With all of the diet books, programs, pills and products on the market, it is easy to assume that losing weight is going to cost you a lot of money. However, it is possible to safely lose weight without having to spend money on diet aids and products. Other than the cost of buying groceries and new clothes once you reach your goal weight, losing weight doesn't have to cost a thing.
Features
A healthy diet that is free is based on the USDA's food pyramid, which consists of six groups. The five main groups are fruits, vegetables, milk, lean protein and grains. The sixth group is the fats and oils group, which is a limited food group. The exact amount you need of each of these groups depends on your activity level, weight, sex and age. A healthy diet includes all of these food groups without severely restricting any except for the fats and oils group. If a diet you are considering severely restricts or totally eliminates one or more group, it is considered a fad diet and isn't safe, notes the American Heart Association.
Considerations
Besides eating a balanced diet, you also have to exercise if you want to lose weight. However, you don't have to spend money on a gym membership, exercise videos or exercise equipment. Walking is one option for free exercise. According to MayoClinic.com, you can burn 414 calories per hour if you weigh 240 lbs. and walk at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour.
Potential
By following a healthy, calorie-restricted diet, you can lose weight at a rate of 1 to 2 lbs. per week without spending anything extra. When you cut calories by eating slightly less and burn more calories by exercising, you will lose weight. If the number of additional calories you burn and cut from your diet totals 500 calories daily, you can lose 1 lb. per week. If this total is 1,000 calories daily, you can lose 2 lbs. per week.
Benefits
When you eat a healthy diet, you are learning how to buy and cook foods that are healthy for you, and you're not spending any more. This increases your chance of successfully keeping the weight off once you reach your goal weight. As your weight drops, you will be less likely to suffer from heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related conditions.
Warning
It is important not to cut your caloric intake too much -- even when you want to lose a lot of weight. Any diet in which you consume less than 1,200 calories if you're a woman, or 1,500 calories if you're a man, is considered a very low-calorie diet. These diets are unhealthy unless you are doing the diet under the supervision of a medical professional who can monitor your health to ensure that you are getting adequate nutrition. Always discuss changes in your diet and exercise with your doctor.
