Have you ever watched Extreme Weight Loss or The Biggest Loser? And thought: “Oh, if only I could afford a personal trainer and a nutritionist I’d get fit in a jiffy. But, no way I can pull that off.”

Well, I have both bad and good news for you. The bad news is: yes, if a healthy food chef whipped up well-balanced meals and a personal fitness trainer had your back, becoming the best version of yourself would indeed be a breeze.

Of course, you would still crave for certain foods. Be exhausted. And sore. But you would have someone to rant at about it.

Rats. You can barely afford the gym. If at all.

So, what’s the good news?

You can do both, get fit and lose weight on a budget. All you need to do is set your mind straight.

Making these simple mindset shifts will help you set off on a journey of weight loss, fitness and overall health all on your own.

Without the ritzy backup crew.

Ready to dig in?

Lose weight on a budget kick off - define your goals

How much weight are we talking about? 11 lb, 45 lb? I know, I know: a shift from a vague: “Oh I wish I could fit into these jeans“ to “I need to lose 22 lb“ can be scary.

But guess what?

If you hired a fitness trainer or went to a weight loss camp, what do you think your first step would be?

Once you set a specific, measurable and achievable goal you'll be focused, motivated and able to track your progress.

And when you clasp my secret weapon tip, at the bottom of this blog post, your big bad wolf - weight loss goal will turn into a fluffy panther cub.

But don’t scroll down just yet. You’ve barely scratched the surface.

Stop waiting for the right time

Because it never comes. Let’s face it. You’re either working your butt off in an office, or you’re a weary mom trying to snap back in shape. So, trying to get fit and lose weight on a budget?

Hm, maybe next month.

Perhaps you suffered a nasty break up and now you feel too depressed to commit to your next move.

But that’s exactly what you must do.

Decide nothing. Simply drag yourself to your next action. Despite how you feel.

And the perfect next step to undertake is to...

Find an accountability partner

Ideally, your accountability partner would be a professional nutritionist. Not all of them are expensive. He or she will hold you responsible for your progress. You will visit them regularly and they will check how much weight you lost, your BMI, your measurements, etc.

But if that too is out of your reach, ask a friend, a colleague or relative to be that person for you. The more ashamed you’d be if you failed, the better.

The point is to shift your mind from: “Oh, this one chocolate bar won’t kill me,“ to “Oh, God, I’d hate if Ms. Who thought of me as a loser. “

Now, it may seem wrong to depend on what Ms. Who thinks of you but the accountability partner’s purpose is to empower you to stand on your own feet when it comes to self-discipline and self-control.

Bonus tip: There’s no way in the world this partner strategy to get in shape and lose weight on a budget will work, if you, yourself are not motivated enough to carry out your diet and training routine.

An accountability partner is a sidekick.

A mighty one. But a sidekick.

Make a viable plan

People get so worked up about choosing “the right“ diet and the most effective nutrition plan they lose sight of what really matters.

And it’s not to dwell on Vegan, Chrono, Keto, 80/10/10 diet, UN diet or any other diet. The trick is to choose one. Cut down the fast food and that’s good enough for starters.

Fantasizing about going vegan when you can’t imagine a day without a beefsteak is cute. And noble. But if you desire to lose weight on a budget and firm up NOW, jot down a menu that doesn’t include sweets, bread and bacon and voilà. You’re good to go.

If you can afford to join the gym, great. Sign up and commit to working out 3 to 4 times a week. But if not, figure out what you can exercise instead. For free. Things like:

• brisk walking
• jogging
• Youtube workouts
• cycling
• rollerblading
• hoop

are a godsend gift when you’re trying to get fit and lose weight on a budget.

Train your brain to root for you

You wake up in the morning, all groggy and sleepy and your whole body longs to go back to bed. But it’s your training day. So, your mind searches for plausible excuses for you to skip your workout.

“Maybe you’re sick. It’s just this once. You’ll make up for it tomorrow. The weather is terrible, you’re allowed to miss out the session on sucky weather days.”

Sounds familiar?

Well then, time for you to out-play your mind. Tell yourself things like: “Ok, you don’t have to run, just walk for 40 minutes.“ Or “Come on, it’s not so bad, the workout you’re doing today is fun, time will fly by.“ And “You’ll feel so great when you’re done. Can’t wait to sip a cup of coffee afterwards.”

Motivation is the mother of success

Have you ever wondered why do you want to be fit and strong? And healthy? And thin?

Is it because the society tells you to?

Is it because you want that special someone to like you?

Or because you want to have the best quality life experience, to set an example for your kids, now or in the future and to be as healthy as possible, for as long as possible?

Because the first two reasons will only get you so far.

You’re not going to a weight loss camp. And you’re not hiring a personal fitness trainer nor healthy food chef.

It all comes down to your motivation to get fit and lose weight on a budget. It’s your willpower and your strength against all the delicious temptations and lull mornings.

However.

I’m giving you my secret weapon.

The magic mirror

The reason you made it this far reading this blog post is because you recognize the need to change your lifestyle.

You want to feel strong and look awesome.

And the trick is not to wait for the results to see yourself that way.

Stand in front of the mirror. If it makes it easier, pretend you’re standing in front of one. Now imagine yourself as if you’ve already accomplished your fitness and weight loss goals.

Visualize yourself healthy and strong.

Are you standing tall? Is your chin up?

You won.

Breathe your victory in. "See" how good you look when your muscles are strong and tight.

Imagine the look of surprise and admiration on people's faces when you meet them after your transformation.

It feels good, doesn’t it? You feel amazing standing in front of that mirror!

Be sure to do this as often as you can. Because, when you play out this scenario, your mind can’t tell if it’s a simulation or reality. Which is why you feel (almost) as if you have made it.

And that bluff is what makes all the difference.

The spot where the magic happens.

You’re fit and strong. Therefore, your training sessions aren’t so tedious and it's not that difficult to stick to a healthy diet.

The more you tell yourself you’re fit, slim and full of energy the more you will be.

You realized it by now, didn’t you? Getting in shape and losing weight may be easier if you trained in a group of the alike, or if you hired help but you would still have to tune your mind right.

So, even if you can afford all that, why not set some money aside for your new slim figure outfits. You can become fit and lose weight, on a budget, just the same.