How to manage family trip to London?

[ItLiterallyJustSaysFoldInTheCheese]

It's early days on SW, but I've just had my half a stone award and I'm feeling pretty good. But... next week I'm taking my (young) daughter to London for 3 days. It's their first time so we've got a hectic trip packed with loads to see and do. Food-wise, it's going to be mainly stuff on the go... she's coeliac so we're a little limited on where we can eat without me also needing to find SW friendly. So out of need, I think I need to relax a little bit and just make sure that overall, I'm choosing wisely and not going overboard. My step count should hopefully count for something 😆

Any tips or strategies I can use? I'll be surrounded by burgers, fried things, cheese things, bread things... ! Even breakfast will be on the go, so can't fill up on a SW friendly hotel breakfast!

Bumping hopefully...

Sounds good. One thing that I think works (ish) for me is that a lot of the really on-the-go food is noticeably expensive. I used to really like certain things from stations, and often was travelling home when really hungry so very much in the path of temptation, but I have really limited my consumption and spending on things now.

I think you could try looking up a few options that could give you decent, filling but not too naughty food before you go. Leon is one of them, quite a good chain (and also often in stations! So this is something that's 'allowed' in my travelling when hungry situation. Plus they should have coeliac options).
There are cafes that offer things like salads, omelettes, and jacket potatoes, and these are probably worth looking up (Salt and Pepper, Bloomsbury is one that I remember off the top of my head). Several of the churches or former churches also are worth being nosey in terms of more substantial cafe food.

But then I'd also maybe pledge to buy decently portable snacks like bananas, maybe drinking yoghurts and so on, just from the supermarkets where they're a lot cheaper. Things that need a spoon or to fiddle with on the go, they're not very easy to deal with in London on the hoof. Try to stay fuelled to rein in more instantly tempting things, if you think you might be distracted to do that.

TBH I wouldn't sweat it too much. I came back from 3 days in Edinburgh with a 1.5 loss and I was there to enjoy and not say no - cant have.

The good choices were Marks and Spencer salad/pasta lunch meals - I did pick the ones that were low fat, low sugar - usually beans or couscous based with salmon or feta. We arent people who have to eat certain meals at certain time, we eat when we are hungry so we often skipped breakfast or got an egg McMuffin if we knew next chance to eat was going to be really late.

I did have wine, I did have an Indian meal, I did have fish and chips , we also walked around 10 miles a day :)

One thing Id say, is download the Too Good To Go app, you can pick up all sorts of on the go type food for very little money . Even the hotels put up whats left from their Buffet Breakfasts at 10:30

Theres loads of parks in London if the weather is dry, to sit an eat. When Im taking friends over one thing we do is the river trip - planned for lunchtime - so we sit and eat whilst getting a commentary on the sights up the Thames

And whilst Wetherspoons isnt fine dining, its cheap and easy and they do have healthy options, as well as catering for other dietary needs. I had the fish and chips in there, rather then a chippy. Small portion, oven chips, oven fish, and a side salad so whilst off plan, I made it the healthier option

Dont forget, one meal isnt going to break the plan, just get back on as soon as you can. Enjoy your time away

Just try and make healthier choices than you would of before. We can't always be perfect. Low carb on the breakfast helps. Yoghurt fruit, eggs etc.

M&S is good for healthy food on the go. Loads in London, and at lots of train stations. Not just sandwiches either. Lots of interesting salads, sushi etc.

M&S, Leon, Pret etc all have healthy options for on the go. I'm guessing the step count will help too. Enjoy your trip!

It’s completely up to you where you choose to eat and what you put in your mouth.

I lived and worked in central London for a decade and only moved recently. It’s fairly easy to not eat dirty burgers, bready things and fried things. There are loads of options for healthy eating and most chain places will allow you to go bunless with your burgers or make other calorie reducing swaps.

don’t really understand why you would shove a bag with yogurts and bananas- there is no need to constantly be chomping things. There’s lots of great coffee if you just want some ‘mouthfeel’ and if you are GENUINELY hungry, there will always be a little supermarket 1 minute a way.

breakfast- just grab a normal coffee (not a chocaloca mochaccino with cream) and a croissant. 400 cals or so. It really isn’t that deep. If you are having a sit down breakfast, opt for eggs. There are lots of cool brunch places where you can get eggs and salmon/bacon.

If you want a ‘healthy’ lunch- lots of options for affordable sushi in the city. If you’re thinking more of grabbing a meal deal- just grab a sandwich, some lighter crisps and a water. Or for ultra fast food, like McDonald’s- just have a quarter pounder meal and a Diet Coke. You don’t need to think ‘oh it’s unhealthy, fuck it, let’s go nuts’ just because you are ‘cheating’. A more restrained McDonald’s meal can be the same calorie-wise as a virtuous salad.

Dinner- again, just be sensible and don’t eat until uncomfortably full. Something based around protein+veg is a more sensible option and can even be picked up at a Wetherspoons (mixed grill, steak and veg). If you have a big creamy pasta dish and enjoy that and you’re full- do you need a pudding?

Not trying to preach- enjoy your trip. You certainly don’t have to make any swaps if you have to, you can just enjoy yourself- but it sounds like you want to stay on track. And there really isn’t a reason here to not ‘stay on track’ if that’s what you want :)

Great advice here, thanks!

I do want to be able to enjoy it and not be a slave to rules to the extent where we're all miserable!

Some good tips on here though to help me make a few better choices while still going with the flow.