I’m Tracey! I am a Slimming World Consultant in Tallaght but most importantly I am a Slimming World member. I have lost five stone following the plan and words cannot convey just how much it has changed my life in every single way.

I was a comfort eater, a secret eater and miserably unhappy for all of my teenage life. Since becoming a parent something clicked for me. I want to be around for my son for as long as I can be. I don’t want him to grow up seeing food as the enemy and as a reason to hide his emotions. Slimming World has changed everything for me and I want to help others do the same.

As a slimmer one of the greatest perceived obstacles can be getting out and about and enjoying a social life. Joining Slimming World is not the end of eating out, meeting friends and enjoying yourself. It is a myth that I try to dispel for my members from the very first night that they join.

One of the major benefits of this plan is the fact that Slimming World is not a fad diet. It is not a temporary quick fix. It is something that people happily stick to for the rest of their lives so that their fabulous weight loss can be maintained and enjoyed for a lifetime. For this reason, it is extremely important that this plan fits in with your life rather than it taking over your life completely.

Eating out and socialising are both a very normal part of modern day life. It is how we spend quality time with those we love and the way we get to know new people also. Getting out of the house and enjoying a bite to eat can work wonders for your mental health as it breaks the everyday routine and is a breath of fresh air. One of my favourite things is enjoying a meal without having to cook it or clean up after – it is the ultimate treat for me as a busy working mum.

There are a few tips and tricks that come in really handy when you want to enjoy getting out and about as a Slimmer. You can still meet friends for coffee, enjoy play dates, have a meal out and still bag yourself a weight loss that week. A few tweaks can go a long way.

Here is my “out and about” Slimming World Survival Guide:

1. When ordering coffee try to go for something like an Americano or Flat White to have more control over the amount of milk that is coming from your healthy extra A. Don’t be afraid to ask for skimmed milk and if you enjoy syrups there will usually be sugar-free syrups available. If you use sweetener or stevia it is a good idea to pick up the handbag sized dispenser as not all coffee shops and cafes will have sweetener rather than sugar.

2. If you are in an environment where there will be sweet treats on offer, take your own with you. I’ll often buy my tea or coffee but have a Slimming World bar or a 5 syn purple snack bar in my bag so that I can enjoy a treat like everyone else. This way I don't have to guess the syns of some kind of cake that is usually more than my daily syns.

3. Look at the menu before you go. So many “bad” decisions are made in the heat of the moment. Some people also do not enjoy having attention drawn to them. Having an idea of what you are ordering will make a big difference so you can arrive with a plan.

4. There will always be something that you can Food Optimise. Baked Potatoes with beans and salad, an omelette (allowing for syns in the oil used) or poached eggs, bacon and salad for example. If going for a salad ask for dressings on the side and try to avoid high syn extras such as croutons and sun-dried tomatoes which can add extra oil. Whenever I order a steak I ask for baby boiled potatoes and salad instead of chips and buttery/fried vegetables and after four years of being a Slimming World member, I’ve never ever been refused. Restaurants want you to come back so ask for what you want.

5. Remember that a meal out is not a reason to see a day as a write-off. You haven’t ruined it and there is every reason to food optimise the rest of the day. Large gains rarely come from those extra few syns you had during that meal or social occasion. It’s usually a result of every decision you made afterwards when you felt the burden of guilt.

6. I have a mantra that helps me when I am out and about and my willpower is low. I tell myself that I can have “all of the things some of the time but I can’t have all of the things all of the time”. It really helps me.

7. Avoid words like breaded, tempura, crumb, fried and crispy. They usually imply that the food has been fried and frying in oil carries large syns.

8. Before you leave the house, throw a couple of pieces of fruit into a bag. You might just eat them on the way to wherever you are going or as a dessert on the way home – but they might just take the edge off and ensure that you don’t arrive ravenous and with a “don’t care” attitude – because deep down you do and would love a loss this week.

9. The Slimming World app will give you specific syn values of foods and drinks at popular coffee shops and restaurants (Subway and Nandos for example). Make sure you’re using it as it is a great tool.

10. Save a couple of syns every day for the couple of days leading up to that particular meal out or occasion. If saving your syns makes you feel deprived on those days then it may not work well for you, but if you are clever with healthy extras and free foods you can still have those sweet treats without using too many syns. Remember free foods are always unlimited so you should never be hungry.

Tracey is a happy mammy to four-year-old Billy. She is a breastfeeder, gentle parent and has recently lost five stone so healthy family eating is her passion! You can find her at www.loveofliving.ie.