Hello deakini13! Welcome to the forums and congratulations on taking the step into Slimming World
I've been to Shakeaway and can imagine the temptations you're faced with there! So, taking your questions one at a time...
1) What plan are you following? Are you doing Extra Easy or going down the red/green day route? You can eat as much as you like of free food but with Extra East one third of your plate has to be super free. For red and green days, you can eat as much free food as you want but exercise portion control too, don't just eat it because you can. Remember to stop eating when you get full so you don't overeat
2) Mug shots are good snacks as most of them are free, although that doesn't mean you should eat a lot in one day. They're not particularly healthy so for snacks I tend to go for things like fruit (this is a great time of year for fruit as the strawberries are delicious and the cherries are super juicy!), eggs (a hard boiled egg can be nice and filling) or (as I'm a total cheese addict!) Babybel. I do the red/green days so I think that 3 light Babybel is one healthy extra A choice. Other good snacks are Alpen Light bars or HiFi bars if you did decide to start going to classes. I think it's 2 Alpen Light bars for a healthy extra B choice.
What I also do when faced with temptation (like Shakeaway) is chew some of that menthol chewing gum. I hate the stuff but it also makes anything I eat afterwards taste awful so it puts me off of wanting to eat the things that would normally tempt me.
3) If you're on a budget then loads of cheap fruits and veggies are great. The basic ones in supermarkets are reasonable or if there's a local market to you that's a great place to pick up cheap food. Cheap cuts of meat are great too if you trim off all the fat, pop them in a slow cooker for a few hours and make an amazing stew with root vegetable mash and boiled potatoes. Pasta is great too and pretty cheap, if you make a lot of it and a homemade free tomato based sauce then that could last you a few days. I don't eat fish so don't know what fish prices are like. My favourite meal on a budget is a big jacket potato, a whole tin of beans and cheese on top! Totally free on a green day (with cheese as a healthy extra), very filling and super scrummy too! Throw a salad on the side too and it gives it a lovely bit of crunch.
4) There's a blue button near the bottom of the screen that lets you create a new thread. Took me a while to spot it too!
Good luck in your weight loss journey!
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