Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Losing Weight on a Budget

Like many other people, I'm starting the new year with a new resolve to eat healthy and lose a little weight.  I guess I'm a little satiated with all the holiday sweets, and I also still have about 15 pounds of baby weight that I'd like to see go. ;-)

I'm not planning any kind of intense diet (I'm still breastfeeding full time!).  Instead, I'm trying to make a few small changes that I hope will have a big impact.  Here are the things I'm focusing on:

- Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables - My kids always eat fruit like it's going out of style, but I find that I sometimes forget to eat it myself!  Either I don't take the time to prep it, or I subconsciously leave it for the kids.  That's no good; my kids need a healthy mommmy!  This week I even broke down and bought some prewashed spinach at Wegmans.  It was a little more expensive than a head of lettuce, but not having to wash it will encourage me to eat it!  The cost of fresh fruits and vegetables can add up, but I know they don't have to break my budget.

- Not buying unhealthy items - This is a simple way to both be healthier and save money - not buying things!  With the holidays over, I'm trying not to spend money on many desserts.  I'm also planning to make some new healthy homemade snacks as opposed to more expensive and less healthy store bought cracker and chip-type items.

- Avoiding eating after dinner - I admit it, I fall into this common trap.  My husband and I often watch a little TV in the evenings after the kids are in bad, and we usually have tea and dessert or even sometimes - gasp - chips and salsa!  I really enjoy relaxing with my husband, but my new resolve is to serve a small dessert right after dinner and to stick with a cup of tea later in the evening.

Well, these are my plans, anyway!  I'll let you know how I'm doing!  I definitely am not perfect when it comes to the healthy eating department, but I do always maintain that eating a very healthy diet on a budget is an attainable and realistic goal!

Check out the tips at Works for Me Wednesday.

Photo by 1876.

2 comments:

  1. Don't we all need these tips? such good reminders!! Eating healthy doesn't have to be hard and expensive but that can be hard to remember!!

    Another suggestion is incorporating more beans into your diet (if you like them of course!) They can be really healthy for you and are packed with fiber to keep you full and are usually pretty cheap! Or just drinking more water ( I need to remind myself this today....!) It's so good for you and costs pennies!

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  2. Great post! I have healthier eating goals for this year too -- plus 5-10 lbs of "baby weight" (can I even still call it that? :) to finally. get. rid. of. I love the reminder not to eat after dinner. That's SO hard for me! ;)

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