Advice please re Slimming World

[Muffintopmum]

Hello, I'm thinking of joining a local Slimming World group on Monday. Previously I've been a member of Weightwatchers starting well but then it all going to pot - mainly I think because I find the number of points and what I can eat restricting - basically, it doesn't fill me up enough. Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it😉.

I've seen a couple of women on blogs lose loads though on Slimming World and the food they eat (they blog the food pics) looks lovely and there's a lot of it. So I'm hoping with a New Year and a fresh start, Slimming World will work for me. I have about three and a half stone to lose.
Anyway I have a few questions:-
Do you just have to count Syns and nothing else?
Does the number of Syns you can have depend on your weight?
If you are a group member, if there an online forum you can access to chat to people to keep up motivation between weigh ins?
I presume at the first meeting there will be a range of books to buy and maybe some other 'goodies'. If so, any recommendations?

Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

Do you just have to count Syns and nothing else? Yes. And "Healthy Extras"

Does the number of Syns you can have depend on your weight? No - up to 15 a day

If you are a group member, if there an online forum you can access to chat to people to keep up motivation between weigh ins?
Yes

I presume at the first meeting there will be a range of books to buy and maybe some other 'goodies'. If so, any recommendations?
Their food optimising cook book is good.

Many thanks😃.

Our group has a facebook page too which is good for posting recipes, asking questions and asking for a bit of support when you are struggling. I think a nice group makes a big difference so it's worth checking a couple out if you don't get a good vibe at the one you try.

I like the Best loved Extra Easy recipes book and I've heard the Fakeaways book is good although I haven't tried it. The other thing I buy at meeting are the HiFi bars - I think you can only get them at meetings and they are snack bars that are around 3 syns each or you can have 2 as a healthy extra B choice (you get one healthy extra A and 1 healthy extra B every day - it's less complicated than it sounds). I think some people avoid them as they contain sweetners but I find them handy and better than the stuff I was snacking on before - the toffee apple, choc and choc orange bars are good.

Good luck! I have lost just over 2 stone since September and I haven't ever been hungry.

Thanks backinschool that's very helpful.

I have another question - although I'm not officially starting until Monday, I'm trying to be good this weekend. The thing is OH likes a roast on a Sunday. How do you make a roast SW friendly? I guess I have to give up the roast potatoes and cauliflower cheese? If not, does anyone know the Syn value for them?

Thanks in advance.

I haven't changed how I cook my roast at all, and have still lost 1 stone 10 lbs in six months (without exercise due to disability and with not much giving up of stuff either - I would say I'm about 80% on plan)

I put a little drip (about a tsp) of oil in my pan before I roast my joint. I then parboil my potatoes and roast them around the meat. I then make proper gravy with the meat juices (I count 7 syns for this). The "official" SW way is to par boil your potatoes and then spray them with frylight before roasting but, honestly, life's too short for shit roast potatoes. I also have frozen yorkshire puddings because I cannot be fagged making fake ones with fucking meringue beaten egg white

I recommend the One Pot cook book (has everything from salads through traybakes to stews) and the Best of Extra Easy. Lots of lovely recipes that don't take much cooking. Also get the magazine in group because (a) it's cheaper than in the shops and (b) has lots of lovely recipes in.

Hmm - the meat is free as long as you remove the skin/visible fat. You can make roast potatoes by par boiling them spraying with fry light or brush with a small amount of olive oil (1 tsp is 2 syns I think and you don't need to use a lot). We sometimes have aunt bessie homestyle roast potatoes and they are 2.5 syns for 100g. The aunt bessie homestyle yorkshire puddings are around 4 syns. There are lots of slimming world cauliflower cheese recipes online if you google but I haven't tried any of them. A lady at our meeting makes this syn free gravy and said it is lovely - chop an onion add beef or chicken stock, cook a.bit more till onions are soft then blitz it and crumble another stock cube in. Gravy granules are around 1syn/level tsp so quite high in syns to make a decent amount. Mint/apple/cranberry sauce is around 1syn for a tbsp and mustard is 0.5 syn. You can still have a lovely roast dinner, you just need to choose where to spend your syns!

Oops, cross-posted with emwithme. I might have a look at that one pot cookbook. The less fuss and washing up the better. I'm too lazy to make SW yorkies too and much prefer to use the frozen ones. Par boiling the potatoes and chucking them around in a bit of oil doesn't take too long though and the results are good.

Waitrose own brand frozen yorkshires (12 in a pack) are 2 each and take 5 minutes in the oven. Aunt Bessie's smaller ones are 2 1/2 each and the larger ones are 4. Homestyle ones are 4 1/2.

Mustard made from mustard powder is free.

Colman's horseradish sauce is the lowest syn (1 per tbsp) - be wary of "creamed" ones, they can be far higher (the Waitrose essential is 2 1/2).

Garden mint sauce is free (it has no added sugar), others range between 1/2 to 2 syns per tbsp. The Waitrose essential mint sauce is 1/2 syn, as is Asda Smart Price.

Good to know about Waitrose own yorkshire puddings emwithme - are they really small? I love yorkies so low syn ready made puds are great.

Thanks all. Am rather partial to a Yorkshire pud so it's nice to know they're not off limits!

Please excuse the state of the top of my chest freezer (it's old and dented/scratched but it works so it's staying until it stops working!)

These are the Waitrose yorkies that are 2 syns each (with a ruler for scale!). They're bloody lovely.

Muffin the good thing about Slimming World is that NOTHING is off limits, as long as you count the syns.