Losing Weight Tips

Originally published October 25, 2019

Much like I did with my Frugal and Money saving tips post, I am doing another advice-type post.  This one will be on losing weight.  Now, I will admit I am not the best person to share advice on this as I am a bit overweight.  I just need to stick to these things I am about to share because I know how to to do it, I just need to do it.  However, like most people, my weight has fluctuated throughout my adult life, which does include losing weight so I know how to do it.  I have lost 20-25 pounds at one point in my life.  I will share my weight-loss tips and how I am going to follow through with them.  Forewarning: This is a long post as I have a lot of tips, but if anyone follows most of these, I bet they will lose weight.

- Drink plenty of water
Water is a known appetite suppressant.  Especially if you drink it about 30-45 minutes before your mealtime.  I now work in an office setting with a water jug, and I am drinking 6-8 mug fulls of water each work day (Which is anywhere between 40-60 ounces).  And that's just while I'm at work.  I also bring a water bottle that I leave in my car that I drink to and from work.  Some people really don't like drinking water citing its tastelessness, but as long as its cold, I really like drinking it.  However, adding sweeteners with sugar or artificial sweeteners takes away a lot of the benefits of water, such as Mio and Crystal Light packets.  If you really don't like the taste of plain, even cold water, try sweetening it with some sort of fruit like a citrus fruit (Orange, lemon, lime) or berries.  In this case, it would be worth investing in a water bottle that is a fruit infuser that will slowly over time infuse your water with the fruit you drop in.  Plus you get the added benefits of the nutrients from the fruit.  Just find a way to keep yourself hydrated, especially before mealtimes.

- Drink less sugary beverages
But you cannot hydrate yourself with sugary beverages.  One problem I've had is that I have been known to drink a lot of sugary beverages.  It's not just soda, but certain flavored teas, juices (with sugar added), sports drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened coffees.  These types of beverages probably are a huge factor towards our country's obesity epidemic, because a lot of people don't realize that just by drinking bad stuff, they can gain weight.  They could have a perfectly healthy food diet, but if they drink sugary beverages all day every day, they will probably gain weight.  I am therefore trying to primarily drink water, fruit juices (with natural sugars only) or low or no sugar teas with meals.  Sugars get converted to energy in our bodies and if we don't use them, they get stored as fat.

- Get more physical activity, even if it's just walking
Our bodies were designed to move.  In the age of cavemen, before the industrial age and the age of computers and cars, we constantly were on the move.  A lot of us, myself included, work jobs that don't have enough physical activity in them.  So we must get physical activity in some way.  An extra bit of walking can go a long ways if done on a consistent basis.  I am starting to go for walks on my lunch breaks when there's time (3 times a week at least, provided it doesn't rain).  Also, I am starting to work out for short periods after I get home.  Once I get home, I don't usually and instantly want to veg out the rest of the night, because I still have some energy.  Anyone who works at a desk and sits most of the day should have enough energy to work out after work.  The problem is if I start vegging after I get home, it is very hard to stop and get up and do something physically active.  So, my plan is to work out before all that and then rest afterwards.  The more physical activity, the better, but as is the case with a lot of us, there's usually not a lot of time to get physical activity.  But there are little things you can do in your daily routine even if you don't have much free time: Park further away so you have to walk further, take the stairs instead of an elevator/escalator, and walk somewhere for lunch rather than drive.  If ever given a choice that involves physical activity, choose the option that takes more physical activity if you can.  It's good for you.

- Eat out less
When we eat out, we have a tendency to not only overeat but eat less healthy than if we ate at home.  Restaurant foods tend to be filled with sodium, sugar, and fat.  Most restaurants care more about making the food taste good (to get you to come back) than the health and nutrition of the food.  The wait staff of course try to tempt you with dessert and/or appetizers as well, because the larger the bill, the more tip they get.  For lunches, try to bring your lunch to work as much as possible rather than always going somewhere to eat.  If you work at a place that sells ready to eat food, (like I used to), do your very best to limit yourself on the amount of times you eat from there.  I've seen and heard multiple stories where people start working in fast food or at a grocery store that gained weight because they ate there too often.  Heck, I'm one of them!  Anyway, eating out less will not only save your waistline but it'll save money in your wallet as well.  Save eating out for special occasions, and then when you do, pay attention to the caloric intake of each dish, because most restaurants nowadays have the calorie amount on their menu.  Anything over 1,000 calories should be avoided.

- Don't push yourself too hard too fast with your workouts
One problem I've had is trying to push myself too hard and too fast, thus resulting in me giving up on working out because I wasn't able to complete a particular workout.  Depending on your fitness level, find a workout that suits you.  I own a copy of the "Insanity" workout program, which I do not recommend to beginners.  Even when I was in better shape, it was very tough to do.  I considered starting that again recently, but I decided I need to be in better shape (and focus on losing weight) first.  There are a ton of workout apps out there and I found one that works for me that gives me the option to choose beginner, intermediate, or expert.  I chose beginner so that when I am ready I can move on to intermediate and then expert.  Know your fitness level and what you are capable of.  The key is to push yourself, but only a little at a time.  Do not get discouraged because you get tired quickly.  Just slowly and incrementally push yourself a little bit more each time.

- Shop for what you need and what's on your list
When you go food/grocery shopping, make a list beforehand of things you need to prepare meals for the coming week or few days (depending on how often you can shop).  Of course, make healthier dinners filled with vegetables and healthy meats and then shop for the ingredients for them.  Then when you go shopping, do not buy anything not on your list.  It can be tempting because bad for you food items are often put in the most well-lit and prominent areas of the store.  Just say no.  It might be a good idea to only bring enough money for what's on your list, provided you know the cost of each item.

- Know it takes time to lose weight
If I had a nickel for every time I looked at the scale and wondered why I wasn't losing weight faster, I would have quite a bit more money.  Losing weight takes time, and depending on how intense you are dieting/exercising, it may take a while for results to appear.  The key is to not get discouraged and keep at it.  Don't let the results of the scale get you down and make you want to quit; if anything, it should motivate you.  Some weeks you might even gain weight if you're doing strength exercises like push-ups or lifting weights.  That just means your body is converting fat into muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.  If you're more into actually shedding some pounds, focus on cardio exercises that get your heart rate going such as running, dancing, and aerobics.  And even if you're working out and dieting intensely the pounds may not shed that quickly.  The key is how long you can keep at it, not how intensely you work at it in a short amount of time.

- Eat in moderation and plan your meals out more
As far as diets and what to eat goes, my advice is two-fold.  One, eat in moderation.  First off, don't over-indulge if you can help it.  It helps to eat slower so that your stomach has time to register what you've eaten and tell your body that it's full.  Also, if you happen to have a fairly large breakfast or lunch, have a lighter dinner.  Or if you know you're going to have a larger dinner, have a lighter lunch.  And to go along with that is my second point, which is to plan out your meals.  Don't decide last second what you are going to eat, because more than likely that can result in ordering unhealthy takeout or fast food.  If you plan your meals ahead of time, you'll more than likely stick to them and eat healthier in the long run.  

- Eat a light meal when you know you aren't doing much physical activity in the near future
To go along with the tip above, if you're trying to lose weight, try your best to eat a light meal if you won't be working out until after your next meal.  Our bodies are like cars in a way.  If a car doesn't run, it doesn't need gas/fuel, does it?  Our bodies are pretty similar in that we don't need to fuel up on carbs and calories if we're not going to use them much.  Conversely, that's why you hear stories about how much professional athletes eat.  They have to eat a lot in order to fuel their bodies for practices and games because they burn so many calories during those things.  So, unless we're sleeping or sitting/lying completely still, we are constantly burning calories through our movements, so you need to eat something so you don't pass out when you try to move.  Passing out is kind of the body's form of a car running out of gas.  I plan to eat lighter meals when I can, especially for lunch when I won't be working out either at all or much until dinner or the next day.  

- Track your meals and/or weight progress
Something that has helped me in the past is tracking not only my weight, but what I've eaten.  It can be easy to lose track of what you've eaten, but there are a number of apps you can download on your smartphone that will help you record your caloric intake, and most of those you can track your weight on as well.  This helps regulate what you eat.  For example, you can see you ate a decent-sized meal on Monday so you decided to eat light Tuesday.  I personally like writing down my weight progress and putting it in a place I will see it often so that I can be motivated and keep track easily.  But do what works best for you.  

- Try not to think about food too much
One problem someone might have with a diet is that they think about food too much when they're hungry, thus making them submit to cravings for unnecessary/unhealthy food.  This is obviously easier said than done, but it can be accomplished by keeping yourself busy.  I have had days where I have been so busy I have made my mealtimes much later than they normally are.  In these cases, I didn't even think about being hungry or eating food.  One other trick is to try to think of something else when you are thinking about food.  Pick a particular interest or hobby of yours to convince yourself to think about instead of food, such as sports, a certain TV show you're in the middle of, or plans for the future.  Anytime you think of food, think of this other thing and it will really help curb your cravings.  I am not saying starve yourself, but this will help your body adjust to the smaller amount of calories it is taking in. 

- Be happy and not disappointed when you make healthy choices
What can really hurt someone's motivation to diet is when they are tempted with food that is unhealthy, and they have to say no because they are dieting.  Say someone brings in donuts to the office and you have to say no.  That in itself can be depressing to watch other people enjoy donuts while you can't.  Instead, you can focus your negative energy two ways.  One, you can tell yourself that those people are gaining weight, and you're not.  You're making healthy choices, and they aren't.  Or two, you can be proud of yourself for being able to turn down a tempting offer.  It's not easy to turn down some temptations we encounter, so instead of being upset, think to yourself that you did something you should be proud of, like jogging a mile or lifting heavy weights.  

The main thing to really take away from these tips is that losing weight is more mental than it is physical.  It's all about having the right mindset.  You have to be determined and you have to be strong mentally.  To be those things, it helps to have some sort of motivation, whether it be a partner encouraging you, or trying to fit into an article of clothing you don't already.  I personally have a few shirts I'd love to be able to fit into that I can't quite right now.  Plus, being able to see my friends and family's reactions to seeing a slimmer me would just feel incredibly good and worth all the the effort I put into losing weight.  I'm determined right now to lose weight, and (if you need to lose weight) I hope you are too!

My frugal and money saving tips

Originally published October 21, 2019

I have learned a lot of money saving tips throughout my time here on Earth, and I am here to share them with you.  I do consider myself a frugal person, especially with certain things like groceries and retail items.  Here's what you can do:

- Use a company's app or website to save money
Some people think of it as a waste of time, but it's really worth it to use a company's app to save money.  Obviously download and use their app if they are a restaurant or retailer that you frequent.  The people who are really invested into their apps can save a lot of money on food and home goods.  But be wary, their goal is to try to get you in the store/restaurant and get other things as well.  For example, a grocery chain might offer you free pasta, but then you have to buy pasta sauce that is at least $3 and possibly meat which would be at least $5.

- Shop around (also consider getting Amazon Prime)
What I mean by this is whenever there is a particular product you need, look at many different retailers before you decide.  The best of course to refer to is Amazon.  Not only does Amazon have literally everything, but they often have the best deals and can ship right to your door.  It makes getting a prime membership worth it, because then you get free two day shipping.  The gas you save throughout the course of the year, when instead you might have to drive to a store, makes getting a Prime membership worth it.  But if you're adverse to shopping online, at least look at many different retailers.  You can often call or check their website rather than going in person to each one.  Always always always look at multiple stores, as many as you can, when shopping for a pricey item such as electronics (TV, stereo, video game console) or appliances.

- Cut out things you don't need or aren't using
If you think you're spending too much money or aren't building up your savings fast enough, consider everything non-essential that you spend money on.  By non-essential I mean things besides food and the roof over your head, such as internet, cable, and phone service.  For example, I recently cancelled "HBO" as part of my cable subscription because I had finished both "Game of Thrones" and "Hard Knocks".  My girlfriend and I also changed our cable and internet package because we realized we were paying for voice as well, which we don't use.  I'm also considering cutting the cord completely on cable because it is such a money drainer.  And I am considering changing my Netflix subscription because I still get DVDs in the mail, and I don't watch them often enough to justify paying 10 bucks a month for that service.  There's little things here and there you can cut out.  Look through all your memberships and subscriptions to see what you don't really use or need and then cut it out.  

- Learn how to do things yourself to save money
There are quite a few things the average American pays someone to do for them, where if you learn how to do it and have the proper equipment, you can do it yourself and save money.  The most common and well-known example would be cooking for yourself.  We all know it's much cheaper to cook for yourself at home rather than going out OR ordering takeout.  But there are other things, too.  If you learn how to change a car's oil you can do that yourself instead of going to a mechanic.  If you have your own razor and/or shears you can potentially cut your own hair, or get a friend or family member to do it for you.  Sort of along the same lines, instead of paying for a gym membership, stay at home.  If you live in an apartment complex, many of them have gyms you can use.  If not, investing in equipment that you will use will save money in the long run over a gym membership which is a constant drain on any bank account.

- Learn to say "No"
Unfortunately, there are many companies and individuals out there that want your money and don't feel guilty about the way they take it.  Some, like panhandlers, just want a handout, while some companies want you to overpay or switch to their product even though you might be comfortable with the one you have.  If you go anywhere people are trying to sell something, such as a fair, be ready to say "no".  They often use clever sales tactics to get you to buy or invest in their product.  One of the most used tactics is saying that you'll save money by switching to/using their product.  Honestly, unless they're the ones paying you, you're probably not going to save money over what you're currently doing.  As the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

- Buy more for need, not for want
This seems obvious, but it really has helped me save money.  Often times while out shopping, I will seriously consider purchasing a certain item.  If I ever have trouble deciding on whether or not to buy it, I ask myself, "Is the cost of it worth how much it will benefit my life?" This has really helped me turn down buying a lot of things and saving myself in the long run.  For example: I don't NEED a pair of headphones right now, so I won't ever buy any at full price, no matter how cool they might be or look.  But, if they're on a really good sale, the cost of it isn't as great (obviously), and therefore it benefits my life enough to offset the cost.  Just use your best judgment, and if you find yourself buying too many things, be more strict with your own purchasing guidelines.

- Get others to chip in
One problem I have had in life is constantly paying for things for others.  For example, if you're in a relationship or partnership, split the food costs 50/50 rather than paying for most of them yourself.  If you ever find yourself paying for more things in a friendship or relationship, kindly ask them to pay for something in the future.  Most good relationships have this balance, especially if each individual involved makes about the same amount of money.  If you kindly point out what you've paid for in the past, there shouldn't be a problem.  Use your best judgment to get others to pay for things equally, but don't ruin a relationship over it obviously.  My personal example is that each of the three people in my household pays for a different streaming service: I pay for Netflix, my roommate pays for Hulu, and my girlfriend pays for Amazon prime.

- Use cash for luxury purchases
This probably won't work for everyone, but it works for me.  Allot yourself an allowance each week or month to spend on luxuries such as going out to dinner, movies, having drinks, etc.  If you're constantly paying with a card it can be hard to keep track of how much you're spending and it can get out of hand.  If you stick to a cash-only method of spending for these types of purchases, you'll never go over your limit, and you'll save money in the long run.  Perhaps you can transition to this method by starting out small, limiting only one type of purchase to cash (Say, lunch for the week).  Then gradually increase the number of things you pay cash for.

- Walk whenever you canI live close by to a grocery store; it's only a ten minute walk or so.  I always try to walk when I need to buy groceries, because I then save money on gas and save the wear and tear on my car.  Depending on where you live, you might have some places close by to you, and if you need to go to one of them, just walk.  It not only saves money on gas, but it's better for the environment and it helps you burn more calories.  Or another example would be if you are in a shopping center with multiple businesses around, don't drive individually to each one.  Park at one that's about in the middle and walk to each one from there.​

- Don't get a warranty for something unless you are seriously worried about having to replace said itemWarranties are a huge way manufacturers can make an extra bit of money.  They bet that their product will last a certain amount of time.  In my experience, I have yet to have to replace a product through a warranty.  I once had to replace my computer, but it was outside of its warranty, so what I paid for the warranty was money wasted.  Manufacturers pick a certain amount of time the majority of their products last (one year, two years, five years, etc.) so that the warranties don't end up costing them money.  Unless you are seriously worried about a product, don't purchase the warranty.  Actually, if you're worried about a product maybe don't purchase the product! 😂​

Well, that's all I have for now, but if I think of anything else, I'll add it here!