frugal weight loss ( some thoughts)

**imagine** · 11-18-2008, 02:08 PM

Frugal weight loss has been on my mind lately.

The Tightwad Gazette talked about this once. Amy said that being frugal and calorie counting had a lot in common. Both have in and outs (calories in and calories used Money in and money out). She said if you can balance a budget (or a check book)you can balance your calories. It is the same skills set

I thought that was interesting.

I have been trying to do this frugally for a while now. I eat regular food not special diet food I just eat less of it. That is frugal.

Sit ups and other exercises that remind me of Physical education class are frugal exercise.

My dog is my personal trainer. She loves long walks. She yanks on the leash so I get a core work out too.

I'm toying -pun intended- with the idea of play as exercise . Greebo gave me the idea with his Wii fit. I don't have a Wii fit but I do have children's toys and children to play along with me. Ever try doing a marathon hockey pockey dance? It ends up being quite a long if you agree to dance it until your daughter is tired of it. I'm sure it would work the same for a round or 10 hopscotchor a game of tag. What about the Hula hoop or the soccer ball? One of my fitness goals is to be able to easily catch my 11 year old and 8 year old while being it in a game of tag.

Well those are some of my random thoughts on frugal weight loss.

**PrairieRose** · 11-18-2008, 04:41 PM

I think you're right on target with your ideas here. To me it's 'old fashioned' weight loss that I strive for all of the time. There are short cuts, diet pills, surgeries (which work for some and I'm not knocking them) but for me I knew that in order to keep it off I had to do it slowly, and change my life while I changed my body. I have a huge library of workout videos, all bought at thrift stores for anywhere from .25 to $1 ea.. I did an hour long yoga workout this morning.....whew was I trembly and tired when I got done. Whateer you can do to cut down on the processed foods and make yourself move more is a good thing

**missmanny** · 11-18-2008, 07:21 PM

I am always always always thinking about frugal weight loss!

My frugal tip if great if you live near work but can be modified if you don't.

I walk home from work in the afternoon, it gets me out walking (takes about 45 minutes) and I dno't have to pay for public transport in the afternoon. In the morning I get off the train 3 stops early and walk from there (I don't want to be too sweaty when I get to work in the morning) and as it is one less zone on public transport it saves me 50c per day.

My partner generally cycles to work (push bike) but due to an accident a few months ago we have been driving to work (strangely it costs less in petrol and parking for the both of us as compared to public transport - ridiculous I know) So I haven't been doing that lately.

He is hopeful to get back to riding next week so I will be back to my walking however we have moved and live twice as far away from the city now so walking would take forever. I plan to still get off the train 3 stops early and in the afternoon I will walk to a bus stop that is a 40 minute walk from work and catch the bus from there to home this will save me about $2 in the afternoon and 50c in the morning.

**misscas** · 11-18-2008, 07:49 PM

South Beach is a pretty frugal diet. Limit meat to 1 meal a day. Have eggs, lentils or beans for 1 meal. Oatmeal and eggs are cheap breakfast. Chili or canned soup make a cheap lunch. Dinner can be a meat dish and a veggie. Add some fruit and you're all set. Brown rice doesn't cost much more than white. Brown pasta is only slightly more than white pasta. Wheat bread only costs a little more than white.

There are several nice calorie counter websites out there. My favorite is caloriecount.about.com. They have the neatest recipe analyzer. Just plug in the ingredients and it tells you all the nutritional info.

I canceled the gym. I'm not paying $38 a month and $1 round trip for gas when I can only use the treadmill due to my size and other health problems. I have a treadmill at home and a dog just raring to take a walk. I invested in a good pair of sneakers and now I walk in the neighborhood unless it's under 35 degrees, raining or snowing. I will get the gym membership back when I have shrunk enough to do step classes, yoga and pilates. I found a weight room I can use at a local recreation center for $1 a visit. I was planning on taking Tae Chi in January for some variety.

**imagine** · 11-19-2008, 02:37 AM

Originally Posted by missmanny

I am always always always thinking about frugal weight loss!

My frugal tip if great if you live near work but can be modified if you don't.

I walk home from work in the afternoon, it gets me out walking (takes about 45 minutes) and I dno't have to pay for public transport in the afternoon. In the morning I get off the train 3 stops early and walk from there (I don't want to be too sweaty when I get to work in the morning) and as it is one less zone on public transport it saves me 50c per day.

My partner generally cycles to work (push bike) but due to an accident a few months ago we have been driving to work (strangely it costs less in petrol and parking for the both of us as compared to public transport - ridiculous I know) So I haven't been doing that lately.

He is hopeful to get back to riding next week so I will be back to my walking however we have moved and live twice as far away from the city now so walking would take forever. I plan to still get off the train 3 stops early and in the afternoon I will walk to a bus stop that is a 40 minute walk from work and catch the bus from there to home this will save me about $2 in the afternoon and 50c in the morning.

That is quite a frugal tip. Especially, if you have to pay for transportation.

I'm a stay at home mom so my commute is very short LOL
I use to be able to walk the kids to school before they ended up going to two different schools, now I can't. Okay can't is a quite hard I could technically. It is just hard with a cello and the time constraints. We did walk it a few days ago when the car keys were missing. You have never seen kids walk so fast as when they are afraid they are going to be tardy.

Hubby walks to work daily ( even in ice weather) and home for lunch than back again and then back home at the end of the day.

We can walk to do shopping to ( if we don't have many bags) We actually get to walk alot. It is a two mile walk round trip to the local park. The kids and I love to walk it.

**imagine** · 11-19-2008, 02:42 AM

Originally Posted by misscas

South Beach is a pretty frugal diet. Limit meat to 1 meal a day. Have eggs, lentils or beans for 1 meal. Oatmeal and eggs are cheap breakfast. Chili or canned soup make a cheap lunch. Dinner can be a meat dish and a veggie. Add some fruit and you're all set. Brown rice doesn't cost much more than white. Brown pasta is only slightly more than white pasta. Wheat bread only costs a little more than white.

There are several nice calorie counter websites out there. My favorite is caloriecount.about.com. They have the neatest recipe analyzer. Just plug in the ingredients and it tells you all the nutritional info.

I canceled the gym. I'm not paying $38 a month and $1 round trip for gas when I can only use the treadmill due to my size and other health problems. I have a treadmill at home and a dog just raring to take a walk. I invested in a good pair of sneakers and now I walk in the neighborhood unless it's under 35 degrees, raining or snowing. I will get the gym membership back when I have shrunk enough to do step classes, yoga and pilates. I found a weight room I can use at a local recreation center for $1 a visit. I was planning on taking Tae Chi in January for some variety.

sounds like a good plan with the gym membership.

Are you doing the south beach diet?

**joyofsix** · 11-19-2008, 07:11 AM

You are totally right. I have found that I don't need special foods, I just need to think about what I'm eating. I also think of it in terms of what is the most I can get for the least calories (sort of like frugality, the most for the least $$). A can of aldi's veggies isn't expensive and fills me up.

**Spikey1341** · 11-19-2008, 09:07 AM

As long as I keep the carbs low I can lose weight. So for me it is protein and veggies which can be done when cooking from scratch. So much of the processed foods are loaded with sodium, fat and carbs. Not good for the diet. To lose weight or just eat healthy.

I need to up the exercise way more than I do now. My dog is over weight like DH and I (I wonder how that happened? LOL) He could certainly use an extra walk when I get home from work. I think I will start this today since it is actually supposed to be a bit warmer this afternoon.

**hugxlaughxsmilexlove** · 11-19-2008, 02:43 PM

Just don't forget to streeettccchhh!! The most frugal thing you can do in exercise. Wouldn't want to get hurt during a work out or walk - save money on doctors bills and copays and pain medication that way

**checkerkitty** · 11-19-2008, 06:14 PM

Ah, frugal fat loss! A weight bench and dumbells at home will eliminate the need for a club membership. Walking layered with faster intervals is free. Jump ropes are cheap. It's cheap to eat healthy. Ditch the diet soda and anything other than water and unsweetened tea. Don't buy prepackaged "diet" foods, you can make healthy meals cheaper, with less salt and fewer preservatives. Most people overeat. A serving of meat is only 3 ounces. To get a better idea of how many calories you should be eating to maintain a weight as well as loose weight, use these equations that many personal trainers use when setting up diets for new clients:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-ca...dict-equation/

These can also help you prevent undereating which is detrimental to your health.

These websites have lots of free information on diet and exercise, even from nationally renowned experts on nutrition and fitness:

http://www.oxygenmag.com/
http://www.oxygenmag.net/ - Forum that I highly recommend
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/index.html
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/
http://www.thedailyplate.com/

These can help you devise an eating and exercise plan that will help you loose body fat while sparing muscle mass.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/
This website has tons of recipes from Cooking Light magazine. They are healthy and delicious. Also, remember that there are so, so many healthy foods that we avoid because of old ideas about dieting. Fat doesn't make you fat (this has been hard for me to unlearn). Eating more calories than you burn makes you fat. Nut butters are frugal. Beans are frugal. Chicken thighs, well trimmed, are frugal. Whole turkeys are frugal. Olive oil and vinegar make a frugal healthy dressing. Leaf lettuce is frugal. Sweet potatoes and rice are frugal. You can get whole wheat bread from the bakery outlet. There are lots of ways to eat and exercise frugally!

**perSue** · 11-19-2008, 06:37 PM

frugal weight loss/maintenance for me is simply doing what i do already.

i eat frugally - but healthily. beans/legumes are cheap & filling, so are most grains (especially in bulk). i buy seasonal veggies/fruits & that's pretty much it.
so budget is happy and tummy is happy.

so that's a 'frugal weight loss' idea.
as is the exercise i do. things at home, or outside (at no cost).
walking the dog is great, but simply walking if you dont have a companion is great too. jogging if you can.
yoga if you like a "lighter" (ie, less load bearing) exercise, biking too!
chasing after your kids, running errands, cleaning house are all exercise - cheap & get things done.

dont' forget laughter - it's a great exercise all around!

but that's me. i dont like sweets or most carb-laden foods anymore, so this works for me.

**shoiji** · 11-21-2008, 06:35 PM

Well, I needed to read this thread since I ended up gaining some weight from not walking regularly and eating to many carbs. It is alright since I know what I need to do to loose the weight. Portion control is a must for me. I also end up with more food. LOL Funny how that works out. Am playing around with getting a mini tramboline since this winter seems as if it will be much colder than last year. The mini tramboline will be easier on me that just running in place. That or a stand to ride my bicycle in the apartment.

One thing that is a must is investing in a good pair of sneakers if you walk alot. Definately helps limit any aches and pains.

I do wonder about getting a Wii for the fitness programs but really do not think I have the space for it. But I really think it is a great idea. Will look into it more but don't think I will get one this year.

OK, so off to go do my stomach exercises.