Losing Weight – The Shopping List (pt.1)

Every shopping trip, big or small counts towards whether you gain or lose the weight you’re aiming for, because what you bring into your home, you’re incredibly likely to eat. As I’ve said before, getting into the habit of surrounding yourself with foods that will be of benefit to you is one of the main ways to lose the weight.

When I first decided that I needed to lose a few pounds I knew that what I brought home on a regular basis counted heavily towards my overall calorie intake. For example, ready-meals were a popular item of mine, such as ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ and ‘Chicken in Madeira Sauce’. I’d buy them because I didn’t know any better, I wasn’t taught the basics of cooking.

Oven-ready Pizza was also something I’d enjoy but without realising, half a pizza would be around 800-1000 calories sometimes. I just never paid that sort of attention to this, it was all about what was convenient and what I thought, tasted good. Of course, I wouldn’t have the pizza on it’s own, there would be chips on the side with a fizzy drink too.

It all added up and typical meals like this 4-5 times a week, as well as a night or two at the takeaway resulted in consuming a great deal more calories than I was able to burn at the gym. It was only when it was pointed out to me that I had gained weight that I started to realise going to the gym had absolutely no positive impact on my body because of what I was consuming.

Not only were the actual choices of food and drink unhealthy and calorific but the portion control I was exercising was almost non-existent. I saw microwaveable rice that said ‘serves 2’ more as a challenge than too much for me.

If my story is all too familiar to your own then it’s time to change. It’s time to fill your shopping basket with plenty of fruit, plenty of raw ingredients such as chicken breasts, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, lean mince. Always be thinking ‘what is in this?’ if the ingredients list is too long to read then maybe choose something else.

It should be “What am I going to make for dinner tonight?” and not “What shall I buy for dinner later?”