Subway and Slimming World — Actually a Pretty Good Match
Here’s some genuinely good news: Subway is probably the most Slimming World friendly fast food chain out there. You can customise absolutely everything, the salad is unlimited, and some of the lower-syn subs are surprisingly reasonable.
That said, it’s still really easy to turn a 15-syn sub into a 30-syn monstrosity if you go wild with the cheese, sauces and bread choices. So I’ve gone through Subway’s UK nutrition data and worked out the approximate syn values for all the most popular options.
As always, I’m using 1 syn = 20 calories as the conversion guide. These are approximate values based on Subway’s published nutrition information for their standard recipes. Your actual sub might vary slightly depending on how generous your sandwich artist is feeling that day!
Full Subway Syn Table
Syn values are approximate, based on Subway UK’s published calorie data (1 syn ≈ 20 calories). 6-inch subs are shown — double for a footlong.
| Menu Item |
Portion |
Calories (approx) |
Syns (approx) |
| 6-inch Subs (standard recipe, no extras) |
| Ham |
6-inch |
272 |
13.5 |
| Turkey Breast |
6-inch |
268 |
13.5 |
| Roast Chicken Breast |
6-inch |
282 |
14 |
| Chicken Tikka |
6-inch |
304 |
15 |
| Veggie Delite |
6-inch |
216 |
11 |
| Steak & Cheese |
6-inch |
350 |
17.5 |
| Italian B.M.T. |
6-inch |
384 |
19 |
| Meatball Marinara |
6-inch |
402 |
20 |
| Chicken Teriyaki |
6-inch |
322 |
16 |
| Tuna |
6-inch |
370 |
18.5 |
| Spicy Italian |
6-inch |
420 |
21 |
| Salads (same fillings, no bread) |
| Ham Salad |
1 bowl |
110 |
5.5 |
| Turkey Breast Salad |
1 bowl |
105 |
5 |
| Roast Chicken Breast Salad |
1 bowl |
120 |
6 |
| Chicken Tikka Salad |
1 bowl |
142 |
7 |
| Veggie Delite Salad |
1 bowl |
52 |
2.5 |
| Bread Options (per 6-inch) |
| 9-Grain Wheat |
6-inch |
195 |
10 |
| Italian (White) |
6-inch |
180 |
9 |
| Hearty Italian |
6-inch |
210 |
10.5 |
| Flatbread |
6-inch |
220 |
11 |
| Wrap |
1 wrap |
310 |
15.5 |
| Extras & Sauces |
| Cheese (standard portion) |
per sub |
40 |
2 |
| Bacon (2 strips) |
per sub |
45 |
2 |
| Mayonnaise |
1 serving |
94 |
5 |
| Southwest Chipotle |
1 serving |
88 |
4.5 |
| Sweet Onion |
1 serving |
40 |
2 |
| Honey Mustard |
1 serving |
30 |
1.5 |
| Yellow Mustard |
1 serving |
8 |
0.5 |
| Vinaigrette |
1 serving |
45 |
2 |
| Hot Chilli |
1 serving |
4 |
0 |
| Cookies & Sides |
| Cookie (any flavour) |
1 cookie |
210 |
10.5 |
| Crisps (Walkers, standard) |
1 bag |
132 |
6.5 |
What to Order at Subway on Slimming World
Subway is brilliant because you control exactly what goes in. Here’s how to build the lowest-syn sub:
- Salads are your secret weapon (2.5–7 syns) — A Turkey Breast Salad is just 5 syns. That’s an entire meal for 5 syns! Load it up with all the free salad veg and add mustard or hot chilli sauce for basically zero extra syns.
- Veggie Delite 6-inch (11 syns) — The lowest-syn sub on the menu. It’s basically a salad sandwich, so load it up with everything from the salad bar.
- Ham or Turkey Breast 6-inch (13.5 syns) — The lowest-syn protein subs. Both are lean meats that keep the calorie count down.
- Mustard or hot chilli sauce (0–0.5 syns) — These are your best sauce options. Yellow mustard is practically free, and hot chilli adds loads of flavour for zero syns.
- Skip the cheese and mayo. Cheese adds 2 syns and mayo adds 5 syns. That’s 7 syns of extras you don’t need. Use mustard and vinegar instead.
What to Avoid at Subway (High-Syn Traps)
Even at Subway, things can get out of hand quickly:
- Footlong anything — Whatever the 6-inch syn count is, double it. A footlong Meatball Marinara is 40 syns. A footlong Italian BMT is 38 syns. Just get the 6-inch.
- Meatball Marinara (20 syns for 6-inch) — Those meatballs are surprisingly high in calories. If you love meatballs, you’re better off making SW-friendly ones at home.
- Spicy Italian (21 syns for 6-inch) — All that salami and pepperoni really adds up. It’s one of the highest-syn subs on the menu.
- Wraps (15.5 syns just for the wrap) — The wrap itself is more calories than Italian bread. Choose a 6-inch sub on Italian bread instead and save 6.5 syns on the bread alone.
- Mayo and creamy sauces — Mayo is 5 syns per serving. Southwest Chipotle is 4.5. These creamy sauces can add a quarter of your filling’s syn count on top.
- Cookies (10.5 syns each) — They’re right there at the counter tempting you. But each one is 10.5 syns. That’s almost as much as an entire Veggie Delite sub.
Tips for Eating at Subway on Slimming World
Subway is one of the easiest fast food chains to navigate on plan. Here’s my approach:
- Go for a salad bowl instead of a sub. You’ll save 9–11 syns by ditching the bread entirely. Load it up with all the free salad vegetables and it’s genuinely filling.
- Choose Italian (white) bread. It’s the lowest-calorie bread option at 9 syns for a 6-inch. The 9-Grain Wheat sounds healthier but it’s actually 10 syns.
- Load up on free salad veg. Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers, onions, jalapenos — pile them all on. They’re all Speed foods and they make your sub feel much more substantial.
- Choose your sauce wisely. Yellow mustard (0.5 syns) and hot chilli (0 syns) are the winners. Avoid mayo (5 syns) and Southwest Chipotle (4.5 syns).
- Don’t be tempted by the meal deal. A sub + cookie + drink can add 17+ syns on top of your sub. Get the sub on its own with water.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the lowest syn Subway sub?
A 6-inch Veggie Delite on Italian bread with mustard and no cheese is approximately 11 syns. If you want meat, the Ham and Turkey Breast subs are about 13.5 syns each. For the absolute lowest option, get any protein as a salad bowl — a Turkey Breast Salad is just 5 syns.
How many syns is a footlong sub at Subway?
Simply double the 6-inch values. A footlong Ham sub is about 27 syns, a footlong Chicken Tikka is about 30 syns, and a footlong Meatball Marinara is around 40 syns. I’d always recommend sticking to the 6-inch — load it with salad to fill you up.
Are Subway salads Free on Slimming World?
The salad vegetables themselves (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, etc.) are Free or Speed foods. But the protein filling and any sauce you add do carry syns. A Turkey Breast Salad with mustard is about 5.5 syns total, which is excellent value for a full meal.
