Weight Loss and Lower Debt?

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brittlb07
brittlb07 Posts: 313 Member
edited May 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone else on a debt loss journey alongside their weight loss? I am finding these two go hand in hand! Cutting my calories has certainly helped me with staying in budget! I’m finding that budgeting calories and money are very similar processes! While I’ve always had a money budget, I’ve never followed much of a food budget (hence the weight gain). Glad to be back on track with my weight and my finances! By the end of the year, I hope to be debt free except my house and down to my goal weight of 115!
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  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
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    I waste much less food when Im on track. I don't spend 10-15 a week eating out. Ive had to go on a couple of road trips for school and meal prepped for the entire thing. Didn't stop for Starbucks or meals.
    I have to be careful when clothes shopping. Since losing weight I want to buy everything, but Clearance racks have become my best friend.
  • Tankiscool
    Tankiscool Posts: 11,105 Member
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    I agree with what others have said. I'd also add that with watching what you eat and most tend to eat healthier as they did before, you start to feel better, and when you feel better and even maybe back to your orginal self, you preform better and make better choices. That overflows into everything that you do. Your work, your finances, your life. Sorta the domino effect but in a good way.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    I wish. I seem to be making more expensive food choices and wear out runners every 3 months. It is better now that I am maintaining and not having to buy clothing that fits on a regular basis. Op shops are my friends.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    While I was losing weight I was also getting far more fit and spending a lot more time and money on that aspect.
    Any reduction in food bills was more than outweighed by what I spent on 3 gym memberships, bicycles, bicycle kit, cycling events and gadgets....

    At maintenance with all the increased activity and exercise I've ended up eating more than when I was fat but at least my sports/fitness expenditure has plateaued (a bit...). That's OK as I there's not a better investment than investing in your health and enjoyment.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,404 Member
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    Kind of. I lived of £1200 for two years (rent w/out utilities was £600) and no income whatsoever for nearly half a year before. I do have good savings, but this taught me to be frugal, and still do the things I enjoy if not very day or every week. Good book-keeping is key here. I build a small spreadsheet for my phone that for every month (new sheet) shows the money coming in and how much is left. I have a couple of spending categories, like food, house (cleaning, home improvement, tools), beauty and care (deo, but also hairdresser), rent, utilities and taxes, health (insurance and things I can't get on insurance), transport (mostly bike repair and occ. train ride), and fun and go through that list at the end of each month and consider whether it was worth it. The advantage of a spreadsheet on my phone is that I can add data immediately when I spend money as there are no receipts or card payments at my local market or many small shops.

    Now I earn a lot more again but still only give myself about 500 Euro for everything but all the contracts I have to pay every month. Thus groceries, local and provincial taxes, water, health not covered by insurance, and all the nice things in life go off this. As I have the money I do go over every now and then if really needed. Bigger repairs, or a vacation that doesn't fit my allowance. If I didn't have the savings or a good income I'd probably reduce the monthly allowance by 100 Euro and safe those for emergencies until I had an emergency fund big enough to cover 3-5 months of living.

    In a way I think this is similar to counting calories. Being a number geek, I do enjoy both :D
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,404 Member
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    pandareads wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    I believe, but can’t prove it, that there’s a spillover benefit of disciplined weight-loss to other areas of life.

    This might explain why the more weight I loose the cleaner my house gets. I love it, I feel like I’m getting my whole life together.

    Damn! This didn't happen here. I hired a cleaner now for 2 hours two times per month. But living frugally has at least taught me that I don't need a big home. Small flat = less heating = possible to live close to work within my means = no car needed = lots of shops and market nearby = no car needed. And most importantly: quick cleaning, even though I still don't do it :D
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
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    Outstanding personal finance management @yirara, behavior that’s not typical of most people. And, a good analogy comparing it to food journaling.

    Capturing data, classifying and summarizing it creates information that if studied and analyzed creates behavior responses which if occurs in a landscape of goals, inches us along towards success, however we define it.

    I’m a financial type in the rat race and I’m impressed with you, keep up the good work.
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
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    @jennlynne2018, really like the spending fast term, thanks for adding to my vocabulary.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I think there's a sense of agency or empowerment that comes with learning you can achieve some big life goal by chipping away at it it. Eating, exercise, and finances are commonly major realms where we can feel that. Learning how to accomplish goals in one realm does have carryover to others, both confidence and practical skills.

    That said, I've really never much had financial budgets, and I expect to be calorie counting forever. (No, I'm neither rich, not is my financial life even remotely a wreckage. For some reason, I have much better intuitive money management ability than intuitive eating ability, including a helpful intuitive distaste for debt. Go figure. ;) ).

    I do find the sense of empowerment from weight loss, and the goal-achievement skills, carrying over to other parts of life, though.

    Congratulations on getting your debt under better control, OP, that's a great thing. Having less debt, and adequate emergency/investment funds, if achievable, takes a lot of negative drama out of life.

    I'm naturally frugal, as were my parents, but unfortunately my mother did not pass her caloric frugality on to me as well.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
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    pandareads wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    I believe, but can’t prove it, that there’s a spillover benefit of disciplined weight-loss to other areas of life.

    This might explain why the more weight I loose the cleaner my house gets. I love it, I feel like I’m getting my whole life together.

    My house only gets cleaner for these reasons:
    1. I'm procrastinating working on something else
    2. I'm premenstrual
    3. I'm expecting visitors
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
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    DH and I have paid off all debt except the house and are on track to have that paid off before we turn 40. We never ate out that much to begin with so trying to lose weight didn't change that part of the budget much, but I do find that the grocery bill is lower while eating healthy just because simple meat and fruit/veggie meals are cheaper to make than the more elaborate/decadent things I was cooking fairly often before.
    I actually find sticking to the finances much easier than sticking to calories in a lot of ways though. For example, If I want an outfit that's WAY too expensive, I don't find myself feeling deprived or sad about it and moderating my shoe shopping is a lot easier than moderating potato chips.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,195 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I think there's a sense of agency or empowerment that comes with learning you can achieve some big life goal by chipping away at it it. Eating, exercise, and finances are commonly major realms where we can feel that. Learning how to accomplish goals in one realm does have carryover to others, both confidence and practical skills.

    That said, I've really never much had financial budgets, and I expect to be calorie counting forever. (No, I'm neither rich, not is my financial life even remotely a wreckage. For some reason, I have much better intuitive money management ability than intuitive eating ability, including a helpful intuitive distaste for debt. Go figure. ;) ).

    I do find the sense of empowerment from weight loss, and the goal-achievement skills, carrying over to other parts of life, though.

    Congratulations on getting your debt under better control, OP, that's a great thing. Having less debt, and adequate emergency/investment funds, if achievable, takes a lot of negative drama out of life.

    I'm naturally frugal, as were my parents, but unfortunately my mother did not pass her caloric frugality on to me as well.
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    pandareads wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    I believe, but can’t prove it, that there’s a spillover benefit of disciplined weight-loss to other areas of life.

    This might explain why the more weight I loose the cleaner my house gets. I love it, I feel like I’m getting my whole life together.

    My house only gets cleaner for these reasons:
    1. I'm procrastinating working on something else
    2. I'm premenstrual
    3. I'm expecting visitors

    Heh. We're sounding very similar.

    #1, I'm retired; #2, I'm post-menopausal; so #3 . . . maybe. ;)
  • nooboots
    nooboots Posts: 480 Member
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    brittlb07 wrote: »
    Anyone else on a debt loss journey alongside their weight loss? I am finding these two go hand in hand! Cutting my calories has certainly helped me with staying in budget! I’m finding that budgeting calories and money are very similar processes! While I’ve always had a money budget, I’ve never followed much of a food budget (hence the weight gain). Glad to be back on track with my weight and my finances! By the end of the year, I hope to be debt free except my house and down to my goal weight of 115!

    Well done, I have a well established pattern of over spending when Im losing weight and over eating when Im trying to cut back on spending.

    Shame
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,404 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    pandareads wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    I believe, but can’t prove it, that there’s a spillover benefit of disciplined weight-loss to other areas of life.

    This might explain why the more weight I loose the cleaner my house gets. I love it, I feel like I’m getting my whole life together.

    My house only gets cleaner for these reasons:
    1. I'm procrastinating working on something else
    2. I'm premenstrual
    3. I'm expecting visitors

    For me it's reason 3, though as I'm an introvert geek who enjoys being alone I never really get visitors.
    2 kind of, when my thyroid decides to release a big pile of hormones next to the hormones I already take and I end up being hyper.
    :D

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