A Weighty Matter
Most Americans have lost hundreds of pounds, and yet are at least 10 pounds over weight. They diet regularly and have found creative ways to lose weight. They lose by eating only protein; they lose by eating only raw foods; they lose by counting points and going to meetings and, I suppose, some lose by cutting out sweets and eating less.
We appreciate diets that permit us to fool our bodies and lose weight without experiencing hunger, but we know that permanent weight loss is just like financial management. It takes constant discipline and a willingness to sacrifice.
Strangely, Americans seem to prefer to pay someone to help them lose weight. Nutrisystem appears to be a successful program. It involves buying prepared foods and eating mostly those foods. For a man, that food would cost $385.56 plus $18.95 in shipping, or more than $400 a month.
One can join another successful program, Weight Watchers, for $29.95 and pay $17.95 monthly for the privilege of being weighed in front of others. Weight Watchers also sells food, but it is not a required part of the program. And there are non-diet approaches. For as little as $2,000 (or much more) a physician can liposuction out a goodly amount of fat, providing the high cost/high pain alternative to traditional weight loss for those with more money than time.
These approaches all cost money. Apparently people lose more weight when they pay for it. To assist our clients in reaching all their goals while still being financially responsible, I am offering the Budget Doctor’s Guaranteed Weight Loss Program. If you are successful, you send me $1 for every pound you lose. If you fail to lose weight there is no charge. I’ll await your checks.
Here is The Budget Doctor’s plan for losing weight for less money:
1. Buy only healthy foods.
You are less likely to eat potato chips if you never buy potato chips.
2. Prepare your own foods.
You can save money and avoid the extra salt and preservatives.
3. Measure portions.
Other than what you eat, you need only be concerned about how much you eat. Measure out a portion that resembles a TV dinner.
4. Burn more calories every day.
Walk one extra block or one extra set of stairs. If you can substitute a walk for a car ride you will burn calories and save money.
A home grown weight loss program can be just as effective and much less expensive than the paid programs. And if you spend less on food and transportation, a diet may actually help you reach your financial goals.
It does help to have support on a new weight loss plan so enlist a friend or family member as a weight loss buddy. Compare your weight loss and encourage each other even as you secretly want to beat them to the goal. Perhaps you can even cooperate with your buddy on food preparation, saving even more money and some time.
The one weight loss program you should not undertake on your own is liposuction.