Desperate to shift some pounds?
Just make sure it’s not your bank balance that ends up lighter, says Nel Staveley
We all know the diet industry is pretty hefty (no pun intended), but the amounts some of us are spending on trying to slim down are simply staggering.
A new survey claims that, over 30 years, the average woman will fork out £105,000 in a bid to get the body shape she wants.
That’s a whopping £3,500 a year, or £30 a week, on various gym trends, nice outfits, fad ’miracle’ foods, branded diet meals (and so on and so on).
Admittedly, at first glance, this figure seems way too high – surely the survey is skewed? But then you look at some other figures; how the yearly value of the diet industry (in the UK alone) is £2 billion. By 2017, worldwide, it’s expected to hit £220 billion.
Even if you, personally, don’t have the miraculous disposable income to spend £105,000 on getting slim, perhaps you could still heed these cheap and easy weight-loss tips.
GET OUTDOORS
Our relationship with gyms is an infamously tricky one. We pay lots of money (an annual gym membership could set you back £1,000 a year), have a fit of new-joiner enthusiasm, then quickly realise they are actually sweaty/embarrassing/busy/dark and never really go again. Well save yourself the guilt, and the money, and swap in for out. A run, a jog, a brisk walk, a workout in the park – not only is it entirely free, you’re also in the vitamin D and mood-boosting light, working on your own timetable, with the added bonus of going back to your own private shower.
DON’T WEIGHT
There’s a whole host of ’home exercise’ kit out there – nicely coloured weights, complicated sit-up machines, that sort of thing. Yes, they’re cheaper than the gym, but are they cheaper than carrying your shopping basket instead of using the trolley, or doing sit-ups with your friend sitting on your feet? Probably not. Find ways to work toning exercises into your daily regime – other examples include putting tins of food on the top shelf, carrying washing up the stairs to dry and using a watering can in your garden instead of a hose.
DON’T BE FOOLED BY MARKETING
That ’miracle’ detox kit used by (insert pretty much any celebrity)? Nothing some hot water and lemon every morning couldn’t do just as well. The special (insert pretty much any weight-loss club) ’fruit packet’. Just buy some actual fruit. Remember that these companies are not only there to be nice and help you lose weight, they’re there to take your money. So stay clear of anything branded ’diet’. It’s like baby and wedding merchandise; mostly normal stuff with a name and 50% mark-up on it.
TECH A STEP BACK
On a similar theme, don’t be tempted to invest in the (admittedly very clever) fitness gadgets around these days. The scales that can measure the exact percentage of body fat in your right arm; the ’wearable tech’ telling you the precise number of steps you walked at 11am, etc. Of course, it’s a good idea to keep tabs on heaviness and movement when you’re trying to keep in shape, but go retro: do it with a tape measure and common sense (e.g. if you walked for around an hour, that’s probably enough steps for one day).
DOWN WITH THE KIDS
If you’re on a weight-loss regime but still want to treat yourself – take lead from those younger than you. Buy the mini-sized versions of chocolate normally reserved for birthday parties, or ask for the kids’ meal on that trip to the (unnamed) fast food chain. Not only are they smaller and less fattening, they’re also significantly cheaper.
MAKE YOUR OWN LUNCH
Again, a neat continuation of theme: it’s not only children who can have packed lunches. Preparing your own means you’re; A) nicely in charge of what’s going into it (even ’healthy’ options of soup and sandwiches in most shops are packed with sugar and salt), and B) saving significant amounts of money – a report last year said people buying lunches out added up to £100 a month. There’s also the lingering childhood excitement of opening up a packed lunch to see what’s inside (probably exactly what you put in it a few hours before, but still strangely thrilling).
ER, EAT LESS
Sorry to be harsh and state the blindingly obvious, but if you want to lose weight the cheap way, just buy less food. Portion size control is one of the biggest downfalls of staying in shape – recent research showed the average portion has doubled in just 20 years, and some people consume five times the recommended amount of pasta in a portion. Simple maths dictates this extra eating won’t only add to your waistline, it’ll bulk up your shopping bill too.