Why you should treat your diet like your finances
Losing weight can be daunting any time of year, let alone in the months following the festive season. However, you may be more equipped for weight loss than you think, especially if you know how to budget. You can use the same skills that you have implemented with your finances to manage the metaphorical unpaid taxes of your health and wellbeing – excess body fat. Here are four ways that effective dieting and smart budgeting are very much alike.
1. Our energy requirements are like our income
Daily energy needs are referred to in either calorie or kilojoule units. You can think of these units of energy as spending money. The average female requires approximately 1800 calories per day (7600 kilojoules) to maintain their weight, whereas the average male requires approximately 2400 calories (9800 kilojoules). Keep in mind these numbers are heavily influenced by age, activity levels, muscle mass and many other factors so individual energy requirements or "income" will vary.
Spending over the daily income on a regular basis will result in eventually going broke or heading further into debt. Likewise, consistently going over daily energy requirements will result in weight gain. If we boost income (exercise) and cut spending (calories consumed) then we save capital (lose weight). Building muscle builds an asset that allows you to spend more calories. The more muscle you have the more energy you burn through at rest.
2. Day to day spending habits matter most
What is more costly for your bank balance – the big Christmas feast once a year, or the day to day small transactions like coffee, treats, and eating out? Most people would agree on the later. The same is true for our waistline – the accumulative effect of lots of little actions can account for big changes in weight over time, just as the accumulative cost of a coffee a day adds up to a significant amount over the course of a year.
3. Monitor your finances
You keep tabs on your bank balance, right? You may even calculate savings each month, record spending habits on some items, and set short and/or long term saving targets. While it may not be essential to monitor everything, some form of tracking will help ensure we succeed with our money. The same holds true for our diet. Setting targets and monitoring our progress -be it waist circumference, clothing size, body weight, or a food diary – can help keep us on the right path for weight loss.
4. Build your budget around your necessities
First and foremost, we need to prioritise our money on the essentials like housing, utilities, and transport. Once these items are taken care of, it is sensible to put some money away into savings. The remainder may go into leisure options like holidays or treats. Dieting is much the same. Prioritise the necessities; healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and plant based-oils, grains, low fat dairy, fish, and lean meats and poultry. Some treat foods and drinks may still fit into your weight loss budget – just be careful as these foods are expensive in calories and can quickly abolish hard earned savings.
A budgeting approach to dieting illustrates the freedom of choice we have with our food. There are countless ways we can structure our spending so long as the bottom line is looked after. I'll leave you with this quote. "Balancing your money is the key to having enough" – Elizabeth Warren, US Senator.
Written by Scott Campbell. Republished with permission of Stuff.co.nz.