Riddle me this ...

My first class was like this. I went along with my teenage daughter for moral support. She found it hilarious and called it a cult. We both cringed at the clapping and the 'Miss Slinky' type titles.

However, it helped me lose 2 stone and I love going to class for the social side. I even see many of the group socially outside class.

As for the question the OP posed: Your body has to process and break down yoghurt and banana which takes energy. Hot chocolate is probably pure sugar so goes straight into fat stores.

That is why apples are free, but apple juice is synned. The energy the body uses up to break down the fibre makes the apple free. Apple juice has no pulp or fibre to break down so you are just getting the sugar content and you body does not have to work to break it down.

I did SW and lost 3 stone but you really need to read between the lines with it and understand the limitations of the plan, and as PP mentioned, the economic partnerships.

When they say unlimited pasta, it doesn't mean unlimited pasta, you should still weigh it out so you're not overeating.

Just because something is 'free' doesn't mean you can eat as much of it as you like e.g. 6 yoghurts and 3 tins of beans as snacks!

I would have other yoghurts such as Danone light and free which are almost half the calories of miller light and so much nicer. SW put half a syn on them but I didn't syn them, I just had them instead of the mullers.

I think if you understand that you still need to exercise self control (as with all diets), and ignore the temptation on binging on 'free' food you'll be fine on SW.

OP, have the hot choc but take 2 syns off tomorrow.

I have been a SW member for years, and have never heard of ML yoghurts and Frylight being pushed at all.
SW is all about eating healthy, unprocessed foods, and "savvy" syns (eg avocado, olive oil).

My group does not push ML but the Iceland Ready Meals get mentioned every week (they are processed and the portion sizes are huge).

Have a full fat yoghurt with some fruit, much better for you.

A better question is...

If you just want something sweet and a hot chocolate would do it, why is the free food alternative a yoghurt and a banana and not just one small thing that’s the equivalent portion size to a hot chocolate?...

tabulahrasa, I think it's to do with calorie density and satiety.

Exactly that pandora.
The idea is also that the yoghurt and fruit will help stop you wanting to eat more after the hot chocolate plus, as has been mentioned, the hot chocolate has no nutritional value other than sugar.
That all said, I had an options hot chocolate last night and I'm doing SW too.

How much is a Wispa bite? About 1syn? OP could have had one and had 14 syns the next day. Someone made chocolate mousse with an options sachet and quark. It was delicious and more satisfying than just the hot chocolate.

I didn’t mean why are they free.

I meant if the OP was going to be satisfied with a little hot chocolate, why was her alternative so much more?

It’s not slimming world that have recommended that as a swap...

I will never understand why people come on the Slimming World bored mon about Slimming World and Slack Slimming World off if you don't want to do Slimming World then don't. I've lost 3 stone with Slimming World kept it off for a decade in a consultant for 11 years and a member for 13 I love helping people with Slimming World but I never understand why people feel the need to come on the Slimming World board make up lies about business partnerships make idiotic references to calories pretend Slimming World promotes things it doesn't and generally make themselves look like idiots. I just skim passed the Weight Watchers and the 5: 2 threads I don't go on there all bolshy pretending I know better

It's very curious. I've been on the Weight watchers threads and some of the others, and it doesn't seem to get the same amount of abuse even though you can pick holes in any WoE. I've been going for a year. I've never been able to stick to a diet for a year. I've never known anyone eat packets of ham or 10 Muller lights a day or 5 bowls of pasta for one meal. I've been to a few groups in my area. If people are doing that, they are deliberately deciding not to follow the whole plan not reading the literature, or filling in the food diaries. All of these things tell you what you need to do, and none of them say you need to eat as much pasta and as many Muller Lights as you can.

Sheldon, can I pick your brain with a SW question or am I hijacking this thread?

I don't mind ....

Thanks Sheldon...so, I did SW for a while (my hosp consultant) advised it and I lost weight. But in the process I cut out good fats, olive oil, nuts, avocado etc as they are all quite high syns and I saved my syns for chocolate at the end of the day. That resulted in my cholesterol increasing and I was advised by my gp that I needed to eat the good fats.

So my question is, if I exercise regularly can SW allow me more syns, say 20 instead of 15?

I have slightly raised cholesterol too. Its dropped significantly since Ive been on SW though, from nearly 7 to 5.5. I've started using olive oil spray instead of frylight. Its 1 syn per 10 sprays which is enough to cover a frying pan. Also, tinned sardines on Ryvita is my favourite lunch. It helps that I love oily fish and hate avocado . You could also have nuts as your HexB. ( sorry, I know you didnt ask me!) I don't know if this has worked as I only had it checked last week.

Thanks guinea pig! I will happily take any advice! I'm like you and I do like oily fish so that is good and it was also a relief to stop using fri light as that was just grim! I have got some avocado oil as I'm not keen on them either.

I was told my bad cholesterol is fine, the good cholesterol is practically none existent!

I use my HE for oats as they are meant to be good for cholesterol.

Guinea pig, how long did that take you to reduce as that's really good!

Forgot to say, I'm also on the cholesterol drinks that are 1.5 syns.

I am a SW member and lost almost 3 stone in 8 months. I have been at target for 11 months. It was relatively easy to lose weight, but staying at target is harder. The SW ideal is to have an extra Hex B choice but I still kept losing weight. However, I like the discipline of weighing in every week and would feel bad about missing too many classes as I do the weigh in for our consultant (who is lovely and who pushes cooking from scratch more than anything else). I also find staying for group very useful and I like a lot of the ladies I have met there. So about 4 months ago I worked out my daily calorie requirement (after much trial and error) and decided to start counting calories and using MFP to log them, rather than sticking to the complete SW plan

A lot of the SW ideals I have naturally stuck too such as not eating bread very often, swapping butter for laughing cow cheese spread and dropping cake from my horizon (I love cake!), other than for special ocassions. But other than that I eat what I like - including maltesers at the weekend and ice cream if I am on a day out. Since I perfected this my weight has not moved more than 1/2 lb up or down. So I like SW, but it doesn't completely fit IYSWIM. and I keep a low profile and tell no one what I do so Shhhhhhhh

I'd spend my Syns on olive oil and avocado or use my B choice for nuts in your situation (not chocolate!) as that's your doctor's recommendation. Personally I don't buy into this good fat bad fat with olive oil but if you do Frylight do an olive oil with no artificial additives so why don't you use that, squirt til it hurts. SW is a very broad plan pick what works for you.
I regularly have avocado I just syn 1/4 or a 1/2 an avocado mixed into a big chicken or prawn salad. before I'd eat two avocados with lemon juice for lunch so I view this as a healthy change. Weight losses come from making changes to your eating habits make the changes that work for.you.
Nuts are only a healthy fat if you eat a few so have pecan nuts as your B choice. I had pecan banana split for breakfast this morning. B choice pecan nuts banana fat free Total Greek yogurt and salted caramel essence. You can have loads of pistachios for only 6 syns so have those instead of chocolate.

I had it done 18 months ago, had a full lipid test done and was told to lose weight. I was on LCHF at the time so stopped that. Nearly a year ago went back and it was lower but I was given a 12 weeks free at SW and have been doing it ever since. I've lost nearly 2 stone.Very slowly, but healthwise seems to be going in the right direction! I have my hexB on oats too sometimes. I find SP a bit boring because of the lack of carbs but you can have 2 hexB on it!

Thank guys, given me lots to think about.

I left SW as I felt my consultant never supported me and I joined a gym instead with the money i saved. I'm going to try to stick to the SW principles and that's a good idea about an extra HEx, I'll try that one.

I've just heard of loads of people who have lost weight on SW and I'm kicking myself for leaving 🙈

If you cant find a supportive consultant and want to keep going to the gym, Id say just do an extra HexB and maybe cut down the syns if you don't lose weight. One hexB is equivalent to 6 syns, so maybe have 10 syns and 2 hexB or cut out potatoes, rice, pasta, bananas etc and have 2 hexB