Hello.

[Sonyaflo71]

I’ve put my weight etc in and it’s come back that I need to lose 13 stone!! Im terrified about this. Im on a very tight budget. Anyone know any good budget recipes please? Thank you c

[Minniewinny 5 stone Maintainer]

Hi Sonyaflo71 have a little look in the various recipe idea section in topics.. also the daily diaries.. great and different suggestions in both..

Cheering you on for small achieveable steps every day 🎉🎉🎉

[Sonyaflo71 in reply to Minniewinny]

Thank you x

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome Sonyaflo71 😊

I actually spend a lot less on food now than I used to, I budget carefully and plan a weeks meals and only buy what I need. Meals are based around vegetables, grains. salads and fruit, with some cheese, yogurt, and a little meat. I bulk buy and batch cook using the slow cooker and freezer.

Have a look at the Daily Diary for lots of menu ideas. 😊

Best wishes

Anna

[Sonyaflo71 in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thank you x

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hi Sonyaflo71 , like Anna, I spend less on food now I'm eating healthily. Because I'm planning for the week, I'm wasting a lot less and not making so many trips to the shop during the week so I don't buy unnecessary stuff.

I'd say don't focus on your end goal, and don't be in a rush; set yourself short term goals, maybe 7lbs, and start making the changes you need. Good luck

[Dt_RiyazKhan_Hyd]

Health is the best investment which is low cost and saves millions in the long run. Now that you have started your journey... go on .. step by step...

Go for low cost fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes. grains etc. Drink lot of water.

Walk / Jog / Run.

I don't know how this myth has crept in that to be fit, you need to spend a lot of money. I think it is the other way round. You need to spend a lot of money on food and clothing if you are overweight.

I am maintaining my weight for years and my clothes go on for ages, without replacements or changes.

I eat simple cheap foods, more of nature in my house, less of processed.

All the best !!

[rozwalts in reply to Dt_RiyazKhan_Hyd]

No I don't know where on earth that myth came from either. I was in the supermarket this morning and couldn't believe the trolleys that were packed high with biscuits, cakes, crisps, and what have you.

Water is free, well apart from what I have to pay each month to Yorkshire Water. Walking is also free, hence why I do a lot of it. A comfortable pair of trainers is really all that is needed.

[MirandaT]

Hi Sonyaflo and well done for making the first step! Stock up on beans and pulses - dried ones are the most economical and just take longer to prepare for cooking (not effort-wise, just have to soak them etc). Bulk out meat stew / casserole recipes with then and look for veggie recipes too. Buy fruit and veg at the market if there's one where you live, or pick up supermarket bargains and be creative. Have fun!

[rozwalts in reply to MirandaT]

Sadly fruit and veg from the market is often more expensive than from the supermarket. I paid £1 for three baking potatoes from the market, an entire bag cost only twice that from the supermarket. I did have a logical reason for buying from the market though. I was allowed to choose my own, so went for the smallest I could find. Most baking spuds would feed a family of four!

[MirandaT in reply to rozwalts]

I'm probably a bit out of touch with prices in the UK! I live in rural Spain where the norm is to shop at the weekly village market - local people bring their own produce to sell and anything in season is cheap as chips! The cost of living in general is much lower here then in the UK.

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

I buy a paper bag of essentials porridge from Lidl .Their 4 pack tuna is under £3 and if you buy rice cakes at 59p they keep and are cheaper than bread . I find as I also portion my food then things seem to last longer . I have half a tin of beans and the rest I will mix with meat . My shopping bill is really down . Think of every pack of crisps and biscuits being at least £1 plus now I buy a large tub of Greek yogurt and add my own fruit that is cheaper too .

[rozwalts in reply to focused1]

Can you make sandwiches from the rice cakes? How are they for fibre? I love the Weight Watches fromage frais, as does 'himself'. As he also loves the WW Malted Danish he would probably kill me if I bought anything else! We share a tin of beans, sometimes beans and sausage. If we have the latter, then he has five sausages to my three.

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg in reply to rozwalts]

Rice cakes I buy are like large round crackers . Suppose you could sandwich together with marmite or spreadable cheese etc . I use them with cottage cheese to dip in or with canned fish . Fibre wise - not the best . Maybe look at the Kallo brand but they tend to be more expensive . For vitamins / minerals I add spinach and any chopped salad I have . I enjoy quite flavoured food so chopped onions , peppers , onions , plus a pinch of any herbs and a nip of black pepper . This stops me adding mayo or any other sauce.

[Florys]

Hi and welcome.

To be honest I spend less money since I have started the journey. Fresh fruits, olive oil, yoghurt, vegetable,fish( salmon usually), chicken breast are quite cheap at Lidl ( used to do shopping at Tesco or Sainsburry).

Cutting off the habit of drinking alcohol in every day almost ( fighting with the stress in my mind😢) the best saver . Water is cheap and is a solver of many healthy problems 😍

So do not despair: just make a plan and try to be organised and you'll have good results.😁

[Hidden in reply to Florys]

There's sugar free squash you can put in water if you don't like the taste of plain water on it's own.

[Sonyaflo71]

Thank you everyone. I’m going to write out a plan and go for it! Xx

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Sonyaflo71]

Good on you!

[Hidden in reply to BridgeGirl]

Hope your cat is well! Our cat got kippers this morning for breakfast as we had them and I really enjoyed them.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

Kippers! Lucky puss! No treats here but she's currently stretched out on my knee. I'll have to move her soon as I haven;t eaten yet

[Hidden in reply to BridgeGirl]

Her names baby and she's spoilt!

[Hidden in reply to Sonyaflo71]

Good on you go for it. Sonyaflo71.

[rozwalts in reply to Sonyaflo71]

Go for it. You will get there in the end, honest you will. Just remember it isn't a race, it is a change for life. No need to panic if you have an off day, or even an off hour. Just say right, that was it, let's get back on track.

[Hidden]

Why not make small changes to start with and go from there and start with small goals say like losing 10 per cent of your starting weight or say about half to 2lbs a week and it adds up as the weeks go on if you really really want to do it and put your mind to it!

Don't lose weight just to please someone else. It's you who has to really really want to do it for you and you only.

Good luck.

[leepfairey]

Have a look at My Fitness Pal. They have loads of recipes that are good for you and low in calorie too. They also give you great ideas on food swaps to help you still enjoy the things you love without so many calories. I love making their protein packed pancakes and for half the batter is under 300 kcals (blog.myfitnesspal.com/prote... but I've got that down to 269 kals by choosing 0% Greek Yoghurt and wholemeal flour.

[leepfairey]

Also have a lookout for Wonky Veg at the supermarket. Its cheeper than the usual veg as it has a minor defect to it like today I bought raspberries and the only difference I could see was that they were slightly darker. Also have a look out for a market stall veg seller find out what time they close and go close to closing as they are more likely to have fruit and veg they just dont want to load back onto their truck. Hope this helps as I know how hard it can be to be on a tight budget.

[Sonyaflo71]

Thank you! I really appreciate all the helpful tips 💕 xx

[Hidden]

Welcome to this wonderful forum Sonyaflo71. Lots of fantastic advice dished up already so I would just like to wish you well on your journey. You can do this.😊

[Geniegee]

The nhs do have a web called easy meals it has breakfast,lunch,dinner& deserts on if your looking for ideas

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Geniegee]

Do you mean this one Geniegee nhs.uk/change4life#VkSBXaEC...

Great website 😀

[Geniegee]

No it’s called easy meals it’s on a app by the nhs

[FullOfTea]

There are excellent work out videos online completely free, fitness blender are great and you can start off at an easy level until you work up more energy/strength to do harder workouts. I do this now instead of the gym, that and a little bit of a diet change I lost half a stone in 3 weeks. Well done for starting, its always the hardest bit. DO your best to get into good habits and they'll become hard to break with time

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to FullOfTea]

Hello and welcome FullOfTea 😊.

I’m sorry we missed you when you first posted your reply, I hope you are enjoying the forum and finding your way around 😊

Best wishes

Anna

[Marie39]

Hi Sonya, I am trying to keep to vegetables avoiding potatoes and avocado, sometimes in soups with a tin of whole tomatoes, Morrisons own brand is only 82 calories, and a little bit sweet chilli sauce, tastes like sweet and sour Chinese vegetables :-). I am also doing proper dinners again using fresh or frozen vegetables and adding bits like herbs, mint or garlic to give taste as I fancy, and chicken or similar avoiding potatoes and yorkshires!

Also salads with maybe a bit of lemon juice or low fat mayo in moderation to flavour them, with salmon, tuna or egg as protein as we should work towards 30% protein in each meal. (You use 30% of calories in protein up within your body just absorbing it, while carbs and sugar foods

convert almost fully to instant fat).

Cherry tomatoes are my new favourite sweeties as can have as little as 2 calories in them. Pulses/lentils added to soups are also good, and non soluble foods such as sweetcorn give that fuller feeling for longer but do not add calories.

The chinese have a culture of stopping eating at 40% full for a few minutes, then stopping altogether at feeling 60% full, which is a good idea as we do not realise we are full for up to 20 minutes after we actually are! Also eating slowly, or doing what I call portion bowls where I prepare a small amount, say a tea plate of salad, eat and have a glass of water. If after an hour I am still hungry I will go for a protein boost such as a boiled egg, or have some more lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes or something equally low calorie to feel fuller and then wait until my next allotted meal time as I find an hour after this I feel full again.

As time progresses you will find hunger cravings decrease as your body gets used to less volumes of food. I know as I used to eat a massive Sunday dinner, go grab another 4 yorkshire puddings and have dessert and a big bar of chocolate on a Sunday as it was my slouch day... now Sunday dinner has no yorkshires, or potatoes and I am full with half a plate and a yoghurt an hour after for dessert :-).

Good luck, and remember, even if you fail a little do not give up. Just start on your allotted next meal as a new blank sheet which you are determined not to exceed :-). Btw I used the NHS choices BMI calculators minimum calories I should have as my guide and eat 200 calories less than what their minimum says.

Also as weight changes so will your calorie count so keep checking on it :-). Also they have some really good recipes you may like and can adapt to budget and taste :-).

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Marie39]

Hello Marie and welcome to the forum 😊

Please read the Welcome Newbie Post here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... as i5 has lots of information to help you find your way around

By the sounds of it you are doing really well, and making lots of changes that will help you in your weight loss journey 😊

The on,y comment I will make is please dot be tempted to eat too little. The NHS suggest a range and it’s important to sticks within it or your weight loss will stall.

If you have any questions, please just ask. You don’t say how much weight you have lost so I have given you a Newbie badge, but if you have lost weight already, please pop,over to the What’s Happening thread (in Events on the forum Homepage healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... ) and I will update your badge

Best wishes

Anna