Destination slim

Getting from A to B doesn’t have to send your weight loss off track. We asked real-life slimmers to share their tried-and-tested tips for navigating service stations, buffet cars, in-flight menus and more…

Whether it’s for business or pleasure, travelling can often bring with it, if not exactly a roadblock, then at least a diversion on your weight-loss journey. When hunger strikes, you suddenly find yourself at the mercy of motorway services, buffet cars or whatever’s hiding in the back of your glove box… We asked Slimming World members who regularly steer around these challenges how they stay on track and discovered that if you plan your pit stops carefully, the only thing travel will broaden is your mind.

Commuting

Do you experience a rush hour before you’ve even left the house in the morning? Getting ready for the day, and then where you need to be on time, often means breakfast is neglected. Which can leave you prone to filling a hole with an unhealthy snack later, then writing off the day with a succession of convenience options.

Before she joined Sinead Pierce’s Slimming World group in Clontarf, Dublin, Sandra Duffy never made time for breakfast. ‘It could be midmorning before I’d have my first bite to eat – usually a sugary cereal bar,’ says Sandra, who has a long commute to her job in an orthodontic practice. ‘Lunch was sandwiches – heavy on the mayo – with a packet of crisps. And I wouldn’t give a second thought to grabbing a couple of bars of chocolate on the journey home.’ Sandra has now lost .st ..½lbs and discovered her morning meal sets her up for a winning weightloss day. ‘Breakfast is a Healthy Extra serving of Shreddies Original with chopped apple and Synfree yogurt, or overnight oats with fresh berries. I prep two extra bowls of fruit, too – one for a midmorning snack and another for my journey home.’