How To Lose Weight On A Tight Budget

It is quite encouraging to see that more and more people are now becoming aware of the perils of being overweight. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat.

Proper diet and exercise can help you lose weight in a healthy and efficient manner. Luckily, you do not always need to drop big bucks to lose weight, because it is possible to learn how to lose weight on a budget.

Here are some tips to follow:

Cook at Home

Buying prepared meals can be an expensive proposition. You are better off preparing your food at home because you have control of what types of ingredients go into your meals!

You just need to find a few good recipes, and you will be able to make delicious low-calorie meals without having to spend a lot of money.

It is easy to prepare some high-fiber foods, such as whole grains and beans at home and they do not cost you much.

And of course, they are much healthier and cheaper alternatives to their highly processed counterparts.

Stay Away from Beef

You do not need to eliminate it from your diet, but you can certainly knock off pounds and save a good amount of money by ditching the beef for at least one night a week. Going for healthy non-meat alternatives such as mushrooms and beans will also be good for your health. If you need to incorporate animal protein into your diet, lean meats such as chicken breasts and fish are your best options.

Pay Attention to Portion Control

Many people find some weight loss programs effective because they’re portion controlled. Studies show that most people – even the nutrition experts – often underestimate how much they are eating on a daily basis.

Therefore, you need to learn how much to eat to prevent overeating and control your caloric intake. Buy a kitchen scale or use measuring cups to know exactly how much you are eating. Do not just rely on guesswork when deciding portion sizes. By preventing overeating, you can restrict your caloric intake and save some money in the process.

Buy in Bulk

Sometimes, you can consider buying healthy foods in bulk for long-term savings and weight loss. You will be paying less when buying in bulk. For instance, you may find it easier to buy a whole chicken than buying smaller chunks. Just throw a portion of a whole chicken together with steamed veggies one night, and then use the rest of it on top of salad the next day for a healthy meal. It will be quick, healthy and relatively cheaper, as well.

Similarly, you may be able to save some money by buying a large container of oatmeal instead of buying sugar-laden individual packs. Big bags of frozen veggies and rice will also cost you less than individual containers.

Keep a Food Journal

Keeping track of things you eat will not only help make it easier to prevent overeating and control your weight but it will also help make it possible to manage your budget in a better way.

Simply use a notebook and pencil to record everything you eat. Review your journal after a couple of weeks to identify trends. You may be amazed to see that you consume most of your calories in snacks!

If you also write about your mood when writing about the food you eat, you will get to know if you are a stress eater or follow a predictable pattern all the time.

With more information about your eating habits, you will be able to tweak your diet plan to lose weight effectively and on a budget too.

Buddy Up

An interesting and highly effective way to lose weight is to buddy up and keep each other motivated. Studies have found that you are going to lose more weight when you participate in a group weight-loss programs with a friend. By finding a friend who may also be interested in losing weight, you can save a lot of money by dividing the cost of gym membership and following a diet program between two people.

Increase Your Water Intake

If you want to know a tip that helps you lose weight and costs nothing at all, here it is – drink more water daily! Yes, you boost your metabolism and increase the number of calories you burn daily. Moreover, you will feel fuller when you drink enough water and this keeps you from overeating. Replacing high calorie beverages with water is another way to cut your caloric intake in a healthy way.

Of course, this will not lead to an overnight reduction in weight, but you will eventually see some difference. So, be sure to consume at least 64oz of water daily.

Get Adequate Sleep

Another way to lose weight without spending any money is to get adequate sleep each night.

Ideally, you should get no less than eight hours of sleep a day. It helps repair your body and provides you with energy to handle your workouts with more intensity.

You cannot lose weight effectively if you are sleep deprived. In fact, many studies have found that sleep deprivation can undo the benefits of dieting. Experts have also found that sleep deprivation can lead to “metabolic grogginess”, which means it can change your fat cells and throw your hormones out of balance.

Your body also loses its ability to regulate insulin properly if you do not get enough sleep on a daily basis.

Pick Your Foods Carefully

What you eat will have a huge impact on how you look. Therefore, it is a great idea to educate yourself about some cheap and healthy foods that you can include in your diet. Here are some suggestions:

• Brown Rice: It is cheap and provides you with healthy carbs. You also get 15% of vitamin B6, 21% of magnesium, and 4% of your recommended daily intake of iron from a single serving of brown rice. It provides you with resistant starch that improves your metabolism and helps lose weight.
• Non-Fat Greek Yogurt: Another cheap yet highly effective food is Greek yogurt. Studies have found that eating an additional serving of non-fat Greek yogurt prevents 0.82 pounds of weight gain. You will also get healthy bacteria (aka probiotics) and many other nutrients without having to spend a lot of money.
• Old-Fashioned Oatmeal: Oatmeal costs you no more than $.16 per serving, but it helps you lose weight by keeping you full for a long time. It contains fiber that helps stabilize your blood sugar and prevents hunger pangs at the same time. Each serving of oatmeal also provides you with about 4.6g of resistant starch.
• Beans: You only need to spend $0.17 for each serving of canned beans, but you will be able to get a variety of nutrients to improve your overall health. Studies show that you have a 23% lower risk of accumulating belly fat when you include beans in your diet. You can opt for black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and other options to get loads of protein as well.
• Canned Tuna: It is also a cheap way to limit your caloric intake, as each serving costs no more than $.41. Canned tuna is a great option because it is low in calories, and high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Sweet Potatoes: You do not have to pay more than $0.50 for a small sweet potato, but you get loads of benefits in return. It provides you with loads of vitamin B1, niacin, pantothenic acid, copper, manganese, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and phosphorus.

Make Your Home a Wellness Center

If you cannot afford a membership to a high-end gym, you can simply decide to carve out a wellness nook in your own home. You just need some space to lay out a yoga mat and start exercising.

You can even buy cheap equipment from discount stores and make your workouts more advanced and intense. You can resistance train with different bodyweight exercises, such as lunges, triceps dips, pushups, squats, and more. Be sure to buy fitness equipment that you can use in many different ways. For instance, you can buy an exercise ball that you can use for cardio and even strength training while watching TV. It won’t cost you more than $20, but will help you burn hundreds of calories at home.

Similarly, you can buy multi-station home gyms – these may be a bit expensive, but that one-time investment will help you perform so many exercises without having to leave your home. Similarly, you can invest in a cardio machine, which may call for a higher upfront investment, but it will cost you less when compared to a monthly gym membership.

Here are some other ways to exercise when you are on a tight budget:

• Look for studios that would offer free classes. Small studios usually offer this benefit. You can take advantage of those offers and even get some discounts if you decide to stick to a deal. Some gyms also offer free passes on certain days of the week. You can get free passes for more than one gym and then strategically plan everything to get a free month of exercising.
• Enjoy hiking or start running with your friend. It will be so much fun to hike with a friend. Running will also cost you nothing but help you burn hundreds of calories.
• Take advantage of the nearest beach. Swimming is a great way to burn fat, but you do not always need to buy a membership to go swimming. Just head to the nearest beach and enjoy swimming for a few minutes.
• Find fitness videos online and follow them to help burn fat without having to spend any money. By using this option, you can work alongside top trainers and experts. Similarly, you can find free workouts and help on fitness websites with free trials. Use those 15-day trials to help lose weight with the help of a pro.
• Take part in free fitness events. Do not miss any opportunity to spend an active day, especially when there is a local free fitness event. You can use social media platforms to find free fitness events.

The fact of the matter is that you can find so many ways to help lose weight. The main idea is to stay active and burn more calories in a consistent way. You also need to eat in a caloric deficit mode to lose weight naturally. Just by finding cheaper ways to exercise and diet, you will be able to have a dream body without breaking the bank. So, stay persistent and keep working hard to lose weight and keep it off!

About the author: Rachel Butler

Rachel has been with us since we launched back in 2012.

Rachel has reviewed countless products over the years, and has written many articles offering sound advice. Her professional opinions are widely respected.

Rachel graduated a BSc in Clinical Science from the University of Leicester, U.K.

She lives in York with her husband and young daughter and their dog, a little terrier named Betsy.