What investments have you made to lose?

summpear
summpear Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm curious what kind of investments you've made in yourself, and continue to make, to lose weight and maintain your health. Those could be financial, or others.

My biggest investment is time. I'm working out a TON these days. I'm blessed to be in a season of life to have the time, and I really enjoy it. The biggest price to this is that my house is a hot mess all the time... but with 5 kids, it is a hot mess whether I go to the gym or not.

Logging is also time. Every meal, every new recipe.. 2 months in and still very tasky for me.

My financial investments are:

1) gym membership. With pool, good childcare hours, and a variety of classes and times.

2) decent workout gear. Mainly shoes and undergarments.. most of my leggings come off clearance racks, but a good pair of shoes and the right sports bra are imperative.

3) kombucha. I know it seems wierd, but the probiotics help my gut immensely, I get a mental pick me up, and drinking one in the afternoon helps me snack less.

I can't think of anything else off hand - I don't have a digital food scale (but I already had a kitchen scale that I now use to measure certain high calorie items).

What have you done to make your health a priority?
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Replies

  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    time is the biggest one for me as well. Mostly time spent planning meals, buying groceries, and sometimes preparing meals (my husband does more of that). Time spent logging my food on MFP. Also time spent exercising.

    Really that is about it.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    Time and a good food scale.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2018
    I don't think I spend too much time on weighing/logging, I did in the beginning when I was learning.

    I dedicate about 1.5 - 2 hours for working out 6 days a week, I do all of this very early in the morning so I have given up some of my sleep for this.

    I have invested a small fortune on equipment for my home gym, some pretty expensive equipment too. :grimace: I need running shoes every 3-4 months and I buy workout gear every so often, I spend more money on groceries than I used to as well.
  • no1racefan1
    no1racefan1 Posts: 277 Member
    Pilates classes--they are pretty expensive but its the first exercise class I've ever looked forward to going to, and the first one DH has agreed to do with me.

    I also used to subscribe to Daily Burn but I have that on hold right now.

    Healthier groceries--I know people say healthy food is cheap but that really has not been true, at least not where we live. We only have access to two stores for groceries, and not a huge selection of cheap fresh produce. We both also have diagnosed food sensitivities, so dairy alternatives and things like that are more expensive than their regular counterparts.

    I paid for MFP premium because I wanted more information on macros and calories per meal.

    Workout clothes and shoes

    Time--I could actually afford to invest a little more time into exercising.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    gym, platejoy.com, physician beam scale from ebay, good kitchen scale
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
    Food scale, gym membership, workout clothes, lots of time. Rewards have been weight loss, lower BP and heart rate lots of compliments.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    Family YMCA membership for the treadmill and childcare. My kids use the pools regularly too.

    A good treadmill that I bought 10 years ago that is still going strong on the days that the weather forces me indoors.

    Running shoes, good socks at $12 a pair, tech shirts/shorts to reduce chafing, good sports bras, hydration pack for long runs, and an online music membership so I can rock out during my runs :smile:

    Food wise I have been buying Quest bars which are crazy expensive so I save them for when I need a meal replacement.

    Overall my biggest expense are my running shoes which are $100-$150 every few months.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I'm mostly investing time right now, but need to invest some money into my home gym.

    I got my scale and fitbit after requesting them for Christmas subsequent years.

    I have knee issues, so would have invested in good shoes anyway.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Time; my primary exercise has been walking. Cheap SUP; not really just for exercise and is going to lead to me buying a more expensive one. I have pretty much finished losing. I made goal a couple of months ago and have been drifting lower so I can have a bigger range. But these things have to be for life to keep it off and stay in shape.
  • summpear
    summpear Posts: 77 Member
    Oh - my Garmin has been a huge asset. Well worth the investment.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    In the most recent 2 years I've spent money on exercise machines and equipment, cooking equipment for making pizza, stuff to make kombucha, stuff to make kefir, stuff to make yogurt, stuff to make bread and all the other stuff I eat. And ice cream.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    Negligible, at this point . . . if you don't count time spent giving gratuitous advice (worth every penny) in the forums. That's recreation, not weight loss, I'm thinking? ;)

    It took some time to weigh/log food while I was learning; after almost 3 years it's just a few minutes a day that I don't really even much notice. Oh, and new, smaller clothes & the time to shop for them (I hate to shop :( so that was an annoying one for me), but that's pretty much in the past now, too. There were mid-sized clothes purchased along the way, too (some of them from consignment stores), that no longer fit. And the effort to sort and donate the too-big stuff.

    When I started in 2015, despite being obese, I'd already been very active for around 12 years (even competing as a rower), so I can't count any gym memberships/classes, rowing club memberships, or fitness equipment. I already had a food scale. Food costs about the same (if I indulge in some higher-cost special things like commercial morels or something) or less (lower quantities, less alcohol). I did buy a new digital body weight scale (kinda cheap one) as my old mechanical one was getting wonky. All the apps I use are free (MFP, Libra).

    I can see how it would require more investment for someone with a different starting point and different interests, though.

  • summpear
    summpear Posts: 77 Member
    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    In the most recent 2 years I've spent money on exercise machines and equipment, cooking equipment for making pizza, stuff to make kombucha, stuff to make kefir, stuff to make yogurt, stuff to make bread and all the other stuff I eat. And ice cream.

    I've been making kombucha too and need to get another set of brewing bottles so I can make 2 weeks at a time. But I have to ask... are your investments in ice cream for making it or just consuming it? ;) just had to know...
  • itsgood
    itsgood Posts: 85 Member
    Time and energy top the list. Meal planning, meal prep and taking the time to eat breakfast and lunch, logging in MFP, $$ for lots of fruits and vegetables and good food, bathroom scale and food scale. Kettlebell. I have a treadmill that I bought about 6 years ago...haven't been using it yet but plan to in the next few weeks, now that knee pain is finally getting under control after losing 30+ lbs. Keeping it simple and real.
  • PokeyBug
    PokeyBug Posts: 482 Member
    I bought a $15 food scale, but I already owned my treadmill. I'm walking a lot more, probably an extra 30-45 minutes a day. Hubby and I plan our meals for the next week every Friday night and have since we got married, so no changes there. I can't really think of much else, except for the time spent looking for new recipes or altering old recipes to be a bit healthier.
  • New_Heavens_Earth
    New_Heavens_Earth Posts: 610 Member
    Time- 4 am, lunch break, after work exercise. Leaving early to walk the distance and get in more steps. Time spent on apps planning my exercise and food.

    Financial- food scales for work and home, measuring cups and spoons for work and home, gym memberships, trainers, classes, WW, assorted vitamins and health supplements as needed. Multiple Fitbits. Replacing wardrobe from size 18 to 4. Building a nice sneaker and gym clothes collection. Exercise DVDs, weights, spinning bike, and other gear for home gym.

    Emotional and physical- physical therapy and surgery for torn menisci and herniated discs, dietitians for hypoglycemia and exercise bulimic patterns, therapists to help with stress eating.

    All this was over the course of close to a decade, but hey I got this for life right?
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    Other than time and effort I have invested in
    Kitchen and bathroom scales
    Lots of clothes as I have shrunk and appropriate clothes for exercise (love op shops)
    Secondhand treadmill and elliptical (total cost was less than a year of gym membership). Totally worth it.
    Resistance bands
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    edited May 2018
    For weight loss: just a food scale

    For fitness: Barbell, plates, bench, squat rack, dumbbells, pull-up bar, miscellaneous smaller equipment, knee sleeves, and shoes for lifting.
  • summpear
    summpear Posts: 77 Member
    jo_nz wrote: »

    Tai Chi club fees - okay, so it's not a hugely calorie-burning exercise, but great for my mental health which has contributed to improvements in other areas.

    Surgery - luckily fully funded, so no cash outlay for me, but having metalwork removed from my leg was a time/pain investment in my long term comfort and mobility. It was a hard one, as I was "okay" with the hardware in there, but now I do believe it has improved my range and freedom of movement. And it's only since then I have joined the gym - wouldn't have considered it before.

    And kind of joking here, but getting a dog! She wasn't cheap and there are of course ongoing costs, plus training is an ongoing adventure. She of course is much more than my walking buddy, but she definitely makes sure I get out there more regularly!


    This is the kind of stuff I love to hear - what's helping you that's unique to your situation and needs. My dog is hugely motivated to get me my steps... as long as it is 50-75* outside with no precipitation. Otherwise he's very happy in our climate controlled house.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    summpear wrote: »
    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    In the most recent 2 years I've spent money on exercise machines and equipment, cooking equipment for making pizza, stuff to make kombucha, stuff to make kefir, stuff to make yogurt, stuff to make bread and all the other stuff I eat. And ice cream.

    I've been making kombucha too and need to get another set of brewing bottles so I can make 2 weeks at a time. But I have to ask... are your investments in ice cream for making it or just consuming it? ;) just had to know...

    Consuming. I've got gear to make it with, but it's small and only can make 1 qt at a time. I haven't bothered.
  • summpear
    summpear Posts: 77 Member
    My kitchen can't handle another gadget. All of my ice cream budget goes directly to finished product.

    But i just bottled another batch of kombucha and I'm trying a couple bottles with kiwi!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    summpear wrote: »
    My kitchen can't handle another gadget. All of my ice cream budget goes directly to finished product.

    But i just bottled another batch of kombucha and I'm trying a couple bottles with kiwi!

    I have two bottles for kombucha. One is 1 gallon, the other is 2 gallons. Both have spigots.
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 499 Member
    Bench and weights, pull up bar, resistance bands, yoga mats and a giant mirror for my garage. That's about it. Vegan protein powder also, which is about $60 per month, but basically just part of my groceries...I get $600 per year from work as a "health and wellness" allowance so use that to by my shoes and other workout gear. So they are investing in my journey also ;)
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    summpear wrote: »
    I'm curious what kind of investments you've made in yourself, and continue to make, to lose weight and maintain your health. Those could be financial, or others.

    My biggest investment is time. I'm working out a TON these days. I'm blessed to be in a season of life to have the time, and I really enjoy it. The biggest price to this is that my house is a hot mess all the time... but with 5 kids, it is a hot mess whether I go to the gym or not.

    Logging is also time. Every meal, every new recipe.. 2 months in and still very tasky for me.

    My financial investments are:

    1) gym membership. With pool, good childcare hours, and a variety of classes and times.

    2) decent workout gear. Mainly shoes and undergarments.. most of my leggings come off clearance racks, but a good pair of shoes and the right sports bra are imperative.

    3) kombucha. I know it seems wierd, but the probiotics help my gut immensely, I get a mental pick me up, and drinking one in the afternoon helps me snack less.

    I can't think of anything else off hand - I don't have a digital food scale (but I already had a kitchen scale that I now use to measure certain high calorie items).

    What have you done to make your health a priority?

    ALL that I've done to maintain and prioritise my life, is to support my musculoskeletal integrity, keeping it simple (ie sustainable), with zero tolerance for disruptions.
    • Nutrition: Backyard edible gardening (... in progress) plus bulk-meat purchases (the entire carcass)
    • Eating plan: Cutting atm, week 2 and on point
    • Workout: Gifted free gym membership, gated community clubhouse benefits - riding trails, hiking & biking (including motocross), tennis, volleyball and pool access plus at home gym for the essentials. Paid memberships - our private coaches.
    • Footwear: Ocean swim shoes, runners (3 pairs interchangeable every 6 weeks in Summer, every 12 to 16 weeks in Winter)
    • Clothing: Undergarments have been the major expense since 2012 to now and of course the workout wear depending on my programme combo.
    • Hair: Strange but - my flyaways!!!! I've gone through the gamut of products to just control it!!!!!! Invested a lot here!
    • Hydration: Filtration system
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I did a time switcharoo and instead of loafing about all night surfing the internet or on Playstation, I go to bed early and use those hours in the morning instead, to hit the gym in the week and weekends I hike. I also spend time cooking/home preparing pretty much everything I eat now. Gym membership. Good workout shoes.
  • Johnd2000
    Johnd2000 Posts: 198 Member
    I’m broke, so my biggest financial investment was about £25 on some weights. Never been to a gym or class of any type and all my workout clothes are from the cheapest trashiest stores (Primark, if you’re in the UK).

    I do invest a lot of time, though. I’m unemployed, so time is the only thing I’ve got lots of.

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