Keep track of what you buy: We could not possibly emphasise this enough. It is highly important that you know what you are going to buy before you to go the supermarket, to avoid any temptations once you get there. Remember that the bigger the supermarket, the harder it will be to stick to your shopping list but the more chance you will have to find what you want while sticking to the budget.

Consider cooking: We all are tempted by ready meals but sometimes food preparation requires very little effort. Remember that cooking does not always mean spending 3 hours in the kitchen and using all the bowls you have available in the kitchen: sometimes cooking involves just stirring a sauce for 15 minutes or chucking everything in the oven for 20. Effortless cooking exists, and will save you both money and ingesting extra calories you don’t need.

Frozen veggies: Sometimes it is nice to have fresh vegetables available. However, when on a tighter budget, you might want to consider frozen vegetables. They are much cheaper and come in much greater size than fresh ones. Sometimes they are even healthier because they get frozen when fresh. They also might have less preservatives than fresh vegetables.

Make food last: If you buy food that lasts you are less likely to spoil food. Canned food is good for example. Try to go for the most unprocessed item. For example, take a can of peas rather than a can of creamy peas or semi-processed foods in a can. As a rule of thumb, avoid anything that has a creamy sauce in it.

Go wholegrain: Try wholegrain bread rather than processed white bread. This might be a bit more expensive but you might find that you will want less bread on every meal. Again, this is a money-calories saver!

Bulk buy and watch your portions: We all know that the bigger the size of the product, the more you save. Try to buy things in the bigger size…but don’t forget to watch your portions once you are home! It would be a good idea for you to look at the box before you open it and figure out how many meals the product can give you. For other products, you can approximate a portion on the spot: for example, you will find that you can portion a single generous portion of rice with an espresso coffee cup.

Walk to and from the supermarket: Don’t forget to exercise! And why not exercise whilst running errands! If you live relatively close to a supermarket, you could try and go to the supermarket on a weekly basis. In this way you will: save the money for petrol on the car; exercise and utilise excess calories and come back with less food at home to munch on, which, in turn, will help you control your impulses.

For more tips on how to stay on the budget and lose weight, visit: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Onabudget/Pages/Savemoneyfood.aspx

]]> http://www.loseweightin2weeksinfo.com/dieting-on-a-budget/feed/ 0 http://www.loseweightin2weeksinfo.com/weight-lost-in-gold/ http://www.loseweightin2weeksinfo.com/weight-lost-in-gold/#comments Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:19:00 +0000 admin http://www.loseweightin2weeksinfo.com/?p=47 Have you seen the story running around the news in the past week? Apparently the government of Dubai has set up a scheme that looks like a proper contest: if you lose weight during thirty days, you will get gold in return. You can read the BBC news article to know more about this story.

How much would one get? For each kilogram, people will receive a gram of gold in return. However, you must lose at least 2 kilograms to get any prize.

Apparently there is also room for people who want to push themselves even more. In fact, if you are one of the three participants of the scheme that loses the most weight by the end of the thirty days, you will have a chance to win a golden coin worth about £3,500.

This is a very drastic decision coming from the municipality of Dubai. The government believes that this scheme will motivate people to lose weight. Dubai authorities are also scared of the number of people in the city that are not eating healthily and are not exercising properly.

However, there are obvious concerns one might have with the implemented scheme. First of all, it encourages the idea that losing weight is good for you. Undoubtedly, it is for most people. However, each case is different and people must be assessed properly and by competent medical staff before starting a diet. This is because of many reasons. For example, some people only feel fat without knowing that they are perfectly healthy and at an ideal weight. Others might have other complications that have caused the weight increase which must be assessed either in conjunction with a healthy weight loss diet or even before changing the diet plans.

The government says that the participants will have a session where they will be advised as to how to lose weight without compromising the general health. I hope that it will be enough to guarantee that people do not harm their health.

We have always advocated for healthy weight loss here. We believe that there are tips, tricks and ways that will help you lose weight constantly, healthily and even in a brief period of time. Drastic changes in your diet, such as the one advocated for in Dubai, might be very dangerous for some people. Hence, we recommend seeing a physician or a dietician if you are participating to this contest or if you are thinking of losing weight. This is so you have the peace of mind you deserve when starting a weight loss program.

Here are some thoughts on how to deal with weight loss during hot days (for more tips, feel free to read this article from the Huffington Post).

Do not stop exercising: You cannot stop going to the gym just because “it is simply too hot to exercise”. If your gym is not air-conditioned, find another method of exercising. For example, go swimming instead. Another alternative is to change the times when you exercise: try to change your schedule so that you can do your exercising routine when the temperature is not spiking (i.e. either early in the morning or in the late evening).

Keep Hydrated! Water is the answer to a lot of questions. For example, if you are asking yourself: “what do I do if I feel my exercise drained me out?” or “how do I deal with the heat when it is simply too much?” the answer is: drink water. You can add some herbs (like mint) if you are bored of drinking plain water, but do not stop drinking as dehydration is not your friend.

Take advantage of the weather: Instead of complaining about how hot it is, try to enjoy the temperature! Obviously wear sunscreen or walk in the shade…but be active! If you usually go to your local shop in your car or with a bus but you know that it only takes a few more minutes to walk it, try going on foot this time. You will be grateful to have done so not only because you are consuming calories, but also because you’ve skipped being on a super-hot means of transportation that would only get you sweaty and frustrated.

Do not over-eat: The weather is an extra boost of motivation to eat less. It is common for people to be less hungry if the weather is hot. If you are one of the lucky ones, your body will not be as hungry as usual. If the hot weather does not usually make you less hungry, remember to eat less anyway, otherwise you will feel very bloated and unable to move (we’ve all felt that way and we know that’s not a nice situation to be in).

These 4 tips should help you stay on track and help you keep your losing weight habits during the summertime. Remember: even though it seems like you are losing weight in the heat, you are not. This is just a myth. The weight loss sensation is only your body losing water so keep hydrated! If you do not exercise, adjust your eating habits, and live a healthier lifestyle, you won’t lose any actual fat.