Slimming down does not have to cost you hundreds of dollars in supplements, diet programs and gym memberships. Losing weight really requires that you master a simple equation of calories in versus calories out. Take in fewer calories than you burn through your daily activities, and weight loss should occur. A pound of weight is equivalent to 3,500 calories--so making this calorie deficit equal to 500 calories per day should yield a one pound per week weight loss, increase the deficit to 1,000 calories per day to lose weight even faster.
Step 1
Figure out how many calories you burn in a day. Use a free online calculator like the one found at caloriesperhour.com to plug in your weight, gender and activity level. Set a calorie intake target that is 500 to 1,000 below this number. Do not eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day as a woman or 1,500 as a man, warns Medline Plus--even if this means you have to settle on a slower rate of weight loss.
Step 2
Track your daily calorie intake in a food journal or with a free online resource like thedailyplate.com. Write down everything you eat and identify places where you can cut calories. Start with discretionary calories such as sodas, alcohol, sweets and condiments. Cut out one soda, one cookie and a dollop of butter to save 450 calories daily.
Step 3
Make simple switches in your diet to save hundreds of calories per day without spending extra money. Buy skim or 1 percent milk instead of full-fat to save 50 calories per cup. Use mustard on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise to save 80 calories. Use a serving of low-fat, low-calorie salad dressing instead of full-fat ranch to save 150 calories. Eat an English muffin instead of a bagel to save 130 calories. Choose a whole orange instead of 8 oz. of juice to save 50 calories. Over the course of a day, these small switches save you more than 400 calories--almost a pound a week--and they slide right into your existing grocery budget.
Step 4
Stop buying expensive packaged foods and choose in-season vegetables and fruits instead. Skip the chips, snack crackers and convenience, low-calorie packets of foods which cost between 16 and 279 percent more than large packages reports the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Switch to eating fruits or cut-up vegetables as snacks, which usually cost less when you buy them on sale and offer more nutrition and satisfaction. Eat 2 cups of halved strawberries, one and a half apples or 1 ¼ cups of blueberries for 100 calories, versus a few slices of processed cookie crisps.
Step 5
Fit more physical activity into your day. Think beyond structured sessions at the gym. Go for a 30-minute brisk walk in the morning and evening to meet the minimum 60 minutes, five days of moderate intensity per week recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine for weight loss. Invest in an inexpensive jump rope to use on days when the weather will not permit you to get outside or go to the mall and power walk past the stores. Strength train at home with bodyweight exercises such as squats, push-ups and lunges. Save money by firing the maid and the lawn service. Burn calories cleaning your own house and mowing the yard.
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