Something I never understood about EE syns.

[jaylou]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree here. All syn values I have recently checked have the EE syn value as the lower red/green value

Chicken Arabiatta with Pasta, frozen, 300g pack 2½ 5½ 2½

Example above, if this is 2.5 syns on green (presumably for the chicken?) then why is it the same on EE?
There may be the odd "rogue non free" ingredient but surely the chicken has got to account for some of those 2.5 syns on green? why then, is it not lower on EE?

As for entering 2 free foods, this must be new, so thanks for pointing that out

 

[kingleds]

Ha, thanks guys. I was worried it sounded like I was picking a fight or just hated Slimming World...!

Ha! Definitely doesn't sound like either! Tis a good question to ask - especially if you love sushi this much

Would v much like to see what SW say!

 

[papercrane]

But you are entering the nutritional information separately for each item in your example above.

Argh, no, I'm not entering them separately! Forget the sushi a moment. In this hypothetical (ie. not real, not sushi) example I put the two items (rice, chicken) through separately just to demonstrate they were free individually.

Then I totted up the totals of their nutritional information and fed those numbers into the calculator, set to extra easy, telling it to account for both rice and chicken.

And syns appear. No extra ingredients. Just free food. And magic syns.

 

[kingleds]

Hang on - so if there are 2 free foods in something it only count 1 of them?? That does seem a bit strange

 

[papercrane]

Hang on - so if there are 2 free foods in something it only count 1 of them?? That does seem a bit strange

Well, this is what I'm wondering. Perhaps when nutritional information is made it's not as simple as just adding up totals. Perhaps values change when you combine things together somehow, even if there aren't extra ingredients. I have no idea!

 

[jaylou]

It counts one of each group - red and green.
However, what if said food item has chicken and beef or beans and lentils. It doesn't let you enter it!

Oooh, can not wait for SW's official response.

Thing is, as I said before, I'll still follow the rules and I'll still syn as per the website. Good to know why though.

 

[BritMumInCanada]

Argh, no, I'm not entering them separately! Forget the sushi a moment. In this hypothetical (ie. not real, not sushi) example I put the two items (rice, chicken) through separately just to demonstrate they were free individually.

Then I totted up the totals of their nutritional information and fed those numbers into the calculator, set to extra easy, telling it to account for both rice and chicken.

And syns appear. No extra ingredients. Just free food. And magic syns.

yes I do get what you are saying don't get me wrong. All I was trying to point out, is that the syn calculator is still looking at the full nutritional information, so it isn't just synning the green or original item in the packet. It is looking at them both. It may be the case you get a similar value synwise if you could split the green and original items in the box and input them individually. I know in your example it wasn't the case though, so maybe not.

However, it would be impossible for a formula to be created to do what you are asking, the formula is already very complex. I just don't think there is ever going to be a solution, not when so many prepared food items vary greatly and to be honest I don't think slimming world would want their calculator to do that, as too many prepared/ready made foods would then end up with no or very little syn value and the diet just would not work. I know that may seem unfair for certain foods (like sushi for instance), but I can't ever see a solution around it being made.

As I said though, it will be interesting to see if slimming world reply to you.

 

[BritMumInCanada]

It counts one of each group - red and green.
However, what if said food item has chicken and beef or beans and lentils. It doesn't let you enter it!

Oooh, can not wait for SW's official response.

Thing is, as I said before, I'll still follow the rules and I'll still syn as per the website. Good to know why though.

you always select the main two ingredients for extra easy, so the first two listed in the ingredients list on the packet.

For a green or original day, it would only be the first food listed in the ingredients list that you select as your free food.

That is one of the reasons why certain foods don't qualify for a free food allowance, even when they contain a free food. Because the main ingredient is not a free food, if that makes sense.

For instance, you might buy a packet of frozen mixed vegetable rice. One might assume to select rice as their free food, on a green day, but there may be more vegetable content than rice in which case you wouldn't select rice as your free food, but you would select the main ingredient.

You would then assume, but hey I am not getting any free food allowance for the rice, but you will be because the total syn value however is still looking at the full nutritional information even though you are only selecting one green food allowance and so it is still giving you a fair syn value. Possibly not 100% accurate though, but then at a guess I would say Slimming World want it that way.

The calculator is definately complicated, the formula must be crazy.

To be honest, I think slimming world want us to focus more on the free food list of fresh produce which is pretty much what the plan is based upon, they want us to be aware of exactly what we are eating and looking at ingredients as that is what teaches a healthy eating regime for life. If we just open a prepared/ready mady item, then many will not even have a clue about what ingredients actually went into the product. I therefore think Slimming Worlds aim is for us to use ready made/prepared items only for convenience when really needed. So they perhaps haven't really bothered with trying to come up with a better formula, because they want us to limit those types of foods. As I said in my reply above, if they changed the formula, so it did do what is being asked, far too many ready made/prepared foods would then end up with no syn value or very little syns and the diet just wouldn't be successful.

That is just my take on it all though and why I think Slimming World have kept it that way. The Slimming World plan and it's rules can easily boggle the mind at times and raise some interesting thoughts .