Frugal Ways To Lose Weight

It’s summertime.  Do you know what that means?  It’s time to get in shape so you look hot on the beach!  Few things in life are as important as looking good in a bathing suit.  Sure, Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world, but do you think he turns heads on the beach?  Doubtful.  Unfortunately for the rest of us, we aren’t as rich as Bill Gates and weight-loss products are expensive.  A gym membership can cost upwards of $50 per month and Weight Watchers?  Jenny Craig?  They all cost too much for what they’re worth, which is zero since you can get the exact same results without them.  Without further ado, here are some ways to maintain a healthy weight, stay in shape, and still have enough money left over to afford a beach vacation to strut your stuff.  And it’s not like most of these suggestions even require you to do any actual work, so you have no excuse.

•  Eliminate Soda – At around 150 calories per serving, you could do your waistline a lot of good by drinking water at meals instead of soda.  Eliminating two cans of soda per day, you could shed over 31 lbs in a year (there are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat, FYI)!  As an added bonus, you would save $365 assuming $0.50 per can.  Of course, you’d probably have to use most of that savings to buy new pants, but all in all I’d say it’s a fair trade.
• Park As Far Away As Possible And Walk – Do you hate those people who will drive around the parking lot 20 minutes looking for a close spot just to avoid walking an extra 100 feet?  Me too.  It’s no coincidence most of these people are fat.  Park as far from your destination as possible and walk.  An extra 10 calories here, 18 calories there, and before you know it you’ll drop a pants size.  It adds up.
• Always Take the Stairs – Do you know what an elevetor is?  An escalator?  Not anymore.  Always take the stairs if at all possible.  Even if you’re climing 4 or 5 floors.  It’s really not all that bad and as an added bonus, you’ll help sculpt your buns as you burn calories.  Taking the stairs is often quicker than waiting for an elevator and trust me, even the most out-of-shape among us can climb five stories without much trouble.  Just do it.
• Snack, Snack, Snack – Never be caught without a healthy snack.  My favorite snack is either trail mix (try to stay away from chocolate) or mixed nuts, but fruit is also a good choice.  Whenever you start feeling hungry, have a mouthful.  You should be snacking lightly 3 or 4 times per day to keep your hunger at bay between meals.  That way, when you do sit down to eat, you aren’t starving and are far less likely to over-eat.  Again, never let yourself get hungry because let’s face it, if you had the will-power to resist an extra helping of mac ‘n cheese at dinner you probably wouldn’t be overweight to begin with.  Of course, this doesn’t work if your snack of choice is Doritos.
• Take The Hundred Pushup Challenge! – Like many other bloggers, I am currently taking the hundred pushup challenge.  I’ve found the first two weeks to be relatively easy thus far, but weeks four, five, and six look like they will be fairly difficult.  Resolve to do this if you can.  It only takes 10-15 minutes three days a week and push-ups are a great multi-muscle workout.  They work your chest, shoulders, abs, arms, and back.  In fact, you could get an effective total-body workout doing nothing but a few varieties of push-ups and some squats, and you don’t even need any equipment for this.  At the end of the program (six to eight weeks for most people) you will be more toned than you ever thought possible. 

For more on inexpensive ways to work out, check out my post on exercising at home.