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Syns vs. calorie counting

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Slimming World

' Forum started by boticelli, Jan 5th, 2015 at 23:54 PM.
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Jan 5th, 2015, 23:54 PM  
boticelli
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 25

Syns vs. calorie counting

Can anyone explain to me the difference between counting syns and counting calories? Not to just define them, as I do understand the difference, but to give me the pros and cons or compare the two.
 
Jan 6th, 2015, 00:08 AM  
Mitch
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 516

I wondered that to start with, especially when I was told that 20 calories = approx 1 syn. But syns are much more than easy ways to keep a tab on calories. You get 15 syns allowance per day to keep under for you to use on treats and "nicer foods". You also have a wide variety of Syn free foods which you can eat without having to count towards you 15 syn allowance. You get a handbook that tells you what is syn free

I'm making sound more complicated than it is. It really is quite easy.

Simple terms: You can't compare the two. Counting calories is about reading labels and feeling bad when you have a treat. Slimming Word Syns are more about educating you to eat right, and the right combination of foods
 
 
Jan 8th, 2015, 15:48 PM  
Wobbles
Maintainer
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Here!
Posts: 5,930

Calorie counting has to be done with good food choices or it can fail IMO i.e. stay away from the chocolate and crisps still and don't just have them because they fit within your calorie goal! If you pay attention to the nutritional side of things it keeps you from over eating.

Slimming world allows you treats and a wider range of foods that you can 'syn' but with a FULLSTOP one much stricter than the calorie counting. Calorie counting allows you that "well I have enough calories" without thinking about what you are actually sticking into your mouth if you allow it to. Like Mitch says it's about eating the right combination of foods.
 
 
Jan 22nd, 2015, 16:44 PM  
Lisa.Lawson
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 10

I've noticed when I do Calories in with Calories out alongisde portion size and how many times I eat a day, I have drastically lost weight over a period of time. It gets difficult over a period of time which is the hard part, if you can bypass that and get used to it daily It's certainly a winner over Syns.
 
Jan 22nd, 2015, 16:46 PM  
Lisa.Lawson
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 10

The main thing to look after is the Macro Nutrients - which is your daily allowance of your Protein, Fat, Sugars, Salt etc. If this is maintained and not exceeded whilst calorie counting you can get all kind of foods. If you have a chocolate it doesn't neccessarily make you gain weight if you've still not exceeded your Macro Nutrients. My Friend only ate Junk foods\convenience i.e mcdonalds crisps breakfast bars chips but she stayed under her Macro's and she incredibly either was steady on weight or lost.
 
Jun 1st, 2015, 20:17 PM  
Sally-J
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 34

When I calorie count, I slide into basically eating 1500 calories a day of junk food. My only focus being the 'magic' number at the end of each day. As long as I hit 1500, I consider it a good day.

Ok for weight loss but dreadful for long term good health.

With SW, my entire focus is on healthy foods. Cooking from scratch. I feel so much better in myself, physically and mentally on SW than when calorie counting.
 
Jun 4th, 2015, 12:13 PM  
Bonnieboobear
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southwest
Posts: 57

Hope it's OK to stick my oar in - having done both in the past, I can see the logic with SW in that the food you are guided towards eating is less dense in calories than some other foods, so you can eat more of it. E.g 200g of potato and 2 slices of bread are about the same calories (of the top of my head) but a jacket potato will leave you feeling much fuller.

My only gripe with SW is that I don't agree with 'diet' or 'fat free' products (oil, yoghurt, marge etc) on health grounds- all those trans fats, not good. So I buy full fat yog and butter, but then find I am having to use Syns on them. There has been so much research in the health press lately about the fact that the 'fat free' craze of the 90s-recently was wrong, and fat doesn't make you fat.

Also will miss my pint of cool lager in the sunshine every Friday (beer horrendous in syns).

But you can't have it all, and SW is pretty awesome in my view.
 
 
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