How many syns do you have?

[Perfectlypurple]

Just joined SW online. Start tomorrow. It says have 5 to 15 syns a day. How do you decide how many you have? Do you stick to the same each day or vary it depending on what you are eating?

[Midori1999]

I don't tend to have many on a daily basis, but then if I have a meal out I'll just have what I want usually, but don't count them. Not really 'officially' the correct way to do things, but works for me. If I do use daily syns then I use them for things like salad dressing, ingredients in meals etc, rather than things like chocolate or crisps, but I do occasionally have those.

Generally I think it's probably best to just make note of what syns you use each day and use them if you need to. You don't want to feel deprived, but I think some people can find themselves using them just for the sake of it. However, if you do feel you need a number to work to, maybe 10 is a good starting point?

[shitebag]

I average about 10 a day over the course of a week, but it varies day to day.

On weigh in day I always blow 15.5 on a Turkish delight and a 30g pack of McCoys!

[Perfectlypurple]

Thanks. I was thinking I would use them for things like mayo when I want an egg mayo sandwich. I can use my HE for the bread, and a bit of cheese to go with it. I will probably also use the syns for dressing for salad and soft cheese for dipping carrot and cucumber sticks in. I am unlikely to use them for things like chocolate and crisps. I won't use them for the sake of it either, so if I end up not having any/many syns then that's a bonus! I have a lot to lose, just over 5 stone so I am hoping for a few weeks of really good weight loss before it slows down just to get me started.

[Midori1999]

You can make a nice dip out of smoked salmon, Quark cheese (free food) lemon juice and some horseradish. There are a couple of syns in the horseradish, depending on brand, so it works out really low syn and I often have it as a snack with veg.

You soon work out how to use your syns wisely and some things just don't seem worth having if they are high in syns.

[auntpetunia]

I have been doing on line about 5 days first day I didn't get the syns sorted and had about 15! But last few days I've had about 8, I keep 1 for my spoon of sugar in my cocoa which is 1/2 itself. and then others have been mayo, muller light brown sauce etc. I'm really getting it now.

[Perfectlypurple]

I am getting it now too. I am finding it hard going back to low fat stuff though. It took ages to get used to full fat stuff again! But I know I will get used to it. Had 11 syns yesterday, today I doubt it will be more that 5. So far I have had fruit and no fat yoghurt for breakfast - free, lunch was egg mayo sandwich, the bread hexb, the mayo was lighter than light so 2 syns, and the egg free. I had 2 mini babybels - hexa, and a Miller light - free. For tea I have salad which I will have a couple of hundred grams of cottage cheese so 1 syn. So that will be 3 syns for the whole day. I do have some lovely fresh apples that I can have if I get hungry, but I do have a lot of salad so unlikely.

[Perfectlypurple]

Should says muller light not Miller light!

[MummyPig24]

I like to keep under 10.

[Fragglewump]

I find that unless I have a glass of wine - quite often! I don't use any syns but my consultant says you must have them as they boost your metabolism????? Surely if I've been eating healthily all day then a bar of chocolate can't help me loose more weight can it??????

[MummyPig24]

Fraggle I think she's talking rubbish, it's up to you if you want to have syns or not.

[lizandlulu]

I usually have around 10, saving the 5 for odds that I haven't counted. To be on the safe side.

Our group leader recommends having the syns as she says not having something or depriving yourself will lead to binging. A couple of my group members have done this, been 110% for weeks! barely used any syns, binged on chocolate as it's been so long since they had it.