July Challenge: Losing weight while saving money!

researcher

I think RSPCA kennels are often looking for willing volunteer dog walkers - they don't pay though.

bulchy

Thats a good idea researcher, just before we got our dogs, we were thinking of doing this with our local dog rescue centre, but we decided to rescue a dog instead.
Sue

taurusgb

Can I join too please? I need to lose weight, partly because I feel soooooooooo unfit and partly because I have been having trouble with my feet (plantar faciitis) and knees (Lord only knows!) and I am convinced that if my poor feet and legs had less weight to carry they wouldn't hurt so much! Am also going on a two week holiday in Canada in 7 weeks - it took a lot of saving for and I don't want to (a) miss out on anything or (b) hold back my DH and DK's.

One tip a friend of mine gave me today for a no-cost easy exercise is to use the stairs 3 times a day to walk up and down, by going all the way to the top and down again, then up to the last but one step and down again, and keep on going up and down, a step less at a time until you finish...hope that makes sense! -so easy to do and so hard to write down!

annie-c

Welcome taurusgb and thanks for the MS exercise tip!

[Deleted User]

Pink-winged wrote:

Hi sophiesmum,

A good tip I got on this board is to dry fry the mince and tip off the excess oil before adding the other ingredients....you wouldn't believe the amount of fat that came out of my mince the last time I made Shepherds Pie.

Pink

I used to always put the mince in with about a pint of water and bring to the boil then strain of the water it seems to do the same thing as dry frying it.

RachelD

I've been losing weight with acupuncture and diet. The acupuncture stimulates the metabolism. I think I have tried every diet / weight loss system known to woman, but this works for me. It may not work for people who have to cook for families. The diet alone should work but may not work as well without the acupuncture.

Breakfast -you must eat protein at breakfast and you can eat carbohydrate, some fat and dairyas well.
Sample breakfast ,
bacon, eggs OR
fishcakes OR
scrambled eggs OR
ham OR
cheese OR
plus toast OR cereal
yoghurt

(You could have steak or pasta but I haven't ,so far been able toface that).

Lunch
fruit (avoid sweeet fruits like melon)OR vegetables

I generally take fruit to work for lunch- often a luxury fruit salad and for evening meal have
stir fried veg OR
salad OR
soup OR
baked potato OR
mashed potatoes with spring onion chopped

It is a difficult diet to get used to but it is money saving as your meat bill goes down. It is healthy too with the concentration on fruit and veg and a throwback to olden times when you had to breakfast like a king, dine like a pauper. It also makes going out for a meal a challenge.

I've lost a stone and a half and kept it off.

Rachel

researcher

JackieO wrote:

I used to always put the mince in with about a pint of water and bring to the boil then strain of the water it seems to do the same thing as dry frying it.

This removes some of the fat, but also a lot of the flavour (think how you make stock). Dry fry - is a much more efficient way to remove the fat, but not the flavour.

researcher

I've just checked my Nectar points, and they are offering a day guest pass to Canons Health clubs for 500 points (£2.50?) - this is for two people. A weekend pass is 1000 points and a monthly one 2000 points - all for two people.

consultant31

researcher wrote:

A few tips that might help someone.


Use a little stock to stir-fry rather than oil, even the spray type.
Cut down on processed carbohydrate, like bread and substitute 'complex' carbohydrates like brown rice and lentils.
Substitute normal bread for pita.
Eat fruit, but don't go overboard on high sugar types like grapes. Try and eat 4/5th veg 1/5th fruit.
Prepare a salad from lots of vegetable, not just lettuce - and if taking to work take the dressing separately, unless its hard veges that benefit from being marinated.
Steam veges.
Cook fish/chicken (no skin) in a greaseproof paper parcel (folded to seal) - add a touch of lemon juice/herbs/garlic etc - but no oil. Tastes really lovely - and can be served hot or cold. (Can be roasted or steamed)
Eat/drink any dairy sparingly.
Avoid potato's - however cooked.
Cut out all fizzy drinks, sugar in drinks and learn to love water.
Drink a glass of water before any meal.
Walk a dog - even a borrowed one will do.

Hope some of these help - the important thing is not to go on a strict diet as the weight will come pilling back on as soon as you stop. Rather, it is to change your habits in a way which you can continue.

There are some really good tips here, but I wouldn't advise anyone to cut out dairy produce. Women, in particular, need the calcium it contains to forestall the onset of osteoporosis.
Also potatoes are not a bad food at all (and they're cheap). Boiled or dry-fried (using FryLight) they're good for you and very filling. Just avoid adding butter to mash or using oil to fry.

bedshaped

Trow wrote:

Hmmm - just thought - you could add a bit of flavour to the cous cous by, instead of using water, using a just-prepared dried soup packet... like cup-a-soup or slim-a-soup. I might just try that as I have some needing used.

For this I use 10 calorie soups, available in supermarkets ( I get mine in Morrisons, around 40p ish for 5/6 sachets and available in a few flavours, eg Beef & veg, chicken, french onion and are less fattening than cup a soup or slim a soup.