
 
First of all wow sparky you have done amazing :D I struggle to get to 10 though and it does not feel right just having things for the sake of it. I never struggled before don't know what's wrong with me, money is a bit tight too at the moment so unable to go out and buy anything until pay day. Will have another look through these threads and see if I can find some inspiration :)
 
You really don't HAVE to use your syns!!!!! As long as you don't feel like you are depriving yourself of food then just don't use them ALL. I don't routinely use any, I don't want them so I'm not going to force myself to eat things that I don't want to eat just to get my syn count up.

SW is a plan, yes, but we surely do also have a brain in our heads and can listen to what our bodies want! If your body doesn't want to eat something then don't, eating less syns won't make your plan stop working. Syns are to make sure that you don't feel like you're missing out on something you want, so if you're struggling to use them then you're obviously not missing out!

Listen to your body!
 
I usually have no problem getting 10 or so Syns in!
If i'm having a low syn/no syn meal day I just chuck in a treat size bag of buttons (4 Syns) or some popcorn (5 Syns butterkist toffee one from multipack).
I always look for the bargains and found £1 for a 6 pack of popcorn in iceland and my local co-op doing bogof on the buttons multipacks.
There are bargains to be had on treats etc.. Alternatively a humble slice of bread and butter easily tops up some syns. As has been said, don't fret about it. If you don't need them don't used them and see how your weight loss goes. You could tot your syns up on a weekly basis and save them up for a weekend treat.

Sorry, prop not much help. Currently seething with jelousy, would it work if you donated your syns to me?!!!
 
Sorry, prop not much help. Currently seething with jelousy, would it work if you donated your syns to me?!!!

Have my syns. :D I rarely use more than one a day, so feel free to have them.

(btw for all the people who seem to think you can't lose weight unless you eat your syns, I lose about 3lb a week).
 
Syns are also there to help you realise and learn that you can have a little of whatever you want that's off plan without it being the end of the world. It's teaching you to control treaty type foods.
I always had 10 syns a day and now I'm at target I have 15 a day although I use them weekly rather than daily. A lot of my syns go on extra Heb's or cheese and sometimes a breaded chicken or fish type item.
 
Also, syns are there as a learning/control tool. If you can really see yourself in 40 years without having touched cake or chocolate again, good for you, but for most of us it's never going to happen. Syns say 'yes you can have that mars bar, OR chips, but you can't have both.' Learning more sensible ways of eating that will hopefully form long lasting habits
 
Have my syns. :D I rarely use more than one a day, so feel free to have them.

(btw for all the people who seem to think you can't lose weight unless you eat your syns, I lose about 3lb a week).

It's not that you CAN'T lose weight not having them, but as you get closer to target, you may plateau, and your losses more than likely will slow down, and you will have nothing to cut back on to kickstart that weight loss again.
 
Have my syns. :D I rarely use more than one a day, so feel free to have them.
(btw for all the people who seem to think you can't lose weight unless you eat your syns, I lose about 3lb a week).

Actually that's not what were saying, what we are saying is that it doesnt make any difference to your weightloss whether you have your syns or not but it can to your staying power.

If you pay to go to class technically you arent following the plan as syns are part of the planm and you shouldnt advise people to not have them, as thats tweaking the plan.

if it works for you then thats great, but we all got here from eating too much or not eating the right things and if you can honestly just cut everything out then why not just do a healthy eating plan?

sorry if this sounds rude or harsh thats not how it is meant but i can never get across what i mean in the right tone

x
 
AIf you pay to go to class technically you arent following the plan as syns are part of the planm and you shouldnt advise people to not have them, as thats tweaking the plan.

if it works for you then thats great, but we all got here from eating too much or not eating the right things and if you can honestly just cut everything out then why not just do a healthy eating plan?

sorry if this sounds rude or harsh thats not how it is meant but i can never get across what i mean in the right tone

x

No, not rude or harsh at all.

I don't pay to go to class (can't make it there due to work) but I do pay for online membership.

I see SW as a healthy eating plan, and intend to do it for the rest of my life. On reflection I do eat syns (low fat dressing on salad, Alpen Light bars,) just very few of them. I don't seem to want or need them. My plan has always been that when I get to my target then I'll start encouraging myself to use more syns - cheese, occassional bread. In the meantime if I need to 'kick start' weight loss for any reason then I'll use exercise. Up until now I've lost 2.5 stone without doing any extra exercise (I'm fairly active anyhow as I walk part way to work etc) but I used to never get the tube (I live in London) and do a 45 minute walk across London every morning, I can go back to this.

As you say, if something works for someone then keep going with it. This works for me. I've had bad weeks - I went to Italy for a week, deliberately ate what I wanted and put on 6lb, I lost it in the two weeks after I got back by putting extra effort in.

I think that the best thing about SW is the flexibility, and that we can all make it fit in with our lives and our preferences. :D
 
No, not rude or harsh at all.

I don't pay to go to class (can't make it there due to work) but I do pay for online membership.

I see SW as a healthy eating plan, and intend to do it for the rest of my life. On reflection I do eat syns (low fat dressing on salad, Alpen Light bars,) just very few of them. I don't seem to want or need them. My plan has always been that when I get to my target then I'll start encouraging myself to use more syns - cheese, occassional bread. In the meantime if I need to 'kick start' weight loss for any reason then I'll use exercise. Up until now I've lost 2.5 stone without doing any extra exercise (I'm fairly active anyhow as I walk part way to work etc) but I used to never get the tube (I live in London) and do a 45 minute walk across London every morning, I can go back to this.

As you say, if something works for someone then keep going with it. This works for me. I've had bad weeks - I went to Italy for a week, deliberately ate what I wanted and put on 6lb, I lost it in the two weeks after I got back by putting extra effort in.

I think that the best thing about SW is the flexibility, and that we can all make it fit in with our lives and our preferences. :D

Great response hun, I believe in syns! probs cos Im a greedy mare and love my treats, but I'm glad to hear you do use them!

I worry for every person (i have manic depression so i worry alot) doing the plan that they are doing it right and heathily, as i have seen people tweak the plan and it hasn't work out great for them!

I want everyone to be the best they can be!

I just worry that if they dont eat there syns then when they plateau they might undo all the great work! (I'VE BEEN THERE!)

i spose i want people to eat there syns for myself! which sounds rather peculiar!

If it works for you (which it obviously does 2.5 stone is great!) then keep at it! but dont deny yourself in future just cos your only used to having a few!
 
Hi all... thanks for all your replies :D They have made me feel much better. For example I put some butter on my jacket potato today (it was flora extra light) where I would normally use butter frylight and I think little things like that will help.
I think it really depends on the person, using all your syns or fewer have both had equally good losses.
I have weigh in on thursday so may have a chat with my consultant and see what her views are.
Again thank you all, I am so glad I found this forum everyone is so helpful and friendly. Its nice to know there is always someone around who can help or offer advice
 
How about including some healthy syns - avocado, seeds, nuts, full fat yog or why not treat yourself to an extra HA or HB (that'd be another 6 syns). I make the most of syns and healthy extras as they make this much easier for me to stick to SW :)
 
I don't understand when people say they don't need/use their syns...blimey, I could eat my daily amount many times over!!!!
Seriously though, we are all here for the same reason, because we are overweight, right? And the reason why we are overweight? Because we like food and have too much of it?
How come then, suddenly, we are too angelic to eat any food that has a syn value?
C'mon, be real, we have all eaten foods that are 'synful' to get where we are ......just because we are following a healthy eating eating plan doesn't mean we have to cut these out.
Syns are part of the plan. I never see anyone post that they are cutting out free foods!!! Why is that???? I think SW need to seriously consider changing the name 'syns'' to discourage people from skipping out on this part of the plan
 
Lentil, I don't do it through choice trust me :) I just have real trouble finding things to eat. I am just so full from free food that syns are put on a back burner so to speak and I am not too angelic not to eat anything with syns in I frequently do... It's just lately I have been having trouble.
I know sw as a plan has to be followed in order to succeed but I really do not see the sense in eating something with syns in just to up them for the day or use them up. That said I don't think they should be cut out just not feel pressure to have to use them everyday. This is what my original post was about, is it ok to have fewer if I don't feel like them or simply can't fit them in. It's not very fair to criticise people for the way the may choose to use them nor remind us of the fact that we got where we are by being "synful". I just feel that we are here to support each other not be judgemental when someone does something different to you, if it works then for them then great.
I know this is a really long post but what you said got to me a little (if you didn't mean it in that way I'm sorry) it just doesn't sound very nice is all...
 
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