There are many who want to lose weight but don’t have a huge amount of money to shell out in order to make it happen. Joining a gym can be incredibly expensive, especially when it comes to the extras such as getting a personal trainer. With so many making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and save money, it often comes down to choosing one over the other. If you plan correctly, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are several inexpensive ways to lose weight that can help you strip off the pounds while still keeping money in your wallet.
Ditch the Extras
Whenever I order a salad, I always order dressing on the side, and whenever I order sandwiches, I make sure to get the mayo on the side or removed altogether. All these little extras can add up big time. Even something as seemingly simple as wonton strips on a salad can pack on the fat and calories. For example, on the Thai Chopped Chicken Salad at Panera, the crispy wonton strips put an extra 130 calories and 6 grams of fat onto the salad. Go without the extras, and you could save yourself a lot of calories and fat.
Shrink Your Portions
You’d be surprised how having a lot of food in front of you can make you want to just keep eating more. When you’re eating at home, use small bowls and plates for your food, and when you go out, immediately ask the waitress to have them box up one-half to two-thirds of your order.
Incorporate Lemon Juice
I’m not a big fan of drinking plain water. It’s fine for a while, but then, it just gets boring. Add a little flavor to your water with lemon juice. I use fresh-squeezed lemons, because I like the taste better than standard lemon juice, but to each their own.
See a Nutritionist
Seeing a nutritionist is probably one of the best things I did to lose weight. After one visit, I dropped five pounds the first month. Although I was eating healthy, I wasn’t eating as great as I could have, nor was I eating often enough. You’d be surprised how a little tweaking can make a big difference.
Use the Kids
If you have little kids, they make excellent weights, and it’s a great way to spend time together. They’ll think it’s a game! Chances are, you already lift your little ones in the air just to get them to laugh, so do this several times a day to get in your exercise. When you’re watching TV, lay on the floor and bench-press one over your head. It sounds silly, but you’ll make them laugh and get a workout in the process. This isn’t recommended to do with extremely small kids!
Exercise While Watching TV
Instead of just sitting there while you’re watching TV, especially during commercials, get up and get a workout in. Do calf raises, sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, or any other exercise you can fit in. It’s a great way to work out without getting bored.
Walk or Run With a Goal
It’s fine to just go for a walk or run, but when you do it with a goal, you can increase your chances of sticking with your exercise. Set a goal, whether it’s doing a certain amount of miles or getting ready for a marathon, and you could use that as motivation to push yourself and keep going.
You don’t have to pay a high gym membership fee just to lose weight, especially if you think there’s a chance you may not stick with going. When you make it easy and convenient to lose weight, that’s when you’ll have more of a chance of dropping the pounds. All it takes is a little imagination to come up with a plan perfectly tailored to your likes and schedule, and you can be on your way to keeping with your New Year’s resolution of losing weight.
More From This Contributor:
Ways to Motivate Your Guy to Lose Weight
Gaining Weight in a Relationship: Why It Happens and How to Prevent It
Keeping a Food and Exercise Journal: Does it Really Help With Weight Loss?
