21 and Struggling

ru20205

pinkarsenalprincess wrote: »

Having studied nutrition myself there is absolutely nothing wrong with SW at all. For many it is actually an incredibly useful tool to learn how to eat properly. Like anything, it requires a complete lifestyle change. If the lifestyle is changed and habits are changed then yes it does work long term.

Im sure it does work for some people who are in a position to afford the diet, but nothing replaces good old fashioned 'sensible eating'. Eating little and often and increasing exercise does the same thing but for free without increasing your outlay on food/a diet plan like SW or WW when you are in debt and cant afford it.

I have no doubt there are many success stories out there for people who have tried these diets and they work for them, but we are talking about individuals here and not the mass population, and it doesnt work for everyone, as some people, when they stop a diet like SW they put the weight back on. Thats what i was trying to say.

I believe light exercise, healthy eating, little and often is the way to a healthier lifestyle and the key to losing weight, not diet plans made by people for profit. (Sorry, just my opinion).

bristol_pilot

I'm not going to offer any comment on dieting, but having eliminated the bank of M&D as an option, with the sort of APRs you are paying, no assets, low income...cutting back on groceries is not going to do it for you even if you eat nothing at all. You would have nothing to lose (apart from the fee) by declaring yourself bankrupt, start with a clean slate in 12 months time.

downcdebt

hiya,
i know you said you were stuck in a contract with 02 - but if you have a half way decent phone, you could sell it (not necessarily on ebay, but via one of those companies that buy 'old' phones) and buy a really cheap pay as you go one - putting your sim card in. You wont obviously save any money you pay out per month, but would get a lump sum for the phone...??3
just a thought - i sold mine, as i had a bit of a LBM but just after I'd upgraded my phone with 02 for a nice HTC new one, so am stuck with a £35 a month tarrif ....grrrr.

good luck with tackling the debt!!!

josephine82

Hi Katie

I think probably the most important thing here is to try to up your income, then you can have some spare cash to pay off your debts.
You say that you already work 40 hours a week, which sounds tough, especially for a low salary. Could you work in a pub on a Friday evening, and perhaps another day during the week? Or waitressing?

I think the diet is your choice. If it is something you feel you have to do then it will take you a lot longer to pay off your debts. I paid £140 a month for private counselling and while I could have paid off my debt so much quicker, I made the choice to do it and pay for it and I am so glad that I did.

Saying that, I think that you could definitely do the weight loss thing on your own. Losing weight and keeping it off is about changing your lifestyle, looking at your eating habits and making positive changes to them. Meal replacements aren't going to make you face up to why you are overweight in the first place. You need to tackle what is going on and change it.

I spent years over my ideal weight, unhappy, and trying diet after diet. I recently finally lost the weight and am now at a healthy weight, but it was hard- not giving in to temptation, working out that I overate when I was unhappy or stressed and that I was eating totally the wrong things. I'm not saying it is easy because it is not- but you can get there by eating basic, healthy meals and doing excersise. If you spoke to your GP then could refer you to a dietician and then you could get some help with meal planning, portion size etc. Could you find an excersise class or something you could do with your knee? I play netball and badminton- don't slog it out at the gym anymore but do something fun that I really enjoy!

Anyway, good luck on the debt free mission- if you decide to go it alone on the weight loss, and you need some support- I'd be happy to help you- just PM me

Josephine xx

Dellers

If you do ww you can sign up on the free days then do it at home. I have lost 4 stone on it and my husband lost 7 stone. Weight loss is a slow process but them shakes are going to do you no good in the long term.

zcrat41

Hi Katie,

Just wanted to say that whatever diet you try unless you have the motivation it won't work. If you have the motivation, any diet will work!

I started WW in March this year. I've gone from 14 stone 4 pounds to 10 stone 4 pounds. I do a lot of (free) exercise - walking mainly. I chose ww because I think its a varied, healthy diet. Basing your diet on 3 meals a day plus the odd snack and the odd treat is a sensible way to do it.

You can lose weight so much more cheaply. Go for it, I'm sure you can do it.

ZC

taplady

dmg24 wrote: »

I do agree with Silaqui on the diet, the Slim Fast type diets are great as a quick fix or if you need to lose half a stone, but in the long term are both expensive and not sustainable. To lose weight and keep it off you need to change your eating habits for life, and cutting out food is not a life option. If you are very overweight, your doctor may be able to refer you to a dietitian to get some specialist help. Best of luck with it.

I second this. I've seen friends do the Lighter Life type of diets and yes they work temporarily as long as you're doing them but in the end it all goes back on as nobody can sustain an eating plan like that long term. Please listen to advice and try a healthier approach to your eating - real food is cheaper and healthier.:)
Good luck with tackling your debt.

taplady

pinkarsenalprincess wrote: »

Having studied nutrition myself there is absolutely nothing wrong with SW at all. For many it is actually an incredibly useful tool to learn how to eat properly. Like anything, it requires a complete lifestyle change. If the lifestyle is changed and habits are changed then yes it does work long term.

just noticed your post and have to say I agree. SW is a healthy eating plan for life. I know as I've lost 2 stone and have kept it off for nearly 3 years now.

taplady

ru20205 wrote: »

I. SW, WeightWatches etc, they work short term, but long terms have the reverse effect. The amount of people i have seen who have gone on a WW or SW diet, lost weight only to put it back on and then some after finishing these diets. Trust me, they do not work.

if you do the SW eating plan properly you do not 'finish it' as it is a plan to change your habits for life not a 'diet' that starts and finishes. The only people that fail are the ones who view it as a short term 'diet' to lose weight and think that they can stop the diet one day when they have lost enough weight. Thats not how it works.
As I said before I've kept mine off for nearly 3 years now as I have altered my habits for life.

pinkarsenalprincess

Agreed taplady and it is a very useful tool for many to learn how to change their habits for life. Those who put on weight afterwards while do so regardless of whatever 'diet' they chose as they naively think that once the weight is gone they can go back to old eating habits.