Losing the weight while losing the debt?

weebit

Hi all,

So I've decided that I'm going to lose some weight, but I also need to lose my debt. previously when i've gone on a diet, my spending increases as i spend more on the healthier foods and stop buying the cheaper, unhealthy foods.

Any advice for losing weight on a budget?

Thanks.

determined_new_ms

I would say eat lots of seasonal veg, limit oil in cooking, use up ingredients in your cupboards/fridge/freezer before buying anymore.

I think you'd get a better response if you posted this in the health & beauty section

WantToBeSE

I lost a stone while clearing my debt.

I ate a fairly healthy diet anyway, i just cut down on the treats (wine and chocolate mainly) and walked more.

heartbreak_star

Also big bags of frozen veg are great - dirt cheap and stay useable for ages!

HBS x

harrys_dad

Try Aldi's "Super 6" offers each week. Yesterday we had roast chicken (not fattening if you don't eat the skin then last night I stripped the carcass and boiled the bones to make stock. Today I have added carrots (49p for a kilo), onions, potatoes (49p), courgettes, and will serve with cabbage (lovey savoy cabbage 49p each) and broccolli (again 49p). A meal for 6 for very little, full of goodness and very healthy and non-fattening too. Other weeks the Super 6 are fruit based, so just as healthy.

Fresh food, especially vegetables and fruit, is the way to go.

sachatith

I'm the same as you and couldn't afford the subscriptions etc, and seemed to be building up my grocery bill!

I've joined one of the forums on here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3699021 (in case I can't share links, not tried before, it is called 'Weight Loss the Old Style Way! Under Old Style Money Saving) and it is really helping me. I have joined My Fitness Pal which you can tailor to your needs, eg how active you are in the day, how much exercise you want to do, and how much you want to lose - and it's free and works!

The next weight loss challenge on the forum on here starts in the next couple of weeks so have a look - and the idea of the forum is not to spend a fortune so it's perfect

Good luck x

MrsGSR

I have found that due to tightening our spending and being more imaginative with food and cooking within a budget and reducing portion size I have naturally lost weight and its been easier than counting points or syns or whatever. Also walking more has really helped.
Having been a member of WW in the past and lost 21lbs with them I have gone up and down in weight. I've actually found in the last few weeks that I am more relaxed about weight loss as i'm not obsessing just eating sensibly and less food!

Edwardia

Cutting down on the cakes, booze and takeaways because of debt def will help you lose weight. Also, once you feel that you're in control of the debt not it in control of you then you should feel less stressed and not want to comfort eat so that will help too.

lantanna

Totally in the same boat as yourself. I won't lie it is hard and you have to be very creative at times. I buy small amounts of meat and a lot of veg and pad out meals with rice and pasta etc.

Like the Op said you may get more advice on the Health & Beauty Board.

pinkneonmartini

I've struggled with this too, and found it particularly hard to do as a single person living alone, as meal plans are usually based on a family of four, so now i'm making my own, which largely involves lots of batch cooking.

For example, I paid £15 for a roasting joint of beef last friday. I rubbed on a bit of mustard on the top and left it to roast at 170 degrees for 5 hours (so it looked like pulled pork) I used 1/3 of the meat to make a sort of risotto (only adding basics long grain rice, 2 chopped onions, a handful of frozen peas and 1/4 of a white cabbage shredded, 1 litre of beef stock made from a basics beef cube, and 1 beaten egg). This was enough for 6 portions at 450 calories a bowl.

Tonight I will be using another 1/3 of the meat to make the exact same dish again with the remaining cabbage and some more rice, leaving me with a tupperware full of the remaining 1/3 of the meat to either freeze or turn into something fabulous? Chances are it will get thrown in a stew of some description as I have a bag of pearl barley, and some tomatoes that need using.

Try growing your own herbs, I bought two basils as I use a fair bit, and they have lasted me all summer, they are about to flower, so I will strip them of their leaves and use any excess to make pesto and freeze it in an ice cube tray (very handy for chucking into pastas for a herby hit)

But the saving grace of my kitchen has been spending a small fortune £15-20 setting up a proper spice rack. It means it's very easy to make what would be boring dishes, something more interesting.

For example, I cooked a huge batch of turkey meatballs in the oven, dry, but all I had in veg wise was kale and some onions. By adding the whole lot to one pot roughly chopped and then adding a chicken stock cube, some water, a large tbsp of tumeric it and a pinch of hot chilli powder, it became a curry if you can get to an asian supermarket for the big bags of spices instead of buying the little jars in supermarkets it soon becomes very cheap! I even brought back 6 packets of saffron from spain lol