Eat Shop Save - Neil & Michelle

Our first family taking on the Eat Shop Save challenge this series is Neil and Michelle from Dudley. When Ranvir first met them in March, they were snacking on chocolate and cakes every day and getting takeaways several times a week. Their food choices and lack of exercise had started to take its toll on their health, with Neil’s doctor warning him he had high cholesterol and Michelle’s doctor advising her to lose weight. Over their eight week Eat Shop Save challenge, they give their lifestyle an overhaul, making huge improvements to their health, wealth and wellbeing.

Fat and Sugar Intake

In the programme, chef and nutritionist Dale Pinnock reveals that Michelle is sometimes getting through around 800 grams over the recommended weekly combined amount of fat and sugar, with Neil not far behind. Dale warns them that consuming that much fat and sugar can create the perfect storm for some quite serious consequences in the long term. 

You can check out the NHS Reference Intakes Explained page to learn more about the recommended daily amount of calories, fat and sugar.

You can also learn more facts about Fat,  Sugar and Cholesterol on the NHS website.

Keep an eye out for Dale’s cholesterol busting chicken curry recipe on the ITV Eat Shop Save page!

Burning Off Calories Through Exercise

Personal trainer Marvin Ambrosius reveals that Michelle would need to walk for around eight and a half minutes to burn off the calories contained in one small chocolate.

Women over forty are the least likely to take part in regular exercise. The NHS recommends doing at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. You can find more information about exercise, including exercise tips and fitness guides, and the ‘couch to 5k’,  on the NHS website. 

You can also use the NHS Calorie Checker to find out how many calories different foods contain, and the Bupa Calories Burned Calculator to find out how many calories different types of exercise can burn.

During her Eat Shop Save challenge, Michelle gets outdoors walking as much as possible, clocking up a total distance of 130 miles in eight weeks and losing ten pounds in weight. She no longer needs a car for her commute, instead walking to work and running back from work every day!

You can catch brand new episodes of 'Eat, Shop, Save' on ITV, Thursdays at 7:30pm!