What weight loss programme is cheap and cheerful to do?

[KnittingForMittens]

I originally followed Slimming World and I did lose weight but the cons is that it became obsessive and cost me a lot of money. My food shop for a family of 3 was coming in at £400 and that's without top up shops in between! Plus, an extra £5 a week for membership fee. I simply cannot afford it anymore as we are on a tight budget so we've cut down to about £200-250 a month grocery spending. Is there anyone out there who can help me do a simple, easy and budget friendly diet to lose weight? I am looking into keto is that friendly for someone on a budget? I don't want to calorie count using MFP as it is too time consuming for me to weigh and measure everything. Any other ideas? Shall I just cut down/put simple carbohydrates and bulk out my meals with plenty of salad and veg?

Buy the Michael Mosely 5:2 book and follow it - you save money two days a week by buying a lot less food & make healthier choices on 5 days a week, but no additional or weekly outlay - maybe a notebook to keep track & loads of online forums with support, including this one!

(oh and it works and is good for you - the science backs this up!)

Calorie counting and my fitness pal.

All the protein for keto isn't cheap, I found it quite expensive.

Weight Watchers is advertised as being one of the cheapest, but I've never dine it. Would 5:2 work?

Why was slimming world costing you so much? My mum is doing it and has lost nearly 2 stone.... she isn’t spending any extra?

Agree, myfitnesspal. Free once you have a phone and really simple to do. Join or start a thread on here for group support, there's lots of it.

It's a lot easier if you exercise, not because the exercise makes you lose weight but because you don't eat while exercising.

Oops sorry, just seen you don't want to measure everything but tbh you only have to do that for about a fortnight before you have a feel for what the measurements are?

Thanks for your help all. I'm currently looking at 5:2 and this diet sounds really ideal. Has anyone done this? Or is currently doing it? What are your thoughts?

Intermittent fasting

Yy to 5:2. I’ve been doing it since late last year, down over two stone now. Lovely supportive group on here. Buy the book / watch East Fast and Live Longer (??) on YouTube/iPlayer.

Just drinking tap water is quite cheap ;).

@EssentialHummus how does it work? On the non fast days, can you eat whatever you want but obviously within means? Eat healthy, don't eat too much junk? And on the other 2 days, eat very little calories by counting them rigorously?

how does it work? On the non fast days, can you eat whatever you want but obviously within means? Eat healthy, don't eat too much junk? And on the other 2 days, eat very little calories by counting them rigorously?

In very broad terms, 500 cals for women on fast days, and then eating normally (to your "Total Daily Energy Expenditure") on other days. In practice I tend to eat one or two meals on FDs - most recent was baked beans and veg for lunch, salad for dinner - and then on non fast days I eat relatively healthily most of the time but allow a biscuit with tea etc, and I have one day a week where I eat whatever I want. Other people approach it differently of course!

But yes, very cheap to do - our food bills have gone down.

The way I do it probably isn't going to win me any friends. I just eat less.

Simple and you actually save money in the process. It's effective too. I've lost a stone at a steady rate of a pound per week.

Intermittent fasting is the one. Keto is expensive. I do OMAD (one meal a day) 4 days a week and eat what I like the other 3.
I've lost 39lbs in total and only have another 4 to go to hit a healthy BMI.

That's great to know! Thanks everyone.

Sorry I will go on the other thread shortly but just wanted to make sure that on the 5 non fast days, just eat healthy as possible and not take the piss (binge on crisps and junk), and on the 2 days of fasting, stick to 500 calories?

Also, will this work if I rotate every week? So one week I do fasting Mon and Fri, next week I do it Friday and Monday.

Just seen the update - for me the 5:2 works best on whatever the least hectic days are. Mondays are pretty full on for me & Fridays (& all weekend) too sociable - so I tend to do Tuesday & Thursday but change it depending on plans.

Also if you are exercising on a particular day it can be a bit tiring so I’ll go to the gym Monday & Wednesday if my fast days are Tuesday & Thursday. I’m about 3 stone less than I was a year ago (6’ - now 12 stone 7 & a size 12 was a size 16/18 at 15 stone 7!).
I’m not particularly calorie counting on the other days - swapped crisps & chocolate for fruit & rice cakes (but not all the time by any means!), smaller portions for dinner, still drinking wine though & not denying myself anything really.. Also I don’t calorie count the fast days, there are lots of recipe ideas in the book as well as a recipe book, just choose some that work for you and have them.

This one is yummy: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/teriyaki-salmon-parcels