What do you use your SYNS on?
- Thread starter Sawyer
- Start date
FloralFlower85
Full Member
I too am struggling with using syns. I know I have seen on here you need to use 5-10 syns a day, but I struggle with what on. I would love to know a few treat syns that I can use say 8 syns a day on as an evening treat. I have had the odd packet of crisps at around 6 syns .... but would love to know what else I could have around the 8 syn mark.
i started off using syns on snacks, like chocolate cereal bars, and keeping meals synfree. the interesting thing though is before SW i didn't really crave chocolate. now i'm at about the 3-4 week mark i'm settling on using some syns in meals (example, tonight i had 6 syns on steak burgers, so yummy - that's all the syns i've had today though) and that's making me snack less.
i have quite a big daily syn allowance (20, as i have a lot of weight to lose) and sometimes i will use them on a lunch out if i haven't prepped lunch in advance. i have a favourite salad i love at pod, but it's full of avocado (my fave! but oh the syns) so sometimes i'll spend most of them on that. or sushi! or if i'm going to meet a friend for dinner i'll use my syns on that
i think it's very much a personal thing how syns work best for you - in the beginning i tried eating 'normal' snack treats e.g. a kitkat or a twix with my syns, but i found that i was using all my syns and wasn't feeling very fulfilled. so i switched to lower syn chocolate snacks (special k chocolate delight bars are my crutch) and i enjoy them more and i use less syns as a result whilst still getting the sweet snack fix. so i'd say play around with whether you spend them on chocolate or avocado etc and see what leaves you feeling more satisfied?
but i'm a lowly newbie and this is just what's working for me atm doesn't mean it will work for anyone else or even necessarily work for me in the long term!
i have quite a big daily syn allowance (20, as i have a lot of weight to lose) and sometimes i will use them on a lunch out if i haven't prepped lunch in advance. i have a favourite salad i love at pod, but it's full of avocado (my fave! but oh the syns) so sometimes i'll spend most of them on that. or sushi! or if i'm going to meet a friend for dinner i'll use my syns on that
i think it's very much a personal thing how syns work best for you - in the beginning i tried eating 'normal' snack treats e.g. a kitkat or a twix with my syns, but i found that i was using all my syns and wasn't feeling very fulfilled. so i switched to lower syn chocolate snacks (special k chocolate delight bars are my crutch) and i enjoy them more and i use less syns as a result whilst still getting the sweet snack fix. so i'd say play around with whether you spend them on chocolate or avocado etc and see what leaves you feeling more satisfied?
but i'm a lowly newbie and this is just what's working for me atm
doesn't mean it will work for anyone else or even necessarily work for me in the long term!
Sexyshell135
Silver Member
Wine spritzer hahaha some people use there's on sauce or extra bread small chocolate bars are good to use your syns on like curly wrlys or Freddos.
swlaurenb
Full Member
From a purely weight loss point of view, there's very little difference between 10 syns of junk and 10 syns of health food. So if your losses have stalled over a decent enough time (e.g. a month or more) I would look at your overall diet instead of focusing on syn contents. I haven't read your food diary so apologies if this is covering ground you've already looked at. But for example, are you weighing/measuring your healthy extras every time? Are they definitely HE options, e.g. I see a lot of people eat the Warbutons thins which don't count? Along the same lines, are you certain of your syn values for everything and are these being weighed/measured when required as well? Are you keeping an accurate food diary to make sure you're not accidentally going over on anything? If all of that is on point, do you need to consider reducing your portion sizes? Maybe cut down on carbs a bit if you have them a lot? Maybe look at what drinks you're having, might need to increase water intake? Should you start introducing/increasing exercise, either cardio or resistance training? There's so many factors besides syns.
As for what I use my syns on, it used to be about half chocolate and then half whatever I felt like that day. Sometimes more chocolate, lol. But avocado, dried fruits, sauces, an extra HE, biscuits and sweets, etc. But I'm currently on Dechox so it's all from the second list at the moment.
As for what I use my syns on, it used to be about half chocolate and then half whatever I felt like that day. Sometimes more chocolate, lol. But avocado, dried fruits, sauces, an extra HE, biscuits and sweets, etc. But I'm currently on Dechox so it's all from the second list at the moment.
Sawyer
Silver Member
Yeah I definitely think I have been picking a little, just nibbling here and there and thinking it wouldn't matter! Also had a few fail meals over the weeks which won't have helped. Was just feeling like maybe having 8-10 SYNS of choc a day was too much but hopefully not cause I enjoy it and don't binge on choc at all.
I have got back on the wagon this week and lost 1kg already... And am going out for tea tonight Shame my family just love a meal out haha! But will choose healthy! Drives me mad when there is no menu online to meticulously analyse before I go and choose something on a whim!!!
I have got back on the wagon this week and lost 1kg already... And am going out for tea tonight Shame my family just love a meal out haha! But will choose healthy! Drives me mad when there is no menu online to meticulously analyse before I go and choose something on a whim!!!
rosieposiepie
Member
I always use 15 syns a day and it tends to be on things like curly wurlys, honey in fromage frais, malted milks... etc.
Torn_Tranquility
Gold Member
I've started using my syns for "healthier" choices, like Nakd bars and had a 5lb loss last night - to put that into context, it's probably more than I'd lost in total since the start of this year! It's given me a boost, and like other posters, I feel fuller. I sometimes use my syns for olive oil as well, as I find it much nicer than Frylight, especially when making curries.
Valentine_N
Secret Agent
I've been mostly using my syns for things to add to my main meals (salad dressings and sugar) I was hoping to ditch sweetner and syn sugar instead... Turns out I drink too much tea!
I think I will mix what I use my syns on from avocado to chocolate and wine. After all, it's all about balance isn't it? x
I think I will mix what I use my syns on from avocado to chocolate and wine. After all, it's all about balance isn't it? x
lickthelid
Lives here....
I find losses better when my syns are used on ingredients rather than extras but technically it's 300kcal a day to do as you please
Grunka Lunka
Full Member
I found that sometimes I struggled to use my syns each day so I would end up eating something with syns, such as a chocolate bar, toast, crackers etc. just to get them in. However, this didn't feel right as I was eating for the sake of eating, rather than eating to feel satisfied, which I think slowed my losses. After a while I stopped doing that and instead used my syns on things in my main meals, such as ketchup, olive oil, salad dressing, croutons or nuts in salads etc. and I found that this had a huge effect on my losses, which went from 0.5 - 1 lbs per week to 2 lbs or more per week.
I think using them on things like chocolate etc. is absolutely fine as this is what they're for after all. However, SW is about being able to eat until you're satisfied so if you're already feeling satisfied when you eat chocolate (or whatever it is you're using the syns on), it may slow things down a little more than if you ate your syns as part of a main meal, at which time you're probably hungry. Maybe ask yourself if you're actually hungry before eating your syns or if you're just eating them because you're bored or think you need to because you haven't had any today. I'm a boredom eater myself, which is partly why I'm the weight that I am and it's a very difficult habit to break, though I'm working hard on it now to try to kick my sweet tooth for good!
I think using them on things like chocolate etc. is absolutely fine as this is what they're for after all. However, SW is about being able to eat until you're satisfied so if you're already feeling satisfied when you eat chocolate (or whatever it is you're using the syns on), it may slow things down a little more than if you ate your syns as part of a main meal, at which time you're probably hungry. Maybe ask yourself if you're actually hungry before eating your syns or if you're just eating them because you're bored or think you need to because you haven't had any today. I'm a boredom eater myself, which is partly why I'm the weight that I am and it's a very difficult habit to break, though I'm working hard on it now to try to kick my sweet tooth for good!
