I knew I had gained some weight a few winters ago, but the extent of my excess poundage didn’t really hit home until spring came around, and none the cute capris or dresses I was looking forward to wearing would fit. I had to lose weight, but I had little money to spare on Jenny Craig’s programs or a gym membership. If you are tight on your budget and want to lose your weight then Liposuction is a procedure that requires an artistic touch that will help you with that. It is an affordable and safe surgical process that you can go through.
I ended up joining Weight Watchers, one of the best health moves I’ve ever made. I confess that I would not have joined if I hadn’t been able to take advantage of a free membership period, or if I hadn’t been lucky enough to find a meeting that would allow me to attend once a month rather than once a week since that was all my work schedule would accommodate. Sure, I had to spend around $12 per meeting, but as I progressed in the program, I found that my new eating habits were saving me money rather than costing me more.
Losing weight saved me money, and not just because I gave up a lot of fast food and convenience foods that are more expensive than they seem. As I changed my eating habits – and exercise habits – I learned that:
January is not the best time to start a weight loss program.
While most weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers or Nutri-System offer enticing deals to lure in those making resolutions to lose weight, if you wait just a few months, the deals get even better. Exercise equipment, scales, and weight loss books get clearance at big box stores as New Year’s resolutions fade from memory.
Spring cleaning induces yard sales and donations to thrift stores, where you can find these items even more cheaply. I picked up the scales and mini-trampoline I bought wanted in March and saved a bundle.
Meals cost less when they’re planned in advance.
Almost any weight loss program you begin, be it Weight Watchers or any low-calorie, low-fat regimen, requires you think out your meals. When you plan your meals a few days in advance, or even for a week in advance, it’s possible to plan these meals around a few core ingredients, which allows you to reuse tonight’s grilled chicken in tomorrow’s chicken salad, and so on. You’ll also find that when you plan meals in advance, making a shopping list is a must, which makes it less likely that you’ll purchase items you don’t need.
It’s easier to count calories and fat when you’re eating homemade.
One of the first lessons I learned from Weight Watchers was that I had no idea how many calories or how much fat my favorite fast food dishes were hiding. In order to save my waistline, I began preparing more lunches and dinners at home. Not only was I saving my waistline, but I was also saving money – that chicken salad I was getting from a drive-thru cost more than twice what I spent on the one I made at home.
Foods that are good for you are often the least expensive.
Pre-packaged diet foods are hard on both your wallet and your health. Full of chemicals and salt, these convenience foods may be low in fat in calories, but that’s their only saving grace. Fruits and vegetables are the backbones of any good diet plan, and frozen varieties are just as nutritious and low cost. Beans are both filling and full of fiber, and cost just pennies per serving when bought in bulk.
The best workouts are free or low-cost.
Exercise has never been something I look forward to, and I certainly don’t like spending money on something I dread. Walking is my exercise of choice most of all, but sometimes I switch it up with workouts I find online at sites like Spark People. I also use my mini trampoline on days the weather outside is too wet or snowy for walking.
Your local public library can help you reach your weight loss goals – for free.
Instead of purchasing Weight Watchers cookbooks for $20 or more, I found copies at my public library and copied the recipes I was interested in. Your public library is full of books and DVDs that can help you to learn about healthy eating, cook delicious meals that will help you stick to your weight loss plan, and find a workout that’s right for you.
I won’t say that losing 25 pounds was easy, or that it’s been easy to keep it off, but I can feel great knowing that losing weight didn’t break my budget. Eating right and being active shouldn’t be an expensive proposition – in fact, if losing weight had been financially draining, I know I would have abandoned my attempts long before I reached my goals.
