Let’s hear it for the drinks!

So, here I am, just home from weigh in – 3lbs down and Slimmer of the Month with 12.5lbs during November – but here I am having the biggest internal argument of the week: the post weigh-in ‘but I’ve done so well, I deserve to feast’ argument. The one that has me eyeing up everything in the house.
However – I am strong (read that in an ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ type manner). I turn to my trusty home-made ‘posh’ coffee. I managed to find some incredible syn-free syrups a couple of months back and haven’t looked back – they’re the ultimate alternative to Costa and I don’t need any posh machinery!
It’s only as I’m making said coffee that I realise how much of a saviour syn-free drink alternatives are. Now, I’m a big fan of the ‘eat what you want’ concept of Slimming World, but we all know the limitations and that it needs to be within reason. That said, after 4 months as a dedicated SW’er, I still can’t get my head around the fact I can drink as much Pepsi Max Cherry as I like.
This is one of the many areas SW is b-rill-iant.
The sheer amount of low-syn or, better yet, syn-free drinks available is incredible. Even better, in our ever growing health concious society, the amount of sugar-free, calorie free and, hence, (usually) syn-free drinks available out there provides us with a plethora of options.
When I started SW I lived on tea (with sugar swapped for sweetener, of course) and Pepsi Max cherry.
Fast forward 4 months and I’m a hot drinks addict with a new found love for coffee. Normal coffee, strong coffee, flavoured coffee, coffee with syrup, the works.
So, here’s a couple of SW-friendly drinkable gems I’ve found along my journey so far. If it helps one person make a SW-friendly swap or find something new, happy days!
Lucozade Zero
Relatively new and available in orange and pink lemonade (but not Cherry *sad face*), this is a life saver when you just need something different to squash or Diet Coke/Pepsi Max. Better yet, you can usually find this on offer in one of the main supermarkets.
Green Tea
I know, I know. For the majority of us green tea isn’t immediately appealing. HOWEVER, bear with me. When made properly, this can be absolutely lovely, and it has numerous health benefits, including (here’s the good bit), boosting the metabolism, I.e speeding up the rate we burn what we consume. Meaning you could boost your weight-loss, just by making a change to what you drink.
The key to making a cup of green tea pleasant and enjoyable is the temp of the water. Boil the kettle and pour into an empty mug. Then walk away and let it cool down for a couple of minutes. THEN put your tea bag in, give it a stir for 30 seconds or so, gently squeeze and remove. Your drink should be fairly translucent.
Trust me. Honestly.
Jordan’s Skinny Syrups
Ok, so I’m almost anti telling you about these, because they’re so hard to find and they’re SOOOOOOO good. These zero calorie, zero sugar, syn-free syrups for coffee (or whatever you fancy) have fuelled my new coffee addiction but, most importantly, given me a sweet and varied brew to keep my SW-friendly life varied.
These syrups are just added in a splash to your coffee before water, are available in roughly 20 flavours, and can also be used in baking, in other drinks, in desserts…the possibilities are endless. In fact, I find if you use enough that they suppress my dessert cravings – I didn’t think I’d ever find anything that did that!
They are fairly difficult to find, however. They retail at between £6-£9 per bottle, but that will last you for ages and, if you really miss your sweet stuff like me, it’s well worth it. The manufacturer doesn’t ship to the UK, but there are a couple of British online stockists.
However – here’s the secret I’m not sure I should give away – if you look carefully, you can usually always find these syrups in TK Maxx, for no-more than £4! Last time I went in I bought 3 bottles of the Mocha, a limited edition tiramisu and a limited edition salted dark espresso. Absolutely divine. Don’t tell anyone mind!

One other thing for hot chocolate lovers – I’m sure you know about the wealth of different low syn hot chocolates available by now, but have you found the cream?! If not, you need to buy the ‘light’ squirts cream from Arla dairy. You get a massive 12.5g for 1 single syn!

If anyone has any other suggestions for super slimming world friendly drinks I’d love to hear them!!