It is really weird where we bump into each other online...

Anyway, I don't count syns because I'm not trying to loose weight, but I try to stick to the basic concepts of SW because basically I think my sugar intake would have killed me. So I don't know how useful this is, but I like spicy food too and this is my strategy that is loosly based on SW:

1. There are loads of spicy 'one pot' recipes, I'm thinking things like chilli con carnie, curry’s. Make a list of them. Find some unusual ones (spicy shepherd’s pie?). 2 You will find that a lot of the recipes can mix and match the meat. Does it really matter if it is a chicken or keema curry? Does it matter if it is turkey or beef mince Stock up on lean meats and freeze some. Local market or musclefoods etc are great. 3 You will find a lot of the recipes also can mix and match veg. FILL your freezer with frozen veg. To make it easy you can go to farmfoods, if you want to save cash then buy bulk and chop and freeze (things like peppers might be cheaper pre-done). You can get loads of veg frozen that will go in your pot depending on what your making - sweetcorn, peppers, onions, spinich, peas, whatever. Splash out. Remind yourself that one takeaway is like £20 and you can get loads of veg for that.
2. You will have your own favourite spices. Work out what goes well together for different recipes. Look into new ones, you like Indian? Garam masala ,natch. You tried moroccan before? Ras El Hanout is now in pretty much ever local supermarket. Ask your local polish shop what they put in a chicken dish. Fill your cupboard. Tabasco is the best, it is like 0 syns. I often just split a chicken breast open and slam it in the middle with some low fat triangle cheese.
3. Stock up on pasta, rice, potatoes, chopped toms, passata. Maybe get an airfryer to make chips.

So I come in after work and can't be bothered making food, but you have to because that microwave meal is like a salt death trap (or high syn value if you doing SW properly). Well don't fret because now you've got a freezer full of super quick spicy food combos:

1. Pick a meat - fry it in your onions and chosen spices (frylight is free I think? Lean meat is free?) Put in less meat than you would usually
2. Put pasta/rice/SW chips on at the same time
3. Put in your chopped toms and any extra spices
4. Put in your veg. Because you put in less meat put in extra veg so that the toms and extra veg is a third of your meal.

You've had like 3 of your 5 veg a day in a curry/chilli/whatever and it was next to 0 syns. You can use syns by putting the stuff in a wholemeal wrap and having a buritto or something.

Other bits- switching to fruit for breakfast worked for me. Aldi do yogurts in the style of muller light for like 1.60 for 6. If you stop buying crap food then you will stop eating crap food. Find delicious fresh snacks instead of crisps (I fill eating peppers with soft cheese and a few jalepinos, its weird but I like it). Get in to a routine with food buying – I have the Tesco delivery saver (paid for with tesco clubcard points) and have a tesco delivery with fresh food every Tuesday. You will eat crap if you don’t have anything in simply because it is quick. Acknowledge some nights you don’t have 100% control of your food (parties etc), don't panic and go with it - starving yourself will stop you from sticking to it. Some veggy food is really nice. Linda McCartney sausages are like 1.5 syns and well nice. Quorn tastes nothing like meat but is delicious. Walk more often. Having said all that – my goal has been healthy(er) living and less meat rather than syns, but the concept I think is the same.