How to lose weight on a budget.

You don’t have to have a lot of money to lose weight. In fact, you really don’t have to have any money at all. The weight loss formula is simple: you need to burn up more calories than you take in. In other words, you need to “push away from the table” and “get moving.” And that, my friends, doesn’t require any money at all. What it does require is willpower and support. Here are a few tips.

PART ONE: EATING

1. Decide how many calories you need each day in order to lose weight. The following site will give you an idea: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

2. Make sure that you are aware of how many calories EVERYTHING that you put in your mouth has. You will be surprised. You can check calories on the following site: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

3. Eat at least FIVE servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Eat lean meats such as chicken and lean hamburger. Trust me; low calorie foods can be very good. All you need are the right recipes. Check out the Weight Watchers site; it’s free:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/index.aspx

4. When you need QUICK prepared meals, try such microwave meals as Lean Cuisine. The pizzas and Paninis are delicious.

5. You don’t have to cut foods that you love out of your diet; just eat them in moderation. You should still try to keep in line with your calorie limit for the day. For example, there are days when I must have a Big Mac and fries. When this happens, I allow myself to eat the Big Mac and fries, which has approximately 1000 calories. I then know that I have 1000 calories left. (My target number of calories is 2000.)

6. Don’t beat yourself up if you fall off of the wagon for a day, or two, or three, or even 20. Just get back up and start over. It’s a process. It’s going to take time.

7. Support is also important. Weight Watchers actually has online support groups that you can join for free: http://www.weightwatchers.com/index.aspx As a Christian, PRAYER always helps me, too!

PART TWO: EXERCISE

1. MOVE! You’ll feel a lot better! Trust me. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to start exercising is to WALK. Check out this 10-week walking fitness program: http://walking.about.com/cs/walkoflife/a/walkoflife.htm

2. Be aware of how many calories you can burn by participating in various activities. Check out this site: http://sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned_list.asp

3. It also helps if you set an exercise goal like entering a 5K Race.