Losing weight the healthy way and on a budget

belfastgirl23

Oops PMd the wrong person I got the OP and gettingready conflated now you both have it anyway!

margaretclare

Excellent advice from belfastgirl. I am a great believer in sitting down and planning. My SD used pencil and paper, wrote down all the reasons why she wanted to lose weight, how her current weight was affecting her, how she thought things might change and how to take it forward. If you KNOW what the problem is, that's the first step to solving it.

I second 'always have breakfast'. An egg in some form or other gives you protein, which takes longer to digest and much better for you than any of the so-called 'breakfast cereals' which, with only a tiny number of exceptions, are all full of sugar. Another good 'rule' is never eat at a desk, or anywhere except at a table, sitting down with a plate in front of you. Another half-hour out of bed in a morning and you'd have time for breakfast. No snacks, biscuits, sweets etc. These IMHO are the killers.

DH and I lost quite a bit of weight just by cutting out potatoes from our food. We didn't have any potatoes in the house at all for over a year and got all the usual 'Oh you've got to have potatoes...' to which the obvious answer is 'What did our ancestors do, before potatoes were introduced as a cheap food for the working-classes, 3 or 4 centuries ago?'

Edwardia

I started low carbing in 2010 after struggling with diabetes and being told by health care professionals to eat more carbs.

Carbohydrates are converted by the body into glucose (sugar) and excess is stored as fat. This is a well-known fundamental body process found in any medical textbook. I could eat carbs and then test, watching my blood glucose rise.

I figured if I lessened the carb load on my body, my diabetes would be more manageable. Luckily, I was able to spend time digging out research and emailing with consultants and researchers in USA and Canada.

I'm also lucky that my GP though sceptical didn't lecture me or put obstacles in my way. I have blood tests every three months and all the health markers have improved no end. Blood pressure, cholesterol. liver enzymes etc and my blood glucose averages are normal too

Since 2010 I have dropped from size 22 to size 14 and I've lost a further 14lbs in the last three months so I'm losing my size 14 trousers now too ! I went organic in March and that has made a difference to my health also.

I'm not saying that low carb is the only way to lose weight or suitable for everyone. BUT eating fewer carbs especially the processed stuff is healthier.

If you stuff cake, biscuits, subs, crisps and yoghurts which are fat free but full of fructose, you're just not going to be as fundamentally healthy as someone who eats fresh veg, fish, poultry, meat and little of the processed stuff and takeaways.

raven83

I have been eating healthy now for 12 weeks and have lots 2 stone 4lbs! The way I have done this is by cutting down on the carbs, increasing the protein and getting more exercise, I also do not eat bread as for me this stuff is the work of the devil and thus I do not have hardly any butter in my diet as a result.

Also I allow myself one day in the week (Saturday) to eat what I like, so if I fancy a takeaway or a piece of cake I will indulge. To be honest I am not sure I would of been as successful if it hadn't been for my one day that I allow myself to eat what I like, in the past I used to get get fed up and depressed and would end up binging and then giving up, but this time I am determined! Still want to shift about another 4stone and feel like doing it like this I can reach my goal!

angelil

I'm not sure that the "never eat anywhere except at a table with a plate in front of you" is realistic for a lot of young professionals today. This is easy for me to do at breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, when I get lunch at 1pm and am not going to have dinner until between 8pm and 9pm, do not leave work until between 4pm and 6pm (and I don't do a desk job), have an hour's commute, and often have to go to a driving lesson as well before finally getting through my front door, I would be in a terrible state if I didn't have anything to eat between 1pm and 9pm because of the "sit at a table" rule. Sometimes snacks on the go are inevitable! However, I try to limit the damage by getting the Graze boxes so that at least my snack will not be from a vending machine.

I'd also recommend - because it hasn't been said already - drinking lots of fluid. If you think you're hungry, drink tea (no milk or sugar) or water first, and then see how you feel. I usually get through at least 1.5l of water a day and to be honest I understand that this is what we should all be aiming for anyway...

lushlifesaver

Someone mentioned Slimming World - we have a thread on here which is just a group of SW followers chatting and talking about their meal plans and other things to do with the plans. One option could be to come on over to us and follow the plan without going to class, we've recently been joined by someone doing just that; they weigh themselves weekly at home and are following the Extra Easy plan through having got all the information from the thread/internet. Extra Easy is just that and it really works (just see my weight loss in my sig); I struggled with losing weight before and I now know that I was essentially sabotaging myself and allowing others to sabotage me.

Eat 3 decent, balanced meals a day. Breakfast is key as it not only provides you with essential intake it also kick starts your system. I also plan 2 extra snacks in a day as then I know what I have and often take things with me to prove to myself I don't have to give in to convenience snacks. Also hydrate well - I've always found it hard to drink enough fluid but now I've developed techniques which have me properly hydrated everyday:)

I've lost weight and saved money - win win all round