Lose weight while saving money.  Sign me up!  Holiday weight gain can be a struggle.  It’s easy to add a couple of pounds during a single weekend of merry-making.  Will power can be fleeting.  I need good habits in my arsenal.  This is a composite of The Money Skinny™ tips to lose weight with a side benefit of saving money.  I don’t claim expertise but rather am an active learner.  This is what works for me.  Recall The Money Skinny™ mission is to save you time and money.   Let’s review some strategies to lose weight that save money at the same time.

Lose Weight with H2Orange

A former co-worker shared the term H2Orange to describe water with a splash of orange juice.  An 8-oz. cup of orange juice is 110 calories.  A lot considering it’s a drink, not a food.  I start every day with an H2Orange to rehydrate after a night’s sleep.  Bonus that the buying interval of the orange juice container is stretched to every two weeks.

Lose Weight with the Shaving Technique

The Money Skinny™ Shaving Technique is to gradually reduce the volume of the most expensive or highest calorie ingredient down to its lowest acceptable level.  In the H2Orange example, start with an 8-oz. cup.  Then fill the cup half with orange juice, half with water.  Gradually dilute the orange juice.  Pictured is a splash of orange juice in a Mason jar of water.  28 calories.  Still getting the morning juice fix.  Shaving off calories.  Also a mighty fine sports drink substitute after a long run.

Lose Weight with Tea

Tea is a dietary staple in the no calorie beverage category.  Sold inexpensively at Walmart, Lipton Natural Black Tea is a better choice than diet soda.  No calories or sodium.  Hankering for a night time snack?  Develop an herbal tea habit. Walmart sells Celestial Seasonings Caramel Apple Dream Tea.  Dollar Tree sells Wyler’s Light Peach Iced Tea Singles.  $1 for a box of 8 drink sleeves.  The fruit flavor can satisfy a sugar craving.  Again, no calories or sodium.

Lose Weight Using Meat as an Accent

It’s easy to let portions expand over time.  Especially meat.  The Money Skinny™ article Chicken Breast Cut Up for Savings details how to reduce portion sizes.  Skewing toward vegetables and away from meat lowers calories and food expense.  Pictured below is a breakfast bowl.  It consists of whatever vegetables I have on hand plus a small amount of meat for flavor.  This bowl includes a single link sausage.  I can eat more than one sausage when served separately.  However, when mixed with vegetables one is enough.  A breakfast bowl is a low-calorie way to rescue leftover vegetables.  It’s healthier and lower calorie than a traditional style breakfast.

Lose Weight with Weight Watchers – My Experience

I’ve lost weight using the Weight Watchers program.  Pros are accountability and a solid company track record.  Cons are time and money.  Rejoining would cost me $30 per month.  Plus attending a weekly meeting.  No-and-No.  I can’t afford it.  Meaning, I value other things more for $30 per month and don’t have an hour to spare for a meeting.  I know I can do it on-line.  Why would I pay for that?  See the free app below.

Weight Watchers recently announced the addition of “free food”.  Mostly vegetables with zero points.  Advertised to make the program easier to follow.  An enrollment enticement.  Malarkey.  For me to lose weight I need to go to bed slightly hungry most nights.  I’ll bulk up if I have a bowl of asparagus at 10pm.  Calling food with calories free feels a little salesy.  Commercials exclaiming “I can eat whatever I want!” are an added turn-off.

Lose Weight with the Free App – Lose It!

The Money Skinny™ Best Practice is to start commitments at free.  Then spend money if needed.  Try the free Lose It! app.  It’s a daily calorie log.  It has goal setting and a bar code scanner.  It’s more exact than Weight Watchers because calories are not filtered through a point system.  There’s a premium version available with extra features.  I use the free basic version.  I update Lose It! with activity from the app S Health.  Mentioned in The Money Skinny™ article 3-Step Sneaker Strategy for Running Shoes.

The Lose It! app is a very easy tool to use.  It inserts a speed bump in consumption.  Regularly nosh through a sleeve of Oreos?  Scanning the package bar code helps pump the brakes.  The app encourages exercise.  Physical activity adds available calories.  You can eat more when you do more.

Please share your own weight loss or money saving tips below.

• Try H2Orange to save money and calories.
• The Money Skinny™ Shaving Technique is to gradually reduce the volume of the most expensive or highest calorie ingredient down to its lowest acceptable level.
• Try the free Lose It! app.