SW shopping essentials

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

I'm contemplating joining SW, I'd like to join on Tuesday but can't due to work, so will have to wait until the following week. I've done it in the past (years ago, badly!) so have a vague idea of what's involved. We are in need of a big food shop that cannot wait until a week on Tuesday!

I would rather buy stuff that I know will be SW friendly. We're usually pushed for time, so I tend to do a big shop to last the whole month. My usual shop consists of:

Fruit & veg (fresh and frozen)

Milk - I use skimmed for coffee and plant milks for cereal/porridge etc.

Bread or bread products (wraps, muffins, crumpets etc.)

Yoghurt - mainly full fat Greek yoghurt for me.

Cupboard foods - cereals, pasta, rice, cous cous, lentils, tins of various beans, chickpeas, tomatoes etc.

Freezer fodder: mainly quorn staples (veggie household) - mince, pieces, sausages etc - things that aren't coated in breadcrumbs etc.

Eggs. Lots of eggs!

So my questions:

What have I missed? What are your SW essentials? I prefer to cook "real" food rather than packet things, but I'm open to suggestions.

How do plant milks fare on SW? I don't use soya milk, but I do use nut milks (almond, cashew, hazelnut) and oat milk.

Break it to me gently...what's the SW take on avocados?

Will full fat yoghurt slaughter my "syn" allowance?

You don't need extra points for activity as you eat to your appetite on SW. So if you do loads of exercise you might eat larger portions the next day but you still stick to free/speed food.

I have plain fat free Greek yoghurt which is still creamy. 1tsp of maple syrup is 1\2 syn. I have that and some fruit. I'm trying to eat things containing 5 ingredients or fewer and the only things I have ditched on sw are flavoured yoghurts and fry light which I've replaced with spray oil which is 10 sprays per syn. I've found the rest is pretty easy as the emphasis is on home cooked food and fruit and veg. You can get a separate reward sticker thing for exercise.

Another recommendation here for the Linda McCartney veggie sausages - they're only 1/2 syn each!

@OwlinaTree I do a lot of exercise. I do an hour intense cardio about 3 times a week, Tuesday nights I do 3 hours and at the weekends I tend to cycle 40-50 miles. I can't do that on a banana!

AnotherOriginalUserName - I don't think OwlinaTree meant have just a banana

On slimming world you could eat a whole shop of bananas, they are classed as free Foods and you can eat as many as you like. There are no limits to free foods and if you make is speed foods like apples/oranges etc then even better.

You can also eat as much pasta/potato/rice as you want as well, so if you need the carbs then eat away. The only thing you are requested to do, is eat them as part of a meal along side 1/3 of you plate has to be speed foods, ie salad/veg/fruit.

Yes, furball is right. I just meant you eat more if you are hungry after exercise, but eat free food.

I'd eat a protein based snack post exercise like wafer thin ham or turkey or a pot of quark.

Forgot you were veggie so you could use a mixed bean salad or something post exercise.

I love Fage 0% plain yogurt, I add a bit of sweetner and a tiny drizzle of honey to it and have it with frozen or fresh berries for a pudding most days. It doesn't taste like a diet yogurt but like a proper pudding. Muller Lights are horrible, they taste bitter to me from all the sweetner they add.

Its expensive but I buy it in the biggest pot and it lasts me at least a week.

The Aldi 0% Greek yoghurt is lovely. I mix it with some quark and it makes a really silky base for berries and merengue nests.