You Do Not Have To Be Rich to Lose Weight

J Hud before and after

It is that time of year again: New Year's Resolutions. The most popular one tends to be lose weight or get fit (or some variation of those two). How do you get motivated to actually follow through with your health goals?

It is easy to get motivated by your favorite celebrities (I mean, Miranda Lambert looks fantastic, right?). When you see a celebrity suddenly drop 30 pounds, it is easy to assume she finally gave in to the pressures of Hollywood. However, when you take a look at how the stars achieved their body transformations, you realize they have two resources in much higher quantities than us "normal" people. They have more money and the luxury of free time.

The Price of Fit
Living an unhealthy life seems so attractive: no calories or carbs to track and no exercise plan to adopt. Not only is being unhealthy easier than being healthy, but it is also CHEAPER. However, diet may be the biggest contributor to weight loss. Dr. Shawn Talbott, a nutritional biochemist, says that weight loss is about 75% diet and 25% exercise. How much does it cost to address this 75%?


According to Harvard Magazine, it costs about $550 more per year per person to buy healthy food. Broken down by day, this does not seem monstrous, but for many American families, that change in budget can be a barrier to a healthy lifestyle. Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables cost more to produce than bread and processed food, making them more expensive to purchase. Take a step back and look at this on a micro level. Need a quick lunch at McDonald's? You can get two McChickens for $2.00 plus tax or a healthier Grilled Southwest Chicken Salad for almost $6.00. These savings add up over the course of a year. Whether you are making your own meals or eating out, healthy food is just more expensive. Period.

In addition to the costs of a healthy diet, there are costs associated with fitness as well. The most obvious way to begin a fit life is to join a gym, but gym membership costs can be overwhelming. Even if you can find a gym with a low monthly fee around $20, sign-up or yearly fees can be upwards of $100 per membership. If you decide to go the more convenient route by working out at home, equipment and workout videos can still put you in the whole for hundreds of dollars (plus where do you put all that stuff?).

Making Time

Miranda Lambert Before and After

For some, investing money in healthier food and exercise may not be the issue; instead, it may be making the time to work on the last 25% of losing weight, which is exercise.

To lose one pound, you have to take in 3,500 fewer calories, burn that same amount, or a combination of the two. Running a marathon can burn about 2,600 calories...and marathons take hours. This fact points back to the fact that diet makes the biggest difference in weight. However, a combination of diet and exercise is the most effective plan, so incorporating fitness in a weight loss plan is crucial.

How do you make exercise more manageable? Divide the 3,500 calories by seven days and you need a calorie-torching session of 500 calories per day. This could take 30 minutes to an hour per day, depending on the workout. Making the time for these workouts tends to be the toughest part of a lifestyle change.

Besides the workout time, another element of time makes it tough to shed the pounds. Being patient while you lose weight is also a struggle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it is healthy to only lose one to two pounds per week. If you have 20 pounds to lose, that could be about five months of slow progress to hit your goal. Patience is key. When you see these body transformations from your favorite celebrities, keep in mind that the before and after photos are probably months apart.

Adele Before and After

Fit Like You Are Famous
Some women are lucky enough to be at a place in life where they can afford to be healthy and have the time to implement a solid plan. What if you are not one of those lucky ones? What if you have a pretty strict budget and not a lot of extra time to spare throughout the week? Here are some tips and tricks to make the most of the resources this year to achieve rock star results.

Diet:

• Do you have any food sensitivities? About 90% of the population has at least one food sensitivity. One of the easiest and most effective ways to cut out food that could be contributing to your weight gain is to find out which foods need to be cut. Food sensitivity testing is becoming more and more popular, and you can find doctors in your area that will administer the test.

• Track your intake. There are dozens of great apps for your smart phone that track calories, carbs and exercise. Not only does this allow you to see how you treat your body during the week, but it also allows you to be aware of the nutritional facts of your favorite foods and activities. Two great apps are MyFitnessPal and Daily Carb.
•  HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is a good way to maximize your workout time because it burns more fat. During a HIIT session, you have short bursts of intense activity that are followed by brief moments of rest. Examples of HIIT workouts are Zumba and boxing.
• Although the accountability of gyms and fitness classes help one keep a resolution, there are many resources available that help you workout for free. YouTube has a plethora of free videos, from yoga to Zumba. Create your own playlist and workout at home (here's my favorite)!
• Watch and research gym promotions to try out a gym in your area. Since gyms are so competitive, you may even be able to negotiate a good rate or a free trial.
• Try various dieting strategies to see what works for you. Some people find success by counting Weight Watchers points while others lose those last few pounds by limiting carb intake. Do your research, plan your meals, and try different diets.
• EAT BREAKFAST. Jump start your metabolism by ensuring you eat the most important meal of the day.
• Swap unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. Do you tend to munch on chips at 2 in the afternoon? Pack peanuts instead and eat those when you get a mid-day hunger.
• Eat less. Many people overeat because they tend to put more food on their plate than they need. Start with small portions because it makes you think before you get seconds.

Whether you have a big reveal with a big name sponsor like Jennifer Hudson or you quietly see steady progress over the next year, make the necessary lifestyle changes to be a better, more fit you! Money and time may be limited, but you can make the most of what you do have.