Saving Calories, Not Dollars?

In addition to eating better, this month I'm trying to keep an eye on my grocery budget (like many people, I'm sure). I'm starting to wonder if following a healthy diet and spending a reasonable amount on food are mutually exclusive goals. I bought a bunch of produce (fruit for snacks and salad makings), and that alone was about half of my weekly budget, which didn't leave a lot of room for anything else. It's frustrating to think that I might be able to eat more cheaply off the dollar menu at the fast food joint than I can at home or by bringing my lunch to work.

I think part of the problem is that I don't always buy seasonally. What I mean is that, according to what I've been reading anyway, I should buy the fruit that's in season right now (say, citrus) rather than the grapes and cherries I love. But it seems like whenever I buy the things I think I should be eating rather than what I want to be eating, I end up not eating the "shoulds" and going back to the store for the "wants." And clearly that's not saving me any money, not to mention it's incredibly wasteful.

There has to be a compromise somewhere. First off, I'm not advocating visiting McDonald's for lunch and dinner every day (although I might be tempted). I'm willing to perhaps pay a little more to be healthy. I do think there's a way to buy the things I know I'll eat and be smart about it. Buying on sale is a good start, and trying some seasonal produce can't hurt now and then. It seems to me that it eventually comes back to moderation (there's that word again). I can splurge on a healthy item or two I want and know I'll eat, while being careful about my spending on the rest of my groceries. Life's all about trade-offs, I think, and I'm willing to give a little on the grocery budget here and there if it means I'll make good choices about what I'm putting into my body.

Doing the Math

I have a confession to make: I've gained 30 pounds in the past year. It's not something I'm proud of, and I don't have any good excuses. Yes, life has been stressful, but I've made the decision not to pay attention to what I eat, and now I'm paying the price. (In this case literally, since I've had to buy some larger clothes.) The time has come to stop being mad at myself and to instead channel that anger into a constructive solution.

I like numbers, so I'm choosing to look at this as a math problem. I want to lose a total of 35 pounds. I also know that for me, going on a strict diet and losing the weight quickly won't work this time. I've done that before, and I don't have the stamina to do it again. And I also want to look at this as an opportunity to change my lifestyle instead of going on a diet, stopping, gaining weight; rinse and repeat. So my strategy is to lose 5 pounds a month over 7 months, so that by August 1, I'll be at my goal.

Here's where the math comes in: 1 pound equals 3500 calories; 5 pounds equals 17,500 calories. That's how many calories I need to cut each month in order to lose the weight. Sounds like a lot all at once. But if I want to lose 5 pounds by February 1, that works out to a deficit of about 650 calories a day. That's a lot more manageable. Plus, that deficit will come from a combination of cutting calories and increasing exercise. So if I continue to walk or do some other form of exercise every day, in combination with watching what I eat, I think I can get there.

So that's the challenge for me. I'll check in each month with a report to see if it's working, or if I need to tweak the plan. My hope is that with gradual weight loss and incremental changes to my eating plan, I can come up with a way of eating that will work for the long term, so that once I lose the weight, I can keep it off. I'll let you know how it goes.