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October Challenge

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #27: Bring Your Lunch From Home

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It’s almost the end of our Weight Loss on a Budget Challenge so I just have a few more tips.  Today’s Tip #27: Bring Your Lunch From Home.

bring your own lunchThere are 3 major benefits to bringing your lunch to work or while you are out.

  1. Saving Money – Buying your lunch everyday can be very expensive.  The cheaper options (dollar menus for example) tend to be very convenient, but also FULL of empty calories, fatty meats and simple carbs.  You can save money by planning out your meals according to your daily budget.  Create your own healthy meal plan with low cost items like greek yogurt, low sodium deli meat, cereal, bulk items (nuts, beans, etc), cottage cheese, apples, oranges, protein shakes, etc.
  2. Calorie Control and Healthy Ingredients – When your make your lunch, you know exactly what’s in it.  You will have selected the ingredients and you’ll know how the food was prepared.  Also, you will have already considered things like calories and the nutritional value (vitamins, fiber, etc).  If you have a calorie goal for the day, it’s easier to stay on track because youl know in advance what your calorie counts should be.
  3. Portion Control – When you order your lunch, sometimes you may not be aware of what the true portion size is for what you’re eating because you’re on the run.  You may think you’re eating 1 serving of a food when you are really eating 4 servings.  That’s because there are so many great restaurants out there that have huge portions that don’t work for people who want to cut back to lose weight.  In the end, you may feel like you’re getting a deal on food, but you are sabotaging your weight loss efforts with those huge portions.  In addition, many of us were raised to eat everything on our plates, so the thought of not eating what we just paid top dollar for doesn’t compute.  Thus we end up eating more food than we need to.  That leads to guilt because we don’t want to “waste” food, so we eat it.  When you make your own lunch, you can better control how much food you eat.

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #26: Use Free Weight Loss and Fitness Apps

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Mobile apps are part of our daily lives.  Today for our Weight Loss on a Budget Tip for day 26, we want to encourage you to try some great, free weight loss and fitness focused apps. Tip #26: Use Free Weight Loss and Fitness Apps.

weight loss apps

My Fitness Pal – This is a calorie counter app, online community and database that contains the nutritional information for million foods. This app can really help you stay on track with your eating. Hundreds of BWLW members are on the site so check out this list of their usernames.  It’s FREE

Nike Training Club – This app from Nike gives you access to over 10o workouts at the click of a button.  It includes some great High Intensity Interval Training routines to help you burn calories.  You can set up goals and you’re rewarded for your progress.  It’s like a personal trainer in your pocket because there is a cool audio feature that talks to your to help you stay motivated during your workout.  Very user friendly.  It’s FREE.

Loseit – Track calories, workouts and your overall weight loss progress with this app.  You can keep track of macronutrients, sleep patterns and even your blood pressure so you see a great snapshot of your health as you work on your overall wellness.  My favorite part of this FREE app is the bar code scanning.  It saves me a lot of time when I’m logging what I’ve eaten (protein powders, dairy, etc).

Fooducate – If you want to really know what’s in your food and get some help with making food decisions based on nutrition, get this FREE app.  It will open your eyes.  Their site says that “Fooducate’s scientific algorithms grade each product and provide simple, concise explanations. Grading system developed by scientists, dietitians and concerned parents.”  They emphasize REAL, unprocessed foods.

 

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #25: Save Money at the Doctor’s Office

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Losing weight can help you achieve Tip #25: Saving Money at the Doctor’s Office.  “A person who is obese has annual medical costs $1,429 higher than someone of a normal weight, according to the CDC.” – Bankrate.com

save money medicine

  • Losing weight can reduce your risk factors for things like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and some cancers.
  • Reduce medications for diseases for which symptoms are improved when you lose weight.
  • Weight loss and getting healthy can help improve your immune system, thus helping you to stay our of the doctor’s office for common colds or infections.
  • “$1,850 more per year in medical costs for an overweight person than for someone of healthy weight, among employees at the Mayo Clinic and their adult dependents. $3,086 more per year in medical costs for a Mayo worker with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 40. $5,530 more per year in medical costs for a Mayo worker with a BMI above 40. By comparison, smokers’ medical costs were only $1,274 a year higher than nonsmokers’, who generally die earlier.” – Reuters

A few weeks ago, I posted an article where I outlined how obesity could cause you to have higher interest rates.  Here is part of that article:

Why being overweight could now cost more to insure.

It is an accepted medical fact that being overweight can increase a person’s risk for disease and complications from other treatments to the point that it can be life threatening or develop into chronic conditions. Obesity is linked to asthma, type-2 diabetes, stroke risk, high blood pressure, cardiac issues and recently a direct link between being overweight and an increased risk of breast cancer has been found. For health insurers, this flags those who are overweight as high risks for coverage. Federal regulations prohibit insurers from denying or limiting coverage to those who are overweight by denying it qualification as a pre-existing condition, but they have put in options for health insurers to charge higher rates to the obese.

How much higher will my rates be if I am overweight?

According to the new federal regulations, you could be charged anywhere from 30 to 50% more for the same health insurance that someone who has a healthy BMI is paying. For employers, this will help defray the costs of the group insurance plans they help carry.  The many of the people with health issues that the new health mandates are supposed to be helping get affordable coverage may become stuck in the catch-22 of having to pay higher rates than before.

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #24: Create a Home Gym and Save Money

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home gym save moneyTip #24: Create a Home Gym to Save Money.  The number one way that a home gym can help you lose weight on a budget is that you won’t have to pay for a gym membership.  This is the most obvious benefit, but let me share another 5 tips with you.

  • Time is Money:  When you can roll out of bed and workout or workout as soon as you get home it can be a huge time saver.  Whether using less gas or having time for other things, you will see a savings on top of more convenience.
  • World Class Personal Trainers in Your Living Room: Workout at home with workout DVDs and have some of the best trainers in the world as your exercise coaches.  Bob Harper and Dolvet Quince in the Biggest Loser DVDs.  Tony Horton in P90X.  Jillian Michaels in her various workout DVDs.  Chalene Johnson in the Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire series.  Shaun T in the Insanity series.  Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds series.  These are just few titles that feature some of the best trainers in the world.  In your home gym, you can workout with them on the cheap compared to what it might cost to workout regularly with a local personal trainer.  Here is a list of top workout DVDs.
  • No Drama – Save yourself from the drama of going to the gym.  Yes, you can avoid feeling awkward, anxious or self conscious about your body.  You can avoid the meat heads who are grunting and dropping weights.  You can avoid the people who are just there to hit on women or be seen.  At home, you can focus on getting your workout on, not on who’s in the gym and what they are doing.  Less distractions, More focus!
  • Low Cost Equiptment – You can start with workout DVDs, a yoga mat, dumbbells (3 different sizes), an exercise ball for around $75-150 dollars.  You may be able to get second hand workout equipment from friends and family or at a discount on sites like Ebay.  Put together your equipment list based on the exercises you like to do.  In the future, You might even work up to buying an elliptical machine or spin bike if you are even more serious about working out at home vs. paying for a gym membership.
  • Your Apartment/Condo’s Workout Room – If you have a free, well maintained workout room in your condo, apartment or community club house that can be your home gym.  Many residents don’t take advantage of gyms on the premises where they live, and they can be basically empty during non peak hours (Most people workout right after work or in the morning.

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #23: You Can Save Money on Organic Food

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Tip #23 of our Weight Loss on a Budget Tips: You Can Save Money on Organic Food.  Here are 5 ways to make organic more affordable.

save on organic food

  1. Look for coupons on organic brands – You may not find many coupons for organics in your local paper, so you’ll need to visit the websites for the brands you like and look for coupons.  Many companies offer coupons and special offers to their email list, so sign up for deals.
  2. Buy in Bulk – You can get all the benefits of organically grown food at a reduced cost when you buy in bulk.  Focus on foods that are not prone to go bad quickly like cereal, nuts, beans, protein powder, grains and healthy snack foods.  If you are a member of a club, like BJ’s or Costco, make sure you are taking advantage of specials and monthly store coupons for greater deals.
  3. Buy the Store Brand – As long as the product is certified organic (USDA) it doesn’t matter what the brand is.  If you like the taste and it meets your nutritional needs, buy it instead of the name brand and save money.  A lot of grocery stores now carry a house organic brand because of consumer demand.
  4. Grow Your Own – If you have enough space and an interest in gardening, consider getting a book and heading to your local home improvement store for what you need to get a garden started.  There is actually a whole urban gardening movement going on where people use methods like square foot gardening to raise their own food in limited spaces.
  5. Clean 15 / Dirty Dozen – There are actually fruits and veggies that are not exposed to a lot of pesticides and don’t have a lot of pesticide residue.  They are called the “Clean 15™”.  You can save money buy NOT buying them organic.
    • onions
    • avocados
    • sweet corn
    • pineapples
    • mango
    • sweet peas
    • asparagus
    • kiwi fruit
    • cabbage
    • eggplant
    • cantaloupe
    • watermelon
    • grapefruit
    • sweet potatoes
    • sweet onions

On the other side of the spectrum there is the “Dirty Dozen™” list of foods that most people recommend be purchased in organic form due to the amount of pesticide they are exposed to and what has been found in testing in terms of residue.

    • celery
    • peaches
    • strawberries
    • apples
    • domestic blueberries
    • nectarines
    • sweet bell peppers
    • spinach, kale and collard greens
    • cherries
    • potatoes
    • imported grapes
    • lettuce

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #22: Skip Diet Foods, Drinks & Pre-packed “Healthy” Snacks

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diet foods diet drinks pre-packagedIt’s day 22 of our October Challenge and we are focused on how we can save some money while losing the weight at the same time.  Today’s Weight Loss on a Budget Tip: #22 – Skip Diet Foods and Pre-packed “Healthy” Snacks.

That’s right!  I’m talking about snack packs, frozen diet meals and powdered diet drinks.  You just don’t need them to lose weight.  Focus on eating REAL, unprocessed foods and drinking lots of water.

Diet Snack Packs – You save money by buying in larger quantities and breaking the food down.  You can repackage your own snacks that you buy in bulk.  Weight or divide out the food in small, low calorie portions and put it in sandwich bags.  It’s all about portion control.  You ALSO should not be fooled into thinking that just because you ate 3 100 calorie packages that it wasn’t as bad, because they are diet portions. 🙂  Most people don’t just have one portion of diet products, they have 2 or 3.

Diet Drinks – When it comes to diet drinks, sometimes the extreme sweetness just continues to keep your sweet tooth alive, super charging it.  You never divorce yourself from the sugar rush with these drinks, thus your cravings continue to rage on.  Drink more water and save your money.  Drink tea with a little natural sweetener like honey or agave when your willpower is low.

Frozen Diet Meals – Do you research and really consider how much money you’re spending on frozen diet meals.  Could you avoid things like sodium and preservatives by not eating those foods?  How much money would you save if you made your own meals and ate leftovers as well?  Are the foods too high in calories, hidden sugars or fats?

Other Diet Foods – If the diet products are being sold at a premium, avoid them.  There are cheaper options.  You don’t have to buy something because it’s labelled low-fat or diet. Buy the most health food you can afford.  That should be your goal.  Don’t let the marketing tactics suck you in.

 

 

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #21: Look for Free Weight Loss Related Offers Online

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free offers weight loss relatedWeight Loss on a Budget Tip #21: Look for Free Weight Loss Related Offers Online!  That’s right!  If you are willing to do the work you can find lots of offers for free stuff online that can help you with your weight loss efforts.  Here are just a few examples (some are limited time offers):

Free Meal Plans:

Sites where you can find offers for free stuff:

Take your time and do your research.  Check out the websites for your favorite brands and plan how to buy them.

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #20: Learn to Save Money on Fruits and Veggies

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Today’s Weight Loss on a Budget Tip – #20: Learn How to Save Money on Fruits and Veggies.  Consider this…

“Researchers at the University of Arizona recently spent a year tracking families’ food-use habits. Working with the United States Department of Agriculture, they interviewed the families about their eating habits, collected their grocery receipts, watched them prepare meals, and then sifted through every last discarded lettuce leaf, slice of bread, burger and bean.  The results, reported in 2002, were pretty shocking. The families tossed out an average of 470 pounds of food per year——about 14 percent of all food brought into the home——at an annual cost of $600. Every day, they discarded more than half a pound of fruits and veggies. In total, Americans chuck a fourth of all the produce they buy, mostly because it’s gone bad, says Timothy Jones, PhD, contemporary archaeologist at the University of Arizona. Nationally, we dump $43 billion worth of food every year.” – Vegetarian Times

save money on fruit veggiesI would like to believe that since things are a bit tighter financially these days, with our economy, that we are doing a better job of not wasting money on food in general. Here are some tips to help you do that:

Deals at Farmer’s Markets –

  • Visit sellers at your local farmer’s market an hour before closing time.  You may be able to negotiate deals on produce so that they don’t have to take as much inventory back to the farm.
  • Don’t be afraid to haggle on price with farmers.  It’s common at markets, especially if you plan to buy in bulk or large quantities.
  • You may be able to negotiate a lower price if you are a regular, weekly customer.  Many sellers appreciate the repeat, regular business and may give you a discount for loyalty.

Store Your Fruits and Veggies Properly – If you don’t know how long your veggies will last or how to properly store them, you may end up with wasted food which means wasted money.

  • Know that some fruits should not be stored next to others – Some fruits and vegetables produce ethylene gas.  This is a gas that causes produce to ripen.  This can speed up the aging process of fruits or cause premature ripening (aka.causing food to spoil).  Here is a list of ethylene emitting foods and ethylene sensitive foods.
  • Check out this fruit and veggie nutrition database and find out how to store various produce.  For example, did you know that you should store apples in the fridge, away from foods with strong odors, for up to 3 weeks?
  • Here is another list of storage tips from farmfreshtoyou.com.
  • Do some research on what you can store on the counter and what you should refrigerate.

Research Sales Online

  • I’ve said this before, but searching for deals online is key to saving money.  Visit the website for the local grocery store you prefer and look for deals on produce before you visit the store.

Buy Fruits and Veggies in Season

  • Some fruits and veggies are cheaper when they are in season because less have to be imported and there are more available on the market.

Buy Frozen

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #19: Use the Crockpot or Slow Cooker

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slow cooker crock potThis month I’m sharing a tip each day about how you can save money while losing weight.  Here is today’s tip: Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #19: Use the Crockpot.

How can a Crockpot save you money?  When you are cooking your own meals and using healthy recipes to stay on course with your weight loss goals, slow cooking has a number of benefits:

  • Saving time, because time is money. You can put your ingredients in the pot and spend time doing other things (like exercising).
  • You can buy cheaper cuts of lean meat because slow cooking will tenderize them.  You can also use affordable things like turkey legs or neck bones for flavor.
  • Slow cookers and Crock Pots are cheap to buy (around $30) and use less electricity than a stove.
  • Save money by making large recipes and then freezing or storing the leftovers.  No need to buy a meal when you have a great one in the fridge.

The other reason you should embrace using a Crockpot or slow cooker is variety.  There are hundreds of healthy slow cooker recipes you can try that have a lot of flavor, so that you never get bored.

Here is a sample of some of the great recipes out there:

Low Carb

Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #18: Make Shopping List Before Going to the Grocery Store

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Today’s Weight Loss on a Budget Tip #18 – Make an Actual Shopping List.  We have all heard the old expression, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.  Well, that saying rings true when it comes to eating for weight loss.  Chances are that the majority of what you are eating are foods that you have prepared for yourself.  I talking about homemade, healthy recipes and and healthy convenience foods like, yogurt, whole wheat cereal or low sodium soup.  You can save money and stay on track with your weight loss goals by making a list before heading to the grocery store.  It requires willpower, but you can do it!

  • With a shopping list you will better be able to avoid the negative foods that would contribute to weight gain.
  • With a list you will know what foods your need to buy in accordance with what you plan to eat for the week and what recipes you will be making.
  • If you assess what you have at home and what you need to buy before your regular weekly trip to the store, you will make less trips to the grocery store during the week, saving gas…thus saving money.
  • A list will help you void overbuying or buying the things you don’t need.  Save money $$$
  • Don’t worry about the brand names, just get the foods on your list.  Ingredients should be your focus, so as long as the food label nutrition info shows that the food is healthy the brand name is secondary.  Not buying brand names can save you $$$.
  • Compare prices.  You may have one brand on your list, but another brand is on sale.  Embrace your options.
  • Avoid impulse purchases and being lured into buying things you don’t need based on sales and special offer displays.
  • After making your list, look at the website for the store you are going to and look for deals on the items you plan to buy.  You can of course look at your coupons as well, if you are “couponing”.
  • Don’t shop when you are hungry or having strong cravings because you’ll be more likely to divert from your list.
  • There are some good list building, meal planning and family focused apps out there that allow you to manage your list on your phone.  Fooducate is one example of this.

If you need help putting a list together, we’ve got shopping lists that you can take to the store with you as a part of our Free Meal Plans.  Check out our 4 week plans.  One is for vegetarians and the other is just clean eating.

shopping list