Hi everyone (: I've just joined today and I'm wanting to change my lifestyle for the better however im in need of some motivational tips! Hopefully I can find them here!
I'm a 20year old female student and I've recently started feeling very depressed about my weight. I'm 16st and a size 20 and I want to sort myself out. However I'm worried about budget and life style. I share food bills with my house mates and don't want to tie them down to a strict diet, yet I can't afford a super healthy food shop every week on my own, any tips to cut costs? Also any tips for low cal alcohol opinions? I know it's not good, and I will be cutting down on my alcohol in take from now on, however I don't want to miss out on the fun side of student life, everything in moderation as they say (:
Thanks!
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Peachiirhii
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Hi there, I would not worry too much about shopping at health shops for food. I do my weekly shopping at Aldi and I use also my local supermarket for a top up on fruit and veg.
Is not about missing out, is about planning ahead and making better choices. Nobody wants to feel being left out. Making your portions smaller doesn't mean going hungry you should be eating enough, what I do is I make a huge fresh and crunchy salad to go with whatever I am eating.
And physical activity is key. I joined my uni gym and I am enjoying it.
In regards to alcohol I am sorry I cannot be of much help since I don't drink.
I hope this helps and give us a shout if any issues come up
Eating healthily doesn't necessarily mean eating expensively, as long as you shop carefully. As MariaWeightlossNHS has said, Aldi is a great place for bargains and generally, shopping in bulk, tends to work out cheaper. It wouldn't hurt your housemates to join you in choosing healthier options either
I hesitate to give advice on alcohol, but spirits with sugar free mixers, are probably your best option, calorie-wise, but try interspersing alcoholic drinks with plain iced water, with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint, to make it seem a bit fancier
Take a look at the Pinned Posts section, to the right of your screen (bottom, if you're using a mobile) and have a look at the Welcome Newbies thread, it has a link to the NHS 12 week plan, which is a guide to healthy living, rather that a specific diet plan.
Consider joining any, or all, of our challenges, as they're fun and motivating.
Join us for the monday group weigh-in. If you follow Zest , you'll be notified when she posts the thread. However, the latest thread can always be found in the events section, to the right of the home page.
Be active on the forum, as that's where we exchange ideas and get our daily dose of motivation and inspiration
Really good advice has been offered to you. All I would add is think of each alcoholic drink as a dessert in terms of calories and how many "desserts" you would realistically want to eat in a day. Can you get a student rate subscription to a gym? Good luck with your weight loss journey and I understand that you don't want to miss out. Xx
Hi Peachiirhii and welcome, adding to the other replies I'd recommend Porridge as a healthy filling but cheap breakfast, drink plenty of water especially before a meal to help fill you up. How about trying MyFitnessPal a free app which I've heard is very good. As for alcohol, depends what you drink, if its wine make it a spritser to lower the calories and alternate with water, there are a couple of low calorie wines and I've heard about a low calorie Prosecco but budget wise they are probably more expensive. Have a look at the supermarket chain recipes for low calorie meals (Waitrose have it under inspiration on their website) you would be surprised they don't need to cost a future and I'm sure your housemates would enjoy. Best of luck on your journey x
Thank you everyone! Lots of helpful tips and ideas I'm going to be using! I've been looking at the nhs 12 week plan and I'm going to be giving that a go too (:
If I want a drink, I tend to go for spritzers - wine with soda is great and a long drink lasts longer, so drinking less. Gin and low cal tonic is good too.
As for cheap - I tend to do an Aldi shop and the local market for fresh fruit and veg.
See if your housemates would be interested in sharing your healthy eating too. You never know, they might be feeling the same as you.
Lot's of super advise! Being 20 and a student most go for beer go for a Miller 64 super low in in carb's.. That is what you need to be looking at when you shop is the Carb. count on the container. If you do have an Aldi's Walmart is another good choice they have good prices, watch the papers shop with coupons. Snacking can be tough try hummus with small carrot cut in half, celery split, some peppers or veggies in season. Your room mates may find these great to grab. When I was in college popcorn brought everyone to my room that's a low calorie snack. You find loads of list on fruit and veggies that are not so expensive and meals.
Best wishes to you and look forward to seeing you around.
I'm so greatful for all the super ideas everyone! It's my first proper day so far on diet and I'm already surprised at how effective all these tips are. I've swapped my bigger plates for smaller ones and instead of pilling on carbs on the side of my meals I'm using salad/veggies and I'm actually surprised at how full I am. Not only that but I've swapped my morning/ afternoon surgery and caffeinated drinks with green tea and I'm loving it! So happy that I'm already enjoying this change!
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