It’s spring time, finally.  Time to shed some winter clothes and perhaps some winter weight as well.

Just like you do with your bank account, you have to budget.

What are you spending, what do your deposits look like. Are you withdrawing more than you deposit, or do you have a sizable savings account. Translate that to calories: Are you too generous with intake and only have a few left at the end of the night, or are you too stingy during the day, and then you stuff your face in the evening. If your goal is to lean up, try these tips:

1) Make an Investment.
Not in stocks or bonds, but in your body. What are your goals, and how are you going to use your resources to be successful? This includes your time,  money for food,  or your workouts And what is the payoff?
                                          Better health?
                                          New clothes?
                                          Gym membership/equipment or workout gear?

 2)   Reality check:
What are your strengths when it comes to health and wellness?
What are your weaknesses?
If you are trying to get healthier, the strengths need to outmuscle your weaknesses.
You might need to preplan meals.
Log your eating and exercise.
Find a workout partner.
Identify your support team.

3) Take a good look at your spending habits.
I am not talking about your finances, but your use of calories during the day. Do you expend more calories than you save? Then you may need to make an adjustment to your withdrawals- energy output(exercise) and increase your deposits (energy intake or calories). Conversely, if you intake more calories than you expend- overdoing on your calorie deposits without enough energy ( exercise) withdrawals, then perhaps you need to get on your feet and out the door to move more.

4) Be financially responsible to eat and exercise within your salary and calorie cap.
We can’t just focus on add-ins when it comes to eating and exercise. When someone says I will add the exercise in, what are you going to take away from your day? There are only so many hours, so if you add exercise, will you spend less time on the computer?

If you are trying to lean up and clean up your diet, don’t just take everything off the plate, bowl or glass, but swap instead. Double vegetables instead of a lot of pasta, or half juice, half water in the glass instead of a fruit punch, or grilled chicken or fish instead of fried.

BOTTOM LINE:
Getting healthy isn’t easy, but shouldn’t be too hard on your wallet, watch or your well-being.
Buy within your means.
Budget your time.
Know when to cut back or add-on.
PRICELESS!! 

Leslie Bonci, MPH,RD,CSSD,LDN
Director of Sports Nutrition- UPMC
boncilj@upmc.edu
@lesliebonci

About the Author
Leslie J. Bonci, M.P.H., R.D, CSSD, LDN, is a registered dietition, a board-certified sports dietetics specialist and a nutritionist.  She is a nutrition consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a number of other professional sports teams and has written the book "Sports Nutrition for Coaches."