I have written in the past on how "dieting" and being fat can be expensive but I was thinking about the flip side today and realizing that diets do not have to be expensive at all. You hear people all the time saying how expensive losing weight is and how Americans have spent millions and millions on diets. It doesn't have to be this way. Being Fat is actually expensive for a variety of reason I outlined in another post but losing weight can be cheap. I find I spend less money when I am trying to loss weight.
1) I buy less food at the grocery store. I try and buy just what I need for our 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I am not lured but expensive pre packaged food that has no nutritional value. I do not buy snack type food that I much on mindlessly. My actual grocery bill has gone down about 15-50 bucks a week since we have cleaned up our eating habits. That is a big deal.
2) We eat less food. Food is actually lasting as long as it is supposed to. Instead of the cereal lasting for only 4 servings, it lasts all 12 like it is supposed to.
3) We go out less and when we do go out we can often share a meal or make the one large portioned meal into two regular portioned meals. We do not order appetizers, dessert or alcohol.
4) We end up wanting to be more active and do many free things for entertainment such as: swimming, hiking, nature walks, jogging, roller blading, taking Sadie on walks, ect.
5) When we do spend money on an outing it is not linked to food so we save. Example: Going to the movies does not mean buying over priced snacks, or going bowling does not mean ordering pizza and beer.
6) We try and just drink water which is cheap and sometimes free.
So, for us....it is actually cheaper for us to be living right. I guess will all that fiber from the fruits and veggies we do spend a bit more on toilet paper. :-)
1) I buy less food at the grocery store. I try and buy just what I need for our 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I am not lured but expensive pre packaged food that has no nutritional value. I do not buy snack type food that I much on mindlessly. My actual grocery bill has gone down about 15-50 bucks a week since we have cleaned up our eating habits. That is a big deal.
2) We eat less food. Food is actually lasting as long as it is supposed to. Instead of the cereal lasting for only 4 servings, it lasts all 12 like it is supposed to.
3) We go out less and when we do go out we can often share a meal or make the one large portioned meal into two regular portioned meals. We do not order appetizers, dessert or alcohol.
4) We end up wanting to be more active and do many free things for entertainment such as: swimming, hiking, nature walks, jogging, roller blading, taking Sadie on walks, ect.
5) When we do spend money on an outing it is not linked to food so we save. Example: Going to the movies does not mean buying over priced snacks, or going bowling does not mean ordering pizza and beer.
6) We try and just drink water which is cheap and sometimes free.
So, for us....it is actually cheaper for us to be living right. I guess will all that fiber from the fruits and veggies we do spend a bit more on toilet paper. :-)
Great post and so very true (specially the TP part!) LOL
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you were dealing with IF as well (of course I didn't how could I know?) but really the similaraties between you and I never cease to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you are at in your IF journey but I really hope you find peace and joy quickly. You have my e mail if you'd ever like to talk (and of course I have a private message board FULL of women who are also experiencing IF if you'd like to join for some support. The women there are wonderful).
I never thought of it like that before, but you're right on the money, literally!
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