Cheap Ways to Lose Weight in a Week

Cheap Ways to Lose Weight in a Week
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When it comes to losing weight, there are many diet plans, pills, powders and liquid formulas available for assistance. However, those often come with side effects, and they can become expensive. If you utilize natural tactics, though, you can find a cheap way to lose weight in one week.

Restriction

To lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficit where your intake is less than your expenditure. By eating less food, you will also save money. Since it takes a 3,500-calorie reduction to lose a pound a week, you can lose one or two pounds in a week by cutting back on 500 to 1,000 calories a day. Track your calories with a free online service like The Daily Plate. Also, eat nothing but nutrient-dense foods like fruits, veggies, lean meats, beans, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

Water Intake

Beverages that are high in sugar and calories can prevent you from making any progress towards your weight loss goal. To cheaply lose weight, drink water right from your tap instead of buying soft drinks, lattes, alcohol, sweetened teas or fruit punch. Aim for 8 to 10 cups of water a day, and drink it with your meals to help fill your belly.

Fiber

Fiber is a substance found in complex carbohydrates. When it comes to weight loss, eating high fiber foods can help in a number of ways. Not only does it help fill you up when you eat, but it can keep you feeling full hours later. According to CaloriesperHour.com, fiber also moves fat through your digestive system faster so that less of it is absorbed. You can find fiber in foods like lentils, peas, peanuts, fruits, vegetables and whole grain products.

Breakfast

When it comes to losing weight, a lot of people skip breakfast to save calories. Doing so actually spells disaster when you want to lose weight in a week. According to the Mayo Clinic, when you skip breakfast, you may feel ravenous later and be tempted to reach for a quick fix, such as candy from the vending machine. To prevent this from happening, when you wake up in the morning, eat a healthy meal that is also cheap, such as a bowl of oatmeal with low-fat milk, a cup of yogurt with fruit mixed in, or whole wheat toast with peanut butter.

Exercise

Gym memberships can be costly, as can putting gas in your car to get you to the gym. The bottom line is, you need to exercise to lose weight, and you need to do both cardio and weight training. Cardio exercise burns calories while you do it, and weight training builds muscle, which burns calories when you are resting. Cheap ways to do cardio include walking, running, jumping rope or stepping. You can build muscle by doing body weight exercises like push-ups, dips, squats, lunges and crunches. You can also purchase a set of cheap rubber resistance bands to do exercises like chest presses, lateral raises, back rows, triceps extensions, biceps curls and lunges. Aim for 45 to 60 minutes of cardio, and do it three times during the week. On the alternate days, do your weight training.

References

Article reviewed by J.O. Bugental Last updated on: May 14, 2010

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