How To Overcome The Challenge Of Losing Weight On A Budget

As if temptations and willpower don’t make weight loss difficult enough, a budget, or lack thereof, can really put a damper on your ability to shed pounds. Losing weight can often feel like losing money!

Healthy food costs more than the cheap junk food staples that put on the weight to begin with. Gyms are often expensive and then you have to find the time to actually GO!

So how do you lose weight on a budget?

Cheap Ways To Lose Weight Instead Of Your Money

1. Running Outside. Personally, I haven’t been to a gym in years. After spending WAY too much on a membership, I was too busy (okay, lazy) to use it. For me, a gym was a commitment. It was a place I had to drive or walk to. It took second (or third or fourth) priority on my busy schedule. When I took up running, I fell in love with it because it was something I could do from home, at home, anytime I want. And best of all, running is FREE!

Running outside not only gives you a great cardio workout, but it gives you some fresh air and sunshine. Running is a fantastic way to lose weight and it’s my preferred exercise. You might even be able to find a free or cheap running group that meets a couple of times a week to help encourage and motivate you.

Running outside is fantastic in the spring and fall, but what do you do when the temperatures drop into negative territory, or the summer heat makes your oven feel like a cool place to hang out? You can switch to indoor exercises like jumping rope (see below) or scan garage sales or Craigslist for awesome prices on a used treadmill or spin bike to use during the frigid or hot times of the year.

2. Workout DVDs/Videos. You might not be able to afford a personal trainer, but you can gain access to fitness professionals on DVD. You can find inexpensive workout DVDs online that you can do right in your own living room. Used DVDs are even cheaper.

When I purchase exercise DVDs online, I pay close attention to reviews that customers gave as that helps me determine if the video will be a good match for my abilities. You can also look for sample clips on YouTube.

Speaking of YouTube, there are many great workouts that you can play for free on your computer. Simply click the “full screen” button on your computer, laptop, tablet or phone and get moving. Most of these are going to be short 5 to 20 minutes videos so they are perfect to fit into your busy schedule.

3. Join & Shop At A Warehouse Club. I buy a lot of produce. As you know, produce gets expensive in a supermarket, especially when it is organic. Our Costco membership allows me to buy large quantities of produce at prices that are much lower than you’d find in a supermarket. You can even find lots of organic options too!

We buy large bags of organic fresh baby kale, one pound tubs of fresh organic baby spinach and mixed greens. We get Campari tomatoes that are certified pesticide-free. We stock up on organic frozen broccoli and wild blueberries. We get our mangoes, pineapples, avocados, kiwifruits and more at our warehouse club. We also get organic quinoa, brown rice and other bulk staples at better-than-supermarket prices. The $50+ membership fee more than pays for itself due to the savings we enjoy week after week.

4. Jump Rope. A lot of people forget about this wonderful cardio exercise. You can get a great cardio workout in a short amount of time with what is perhaps one of the least expensive pieces of exercise equipment out there. You can also get some interval training in. Jump for five minutes, walk in place for one minute and then jump rope some more.

5. Join An Amateur Sports Team. The key word here is AMATEUR. You don’t have to be the next Babe Ruth to play baseball. Most summer sports teams will play indoors during the winter (which is perfect if you’re a runner who hates the cold weather). Look for teams that are focused on having fun while playing. You’ll learn some great new moves and you might enjoy the sport enough to play on a competitive team. Either way, it’s a workout you don’t have to think about or pay a lot to do. Not only that, you’ll make new friends who will encourage and motivate you.

6. Don’t Buy Everything Organic. While it would be nice to buy 100% organic all the time, you don’t have to if your grocery budget is tight. As far as pesticide residues are concerned, certain produce items are very low compared with others. Fruits you peel tend to be safest. For example, avocados, pineapple, mango, citrus fruits and pomegranate can be safely purchased as non-organic.

I always buy greens, celery, apples, peaches and other fruits where I eat the peel organic.

7. Take The Stairs. Forget the stair stepping machine. The world is filled with stairs that you can climb for free! When I worked a 9-5 job, I worked on the 12th floor. I would take the stairs everyday and on my lunch break, I would run up and down them three times.

8. Find Cheap Exercise Equipment on Craigslist/Garage Sales. You can get a great deal on buying used exercise equipment on Craigslist of even at garage sales. A lot of times they’ll be in almost new condition because they bought it and never used it (I think we’re ALL guilty of doing that).

A couple years ago, I bought a used spin bike in great condition for $60. You can often find very cheap weights, exercise balls and even treadmills and other fancy equipment at discounts from people trying to clean out their basement or garage.

9. Get A Stability Ball. I have a stability ball that I paid about $15 for and I love it. You can do all kinds of different core exercises while using them. They are easy to inflate and if you need to store it for any reason, you can easily deflate it to save space. You can also bring them on trips with you to get a little fitness in while on vacation. You can easily squeeze it into your suitcase.

10. Buy And Make Healthy Food In Bulk And Freeze It. People are always telling me that they don’t have time in the morning to make a green smoothie. Try cutting all your fruits and veggies for the week on one day, place them in freezer containers (in individual smoothie portions) and freeze them until you want to use it. That way your produce will last all week and you can save yourself time in the morning. Plus, buying in bulk is usually cheaper than buying small quantities more frequently.

You can do this with other foods too. If eating a whole foods diet sounds time consuming, try cooking up a big batch of chili or soup and then portion it out. Freeze some of it in pre-portioned containers. Cut up a bunch of carrots and celery sticks in advance and portion them out in easy “grab-and-go” containers.

When I cook quinoa, I cook a little extra and stick it in the refrigerator. The next day, I’ve got an easy snack or complement to my lunch that’s ready to go. I love cold quinoa. It’s great on its own, tossed with a tiny bit of dressing or marinade or topped with blueberries or apples with a pinch of cinnamon.

There are no excuses when it comes to losing weight. You’ve got the power and the ability to create the body you want for yourself. While you might have limited control over your budget, it doesn’t have to dictate your success or failure when shedding pounds.

One of the best ways to lose weight is with green smoothies and whole foods. I know because I lost 40 pounds this way! That’s why I created the Green Smoothie Health & Weight Loss program. It has everything you need to know about green smoothies and weight loss with a 4-week green smoothie weight loss plan, hundreds of recipes, answers to over 115 questions, my Green Smoothie Master Chef course, my Detox In 4 Days e-book, a fitness kickstart guide, Green Smoothie Remedies & Prevention…the list goes on and on.

Take a look at my Green Smoothie Health & Weight Loss program to find out how I can help you finally shed the pounds, flatten your tummy and skyrocket your energy!

Read more articles and find recipes for green smoothie weight loss.

Tags: budget, exercise, fitness, fitness equipment, healthy eating, jump rope, organic, produce, running, saving money, spin bike, treadmill, Weight Loss