There are so many sections for the various diets...do any of you do it on your own without paying for a membership somewhere (whether to a diet or a gym)??

How has that worked for you? I guess I'm looking for some type of assurance that I can lose weight effectively without paying an arm and half a leg for Weight Watchers Online.

I lost about 75 lbs or so just counting calories and walking. I did not spend a dime on anything diet related. Last month I did decide to join a gym, but that is purely because I have different fitness goals in mind now. I am 100% confidant that I could/can lose weight without spending money of a diet or exercise program.

You can absolutely do it on your own!

I think a lot of people benefit from the structure of certain diet plans, but some people (like me) don't operate like that. In fact, I think you will find a lot of maintainers and losers alike who loosely base their diet on a plan, but have it totally customized to fit their needs.

I really LIKE the simplicity of the WW points system and I WANT to track more than my caloric intake - but at the same time, it's NOT cheap and I'm still afraid that I'll spend the money and then fall off the wagon (again).
I need to be sure I'm eating ENOUGH but at the same time, tracking points gets tedious and confusing.
I'm definitely rambling.

Weight Watchers seems like a fantastic idea and seems to work for lots of people but I have a competitive streak a mile wide and a history of eating disorders, so it's not for me. I've bought a few books but otherwise I've lost weight without input from anything or anyone else.

Having said that, if it's only the cost that's holding you back, here in the UK Weight Watchers have very strong links with all of the cash back sites and you can normally get your first three months of membership for free. I'd say that three months would give you long enough to find out everything you need to know about the programme.

Yes! Calorie counting and walking are free!

Portion control, floor exercises, library books, dancing around the house ... all free

The internet is a fabulous resource for ideas for food and exercise. Not quite free but you get my drift.

And 3FatChicks? No NotFatImFluffy, you're not alone. We're here for you.

I once paid for a membership on a weight loss web site, but it was only $20 a year, and I only renewed because I liked the people and didn't want to lose access to the forums. Since they raised their price years ago, I've lost weight counting calories this time, which has been free (other than buying a decent food scale).

I've lost weight while going to the gym and while not going to the gym. Most of the time when I didn't have a gym membership, I used exercise videos and dumbbells, so I guess I spent SOME money, but less than your average gym membership for sure. I'm only willing to pay for the gym now (and mine is CHEAP) because I'm in love with the elliptical, lol.

Now, I've seen people doing stuff at the gym that doesn't require any gym equipment. Stuff you could do in a tiny dorm room (it's a college gym). But I think for some people, the fact that they paid money means they'll actually stick with their program, because otherwise they feel guilty for wasting it. I've never been that type - if I can get something for free, there's no way in heck I'm paying for it, and that includes things like motivation and commitment.

If you're a college student, it's possible that it has a gym. But you've probably thought about that, hee.

Currently, I do this on my own. I count calories and use a spreadsheet to calculate everything up for me. I used to use FitDay, and it's not bad, but I hate going throw it and trying to find my particular food or adding my foods. A spreadsheet works better for my needs.

For exercise, I use My Fitness Coach which is a Wii game. So I guess you can't really say that's free since the Wii costs $200 and the game is another $20... Cheaper than the gym, but not worth buying just to work out.

But there are options! I used to use--yes--YouTube to work out! YouTube has just about everything... including work out videos! You can find just about any exercise and duration that you want on there... and for free! So if you don't want to pay for a gym membership, a Wii, or even for some DVDs, good ol' internet will have you covered.

I'm a full time student and I work full time. I also volunteer 20+ hours/week in my community.
I have access to a gym (my husband is in the military and the gyms/pools on base are free for dependents to use)! But I'm too heavy for all of the equipment. I'm currently doing yoga, water aerobics, swimming laps, and making small changes (taking stairs, parking further away from stores, planning shopping trips for AFTER I eat a lunch out so I can work off the meal, etc etc).
I DO have a Wii but I'm too heavy for the Wii fit and I don't know much about the quality of the other fitness games OR whether I'd be too heavy for them too.

It's a very depressing situation...right now my scale is still telling me I weigh 10 pounds LOL.

At first I thought to lose weight I'd need fancy devices like a Bodybugg to help me track calories burned, and a membership to Weight Watchers to help me with food intake. But the internet has so many free resources for looking up caloric contents of food, how many calories do specific activities burn, etc. After only a couple of weeks at this, I now have the caloric contents of my most frequently eaten foods memorized, and I have a good idea how many calories my most common exercise activities burn. The only equipment I needed was a tiny notepad to log daily calories and an internet connection.
I just tried on a pair of pants I couldn't wear 3 weeks ago this morning, and they fit! You can do this without a lot of expense or equipment. Good luck!

I am doing Weight Watchers on my own and have lost 17 lbs. (I was down 20 lbs, but the holidays helped put back on 5 lbs.!!) I found online how to calculate the points and just started keeping track. It appealed to me because I was eating Smart Ones for lunch frequently. Once I decided to put my mind to losing weight, it was a good way to go since I didn't have to change my lunch meals. Because I am doing it on my own, there are many things I am missing out on, the "real" materials, the group support, etc. But, I did do a good amount of research and so far it is working for me.

Let me know if you want to chat more!

Well, I don't want to pay anyone to tell me what to do. I found 3FC and on some thread there was a note on You on a Diet. I got my meals off there and jumped in. I have been calorie counting, going to the mall and walking, and since I was paying for cable before I started I started doing different workouts on demand. All that was no price increase. Using what I have to get what I want.

You can do it too. If you need to lift weights, check the cans goods to see if they are heavy enough. If not put some in a bag that works good too. Have fun.

Of course you can do it on your own! I do! Albeit slower BUT I still do it. I've had friends join gyms, spend thousands on trainers, and buy foods like Nutrisystem and Medifast and tell me that's the only way to go.

THEN reality sets in. They can't stand eating the same food all the time AND realize they can't afford the trainer anymore and/or the gym. Many of my friends have managed to keep it off and maintain now- but there are a few who the pounds are slowly creeping back on... So while I may not be cranking it out and going gung-ho like some of my friends, I haven't gained back what I've lost AND my changes are permanently sticking.

I do low carb (okay so I spent $4 for a used South Beach book on Amazon) and run on a treadmill ($100 on craigslist) and then bike ride ($120 for bike and helmet) but I don't pay monthly fees or anything of the sort

I am doing it without paying for a membership. I have done the WW Online before. 3FC replaces the forums for me and I use the Daily Plate as a free place to keep a food log. There are other free options, Fit Day and Sparkpeople (Sparkspeople?).

I have spent money on exercise DVDS. Walking Away the Pounds DVDs are my favorite.

I don't call this "doing it on my own" because I could not have accomplished what I have without 3FC! So hang with us here, you can do it without spending money!

On my own! Calorie counting and working out at home. I walk, I run up and down the stairs (on purpose ) The only equipment I use are some hand weights and an exercise ball, but even those are not necessary. Good old fashioned push ups, sit ups, lunges and squats work just fine. Really!

I've done it with a gym membership before, and I gotta tell ya, I'm loving doing it on my own. I get outside more, especially in winter!