Weight Watchers on a budget

Kaleida Health is planning the 2012 opening of a world class Global Heart and Vascular Institute to meet the demands of cardiaovascular related illness in the community.

 

 

But what can we do to stop heart disease before it starts? For many, heredity factors into the equation and the more you do the better your chances of meeting your challenges head on. Quit smoking (or don't start), lose weight/maintain a healthy weight, eat a sensible, lower fat, lower sodium diet, and exercise all help reduce your risk cardiovascular disease. 

 

What do you do when money is tight, your budget is already stretched and you can't afford Jenny Craig, Nutrasystem, The Biggest Loser Diet or Weight Watchers Online or meetings? What do you do when you cannot afford to join a gym and you need to get your cardio exercise done?

 

Walking is the best form of exercise you can do. Start with just 10 minutes a day every other day and work your way up to walking 30 minutes each and every day. You'll need a good pair of walking shoes, these may cost you $50 to $100, but if you look for coupons and sales combinations, you can get a decent pair of comfortable walking shoes without breaking the bank. Consider that the actual walking is free, and you can go to the mall or any large indoor area to walk during inclement weather.

 

This Examiner has found that Weight Watchers is a weight loss program that is adaptable for any lifestyle, including sodium restricted, lower fat, and even lower carb. In addition, there are hundreds of resources online for the frugal Weight Watcher, everything from free Points and PointsPlus calculators, information, FAQs, snack PointsPlus values, and recipes. 

 

 

How do you get around the Weight Watcher meetings that are essential to every Weight Watcher? Meet with friends and family members to weigh in each week. Share your weight loss triumphs and recipes. You can meet at a private home or if your group grows too large, consider contacting a local church and inquiring if you may rent a room once a week and hold your meeting there. Charge everyone $1 or $2 to weigh in and use that to pay the room rental. The only things you need are a scale that will accomodate each Weight Watcher and chairs for people to sit in. You may want to provide pencils and scratch pads in order for members to write down their weight loss (or gain) for the week, so that they can keep track of their weight loss. The pencils and scratch pads will also come in handy for jotting down notes or recipes at your meeting. Encourage each member to type up a favorite recipe and make copies to bring with them. These can then be distributed to each member at weigh in.

 

Still feel you need to join Weight Watchers? You can purchase a 3-month membership for $53.85 ($17.95 per month). The average cost of a weekly Weight Watchers meeting is about $12. If you join a local group, you'll pay almost $50 per month for Weight Watchers. Joining the online community will cost you just a few dollars more than that for three months. All you need is a scale for weigh in each week. Weight Watchers online gives you access to all their recipes, as well as online community message boards.