Weight loss is a difficult process, no matter what a person’s financial situation may be. Some people who have the financial means will spend thousands of dollars trying to get to their ideal weight, even going so far as complicated and potentially dangerous medical procedures.
There are other ways to drop some pounds without breaking the bank. This article will discuss 9 money-saving weight-loss tips and how they can be more effective than expensive techniques.
# 1 – Take Up Walking or Jogging
When people want to lose weight, most immediately see getting a gym membership as their best option. Gym membership fees come in many price ranges, but it is fair to say that they are more than most people will really need to pay in order to lose weight
Gyms offer many weight-loss options such as treadmills, stairmasters, ellipticals, and others, but the most economical way to lose weight is by simply walking or jogging. A decent pair of running shoes can cost less than $100 and can be used much more effectively than an expensive gym membership.
# 2 – Change Your Environments
Going to restaurants or malls can lead to problems for both weight-loss and saving money. Restaurants almost never have the healthy, low calorie options people need when trying to lose weight, and are more often than not very high in sugars and calories.
Restaurants also tend to be much more expensive, especially compared to grocery shopping and eating at home.
# 3 – Use Apps
Having simple apps on your phone can be a great way to lose weight at a very low price. Most apps are free but even the ones that aren’t are generally only a few dollars.
Some of these apps include:
- Couch to 5K – Long distance running for beginners
- My Weight Tracker – Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat calculator
- MyFitnessPal – Calorie counter
- RunKeeper – Tracks running, walking and cycling
These apps can perform the basic functions of a personal trainer, and does so for a fraction of the price (or no price at all!) and only require a little more self discipline. Using these money-saving tracking apps can motivate an individual to achieve their weightloss goals.
# 4 – Don’t Take Cheat Days
Many diets and other weight-loss techniques involve a day that people can remove themselves from the constraints of their diet and eat whatever they want. This is generally called a “cheat day.”
When people take a cheat day most will naturally go over-the-top with their choices of food and activities. This represents a problem for both weight-loss and money-saving practices. By skipping or at least drastically reducing cheat days, people can save their money from going to restaurants or other expensive places and still continue to lose weight.
# 5 – Make Simple Diet Changes
Changing a few items in a person’s diet can be great for both money-saving and weight-loss. For example, substituting less expensive foods with roughly the same nutritional value as others, can save a lot of money over the course of the weight-loss period.
Some examples of money-saving changes in diet that can be made are:
- Drinking water instead of soft drinks and fruit juices
- Eating vegetables for dinner instead of a meat
- Making a hearty soup for dinner instead of a heavy meal
- Substituting eggs for protein instead of meat
# 6 – Review Your Progress
A simple technique that will help shed those pounds and grow that bank account is to keep a food journal to track calories and progress in the diet. This is a technique often used by personal trainers, but of course they are quite expensive.
By keeping track of calories, what is working, and what is not, weight-loss will be more efficient. Also, a journal will keep track of how much money is spent on which foods are purchased. Upon review, people can see where they are spending too much and can easily identify cheaper options.
# 7 – Make a Budget
The most common and potentially effective money-saving technique is to make a budget. Not only does this apply to almost every economical money-saving program, but it has a surprising upside, in that it inherently promotes weight-loss.
By sticking to a strict budget to spend on healthier items such as fruits, vegetables, breads, and other weight-loss necessities, people are more likely to buy these items rather than more expensive, sugar filled substitutes.
With a specific budget laid out, there is also less room for snack splurges, restaurant visits or other temptations that may creep up, helping you stay on the weight loss path.
# 8 – Have Patience
As with all money-saving techniques, patience is the key to success. The same principle can be applied to weight-loss as well. The longer a person sticks to their goals, the better rate of success they will have.
Saving money and weight loss really do go hand in hand, allowing people to save money in the long run. Often times when people break from their weight-loss regimens, the temptation to return to bad food habits such as sugary or processed foods, restaurants and other expensive food splurges return.
# 9 – Don’t Forget the Simple Things
The easiest tip for money-saving and weight-loss is for a person to take care of themselves first. By getting a good night’s sleep, drinking lots of water, and having the right diet, weight loss goals can be met, financial goals can be met, and people find they are happier overall.
