Good question! Thinking about it, I do invest a lot of my money into weight-loss/fitness related things. I just make it work. On a substitute teacher's budget (and NO income during the summer months), I don't have much cash to spare, but I am pretty good at prioritizing. I spend money on things that are important to me- after rent/bills/gas, my $ goes mostly to a gym membership ($60/month) and organic food. I only recently joined a gym and I have been LOVING it- classes are free for members and I really can't get enough of them. I get my a$$ to the gym 6 days a week so I KNOW I'm getting my money's worth!

To make room for these things in my budget I do things like buy all my clothes from thrift stores, not eating out, not buying alcohol or specialty coffee drinks etc. I've always been kind of a saver (and really cheap!), so this works for me. I will save up and splurge on something every now and then though. I'd much rather save my money and have new beautiful cycling shoes or a couple of personal training sessions over a months worth of lattes!

I did go for a long time without the gym and always made it work at home too. It's amazing how much you can do in a living room with a few dumbellls and a little creativity!

Bamber- I could use a local buddy that is for sure! I have never had a weight loss buddy really stick with it for more than a month. I should really try again.

Ryler- the 24 hr fitness in my town closed down. :( It was a bit of a meat market anyway, especially being in a college town. The other gym I am thinking of joining I had a membership with a couple years ago and I really like the vibe in there.

jackiedavis87- I hear ya! lol Although I have really cut back on buying him bad stuff since I know he buys it on his own anyway. But I admit I do occasionally buy him his nasty funions. Oh and the gym I am looking at also has free classes (zumba, yoga, pilates... you name it!) which is a huge factor for me.

AriesNV- You are very right, statistically people do not tend to use the equipment right in their own homes. I have never owned any fitness equipment but when I lived in an apartment that had a little gym I used it pretty much every day for a year. I wonder if I would fall victim to statistics too... probably! lol Btw I am so freaking jealous of your annual renewal rate!!!

tuende- You and I are two peas in a pod. ;) I do all the same things, I am thinking of starting to make my own clothes too. My parents took me out to eat when I went to visit them last and it had been the second time in 12 months that I had been out to a restaurant for dinner (the other time was V-day). One of these days I hope to not be so strapped for cash but that isn't happening any time soon!



Maybe I will just keep at it as is for now and if I start to feel myself slip I can revisit the gym idea. Thanks ladies for helping me think this all through!

On an ongoing basis, my weight loss costs me very little now. But that's because I made investments over time.

1. To start, a rebounder (because I needed to do SOMETHING). That was inexpensive and small, and good enough to start with.
2. After I graduated from the rebounder, I got some resistance bands (fairly inexpensive) and I started walking and running, which was free except the cost of shoes, but limited by the weather, so that winter...
3. I joined a gym. And then when my wedding was approaching, bought some personal training sessions so my arms could rock my strapless dress. I fell in love with the elliptical and learned proper form and various exercises for strength training there, and once I had established an 8-mo strong habit of using them both...
4. I invested in a decent elliptical and a few pieces of strength equipment for home use. Which I used religiously. That allowed me to drop the gym membership, so they paid for themselves in a year. Unfortunately, my elliptical tried to kill me after about 3 years (broke, threw me into a wall, broke a bone in my neck and screwed my shoulder up permanently), so I...
5. Bought a really good treadmill/incline trainer. It lets me walk at high inclines and get my heartrate up really well without running (I also have knee issues and can't run every day), but also functions as a standard treadmill so I can run, sprint, etc.

So over time? A fair amount. But I made sure not to make any investment until I had a fair amount of confidence that I would use whatever I was buying. Overall, I'm ahead of buying a gym membership money wise, and it is infinitely more convenient for me to work out at home.

Amanda- I was just looking at ellipticals on craigslist and thought of you. I think I will wait and buy a good piece of equipment in the future rather than a cheap used one that might turn on me one day! How does your knee handle the treadmill incline?
Thanks for chiming in! I know slow and steady wins the race so I will keep plugging away and not think about the next time I might fall off the wagon... since in my head I WONT. :D Thanks for being such an inspiration!

I just joined the gym today, world gym, I get a discount for where I work so $20 a month, with all the classes & childcare. I would look to see if your gym offers a corporate/company discount.

Also try meetup.com. I have joined a group of women that run together once a week. I also joined another group & we are going kanoeing together (4 hour guided tour) in a few weeks for $10 each.

If I can loan out my membership card, I would! So at least SOMEONE can get my moneys worth:p

I bought a 4 year membership at 24 Hour Fitness, and the catch was that you would only have to renew at $69 every year after that. I never been one to pay month-to-month for things, because then I REALLY wouldn't use it, or I'd get sucked into a contract.

I got my bf a free year too as part of the deal with my client, so hopefully he'll be going with me, as well...since he always reminds me how great of shape he was in when we met (I apparently ruined his life by DEMANDING he stay away from the gym) :sarcasm:....MEN! =]

mandalinn82: I had a patient once at the nursing home I work for who did the same thing with their elliptical, broke a collar bone, ruined their rotator cuff and bruised their pelvis I think, very dangerouse!

I'm very lucky right now. Savings on groceries because my portions are smaller, and I'm buying less processed food. (Frozen foods are so dang expensive!) Because I'm a college student, our state-of-the-art university gym is "free." (Technically built into our tuition, but you can't opt out of paying for it. Everyone pays for it whether they use it or not.) So right now my weight loss is only costing me the extra gas to drive the 5 miles or so to and from the gym every day.

But I'll be graduating from the school in December. I'm going to *try* using my husband's student ID to get into the gym (hey, he's paying for it but not using it so why not), but if I can't get away with that, a membership for the spouse of a student is $60 FOR THE YEAR! I'm pretty dang stoked about that. I dread the day when we're both college grads, and I have to move on to the Rush or something. :-/

Cardio= $0- I go outside.
Other exercise= $0- I use Comcast ON demand for my workouts and I already had a set of weights.
Food- I haven't exactly calculated it but I know I'm saving a lot of money because I used to go out for every meal, and now I just cook at home.

I don't plan on joining a gym until winter or so because the summer and fall are perfect for outdoors activity.

Wow what an interesting thread! So if I'm completely honest, I am like you. When I started I knew I need a group to motivate me. So...like any 220lb obese 5'4 girl, I joined a boot camp! Haha, not knowing what I was getting myself into. I didn't miss a DAY, 5x a week for an hour I got my arse kicked with a bunch of fit healthy chicks pushing me on and a great trainer who knew how to motivate!

Soon thereafter (about 7 months in) I moved and also was kind of "over" boot camp as my trainer had a baby and things changed....anyway, I find it hard to make it to the gym but I use my facebook for motivation. My friends KNOW I'm on this journey and so it helps.

Anyway, at the start, boot camp cost me about 200 bucks a month, however we ended up saving 150 in groceries, so if ya ask me...it was a win/win!

Now I am a member of a gym and it's around 75/month. I also spend a crap load on work out gear. ****, I just spent 70 this week, I have lost weight so rapidly I can't keep clothes on me so I try to be as cheap as possible but lately I'm willing to spend a little more considering I will be pretty much staying in these sizes, just tightening up and losing this dang belly.

Any way, on average, including new clothes to wear places, I would say weight loss costs me on average (including those 7 mos of boot camp - which by the way, I won 3 months free and still haven't used lol all because I moved!)...Oh, I have won 2 free months at my gym and 2 free personal training sessions as well from my weight loss and working out so much....sooo

On average, I'd say around 150 a month. That's including healthier foods (which sometimes CAN be more expensive) and clothes/gear, and gym!

At the same time I started the weightloss, about a month ago, I also was/am in the middle of financial roughweather. So the only thing I spent 'extra' on is the gym, it's 75dollars a month, but I really need the gym to go to or else I won't go through with eating healthy. I have to do both. The gym has already given me so much in return though. Because I am there 5 evenings in the week, those are 5 evenings I am not sitting at home alone thinking I feel sorry for myself and impulsively buy foods or traintickets to visit friends that I can't afford.

The gym is a huge expense for me right now, given that I only have about 80 dollars for groceries a month at the moment and all else goes to my bills. I actually go to the gym because... heck I paid almost half my spending-money a month, I better be going. I don't know if I could have bought groceries for 80dollars a month if I wasn't on this journey. Because before I would really spent about 200-300 on groceries. And another 150 on going out for dinner. YES it was that bad. LOL.

So, I can't give you exact numbers, but living on a super tight budget I think being on weight loss now makes all the difference in coping with that. I don't go out for dinner because I can't afford it, but now I can tell myself "and it's not good for me anyhow". I don't go many places for now because I can't afford it, but then I go for a run or surf on these boards. So, it's a great focus that helps me through these months of tight budget.

If i wasn't on such a tight budget I'd probably buy:
- proteine powder (super expensive!)
- new gym shirts
- another pair of runningshoes
- more luxurious vegetables and fish

But, I am learning those aren't things I really need, because I do fine without it. So just for you ladies out there that go buy all the gear... do what you must... but really, I don't think it is a 'have to' in order to eat healthy and excersise! ;)

Gym Membership: $15.50 a month
Road Bike (Used): $250 after restoration
Food: About a net even after transitioning to a high protein diet.

All in all it isn't bad.

My gym actually has spinning and zumba - I actually have an incredible price though, the gym is normally $30 a month -- I dont think I could justify it for that much though.

philana- If I wasn't on such a tight budget, I would be buying a new pair of workout/running shoes, also new sports bras and t-shirts also. I plan to squeeze in one thing each pay day. Like this payday, I am buying myself a reusable water bottle to take to the gym. Next pay day, I will buy a new sports bra, etc etc. While at the same time, every payday, I am setting aside $10 for a new pair of shoes. So maybe in 3 months (which is hopefully when I will be at my goal), I could get a decent pair of running shoes on sale.

mamamorgan - good plan! though I am not gonna do that, because any money I have left over I am gonna save. I was without a job a few months ago, and now a very lowpaying job so all my savings are gone and college starts again next month. Money is gonna be tight for another while unless I get a raise. If I don't absolutely need something, I either save the money or try to use it for whatever is left of my social life ;)

Mine LOVE it. It would depend on what was wrong with your knee, but incline walking is what they use on Biggest Loser for cardio (that and bikes) for people with knee injuries or issues. Mine goes up to 30%...walking at 3 mph is pretty impossible, and I am in good shape!

This actually makes me feel better. Every doctor I've seen has listened to the story about it in utter disbelief.