conversation: User (doberEars): "It may seem strange at first, but I honestly don't think I could have done without somehow effecting the other. My lifestyle changes both in regards to my food and with with finance were very much linked, so I thought it was worth sharing some of the parallels that helped me "breakthrough" with both.\n\n**Calorie counting and budgeting**\n\nA lot of you may be familiar with the concept of calorie counting, but it really didn't hit home to me how important it was to log every meal accurately until I was doing the exact same process monthly with my budget. \n\nWhen I considered the food I was eating in broad terms of nutritional value, it was the same for me as hand-waving dollar amounts attached to things. You ever get that feeling that money just seems to magically disappear into the ether when you aren't accurately tracking and planning exact amounts? The same thing was happening with my calories, and lead to plateaus and regaining weight I thought I had lost for good.\n\nPlanning out meals and my daily calories the same way I did for my budget kept me from mindlessly snacking, missing my workouts, and overeating. Being "by the numbers" made cause and effect very clear.\n\n**Value per calorie and the value of a dollar**\n\nIt really hits home to you how every dollar should count when you run out of money before you run out of month. The same feeling when controlling your food intake is much worse in some ways, because ultimately, eventually you're going to need to eat. You can live without spending for a few days or weeks. You can't (safely) do the same with your food. \n\nI was forced into justifying every calorie "expenditure" and re-examined a lot of junk that was just too "costly". It was very similar to my monthly budget review, looking over where money had been wasted on things that really didn't prove their value. Doing both on a regular basis really helped me to master self-control.\n\n**Debt and extra pounds**\n\nEvery poor food choice that took me over my calorie limit is hanging out on my body, just like everything I couldn't afford that I threw on credit was hanging out my statement. In order to make a dent in either, I had to meet the minimum needed for the day (minimum payment versus minimum resting daily calories), and make a dent above and beyond. This is hard to do when it feels like you just don't have enough cash/calories, but over time you learn how to do more with less.\n\n**How dieting saved me money, and cut pounds**\n\nPaying with cash instead of credit and debit cards may make you more inclined to choose healthier foods, according a Cornell University study. It also, in my opinion, definitely makes you think twice about spending a lot when you switch to cash for your groceries. My bill for food dropped from 600-800$+ a month to just 300$, sometimes not even taking a grocery trip for a month. Costco and my slow-cooker completely changed the way I thought about preparing meals. And I still eat very well, with no lack of variety.\n\nThe average restaurant meal has 1,128 calories, which, if you're a female of my size, is almost 75% of your daily calories in one shot. The average restaurant meal costs $35.65+. Consider that the average American eats out about 3.1 times a week, and that adds up financially and physically. Dropping meals out is common advice in this subreddit and /r/loseit for a reason. Now that I eat out maybe once a month now, I definitely don't miss it.\n\nIn conclusion, I think that neither of these things was particularly easy at first. No one likes finally looking at their bank statement and realizing that it's going to take months to repay past debt. No one likes looking in the mirror and realizing that they've been overeating years. In my case, I'm not in any way completely finished with either. I'm 8 pounds away from my goal weight, and in 3 months my debt will be completely repaid. \n\nHaving a defined plan and a budget has completely turned around my finances and my health. *I've stopped being afraid of bank statements and the scale*, and that's an incredible weight (ha) off my shoulders."
  Self: "I have experienced something similar. I've lost 50+ lbs in the last year, and with it, my appetite towards food has changed dramatically. Something about getting my weight under control has also driven me to get my finances in control. I've paid off debt, consolidated and have a budget that I am sticking to to save money, pay off additional debt, and life is good.\n\nNow, for dinner, instead of heading out to eat (fast food, etc.), I go home to eat a salad and something small. I've saved $400 a month on groceries alone."
  