RSSSo You’re Fat & Poor?
Working in the coupon business, every day I’m surrounded by deals, discounts, freebies. You name it, I see it. Every single day. Now add to that the fact that I’m sitting in front of my computer for hours on end, every day. Sedentary lifestyle, much? That’s me. My boss is always after me to get a gym membership but for one, that takes time. For two, that takes effort. For three, that takes money. So I continue to envelope my wobbly self in increasingly stretchy clothing, hunker down at my work station, and bust out some coupons.
Cut to January 1st - and everyone is up in my business asking about New Year’s Resolutions. Well, great. It’s like you’re some kind of outcast if you’re not planning to turn your life around 180°. It’s like no one has ever heard that slow and steady is the path to success - whether you’re trying to lose weight, or eat more fruit, or smile more, or drink less coffee - cold turkey doesn’t work. As for diving head first into a weight loss regimen - hot turkey (me) doesn’t really work either. You go to one session, can’t walk for a week, and then you never go back. I very carefully bought myself a pair of “butt shoes” (also knows as Reebok EasyTones) so that when I do get up off my chair I’m working all kinds of muscles I didn’t know I have. But the problem with butt shoes, like so much else in life, is that they require me to step away from the computer for more than two seconds.
So here I am, sitting in today’s stretchy outfit, butt shoes propped up on the ergonomic foot rest, and I get to thinking about all that you can do to lose weight without too much effort. I mean, at some point I’m going to actually have to get out of this chair and perhaps move, but until then there is plenty I can get started on. As for my budget - as close to $0 as possible.
Being an online sloth and all, I’m instantly drawn to eDiets. It fits with the rest of the Es that chew up my time (eMail, eCommerce, etc.) and requires very little on my part. First off, you get busy with your free profile. Sure, they ask for your email address, age, and all that. But the key - they DON’T require a credit card. Perfect for the financial commitment phobe that I pretend to be. Plus, they let me be honest. Current exercise level? Less than one day per week. How much do I want to lose? Start small, people. Start small. I’m going with the 5-15 lbs bracket. If I get through that, we can go further. TIP: After you hit submit, IGNORE all the spam they want to send you. I mean - free is never really free, unless you’re smart about what checkboxes you fill in - so make sure to UNCHECK the box for the “free” newsletters. Unless of course you want to spend your day reading about how to lose weight, instead of just losing it. Let’s say one of the plans they’ve figure out for you looks good then why not give it a whirl?
So here’s what’s cool - at eDiets they have online trainers, in addition to meal delivery options. It might seem pricey but when you take into account 1) the time it takes you to go the store, 2) the time it takes you to cook a meal, or alternatively 3) the cost of going out for dinner, added to 4) the caloric cost of eating unhealthy/quick food. All of a sudden meal delivery options are a steal - and what with working in the coupon business and all, I plan to save a tidy 25%, at the very least.
... on that note, time to try out my virtual trainer and see just what sorts of exercises I can do while sat at my desk. While eating my delivered meal. Very pleased that I’ve taken my chubby, broke self online and done a little scouring of what’s available. Before heading out into public wearing nothing but spandex and an aggressive iTunes playlist - we all know no one wants to witness that - I’m on my way to my “new” self. Here’s to 2011. Wobble wobble.
