diet and excercise on a buget

I don't consistently exercise but I do enjoy walking an hour in the morning before work everyday as well as walking around during my breaks and walking up my building stairs too. It has worked out so far. As long as you're on your feet and moving about, you'll be burning. Brisk walking is even better. Avoid sitting down for long periods of time and you'll be fine.

It can definitely be done with walking, but you have to get your heart rate up and sustain it at the cardio range. When you see people out with their dogs or out talking with a friends they are not walking in the cardio range. The walking needs to be at a pace where you wouldn't want to talk. You could if you need too, but you wouldn't want to chat it up.

Walking is the only form of exercise I do at the moment, and getting great results. I don't just walk for exercise purposes though, but rather because I genuinely love it I usually walk for about 60+ minutes a days, and find between that, and lowering the carbs in my diet and wating well, the weight is coming off without being hungry.

I do want to ramp up what I'm doing, and with a mix of walking, resistance straining and some sprinting being three of the best for fat burning, I will look to add to my walking soon. Sprinting you can do anywhere, and for resistance training, I've really been taken by the bodyweight approach in Convict Conditioning.

Good luck with whatever you opt for, and just remember you don't or shouldn't need to spend a bunch of money to be able to exercise and get fit, and in fact the less equipment oriented approaches tend to work best in many cases

Hi everyone, I'm just getting started and have a goal of at leas 30lbs. I'm a single mom working full-time and have 2 kids in college so im in a very tight budget so my choice of exercise has to be walking. Has anyone had great success on walking alone? How often? And how long? Looking for support and accountability so anyone want the same pls feel free to add me

Sounds like you are fairly busy as it is

My first 40 ish lbs were lost on diet with a small amount of exercise, mainly walking so it can be done.

I would also recommend looking at the C25K program to move up from walking to running its a great way to up the exercise

add me if you'd like to see my food diary. I live a little above the poverty line, but not by much.

I am also not a great/inventive cook.

I eat basic things, like bulk oatmeal, homemade stovetop popcorn,canned or cooked from dry beans, soup (lots of soup), tortillas, some frozen foods like veggies/cheese pizza/chicken breasts/tilapia fillets (boneless skinless),and some low fat dairy.

I buy cheap fruit that is on sale, and plan to eat 2 servings a day. Today I had blueberries for with breakfast, will have watermelon for dessert.

I buy a head of lettuce and chop it up small, keep in a big tupperware in the fridge. I use that as the base for salad, and I add things to it. my husband gets nuts and cheese in his salad, where as i stick to veggies and a tablespoon of dressing.

I eat alot of starchy carb rich foods, like rice, corn, beans, potatoes. A baked potato and a simple salad is a great lunch.

As for excersize I do yoga (DVD or at a cheap class at my local hospital),I walk to do my errands/walk my dog, and I have a few aerobic DVD's. I also like to dance, so I will turn up the radio and dance for a half hour or more.

I have lost 50lbs (20 before I found MFP) at am at goal. Im 5'5 and 125lbs.

I also dont eat out as much as most people, and i tend to order things that are lower calorie, or split my entree. I have some "rules" like, I only eat 2 slices of pizza at a sitting, or if I go to a fast food resturant I get a kids size hamburger and side salad and drink water. If i go to a buffet, I fill my plate with salad/fruit first, and then get a small dinner on my second (last!) plate. And, drink water!

Great reply! You can't out exercise a poor diet.

My 'dieting' meant no longer buying soda, snickers, fast food, other junk and practice portion control. That's about as cheap as it gets.

you can actually lose weight without exercise at all, weight loss is calories in vs calories out. fitness comes from the gym, weight loss comes from the kitchen. I work out bc it makes me feel great, builds muscle and allows me to eat more food! :laugh: I think walking would be great and good luck with everything!

I have lost 9 lbs since July 2 using "hiking", which is just walking on an uneven surface with incline. There's a park on a hill near me where I can do a 4 mile loop with 1200 feet of accumulated vertical (the phone gps used by Runkeeper adds up all the uphills even if its after a downhill--its 800 feet of *elevation* change but 1200 feet of uphill on the rolling trail). I use my heart rate to gauge how fast to walk to maximize fat burning.

I'm tracking calories and biasing toward low carb food choices, but walking really works.

Do you have an outdoor gym in a park near you? They are free and fun!

There are a lot of free exercises on youtube, I like fitness blenders. I also like walking on youtube with Leslie Sansone, she throws in extra moves like kicks, and punches with your walk. As for the budget, I get it, I buy good quality meat when on sale, and eat smaller portions and try to fill up with fresh cheap produce that is on sale that week. It can be done, will some planning and imagination. Good luck, you are heading down the right road. :happy:

My boyfriend does all his working out at the outdoor gym! Just take a look online at what is at a typical outdoor gym and the kind of exercises you should do on each piece just in case they don't have anything written.

This was all really encouraging to read.
I live in an R.V. and spend my life traveling around Europe, so it is NOT an option for me to join a fitness club or get a regular jogging buddy. That leaves walking and biking. Reading all of this really encouraged me to keep at it!

I find it hard to cook well on a budget, also.
I feel like I consume a lot of fruits and vegetables; nevertheless, those instant ramen noodles do call to me...
One of the best things, I have found about budget eating is: WATER. I never order drinks or buy drinks, except water and I lost 5 pounds (maybe more) with that diet change alone.
Because I live on the road, I stop and use McDonald'S bathrooms A LOT. Frenchfries are the hardest temptation for me to overcome.