Struggling to find a diet I can afford on benefits...

Z

zombear

Member
I've been looking at diets such as the Cambridge and celebrity slim and they just seem so expensive when I have to budget so much on my benefits. :(

I was wondering what diets people have found both affordable while on a low income and effective.

thanks! :)
 
If its a VLCD you want to do, Exante is the cheapest, its £100 for a 4 week supply :)

If its not a VLCD one then both WW and SW just work round making sensible choices so youd just adapt your food shopping
 
When looking at the cost of total food replacement diets like Exante and Cambridge, remember you won't be buying regular food - so although the weekly cost for the diet seems like a lot, it's not just a diet it's everything you're going to eat for a week!
 
you'd still have to buy regular food for rest of family so i'd go with ww or similiar as then you could just buy healthier options and not be spending a fortune on replacement diets!!!
 
I agree with Lindaslostit.

My food shopping has gone down in cost considerably since I cut out the crap in my diet and started eating more homecooked home prepared meals packed with veggies.

Exercising and healthy eating (portion sizes are particularly important too!) is the cheapest way to lose weight - fact.

Whats more, if you can afford to either buy or save up and buy a slow cooker (doesn't have to be pricey, mine cost £20 from Argos) then you don't even have to "cook" you just prepare you ingredients and throw them in the slow cooker and you don't have to add any fats - bonus! The slow cooker is also a great money saving tool in the long term as you can buy frozen stew/meats (cheaper than fresh) and throw them in and they come out lovely and tender.

Hope you manage to sort something out :) xx
 
My local authority has a lose weight and feel great prog. Its 12 weeks SW and a 12 week exersise course for free. Check out your health centre to see if they run one.
 
Being a 3rd year uni student and having a wedding to pay for I know how you feel about money being tight. Some of the diets make me laugh at the price. The sad thing is that people will pay for it because as we all know we have to lose weight and are desperate. And because of the desperation they will always remain high! I think the points made above are good as well though you wouldn't be buying normal food with such plans as cs cd and ll but i think the best option might be to try a slimming club as they are a little more purse friendly!
 
Im doing Slimfast plan but using tesco own brand powders

Shakes are £6 for 2 tubs at the moment which works out 25p per shake so thats 50p per day

then I buy a £1 ready meal for dinner eg sweet and sour chicken and noodles , add some veg eg frozen peas and sweetcorn approx 30p)

3 snacks = £1 max (eg banana, apple , raisins)

Plus the milk for the shakes 500ml =50p

So total per day around £3.30 if my maths is correct = £23.10 per week

thats less than I would spend on "normal" food and alot healthier

Ive got a wardrobe full of clothes that no longer fit me so if I lose weight I will save a fortune buying new clothes for my ever expanding waistline

Im a single parent and although I work Im not earning much and have alot of expenses just keeping a roof over our head, I would not be able to afford the £40 per week some diets require, plus I would miss eating too much

Whatever you choose good luck

Sally
 
Try lipotrim available at various chemists.
 
ive saved myself loads of money by just eating healthy... cutting out he junk has helped me loads. the only costly thing really isnt even expensive, my gym memership is 326 a month, but with all that i do, if i was payiong each time itd be in the £125-40 range... so im saving money on that by just being a member.

ive found it work really well on me too, in 3 monthes ive dropped froma 12 to 6/8.... and if thats not good enough, then i dont know what is! :D i cant stick to diets, i just think that as soon as you stop the diets and go back to normal eating, its all gonna pile back on! but my healhty eating plan is something ive always done, but with added treats!
if i have a naughty day and have a curry (saturday night, woops..., or a bar of coccy) then i know i can just go and burn it off in the gym, i need sugar in my diet though as my blood sugar levels do drop alot and make me faint... so its nessecery for it really
 
Green days on sw are really cheap and filling with carbs. You don't have to buy fresh vegtables either as you can buy frozen veg and fruit :)
 
Try ww. You can eat up to your points of whatever you're cooking for your family. Porridge oats are a cheap way to fill up as is making your own soup. Don't pay for the meetings if you feel it's wasteful, just find out your points limit and do it yourself. The meetings help for motivation but I'm sure you can do it on your own. Good luck!
 
You could visit your GP and see if your edgilble for free Slimming World classes on the NHS if not maybe they could refer you to a weight management service run by your local PCT if theres one in your area. As someone else mentioned Weight Watchers and Slimming World are good choices as you can just adapt what you usually buy. If you can't afford the fees and weekly weigh-ins you could see if anyone you know has books you can use or see if you can pick them up on ebay.
 
I agree with Gemmm. If you are over 35* bmi you can get vouchers to attend several different diet classes. Your surgery might even offer weight loss support in the way of diet sheets and weigh ins. Worth asking about

I'm on employment support allowance due to emphysema, money is tight, I can't even go searching for the best deals as i'm pretty much housebound but I am managing to lose weight by cutting calories, portion control. I buy a lot of sainsburys basics label goods and make 99% of my food from scratch. Its a myth that eating healthy is more expensive. Buy foods that are in season to keep costs down, look out for special offers, BOGOF etc. If you plan your meals as you do your shopping you may even find that you save money.

*I think its 35 but I could be wrong, check with your Dr

Message me if you want further info on how i'm doing it
 
Have you thought about maybe joining Rosemary Conley? I'm on benefits too and so have very very little disposable income. At £6 a week for the group and exercise class (or £21 a month if you pay direct debit) it's pretty good. Also because you'll need to empty your cupboards and start buying in smaller portions my food costs have gone right down with it!

Worth a try and you get the exercise too - which is a nice bonus!
 
I'd say if you really are strapped for cash then you wouldn't even want to spend on going to the ww or sw classes. I can't afford to go classes so i'm doing WW but just sticking to how many points i need each day. I don't have any of the books as i've done this diet before and this site is fab for finding recipes and points values. x
 
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