Staying fit and healthy on a budget
Daniel Sullins
Issue date: 4/23/10 Section: News
As I look back on this quickly fading school year, I can see why I am so out of shape.
There simply was not enough time to work out and eat healthy. Plus, being healthy seems expensive.
I work 40 hours a week and go to school 12, not to mention the ungodly amount of studying I have to do.
I'm also engaged, so I definitely need to spend time with her. On top of that I'm in a band that plays throughout the state of Georgia on most weekends.
The free-time I do have is spent in a sweet unconscious state that some would call sleep.
I prefer calling it heaven.
However, summer break is merely a few days away and I can no longer use "there's not enough time" or "I'm too broke" as an excuse.
So I've devised a cheap plan to help me lose weight and get fit.
1. Calculate daily calorie intake
I calculated every calorie from every meal or snack I ate, which completely blew my mind.
On average I ate around 3,000 calories a day!
Most of the calories were due to all of the fast food I shoved down my throat on the way to class.
Fast food is probably the food of choice for college students, which could also be the leading cause of the "freshman 15." However, for me it was more like the "freshman 30."
2. Change of diet
I knew to lose weight I would have to cut out eating fast food and fried foods for every meal; but I'm not going to cut them out completely, because I'm not going to rob myself of the foods I like.
I also needed to cut the amount of calories to 1,800 calories a day and spend more time preparing my own meals.
It seems like buying food at a grocery store rather than a fast food restaurant would be more costly. However, it's not.
Eating out everyday for every meal accounts for at least $15 a day. That equates to $105 a week.
When I recently went shopping, I spent $65. The food lasted two weeks.
Therefore, I will be making weekly trips to the grocery store from now on.
My breakfast will include a whole grain cereal or granola with fruit or a cup of juice, and of course coffee. There is around 400 calories in this meal.
I will also eat a small snack between breakfast and lunch that is no more than 50 calories.
My lunches will be a bit heavier. I love sandwiches, so I'll probably eat one on most days with some baked chips. The total calorie count will not exceed 500.
Dinner is my favorite meal of the day. It's usually spent with friends or family and is the largest meal of the day. That leaves about 750 calories to spare on dinner.
However, I will loosen up sometimes. I have to reward myself, right?
3. Workout
Changing my diet is easy compared to working out.
I can't seem to make myself do it. Every time I try to work out, the hypnotizing glow of the television lures me into its web.
My biggest excuse to not workout, is "it's too expensive to get a gym membership."
I can no longer use that as an excuse, however.
After some thought and research, I've discovered working out can be cheap or even free.
Free workouts will include the old school push-up, sit-up and jogging route. I will also be purchasing a workout ball and some free weights to make those workouts a bit more intense as I go further.
4. It's O.K if I mess up
Quite possibly the most important rule I've set for myself is to not get frustrated if something comes up and I can't workout, or if I go to an all-you-can-eat wing night. However, I can't make it a regular occurrence.
After all, what good is living a healthy life if you can't enjoy it?
******This plan is used to show that you must come up with your own plan. It is not intended for everyone. It is merely an example of how I am going to work out and eat healthy on a budget.******
There simply was not enough time to work out and eat healthy. Plus, being healthy seems expensive.
I work 40 hours a week and go to school 12, not to mention the ungodly amount of studying I have to do.
I'm also engaged, so I definitely need to spend time with her. On top of that I'm in a band that plays throughout the state of Georgia on most weekends.
The free-time I do have is spent in a sweet unconscious state that some would call sleep.
I prefer calling it heaven.
However, summer break is merely a few days away and I can no longer use "there's not enough time" or "I'm too broke" as an excuse.
So I've devised a cheap plan to help me lose weight and get fit.
1. Calculate daily calorie intake
I calculated every calorie from every meal or snack I ate, which completely blew my mind.
On average I ate around 3,000 calories a day!
Most of the calories were due to all of the fast food I shoved down my throat on the way to class.
Fast food is probably the food of choice for college students, which could also be the leading cause of the "freshman 15." However, for me it was more like the "freshman 30."
2. Change of diet
I knew to lose weight I would have to cut out eating fast food and fried foods for every meal; but I'm not going to cut them out completely, because I'm not going to rob myself of the foods I like.
I also needed to cut the amount of calories to 1,800 calories a day and spend more time preparing my own meals.
It seems like buying food at a grocery store rather than a fast food restaurant would be more costly. However, it's not.
Eating out everyday for every meal accounts for at least $15 a day. That equates to $105 a week.
When I recently went shopping, I spent $65. The food lasted two weeks.
Therefore, I will be making weekly trips to the grocery store from now on.
My breakfast will include a whole grain cereal or granola with fruit or a cup of juice, and of course coffee. There is around 400 calories in this meal.
I will also eat a small snack between breakfast and lunch that is no more than 50 calories.
My lunches will be a bit heavier. I love sandwiches, so I'll probably eat one on most days with some baked chips. The total calorie count will not exceed 500.
Dinner is my favorite meal of the day. It's usually spent with friends or family and is the largest meal of the day. That leaves about 750 calories to spare on dinner.
However, I will loosen up sometimes. I have to reward myself, right?
3. Workout
Changing my diet is easy compared to working out.
I can't seem to make myself do it. Every time I try to work out, the hypnotizing glow of the television lures me into its web.
My biggest excuse to not workout, is "it's too expensive to get a gym membership."
I can no longer use that as an excuse, however.
After some thought and research, I've discovered working out can be cheap or even free.
Free workouts will include the old school push-up, sit-up and jogging route. I will also be purchasing a workout ball and some free weights to make those workouts a bit more intense as I go further.
4. It's O.K if I mess up
Quite possibly the most important rule I've set for myself is to not get frustrated if something comes up and I can't workout, or if I go to an all-you-can-eat wing night. However, I can't make it a regular occurrence.
After all, what good is living a healthy life if you can't enjoy it?
******This plan is used to show that you must come up with your own plan. It is not intended for everyone. It is merely an example of how I am going to work out and eat healthy on a budget.******
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Laura Balkcom
posted 4/23/10 @ 8:57 AM EST
Daniel,
I wanted to reiterate your disclaimer that this plan would not be beneficial to all of your readers. The 1800 calories is definitely an extreme reduction for most individuals and will unfortunately most times lead to failure in this dietary change. (Continued…)
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