The Great 'Cheap Ways To Get In Shape For Summer' Hunt

la_scrittore

With 60 on the horizon and with a plummeting income, I decided earlier this year, that I would prefer to be 'tyreless' (as in tyreless round the midriff)when the big day arrived. I'm following a GL-type eating plan (very filling, never feel ravenous); the practice nurse recommended the Anthony Worrall Thompson GI Diet book, which I bought for £3 on Greenmetropolis, and it's excellent. (I know A W-T isn't the greatest advertisement for successful weight loss- but I guess he doesn't actually follow the diet!) I walk my three dogs for up to two hours a day (as I've always done), have been given some great exercise equipment (eg treadmill) on Freecyle, and bought an exercise bike and a rowing machine for a snip on eBay. Have set up the spare room as a mini gym so no-one can laugh at my efforts. Which are working. Since the beginning of April, I've lost almost 21 lbs (sorry can't do metric) and just another 10lbs to go to reach my goal. I feel so much better and it has not sent me into overdraft.:j

Bero

lee_c wrote: »

Funny this has come up. I have just started Body for Life.

I am not going to buy all the meal supliments, but just do the excercises they have online.

www.bodyforlife.com

cheers
Lee

Lee

Good luck with the body for life challenge.

Those supplements get very expensive though. I found a different program on-line by Tom Venuto which comes in the form of an e-book costing around $40. Check:

https://www.burnthefat.com

It's working for me and I don't have to pay outrageous prices for supplements each month.

Ian

arcana_2

Try the first two weeks of the South Beach Diet: give up all wheat, carbs (pasta, rice, potatoes), fruit (high in natural sugars) and chocolate for just 14 days, then reintroduce them gradually (don't pig out on day 15!). I lost a stone. For these two weeks you feast on proteins (lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish) with lots of vegetables/salads, and low-fat dairy products. Buy the South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatson - contains lots of recipes to try, and I didn't feel hungry once. You also save money (no mid-morning lattes & croissants for two weeks) so the cost of the book is far outweighed (no pun intended) by what you save on stodge.
Good luck!

aliduthie

Its simple - just eat less (save money, lose weight) and walk more (save money, lose weight).....

therealdessie

I buy cheap exercise equipment from Ebuyer and/or eBay so that I:

a) don't have to pay to work out in a gym and wait for the machines
b) can shower at my own leisure with my own towels
c) don't have to schedule my workouts at a specific time

I have a spinner bike (£50 on Ebuyer), vibration plate (£120 on eBay) and cross-trainer (about £200 but not sure where from); ten minutes on each three times a week. The cost of the gear is less than a gym membership and I can keep it for more than a year (as well as share it with the other half).

I would also advise getting a heart rate monitor so you can keep safe and motivate yourself to work out - Amazon do a pack with a set of scales and a pedometer here for £35: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oregon-Scientific-Scales-Pedometer-Heart/dp/B000IM5MSU/ref=sr_1_9/026-1697783-1974019?ie=UTF8&s=personal&qid=1182965646&sr=8-9

One of the best things I have used though is an American piece of software called Yourself!Fitness. I used to have the Xbox version, but the PC version can be seen here: http://www.google.com/products?q=yourself%21fitness+pc&show=dd. Note that it is NOT available in the UK so you'll need to locate an online supplier that will ship here - there are plenty around. The software is basically a virtual personal trainer program (see the site http://www.yourselffitness.com/ for examples), and it really does motivate. If you have a PC linked to your TV as a monitor you can use it that way, or else get hold of a laptop to use it with - you don't need any equipment at all to do a decent workout. Maya (the trainer) keeps track of what you have done, and when, and provides regular feedback as well as intervening tests to ensure you're keeping to your goals. I'd 100% recommend it to any gym-shy readers.

helen258

Try www.weightlossresources.co.uk - online tools to work out calorie and nutritional content of just about everything; also provides a chat room and message boards for support. Free trial for 3 days, no card details required until the 3 days are up, then it costs £7.50 to £9.50 a month depending on the amount of time you sign up for.

Otherwise, try Slimming World - www.slimming-world.co.uk to find out the nearest class. Similar to the Weight Watchers 'no count' diet, very little weighing and measuring required; you eat enough of a huge variety of healthy foods to feel satisfied - and add in a few (controlled) extras.

Apart from that, eat less and exercise more.

Helen

Helen

ankleshaggers

I picked up a bike on ebay last year and have never looked back. Gym membership used to cost £35 a month. I now ride, do a few free weights and some basic exercises at home which costs nothing!

kate_d

ulaGet a hula hoop. Children's hula hoops are NOT the right size for adults - you need to invest in an adult sized one (about £20 - £25), or make your own hoop (see http://www.jasonunbound.com/hoops.html ).

Now start hooping. You can just spin the thing or you can dance with it (er, that takes a bit of practice) or you can learn tricks and impress people who always think it looks easy til they try. There are loads of sites online about hooping, e.g. http://www.hooping.org and there are instructional videos on YouTube.

It's aerobic exercise, it's good for working your core muscles, good for balance and your centre of gravity, and for losing inches from your waist.

lily_b

Why not become a volunteer dog-walker for an animal rescue organisation? It's free, you'll get to have that warm, glowy altruistic feeling and also spend time with a new furry friend. Knowing that if you don't turn up some poor pooch will be moping around can be a great motivator to keep you going!

purpledaffodil

littlescarlet wrote: »

Rosemary Conley at least offers you an exercise class for your money too and I lost 2 stone in 6 months there on a diet that suits me - but as soon as you stop going.....and its still nearly a fiver a week.

I agree with this, I lost 4 stone, 6 years ago and have kept up the class and kept the weight off. I find that it is still a good cheap exercise class with an instructor who is not interested in posing herself, but in what the class are doing. Paying by direct debit means that it is £20 a month even in 5 week months, but you can pay weekly if you want. If it is not for you, you can just finish- no contract.:j