Feeling a bit flabby? Want to drop those extra pounds you put on over winter? The last thing you want to do, if you’re on a money saving binge, is to join the millions of British women who apparently spend an average of £25,000 throughout their lives on fad diets, special ‘ready meals’, magazines, vitamins, DVDs and gym memberships.
Thankfully there’s no need to spend a bomb getting in shape. Being blunt about it, it’s all down to your willpower. There’s no escaping it, no quick fixes and no short cuts.
Here are some sensible ideas and realistic information about losing weight on a budget.
13 tips for losing weight on a budget
- Making lifestyle changes is better for you, more effective and cheaper than a constant stream of useless diets
- Crash diets don’t work. Ever. Don’t even go there
- Quick fixes don’t work, full stop. You need to eat less and do more exercise. Accept it!
- An increasing number of experts think vitamin supplements do more harm than good
- ‘Superfoods’ aren’t particularly super. An ordinary balanced diet is perfectly OK and costs a lot less
- Make smaller portions. Eating from a smaller plate kids your brain you’re eating the same amount when you’re actually eating a lot less
- Eating slowly makes you feel full sooner. Scoffing at lightning speed means you cram much more in before the full-up feeling kicks in
- Walking is just as good for you as jogging or running. But it hurts a whole lot less
- Walk briskly for at least half an hour every day and you won’t need to pay for gym membership. How about doing it in your lunch hour or after your evening meal? You could get the whole family involved
- Stop eating processed foods and cook from fresh instead. You really don’t need special ready meals
- Ask your GP if they can refer you to a NHS dietician – it’s free. Then actually follow the dietician’s advice
- You can get free membership at Weight Watchers if your GP refers you
- Use the information on the BDA site, which is written by experts you can trust instead of crazy diet gurus and nutty celebs