As a kid, I used to think that $1,000 was a lot of money. But now that I’m an adult, I think it’s a tremendous amount of money.
Who said losing weight, working out, or eating healthy has to be expensive? Here are 8 tips for losing weight on a budget.
1. Buy What’s in Season
Not only are in-season produce cheaper, but they’re also fresher, which means they carry more of their nutritional properties and flavors.
So instead of buying expensive organic produce at the grocery store, plan a trip to your local farmers market.
Try getting plenty of whichever non-starchy vegetables are in season as they contain lots of fiber, which will help you stay full for longer, improve digestion, and reduce cravings.
2. Eat More Home-Cooked Meals
People often complain about meal prepping being too expensive, however, it’s far cheaper than eating out.
The average cost of a meal outside of the home is $12.75, while the average home-cooked meal is around $4.00.
Plus, restaurant foods are often prepared with sauces and flavorings that contain lots of fat and sugars, which add unwanted calories.
If you’re new to meal prepping, here are 5 meal prep mistakes that make weight loss harder.
And, if you’re not much of a chef, here are 10 delicious no-cook meals.
3. Avoid Expensive Gym Memberships
There’s no need to spend money on gyms that offer tons of classes and amenities that you won’t be using.
If the only thing you’ll be using is the weights and cardio machines, you’d do just fine with gyms like Planet Fitness, YouFit, or Crunch Fitness, these gyms offer base memberships starting at $10 a month.
4. Find Cheaper Protein Sources
Eating the right amount of protein for you is important for weight loss.
Protein is digested slowly and has a higher thermic effect than carbs and fats, this means that you burn more calories by trying to digest and process it.
It is also the most satiating of the nutrients, and it’s essential for maintaining healthy bones, skin, and muscle mass.
However, getting protein might be a little expensive if you’re buying things like salmon or grass-fed beef.
More budget-friendly options are foods like canned tuna, ground turkey, beans, whole eggs, and whey protein.
Here’s how you can use whey protein for weight loss.
Start your journey to losing 10-21 pounds in just 21 days.
Get the free 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge training guide!
5. Ditch The Protein Bars
Another tip for losing weight on a budget is to ditch the protein bars.
While getting enough protein is important during weight loss, getting it from protein bars might not be a good idea if you’re on a budget.
While convenient, they can be very expensive. Plus, they often contain a bit of added sugars and fats, they aren’t as “healthy” as these companies market them.
There are several foods labeled as “healthy” than can be making you gain weight.
Here’s an article I wrote on how to read nutrition labels, if you’d like to explore it.
6. Forget About Weight Loss Pills
Buying weight loss pills can be very expensive, lucky for you, they’re not needed at all.
Studies (1) have actually shown that over-the-counter pills, fad diets, and liquid diets are not linked to weight loss.
Therefore, instead of buying random weight loss pills, focus on eating healthier meals and maintaining a calorie deficit.
You can go for natural weight loss alternatives like drinking ginger tea, apple cider vinegar, or using coconut oil.
7. Be a Little More Active
An easy way to lose weight without buying extra food or gym memberships is to move a little more.
Try to add a 30-minute daily walk, park farther away, take the stairs, and take more water and bathroom breaks.
These little things might seem useless to you but they can quickly add up to a significant amount of extra calories burned.
Here are 5 tips for walking to lose weight.
8. Plan Your Grocery List
Not planning ahead often results in you buying things you don’t need and won’t use.
To save some money, you may want to grab your grocer’s ads and check out what’s on sale that week and plan your meals accordingly.
Take advantage of buy-one-get-one (BOGO) or other deals, you can always freeze some of the food and cook it later.
If you’re a little more tech-savvy, you can use apps like Flipp to look up deals and coupons in stores around your area.
Do you have any tips for losing weight on a budget? Share them in the comments section below!
If you’re ready to start your weight loss journey, Avocadu’s 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge is the place to start!
This plan helps men and women lose 10-21 pounds in just 21 days and can be repeated as many times as you want.
