Losing weight on a budget when you are a shortie and menopausal!

[Merrydance]

The title says it really, looking for hints and tips to help me lose weight, that is not too complicated or expensive. I am only just over 5ft and over 50. I have lost 9lb in preparation for a holiday by having ready diet meals and shakes, but for the past 2 weeks doing this I have not lost anything. It is not sustainable or healthy to carry on with diet meals and shakes, but I have found it easier to stick to as it required little thought and planning. In the current financial climate, I want to try to keep costs of food down as much as possible. The rest of the family eat masses and are skinny so don't want to go for salads and low carb. I want to lose 2 stone more. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you

Intermittent fasting/5.2? Costs nothing and compatible with family life.

55 , 5’2 lost over a stone using MyFitness Pal .. Just enter in what you eat, record your exercise and you adjust accordingly. Its about finding the balance between the two to make sure you are ‘in deficit’ . For me I saw directly how much impact the exercise had on what I ‘could’ eat and how if I built up a buffer I could afford to eat more at the weekend. Equally if an opportunity for an ice cream came up I’d be able to eat it and exercise more to keep in deficit. Yes you do have to do some weighing, but you can set up favourites and scan packs and for me it created habits which I now stick to. Good luck

You can eat whatever you like as long as you calorie count. Download My Fitness Pal and track everything.

Thank you for your replies. I will give intermittent fasting and my fitness pal some thought

I'm a shortie too but not yet menopausal. However, I just wanted to say that after initial weight loss, there is usually a plateau period. I have googled this relentlessly! Although it is hard when you aren't seeing progress, a plateau is your body's way of adjusting to your new calorie intake. If you stick at it, you WILL start to lose again. Drink lots of water, maybe try a Joe Wicks HIIT style session (do ultimate beginner if you're not used to it) every other day and stick at your plan.

My Fitness Pal, as PPs have said, is also great. It can be a pain to log everything at first but you soon get to know what is in certain foods and it gets a lot easier at that point. I do intermittent fasting too. 16:8. I have a light lunch and a normal family dinner with my kids (because I don't want to give them any food hangups!!)

Good luck!!

Thanks for the helpful advice