Losing Weight without Losing Money
Losing weight is easy, you know. At least, it is easy providing you?ve got the cash to pay for expensive diet food and medication, gym membership, a personal trainer, a dietician? But what if you?re one of the normal every day people that actually can?t afford the extra cost of gym membership in a recession, or someone who balks at the idea of having to nearly double their food bill because healthy options don?t come cheap.
Here are a few tips in order to combat that. They?re all simple little changes you can make to your lifestyle that cost either nothing or very little and can make a huge impact on the effectiveness of your diet if followed correctly.
Out
When at the supermarket, don?t be drawn in by special offers and deals until you?ve done the math, and be aware about the way supermarkets draw in customers by using special marketing techniques. Even the layout of the store is designed to make you buy more, but don?t relent ? stick to buying only what you need. The two key things to do before going shopping are to eat before your trip and to make a list of everything you need. The list will keep you focused on what you require rather than what you want, and it?s a well researched fact that people who shop when hungry are far more likely to buy excess food.
Consider buying canned food instead of frozen. Canned vegetables may taste a little different but they are still very nutritious and if you use them in recipe combined with other food, there?s a good chance you won?t notice the difference. Your wallet will though, with canned vegetables considerably cheaper than their frozen counterparts.
Shopping at the same store will help you quickly plan your way around, but it has another bonus in that you?ll get to know which store brands are worth buying. Try to avoid totally budget and basic brands and instead opt for the supermarket own brand products which are likely to remain rich in nutrients while being much cheaper than branded products. Which products you buy branded and which you don?t will be a matter of personal taste, but try to buy as little as possible from big name companies.
Outside the supermarket, don?t forget the power of walking and jogging. You might need to invest in some decent shoes but after that, they the activity is totally free. Many people buy expensive gym memberships only to then drive all the way to the Gym. If these people had instead jogged the same distance, they could often have lost a similar amount of calories.
At home
You can exercise at home using DVDs and exercise videos. Although these might look expensive you?ll find a vast amount of budget copies of exercise videos in your local charity and second hand stores. You can also visit your local library which is likely to have quite a large amount of its DVD collection dedicated to health and fitness.
Before going out, be realistic about any food you might need. There?s no use saving money at the supermarket if you then don?t pack enough for lunch and then end up using expensive vending machines to make up the difference.
While at home, consider buying a water filter for your tap or fridge and then drink tap water instead of bottled water. They may look nice and talk about spring water coming all the way from Italy or somewhere, but in reality they are incredibly expensive diversions and often don?t taste any different to filtered tap water. If you absolutely have to buy bottled water, buy supermarket brands and try to buy it in bulk as much as possible.