10 Tips to Lose Weight Healthily on a Budget!

This point may surprise many, but it is true: Commercially packaged products are usually more expensive than fresh produce and healthy foods are often cheaper than unhealthy ones. Let’s take breakfast for example: an apple porridge with oatmeal costs less than 50 cents, whereas instant muesli not only contains more sugar, salt, and fat but, at 1.20 euros, is also more than twice as expensive. This is also true for dinner: A healthy zucchini Bolognese is half as expensive as a ready-made Bolognese from commercial manufacturers.

Water satisfies and is healthy. The more water you drink; the more money you can save on buying other foods. Tap water is almost free and it is safe to drink in many parts of the developed world—in some areas tap water is subject to much stricter health controls than bottled water! But store-bought mineral water is also cheaper and healthier than soft drinks or juices. Particularly sugary drinks, like fruit juices and sodas, can throw a monkey-wrench into the best-laid weight loss plans. If normal water is too boring for you, try adding some fruit slices (e.g. lemon, orange, lime)..

Many people share the false belief that low-fat products wil help them lose weight. The truth is that these “light” products are generally expensive and a danger to your diet. This is because fat is often replaced with sugar with (e.g. reduced-fat yogurt) which thwarts the principles of almost any diet. Sugar and fat are common flavor carriers enhancers in foods and this means that if you have less of one in a product, there is often more of the other in there. If you want to lose weight, you should always check the sugar content and nutritional values in light products. If this is too cumbersome for you, we recommend including fresh foods and produce in your diet plan.

We have all heard it before: variety in our diet is healthy – Whether nuts, fruits or meat: in moderation, they are all healthy and affordable. However, if you eat in an unbalanced way— for example, only meat or carbs— you endanger not only your body but also your wallet. We recommend eating a healthy and balanced variety of micronutrients and macronutrients every day so that your body can get and utilize the highest possible amount of nutrients. For example, if your body lacks a particular vitamin, it will have a negative effect on the absorption and utilization of other nutrients, and your body’s entire nutrient balance will be affected. Losing weight healthily means providing your body with all of the important nutrients to avoid unhealthy deficiency symptoms.

Everyone knows it – and yet sometimes it cannot be avoided. You are invited to a party or simply want to treat yourself to something and eat poorly all weekend long. High quantities of alcohol, junk food, and other small sins not only sabotage weight loss, but they are also extremely expensive. To relieve the burden on your body and wallet, we recommend keeping weekend indulging to a minimum. In the long run, it is no problem now and then to sin, but do so in moderation, and try to replace these unhealthy habits with healthy alternatives—because unfortunately, alcohol and weight loss are a very bad combination..

Highly motivated, many people start a free diet, hoping to lose 20 kg in 4 weeks. All too often, free diet plans and free diets are based on the assumption that the greatest possible calorie deficit will produce quick results. It is more expensive in the long run to “catch” the side effects of such a diet—such as fatigue, weakness, muscle atrophy, and headaches—than to use a tailor-made nutritional plan that does not throw away any food with meals and that you can adapt to your budget. Basically, cookie-cutter, off-the-shelf diets, that are not adapted to people’s physical and metabolic differences, can be very dangerous to your health.

While it does not hurt to drink a zero-calorie or light product now and then we by no means recommend such products for healthy, affordable weight loss. The reason is unfortunately not known to many: after drinking light products, people are more likely to crave junk food. You get an appetite for the products you have eaten in combination with the soft drink in the past, such as a burger and French fries. Many people experience “hunger attacks” after drinking light beverages. This is because we’re fooling our brains with calorie-free sweeteners. If you are serious about losing weight, we recommend that you abstain from sugar-reduced soft drinks. Water and green tea are not only much cheaper—but they are also better for healthy weight loss.

Vegetables are cheap, rich in essential fiber, and the easiest way to jump-start your weight loss. Not only are vegetables cheaper than meat—saving you money—they also contain high concentrations of micro- and macronutrients. This causes you to feel fuller faster—without gaining weight. So why go on a starvation diet if so much can be achieved with a healthy, satisfying diet change? Our motto – Affordable and healthy weight loss is the way to go!

You thought that all juices labeled “100% fruit content” are automatically healthy? Wrong. It is not uncommon for these to contain artificially added sugars. When buying juice, pay special attention to the nutritional values on the back of the packaging. The majority of people assume that all juices are good for their diet. Avoid this mistake and be aware of buying fruit juices. The sugar could be a reason why you cannot lose weight. And even juices with 100% fruit content and no added sugar should be enjoyed in moderation.

Dark chocolate contains stimulants that make it tough for your body or nervous system to relax while you sleep. Pretzel sticks raise your blood sugar levels, which also negatively affects your sleep and in the worst case can lead to fat storage. Fruit yogurt, in turn, is a true sugar monster that looks much healthier than it is. Our tip: Avoid such snacks completely and instead go for protein-rich products such as fish, meat, cheese, seeds, and nuts. These are not only satisfying but also positively influence your sleep.

As you can see, cost-effective and healthy weight loss is not rocket science. If you follow as many tips from our list as you can, you will advance considerably toward reaching your goal weight in a short time. For anyone looking for a healthy and sustainable diet change without cravings or the yo-yo effect, tailor-made nutrition plans are the perfect solution.