It’s funny how it’s the little things that seem to make clear what you have known all along, but refused to acknowledge. On March 20, 2011, I bent down to tie a shoelace that had come loose — and I couldn’t. I literally stood there stunned. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bend over to tie my shoe. It was at that moment that I realized that I had to do something about my growing weight problem. I thought to myself, why not combine my financial goals with my weight loss goals?
Here’s how I did it…
1. I Replaced My Dishes
OK, I know this sounds like a lousy way to save money. Anyone that has priced dishes lately knows that throwing away all your dishes and getting new ones can be quite expensive, but that’s not exactly what I did. Instead, I only got rid of the big dinner plate sized dishes (I donated them to a local thrift shop) and replaced using those with all the smaller plates that came with my set. I know it sounds stupid, but this one thing did wonders for me losing weight.
One of the biggest problems that I always have when it comes to food is that no matter how big a dish I had, I always filled it with food and then I would always eat everything on my plate. The portions I was eating were enormous and it really was ridiculous.
By switching to smaller plates, all of a sudden I could only put a certain amount of food on it (it works out to be about 1/4 of what can go on the bigger plates) and this has had a tremendous amount with helping me control my portions. I don’t know how much is psychological (that whole “a larger number means more” mentality), but I feel fuller when I eat two plates of food off of the smaller plates than I did a single of the larger plates even though the food portion is half as much.
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2. I Drink More Water
I have one exception to my rule about pouring my drinks into small glasses. I am allowed to drink as much water as I want and I have a large water bottle that I carry around with me everywhere I go. This is my main form of hydration today as opposed to the vast quantities of sweet drinks that I used to consume before. By always having a water bottle with me, I can quench my thirst without having to go to the refrigerator to get something that is sweet. If I’m really craving something sweet, I can get it and pour it into the small glass. Simply by having the water bottle and getting into the habit of drinking water most of the time, I have greatly reduced the number of calories I take it through liquids and saved a lot of money.
3. I Kicked My Coke Habit
I had a terrible coke habit. No, not the type that could land you in prison for decades, but the soft drink. I was drinking close to a six-pack a day (I know, I don’t even like to think about it today). I now don’t drink Coke at all. I’m not exactly sure what the entire process was to achieve this. I think it started with the smaller glasses. It was a pain to have to fill up 5 glasses to drink a single can, so this initially cut down the amount I was drinking. At some point, I realized that I was drinking colored corn syrup and eventually eliminated it from my diet. Now not only do I feel a lot healthier, my wallet feels a lot that healthier too.
4. I Prepare Healthy Snacks
I snack. It is something that no matter how hard I try not to do, I still haven’t been able to overcome. Knowing this, I have to have healthy snacks prepared for when these cravings hit. If I don’t have healthy snacks that I can eat, I will be out the door to buy unhealthy snacks in a second. This is one of the most important parts of me being able to lose the weight I have so far.
The biggest challenge I have is finding a variety of healthy snacks that are easy for me to make (I’m not a great cook) so that I don’t get bored with my regular fruit and vegetable snacks. If anyone has a good resource for me on this, I would be extremely thankful as this is one area that is a constant struggle.
5. I Plan My Meals
Part of the trouble I had was that I never thought about what I was going to eat until the minute I became hungry. The result was that I chose a lot of unhealthy premade food because it was easy and I could quickly get it into my stomach to fill it up. It’s difficult to lose weight when you are constantly eating premade food.
When I realized this, I learned to plan my meals ahead. I’m not a very good planner, so I’m still working on this one, but I am getting better. By having meals planned ahead of time, I’m never left at the last minute without something that allows me to make the excuse I can go out to eat or grab a quick bite somewhere. I make my meals the night before so that they are ready in the morning so I’m not rushed to get out the door and not have time to make them. I plan my meals for the week ahead so I know what I’m having each night (the slow cooker crockpot has been heaven sent for this) so I’m not sitting there thinking what am I going to have to eat each night. By putting a little planning into it, I’ve learned to eat much healthier than when I had to decide what to eat on the fly.
6. I Park Farther Away
One of my biggest challenges with losing the weight is that I’m not a person that enjoys exercise. I had to figure out ways that would make me move around that didn’t seem like exercise to me. One of the most effective ways that I found was to park at the far end of all parking lots so that I had to walk farther whenever I needed to go someplace. It may not seem like it would make a huge difference, but it has definitely helped me get a lot more exercise than I would have done so otherwise.
7. I Take The Stairs
Another one of those small additions I used to increase my exercise is that I stopped taking elevators. Instead, I now take the stairs. This, again, is a small step to get me to move around, but it has made a huge difference in helping me to lose the weight and get exercise that I wouldn’t otherwise get.
8. I Sleep When I’m Tired
This probably sounds like a weird one to have on my losing weight list, but it’s another one that I discovered as I began to pay more attention to the triggers that make me eat. I have learned that when I start to get tired, it’s time for me to go to bed. If I remain awake when I am tired, I start consuming food to try to help me stay awake. Once I learned that being tired was one of my eating triggers, I have learned to go to bed a few hours earlier than I used to go to bed. I now usually sleep eight hours a night (I used to sleep less) which allows me to get a good night’s sleep so that I don’t get tired during the day. This has made another huge difference when it comes to me consuming food.
9. I Practice Stress Relief
Another food trigger that I discovered within myself is stress. When I get stressed out, I start to eat. I have learned to spot when stress is coming on and try to relieve it in different ways. One of those is to get outside and breathe fresh air. A short walk is even better. When this isn’t possible, I also have stress balls at my desk that I can squeeze. I am in the process of learning some breathing techniques that I have high hopes will be another effective tool in my stress relief arsenal. I still have a way to go to work on this trigger because I’m not always successful in reducing my stress, but I’m getting much better at it. As I do get better, I find that I can tell when the stress is coming and I can deactivate it before I start eating.
10. I’m Aware This Is A Life Change, Not A Diet
This is something that I have slowly come to terms with. I realize that what I am doing today is something that I am going to have to do for a lifetime, not just until the weight is gone. If I want to continue to lose weight and then keep that weight off, I am going to have to continue these changes in my lifestyle. This has been more difficult to come to terms with than I thought because there are so many commercials out there that peddle quick and easy fixes. Losing weight is neither quick or easy, and I have come to realize that a lifestyle change is the only way for me to ultimately succeed.
In addition to losing the weight, a huge financial benefit is that I have cut my costs by about $500 a month making these changes. I have no idea if any of the above methods that have worked for me will work for you. As I said before, I am not an expert in weight reduction and these are just some of the changes that I have made that happened to work for me through trial and error. I hope that even a couple may help if you are struggling to lose weight. If you are also on a journey like myself, I would love to hear any other lifestyle changes that you have adopted that have helped you that I can also try.
David had been a long time-Saving Advice reader that felt sharing his story might help others struggling with similar weight issues. He is considering starting a blog about his daily struggles with weight and money.
(Photo courtesy of Alan Cleaver)
And just think…no costly medical expense to have lap band surgery. I know someone that has lost the weight after having the surgery, but will never keep it off if they have to have it reversed for any reason. He/she still eats the same food that got him/her to being overweight, just not much of it. The way I see it, you are so much further ahead.
Can I just say that I think that it took a lot oc courage to write this. It’s not easy sharing things that society doesn’t look favorably upon such as excess weight. You should be proud of yourself and I hope to hear back again when that last 50 pounds is also lost.
Amazing article! There are some very practical and useful ways you’ve mentioned to lose weight. I like how you talked in depth about your weight loss and how you’ve achieved it. I have 50 pounds I need to lose, and I can see how to do this, step by step. I definitely could relate to all of the different triggers to overeating that you mentioned…it was like you were talking about my struggles. Keep up the good work, and get the word out, if you decide to blog about your weight loss. I know many people could benefit, including myself. Thanks.
Congratulation on your weight loss. With today’s instant gratification lifestyle, it’s good to understand that it took years to put those pounds on – and you aren’t going to get rid of them and keep them off overnight by doing some fad diet.
It seems as you are also eating much healthier and getting much more exercise as well. All three will help improve your health. And cutting out those expensive sugary sodas, overpriced snack foods and fatty fast foods are all great ways to save money as well. I don’t buy soft drinks or snack foods like potato chips. If they aren’t in the house, I don’t eat them. And I won’t go to the store a half mile away just to buy a snack. (saves money on gas too) And rarely go to a fast food place.
My own preferred healthy snacks are the little bags of baby carrots. Yes, the small snack sized bags of carrots are more expensive, but if I get a larger bag, I eat more. And sliced apples. I do slice my own though.
As for meal planning. I limit myself to one trip to the store a week. I don’t even allow myself to get bread when I run out. The only exceptions are when the grandkids are over and there just isn’t anything they will eat – except my apples, carrots, plums bananas and other fruit which are soon gone.
A kitchen scale is a great help when you are making up meals in advance too. It keeps me from putting just a little bit more in each freezer bag.
Excellent article! I found that when I either attend a support group, e.g. Weight Watchers, or have a competition with a friend to see who loses the most weight, I stay on track. It wasn’t under I joined Weight Watchers that I lost 60 lbs. I’m going to apply a lot of these tips.
thanks for all of your helpful tips. i havent eaten anything in two weeks. i drink only water. i cant exercise because i injured my back. even a ten minute walk immobilized me for a day and a half. i also tried working with a nutritionist. but i still havent lost even one pound. i’m baffled. i always hear about people losing weight after just a few days with the flu or after a stay in a hospital so i thought i would definitely see some loss by now. i know all the lectures, i.e. eat good foods and more often, get active, get into a program, blah blah blah. absolutely nothing has worked for me. but i thank you for inspiring me to try again. i have done a few of your “tricks” during previous attempts to lose weight. but you have some great ideas that i never thought of and i appreciate you sharing them. some of them i cant do, such as cleaning out the kitchen cupboards (i have a house full of kids and inlaws). but sitting to eat, pre-prepping meals, eating before i’m hungry, and a few more, are all great ideas i never thought of. a friend of mine has a rule of not eating anything after 7pm. and she says it helps her. i also used to try to make my “good food” meal just before the “bad food crew” gets in the kitchen and the grease starts sizzling. that way i can be a part of family dinner time instead of eating separately or sitting with them with an empty plate in front of me. my goal is to lose at least 75 lbs. so i guess tomorrow i’ll start eating again and if nothing else, at least i wont have to hear everyone nagging me to eat all the time. i’ll be thanking you every time i’m using one of your tips. wish me luck! and thank you again.
One additional tip that worked for us, we repackage all of our snack foods into individual serving sized bags. This way we never eat more than one serving. We found if we didn’t rebag everything when we unpacked the groceries, we kept putting it off.
Exercise, last night there was a TV programme, Horizon, about exercise which was very interesting. There was one idea that I found attractive. It is called NEAT and here is a link to an article about it. http://www.kcby.com/news/health/13565082.html
It is, put simply, putting more movement into your everyday life. You do it when you take stairs rather than ride and park at the far end of the car park.
As for healthy snacks, that’s a poser. I get around it by not eating many. The idea of going to the shop to buy unhealthy ‘treats’ is something we do as well and it works. There is a chocolate treat called a ‘Waggon Wheel’ which sometimes calls to me. The idea of the ten minutes walk there and again back usually quashes the craving!
Good for you for realising that diets are useless for long term health. It is changing your life habits over time that works.
Danielle, your body has most likely gone into starvation mode and is trying to conserve calories. Not eating fro two weeks is not a good thing to do to your body. You should have much more success doing the things David mentioned.
Congratulations David. Those are great ideas!
David, You make some really excellent points here – and each of your tips are so easy to implement into daily life. We eat from salad plates and drink from 6 ounce glasses in my house. Always have. Whenever we go to a restaurant, my kids can’t believe how big the plates are – and they end up taking most of their food home for the next day. Getting a handle on portion size can do wonders for the grocery budget, as well.
You wanted a good source for healthy snacks. Check out paleomg.com
I enjoyed your list. I myself have lost 45 pounds over the course of 6 years, and I found a couple of new tips here. Might I add one of my own to help you:
I Do Not Reward Myself with Food
Especially with exercise, there is a big mindset out there that goes like this: I’ve (put your exercise) x miles, or worked out on (hated machine). Now I can have z food. Z food will easily undo everything you’ve done.
As a lark, when I walk long distances, I look for change on the ground. I use what I find as my reward and it encourages me to walk more …. maybe I find that dollar bill windfall strewn on the ground in the next block.
I appreciate this article a lot as I would like to lose at least 100 pounds. I have enjoyed minor successes over the years (20, 30 and 50 pounds lost on different occasions)with various diets but would put it back on and them some…. I am tired of dieting and I am now ready to make life changes instead. Your strategies will help in that regard.
David, your article really hits home for me. My weight gain happened when I quit smoking as well, and I put on the same amount of weight you did. My realization really hit when my family and I took a vacation a couple weeks ago and I saw myself in our photos. I don’t see myself being that big, but when I am able to see myself next to other people in a different perspective, it really hurts. Many of your tips sound like some that I have been wanting to implement for a long time, but just haven’t had the motivation. I do have it now. This is where my journey begins, and I truly hope I reach the same results you have made for yourself. You are an inspiration, and I am sure I will look to this article many times to keep myself on track. With that, I just want to say ‘Thank you’.
Great article! These tips really do work if you stick to them consistently. I follow most of the tips myself and I’ve been able to lose 68 lbs in 11 months. I still have about 50 to go, but I know if I stick to it, the weight will be off in no time!
I think this article has helped. Im overweight and need to lose it for various reasons . Im glad I came across to this. So far i wrote this stuff down and do farther research for me and try to see if it works. Im hoping to lose a good amounto weight before I graduate from high school in 2015.
Hey,
I know this article is quite old now, but this has given me the inspiration to lose some of my weight. I am not good at sticking to diets and have tried and failed many fad diets. However, after reading this, I can see now that making simple lifestyle changes can actually be better for you. I am a student and don’t have a lot of money so this is perfect.
I decided to make a ‘survival guide’ (haha) and in the new year I am going to follow it religiously. I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but this seems like a better, more sensible option, especially as it worked so well for you!
A tip – a woman I worked with used to eat boiled eggs everyday for dinner, for a couple of months and lost a lot of weight by doing this. Obviously she dieted at the same time, but not where she followed the diet everyday, except for the eggs – she used to eat it with ryvita and a bit of salad. Not sure why but it worked for her and might work for other people too!