Can i justify paying for a slimming club?

Detroit

pollypenny wrote: »

Buy Michael Mosley's Intermittent Fasting 5:2 diet book. Join their forum and get support there.

The recipes are good, both in the book and online. We are saving money anyway, as we've gone to two meals a day whether it's a fast day or not.

One little problem - all my trousers are too big and I'm buying new.

Do you not feel unwell on fast days? Headaches and weakness? Or do you become accustomed to it?

lika_86

Do you have a smartphone? If so, do you log your food using MyFitnessPal or something similar? If not, you might find that by weighing foods properly and being able to see calories in what you're eating you might lose weight by either limiting your portions or changing what you eat, then you could spend the extra £20 a month of fresh fruit and stuff or just daily expenses.

You could also try a bit more exercise using the Couch to 5k programme or something which can be downloaded to a phone.

Personally I found the 5:2 impossible to deal with.

Also, I find the Fitbit app (you don't need a fitbit) great for logging weight, I weigh myself every day and it gives a weekly average, which is great because weight on a daily basis fluctuates but by using the average then you hopefully see a downward trend.

FBaby

Do you not feel unwell on fast days? Headaches and weakness? Or do you become accustomed to it?

This is something that has always puzzled me. I know we are all different but I often hear women saying how they feel faint when they don't eat a certain amount of calories on a regular basis.

I guess I must be very different because for me, it's about what I eat in the timescale of probably a week if not more than will affect how I feel. I can go a whole day without eating and feel absolutely fine energy wise. As a matter of fact, I recently went through a phase when my appetite was very low so ate little (and indeed lost quite a bit of weight) and yet never ran as fast and as far as during this time. I felt absolutely great.

I remember reading a doctor's view on this and he explained how scientifically, our bodies don't need regular food and can adjust well over much longer periods. Yet many of my friends say that if they miss a meal (be it breakfast, lunch or dinner), they start to feel faint and unwell, so either different people regulate their bodies very differently, or it is psychological or a habit that we believe we need to eat three meals a day.

kingfisherblue

I suffered extreme sickness throughout my three pregnancies and I was a lot thinner then. Size 10 for babies one and two, size 12 for my three.

I'm now a member of SW, and I'm on a limited budget. We were discussing food costs a few weeks ago, and it's possible to eat healthily without spending lads more.

Pasta, rice and potatoes are free foods and can be bought cheaply. Frozen veg tends to be cheaper than fresh, but take advantage of Aldi and Lidl. Other supermarkets have offers too, and seasonal veg tends to be cheaper. Frozen peppers from Farmfoods are £1 a bag - so much cheaper than fresh, and you get loads more for your money. That's just one example.

Aldi have yoghurt that are free foods - much cheaper than Muller lights (which I only buy when on offer). Just check the website or app. Aldi also have sugar free cordial quite cheap, and it tastes just like Robinson's.

Eggs are cheap and can be used for omelettes, which you can fill with whatever is in the fridge. SW quiche is quick and easy to make, and cheaper and tastier than those in the chill cabinet in supermarkets.

If hubby doesn't eat wholemeal bread, buy a small loaf for yourself and freeze in portions of two slices (each portion being one HEB). No waste.

Tinned tomatoes are cheap and a great base for pasta sauces. Add lots of veg to pasta or stews to bulk out. You need less meat that way.

There are plenty of recipes online, and Pinterest has several boards for SW recipes. Even sweets can be cheap - a sachet of sugar free jelly, add gelatine, stir in boiling water. Pour into silicone ice cube trays, cool, and refrigerate. Lots of jelly sweets, but only 1-1 1/2 subs, and cheap to make.

SW doesn't have to be expensive. If you attend group, ask for recipes on a budget - you don't have to say why. If you prefer, you can ask the SW consultant if she can bring it up, without pinpointing that it's you who asked.

Personally I think it's worth £5 a week, although I do buy countdowns as it saves a bit more cash. For me, it's a social thing too.

Hermia

FBaby wrote: »

This is something that has always puzzled me. I know we are all different but I often hear women saying how they feel faint when they don't eat a certain amount of calories on a regular basis.

I guess I must be very different because for me, it's about what I eat in the timescale of probably a week if not more than will affect how I feel. I can go a whole day without eating and feel absolutely fine energy wise. As a matter of fact, I recently went through a phase when my appetite was very low so ate little (and indeed lost quite a bit of weight) and yet never ran as fast and as far as during this time. I felt absolutely great.

I remember reading a doctor's view on this and he explained how scientifically, our bodies don't need regular food and can adjust well over much longer periods. Yet many of my friends say that if they miss a meal (be it breakfast, lunch or dinner), they start to feel faint and unwell, so either different people regulate their bodies very differently, or it is psychological or a habit that we believe we need to eat three meals a day.

I genuinely feel faint if I go without food and it definitely isn't just in my head! I also get utterly horrendous headaches if I go without food. I have been this way since I was a pre-teen. I hate eating breakfast, but I have to force myself to or I start to feel faint and shaky on my commute. I also really notice my concentration goes down at work and I start to make mistakes if I have not eaten.

OP - have you tried the Spark People website? It is free and there are lots of groups you can join on there. I found one for my area and the people are lovely. You can join in challenges which is very motivating.

As others have said healthy food really doesn't need to cost a lot. She maybe need to head over to the OS and shopping boards to get some ideas.

pollypenny

Detroit wrote: »

Do you not feel unwell on fast days? Headaches and weakness? Or do you become accustomed to it?

We both feel brilliant. It's not starvation on fast days, but 500 calories for a woman and 600 for a man.

I've lost 19lbs, OH has lost 2st 7lbs. We are fitter and slimmer.

It doesn't feel like a diet at all, since our appetites have reduced considerably. Out with friend last week saw chips left - they'd have been wolfed before.

ronmiel

Nutracheck online is the best diet I have been on, I lost 5 stone. Check out their website and have a weeks free trial. If you join it costs about six pound a month. There is no special fads, it really is great.

[Deleted User]

Bouncybubbles wrote: »

Or did going make you want to loose it more knowing you have to face the scales?

This definitely, for me. Recently gone back... again....

I'd probably not have gone near an Iceland if it wasn't for Slimming World to be fair and what a saving alone that is. Can't wait for the limited edition 6 pack autumn muller crumble yogurts exclusive to Iceland with the SW product purchase deal any day now.

A fiver at our group and probably everywhere else least gets you a cuppa as well when it comes to the wake up call or reality check - when I think about it, I don't even get this luxury of a free hot drink at work!! compared to buying from a coffee shop say.

stroodes

I did it on my own save from an excercise bike, which was a godsend. Large outgoing but worth it, have lost three and a half stone, no need to lose more as now under eight but continue to use the bike and watch Judge Judy at same time, also allows me my curries and fish and chips occasionly.

olgadapolga

£20 a month? That's a gym membership!

I've been losing weight over the last thirteen months with the help of the (free) MyFitnessPal website. I've lost 9.5 stone over this time by eating foods that I have always eaten. I eat what my family eat, but in correctly sized portions. If my family have a roast dinner then so do I, just a smaller one to enable me to maintain a caloric deficit. I may swap out the roast potato in favour of pudding but I certainly don't buy different food to eat.