Are you struggling with losing weight and spending a ton of money in the process. These budget-friendly ideas will help you fight the battle without breaking the bank.
Gym memberships, special food and drinks, personal trainers, workout clothes—losing weight can feel like this whole crazy subculture…and a very expensive subculture at that.
Just thinking about how much getting in shape is going to cost can be enough to literally throw in the towel and give up (and who wouldn’t)? YOU certainly don’t have $80+ to spend on a gym membership, hundreds to drop on clothes, and extra cash to drop on personal trainers, races, and stuff you might not even use, amiright?
So, like many people, you just give up, put it off, or assume now isn’t the time.
Well, guess what? Losing weight doesn’t have to cost tons of money. In fact, it doesn’t have to cost anything at all! Seriously. I’ve done it and I’m still working on it, but I know if I can do it, you can too.
Now, I’m not gonna lie. Money can help. Access to a gym can be motivating and inspiring. Races can provide the right sense of purpose for some people to get out there and train. There are apps (check out Zova!) and Fitbits and tools to track and help you figure it all out and measure your progress. There are foods and supplements galore. If you want to spend money on losing weight and working out, well, there are plenty of opportunities.
However, working out and losing weight are totally doable on a budget. In fact, it’s actually pretty easy. You can find motivators that work, inspiration galore, and apps, tools and videos to inspire you.
So if you want to lose weight or just get fit, here’s how to do it without spending a bunch.
Get Started
Getting started can be as simple as putting on your sneakers and walking around the block. If you feel like it’s not that easy or you need more planning and prep, then you’re overthinking it!
Dig out your tennis shoes from the back of your closet, put on something comfy—sweats, pajama pants, shorts, whatever—and go! Make it a goal to just get some movement in each day, even if it’s just walking. Boom. Easy. Simple!
Set your goal at something manageable at first. Start at 10 minutes or 15 minutes, and then work your way up. Pencil it in on your calendar every day. If you do this very simple task, you’ll see results. You might not see massive weight loss, but you’ll feel more energetic and your stamina will go up.
Plan Meals Ahead
Exercise is super important, but one of the quickest ways to see results (that costs nothing and can even save you money) is to start planning what you eat. You don’t have to invest in a bunch of crazy diet food or supplements or nutrition bars. Plan your meals, eat at home more and eat out less.
Restaurant food is so delicious partly because they put all kinds of sugar, salt and butter into the food before it gets to you. It adds richness and yum, but it also adds up to weight gain. Fast food isn’t any better (although there are some relatively healthy choices available)—but beware!—you might think ordering a salad or chicken sandwich seems healthy, but you may find out it has thousands of calories!
Make it your goal to eat at home more often. Try some of our 15 minute meal ideas or make freezer meals ahead of time. You can still eat out of course, but by making simple switches like veggies for fries or skipping dessert, you can make a big difference. Order water instead of soda and make it a goal to never drink your calories.
These easy meal switches and plans can help you save money AND lose weight fast.
Set Up a Home Gym
I know, I know. Setting up a home gym seems super expensive, right? But it doesn’t have to be. Chances are you already have most of the things you need on hand!
We scored a NordicTrack Elliptical for $25 on Craigslist because it needed a simple battery swap. I paired it with some $10 free weights from Wal-Mart, a yoga mat and ball I already had, along with some resistance bands. For literally less than the cost of one month of a gym membership, we built a seriously great home gym, all set up in a corner.
Look around your house and see what you already have, like DVD workouts, a kettle ball, a stair stepper (or even a stable piece of furniture). You can find plenty of easy free online workouts on YouTube or other spots around the web.
Find an App to Help You Move
I downloaded the Zombies, Run! app and was amazed at how fun and motivating it was. It really got me moving and I had fun—and I didn’t even think about! My husband tried Pokémon Go, which I wasn’t as into, but he logged 20,000 steps in just a day on vacation!! (Not bad for a free app, right?)
Find an app that works for you. There are so many to choose from. If you’re just looking for a basic plan, try C25K (Couch to 5K) for free. This program gives you an easy to follow running plan that will take you from no activity to running a 5K in eight weeks, with workouts three times per week for 30-40 minute sessions.
Another great starter app is Runtastic Six Pack. This ten-week plan to “six pack abs,” involves working with a training avatar and no extra equipment or setup. You get video tutorials on strength training and exercises, too.
Find an App to Help You Diet
There are so many food-tracking tools and resources out there. Why? Because food tracking works! When you write down what you eat, you’re more accountable and aware of what is going into your body. Again, it can be a “who has the time?” issue, but if you’re serious about wanting to lose some weight, food tracking will really help you see results.
You can use an old-fashioned journal or write your meals in your planner, but to get a little more out of it, a food-tracking app can be great! MyFitnessPal is amazing and easy to use. I definitely wasn’t a big fan of counting my calories and writing things down, but then I started to see results—and I promise, it really makes a difference. The app is free, and it’s one of the most popular fitness trackers out there.
There are plenty of free apps to choose from, depending on your style, too. SparkPeople offers workouts, food tracking and diet tips. Rise Up is an app that helps those who struggle with body image issues, through healthy dieting and weight loss. Calorific is visually appealing and gives you red, yellow, and green indicators as your track your food to help you make good choices.
My Diet Coach is super cute and gives you a fun avatar so you can see your changes as you go along. If you’re a fan of Instagram (or like to document things with photography), try See How You Eat Diary where you journal by simply snapping a picture of your food.
The idea is to find an app you love and that you’ll use regularly.
If You Can Spend a Little
If you have some money to spend, a fitness tracker like a Fitbit can make a world of difference. I would say, if you can afford to spend between $69 and $199 on a fitness tracker, it could be a game-changer for you.
If you can’t afford it, a pedometer will do and many smartphones offer a pedometer feature now. A simple, small pedometer can be picked up at a pharmacy for about $10 and can help you get an idea of how many steps you take in a day, which can really help you hit your targets and goals.
A pound is about 3,500 calories and 10,000 steps per day will have you burning about 2,000-3,500 calories, putting you on track to drop a pound per week. It’s not fast, but weight loss that is slow and steady is sustainable and will stay off. There are many diets and workouts that promise you a chance to drop ten pounds in a month, but unfortunately, that’s just not sustainable—so when you stop, the weight will return (ugh)! Pacing yourself slowly but surely will keep you at your goal weight for life!
Losing weight and getting fit doesn’t have to be hard or expensive, and the results are so rewarding! When you fit into your pre-baby pants or feel like you can run around with your kids without getting winded, it’s totally worth the effort.
I know if I can do this, you can do it, too!
oohh, I’m checking out Spark People!!! Thanks for these awesome tips 🙂
These are great ideas! One of my goals this year was to get in shape, and I was lucky enough to catch a great deal on a boot camp for three months. But the temptation to buy new sneakers, protein shakes, etc. is all still there! I am going to make it my goal to just watch what I eat and swap out healthier options when I can, and not worry about the old gym shoes. 🙂
You spelled it out so clear. Physical activity ‘is’ that simple…we only ‘over think’ like crazy and wait for that ideal situation!
We’re buying our treadmill this month and setting up a lil home gym with a ball, yoga mat, skipping rope (son’s) and a few motivational + instructional printables that I like and need!!
These are really cool ideas to lose weight on a budget. I am going to try it by myself and share it with my friends. Thanks a lot for these great ideas.
I’ve tackled this exact problem this month. I cancelled my gym membership and to make up for the lack of exercise I bought an annual train ticket that stops one stop too early on my morning commute. That way I get a bit of exercise during my commute and save money both on my gym membership and my travel. Now just need to see whether I can stick to it for the year!
A few years ago I bought a Zumba DVD + weights kit at Walmart for $25. The DVDs have 3 different workouts and I switch between doing those and picking random 30 day challenges from Pinterest (I’ve done 30 days of squats, 30 days of arm toning, 30 days of planks, etc.). I’ve never had a gym membership because I know i would never go, but when I can exercise in the living room, it’s a lot easier to stick with a plan! For healthy eating, I checked out the Trim Healthy Mama book from my library so I could read it for free and then decide if I wanted to actually do it (I’m mostly following it, so I asked for the cookbook for my birthday).
That’s a great idea! So much cheaper than a gym membership, and it sounds pretty darn effective 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Working out on a budget, in reality, isn’t so hard as most people think.
For example, you don’t need to go to the gym to run, because it’s what you can do outside.
Also, you don’t need that “cool” equipment.. You can use dumbbells to exercise..
There really are so much things you can do without special equipment and without going to the gym. 🙂
+ you can always do dance aerobics or smth at home, while watching youtube videos 🙂
Definitely! It’s amazing what you can do with a little creativity 🙂
I take advantage of my apartment’s on site gym 5 days a week and I love it. You can’t beat a free gym membership! Plus, I track my eating with my fitness pal.
That’s great! Seriously, there’s nothing like free 😉
Great post, As a professional trainer, I believe that Cycling is the best cardio workout whether you are outdoors or indoors. And Jumping rope is the low cost cardio workout if you are looking to burn fat the right way at home.
Nice post. You really don’t have to go to a gym to work out. Like you say, set up a home gym. Or you can go to the park for boot camp style exercises. These days there is so much free content on youtube and free apps that you really don’t have to pay for expensive gyms and personal trainers. Of course, it just takes a bit more effort, organisation and certainly motivation!
There really is a ton of free content available if you know where to look. Thanks for reading 🙂
I got a FitBit for my birthday and I have found that to be incredibly helpful. I also love a good challenge! I am hosting a challenge in June with an accountability group. I also find that accountability helps people focus on their goals, whatever they may be. There are so many great resources and ways to stay accountable for cheap. Great ideas in this post!
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