Recently, I’ve shared with you, my fine readers, that I’ve lost fourty pounds. And no, I’m not talking about fourty British pounds as in British money (where would I get that kind of money?). I lost 40 lbs of weight by exercising and eating properly. But I’ll be honest; I’m kind of regretting it because being fat is just cheaper. If you’re thinking of losing weight, you might want to reconsider to save your money.

 

Weight loss costs are surprisingly high!

 

There’s no secret to losing weight. Just like budgeting your household money, you start regulating the in-take and out-take of your energy in form of food and exercise. You exercise every day, take long walks, and eat properly. Cut out pasta, bread, oatmeal, bananas from your diet and replace all of it with good natural products.

 

Quick tip: Make sure to wear nice looking clothes when taking walks – I don’t know where you live, but in my hood if you’re wearing shaggy clothes and walk around with no purpose people start calling cops.

 

But while losing weight makes you thinner and more attractive (if such thing is even possible in my case), you have to keep in mind that losing weight is also expensive and you should be prepared to open up your wallet due to hidden weight loss costs. I am having second thoughts about it and wondering if I made a huge mistake! Good god, it’s cheaper to be fat.

 

Consider all the added expenses you’ll have to bear when losing weight:

 

Personal trainer

 

You need a personal trainer to lose weight. Let’s be honest, you need motivation and proper instructions on how to exercise in order to succeed in it. And I know some of you will say “Hey, I can do it all by myself! How hard can it be?” Yeah, why haven’t you then? If you could do it by yourself, you’d be in great shape already. And you’re not. What does it tell you?

Indeed, you need somebody screaming and shouting at you as you crawl around the floor trying to perform burpees and push-ups. And that somebody will charge you $150-250/month (unless you join the army where this crap is free).

 

Better food

 

Good wholesome food is also expensive. Prior to me losing weight I lived on a simple diet consisting of Twinkies, chocolate shakes, chicken wings, and Red Bull. My food cost me around $27/week because I bought Twinkies and chicken wings in bulk. I even made my own chocolate shakes. Switching to good diet completely blew our household budget since vegetables and fruit are just not affordable. With strawberries costing around $5/each, healthy smoothies are more expensive than cocaine habit.

 

 

Quick tip: Did you know that “organic” in Latin means “twice expensive”?

 

Better clothes

 

You can’t just come to the gym wearing sweat pants and T-shirt. Regular clothes might be great for binge-watching Netflix on Saturday afternoon. But if you’re serious about getting great results in weight loss and becoming a better you, you need to invest money in proper gear.

Consider investing in good quality brands such as Adidas, Nike, or Under Armour. They’re very comfortable and designed to be worn while working out. Have you noticed how all famous athletes wear branded clothes? That’s because they know wearing clothes specifically designed for working out delivers better results and makes you a better athlete.

Unfortunately, those clothes are not cheap. Starter kit will probably set you back around $200-300. If you’re purchasing smart watch to monitor your performance and improvement it will cost you another $400-800. Like I said, it’s not cheap to be in shape.

 

New clothes

 

Speaking of clothes! Do you realize that once you lose your stubborn weight none of your old clothes will fit? That’s right - you will have to re-purchase your entire set of clothes starting from jeans, suits, pants, blouses, sweaters, warm sweaters, ugly Christmas sweaters, and even underwear. Consider how much it will cost you to replace every single piece of clothing you own. Something tells me it won’t be cheap.

In my case it cost me $600 already. Considering I do most of my shopping at Salvation Army and I’m not shy about buying things from sketchy people in back alleys, your bill might be even higher.

 

Quick tip: Leave at least one pair of jeans handy. You’ll need it later for proud Facebook selfies.

 

Eating out

 

If you’re the kind of person who eats out, I’ve got some bad news. Eating out healthy is expensive. Normal places like Burger King or McDonalds are fairly affordable and you can get your lunch for $10 or cheaper. If you’re trying to impress your chunky date or have some extra money, you can even go to a high class place like Wendy’s where you’ll spend a little bit more, but still fairly affordable.

Eating out while on a healthy diet? Whoa, prepare to spend major moolah. Kale salad with organic ingredients cost around $20. Add some vegan water or gluten-free juice, and your bill will be closer to $25.

 

In conclusion:

 

Living a healthy lifestyle and losing weight might break your budget. Before making any rush decisions and resolutions I encourage you to play with some numbers and see if you can truly afford the weight loss costs. Yes, you will be skinnier and more attractive to the opposite sex (or same sex, I don’t judge). But will your budget be able to absorb the extra hits?

Perhaps you’re better off waiting and saving that extra money in the bank or even investing for future returns. Once you’re making more money at your job or achieved some passive income with the money you’ve invested, you can revisit the idea of becoming thinner and plunge into it with some financial resources. Between newer and better clothes, gym memberships, healthier food, personal trainers, upbeat workout music, sweatbands, and other hidden costs, losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle is just too damn expensive.

After all, have you noticed how a lot of wealthy people like movie stars and entertainment divas are in great shape? That’s because they have money and can actually afford it.

 

Can you?