How to Lose Weight Without Wasting Money

I am proud that I have lost over 30 pounds in the past six months, and even prouder that I did it without succumbing to the myriad advertisements trying to sell Americans expensive diet pills and supplements, exercise machines and products, special meal programs, and books. The ultimate truth is that anyone can lose considerable weight by religiously curbing their daily calorie intake and maintaining their commitment to daily brisk walking. The best diet tool is common sense.

At the outset I decided that I could eat well and still stay below about 1,000 calories a day, and also have a diet that was ideal for coronary health. There are many easily implemented ways to achieve this without feeling starved. Here are the most important actions that have worked for me:

Achieve a very low fat diet by eating fat free products like cottage cheese, American cheese slices, and sour cream. By paying attention to supermarket sales I have paid $2 a pound for fat free cottage cheese, $2.50 a pound for fat free cheese slices and a $1.50 for a pint of fat free sour cream. No fat or very low fat yogurts are also enormously important for snacks. The light form of Activia is especially good and healthy. There are also terrific breads that have nearly no fat, but high fiber content, typically with about 45 to 50 calories per slice. Such breads cost no more than others. For satisfying protein in dinner meals the best options are boneless, skinless chicken and ground turkey with just 7 percent fat. These have no waste and by watching for sales I have consistently paid $2 or less per pound. It is smart financial strategy to stock up on sales items and freeze them. When it comes to beef I limit myself to eating it just once a week. Most supermarkets sell ground beef with just 7 percent fat, for example. I recently bought four pounds for just over $2 per pound when it was on sale at Safeway and divided it up into four portions, three of which I froze.

Eating things that one enjoys is very important. But so is sticking to the goals of minimizing fat and calories. For me this has meant buying low fat Triscuits. Eating several of these with fat free cottage cheese, cheese slices or sour cream has provided a terrific snack. A handful of nuts such as almonds and walnuts are also a healthy treat that does not ruin your weight loss strategy. You can't beat the price for nuts at Costco.

Perhaps the single most important cost-effective weight loss tactic has been eating a variety of healthy frozen meals that typically have from 250 to 350 calories with low levels of fat, and often high fiber content. Today, there are major brands that offer such meals and they are uniformly terrific in taste. They are tasty and often as good as what you get in restaurants. The key importance of regularly eating these is twofold: First, you really control you calorie intake. Second, you learn the importance of small portions. We all know that bad habits are hard to break and good habits are hard to form. Trust me, stay committed to eating these frozen meals five to ten times a week and you will get some very good new habits.

Some of the major brands with terrific choices are Healthy Choice, South Beach, Eating Right (the Safeway house brand), Smart Ones (Weight Watchers), Michelina's Lean Gourmet, and Lean Cuisine. Most of us like particular style foods. For me it is Asian style and it is really easy to treat myself well by buying different types of Chinese frozen meals. I also treat myself to Italian style meals. Though most frozen meals have pasta, noodles or rice, and though it really is important to minimize carbohydrates overall, the portions of these are so modest that it is still possible to lose weight efficiently. Totally eliminating enjoyable carbs is simply impractical and foolish. Most importantly, I have consistently paid on average less than $2 for such meals by buying them on sale, using coupons, and also stocking up on them.

Eating salads (with fat free dressings) and fresh fruit are also key to a healthy and diverse diet.

I also have found it easy to prepare tuna and salmon salads from cans purchased on sale and using no fat or very low fat mayonnaise.

The bottom line is that by paying attention to calories it is easy to meet the goal of about 1,000 calories per day WITHOUT suffering and without feeling starved. But all this MUST be accompanied by regular physical activity. The easiest and most practical option for nearly everyone is walking. My goal is at least one hour of walking a day. Countless studies have shown the many positive benefits of walking, both physical and mental. I firmly believe that anyone can lose considerable weight without spending and wasting lots of money on any of the countless weight-loss products being marketed like crazy. Just follow my two proven rules: aim for 1,000 calories a day and minimize fats and carbs, and also stay totally committed to walking at least one hour a day.