Save Money

There are several ways to save money while losing weight or maintaining weight. Here are several ways to do just that:

Drink Enough Water

We fail to do this one simple step to stay healthy. Tap water is cheap. In The Formula, the Doausts suggest drinking water based on your weight. That means you may drink more than the typical gallon a day. To determine the amount of water to drink each day, divide your weight (in lbs.) in half and drink that many ounces of water. For example, I weigh 220 lbs, so I'll divide my weight in half 220/2=110. I should be drinking 110 oz. of water a day.

Groceries

It's easy to save money on groceries when you avoid fad diets and fad foods. Stick with simple foods. For example, oatmeal is really cheap, a whole grain, and healthy. You can add some milk or cottage cheese for your protein. You don't need coupons either to save money on groceries (I think it's a waste of time). Most coupons are for your high-fat, high-sugar content foods anyway. You can save some money by planting your own garden too (but not go overboard).

Cardio Exercise

You don't have to spend a dime to get in aerobic exercise--just walk, jump or march in place. Have a good pair of shoes for exercise, but you can go barefoot too. There are good investments too for cardio exercise: a bike, running shoes, ball, and so on. Exercise videos can shake up the routine too. Look for free exercise classes offered in your community too. Find what works for you.

Toning

You don't need a weight room to tone your body. Your body weight creates natural resistance for most moves. Some cheap accessories may include two dumbbells, a resistance band, yoga mat, and body ball. You don't even need those. A gallon jug of water can be your dumbbell.

Weight Loss Aids

You see so many supplements that advertise fast weight loss. Eliminating these altogether will save you so much money. In fact, some of these 'aids' may hurt your health. Be careful what you choose.

Gym Memberships and Personal Training

Gyms are a useful tool in weight loss, but not necessary. There are still cheaper options for gym memberships. First, see if there are any public gyms available to use. Schools or churches may provide free facilities. Look for good deals on other gyms too. I pay $24 a month for my gym membership at the community center. If I wanted too, I could volunteer 2-4 hours a week and have a free gym membership!

Personal trainers can cost a lot of money, but there are ways to reduce that cost. Many offer discounts with multiple purchases of sessions. Others offer group training sessions. You still get part of that time as individual training. In the past, I've paid $10 a group session. That's a deal compared to $60 for an individual session. This comes with a built-in support group too.

Calorie Trackers and Support Groups

There are several free online resources. I'm using MyFitnessPal off and on. It has support groups, food trackers, exercise tracking and more. I've heard of SparkPeople and Lose It! too. Find what works for you.