Wednesday mornings are probably one of my favourite days of the week. It means taking my youngest to the local soft play and having a good natter to my friend over a coffee while our boys run around and scream like crazy things.
Sounds bliss I hear everyone cry....you would think a few hours of chilling out and sitting around sounds perfect but here is the problem – How the hell do you stay on plan with counters full of cake, sweets, crisps and no skimmed milk for that much needed coffee or two?
Now I have to admit that I do plan in advance and take along a few essentials to get me through, you will often find me munching on a hifi bar or chowing down on a slice of melon but there are always days when I’m just not that organised or have run out of Slimming World friendly goodies or when my little one accompanies me to the counter of doom and is drawn in by the sugary beauty of the pink iced donuts and wants one as a treat (which you know he won’t eat and will sit on the table calling your name until you give in and have one very small nibble, followed by a slightly larger bite only to realise two minutes later all that remains is a few crumbs, sticky fingers and an overwhelming feeling of disappointment in yourself for giving in so easy....and in actual fact you didn’t even enjoy it that much anyway).
So today with my little man in tow I decided to actually have a proper look around the food outlet to find out what I would be able to purchase that would be within my syns allowance and I found hardly anything. The best option would have been a coffee or tea with no milk and white toast with no butter. It’s disappointing that a facility designed for children doesn’t even provide anything healthy for them (unless you class a tangerine which can only be purchase as part of an overpriced childs lunchbox meal deal as the healthy option) let alone adults, why can’t they provide a fruit option all I’m asking is a banana or a fruit pot, perhaps a plain omelette or porridge.
So my advice to people following a healthy eating plan while visiting such places and wanting to stay on plan - pack lots of your own healthy snacks, set aside as many syns as you can spare (I always set aside 11 syns for two small cappuccinos) and write these down in your food diary before you go and finally ensure your will power is set to max as this is really the only tool to ensure you escape still on plan.