When the times get tough, the tough get going. Everyone has heard this wisdom but very few people take the time to think about how they can use it to their advantage. No matter what your circumstances are, there is always something good that you can make out if it. With costs of everything around us rising to incredible heights, re-adjusting is a must.

You may not think it’s possible, but there is no better time to begin a healthy lifestyle. That is the cornerstone to healthy weight loss, and you can use a lean purse to your advantage. Want to fit back into the clothes you never thought you could fit into again without spending tons of money on a gym membership? It’s totally possible!

Here are 4 tips on how rising costs can help you achieve healthy weight loss:

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #1: Get on Your Bike And Ride
How much does gasoline cost per gallon these days? It is absolutely horrific to think that it took roughly 100 years for us to get to the first dollar per gallon, and then only 5 years to get to the second, 2 years to get to the third, and one year later we are at a whopping $4! It is time to tell the oil companies that we have alternative transportation to the grocery store, post office and bank.

Save your gas money by dusting off that old bicycle that has been sitting in the garage with flat tires for the past five years. Plan out a route that will allow you to do run your errands the old fashioned way. Not only will you save money, you’ll be getting daily exercise without having to pay for a gym membership. Exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, and although it is not absolutely necessary for healthy weight loss, it certainly speeds up the process.

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #2: Meal Replacements
I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and have kept it off for over 15 years. One of my tricks was that I began a healthy weight loss program designed around replacing expensive, artery clogging meals with a soy-based protein shake. Regardless of how much weight you need to lose, this is the best way to begin the process of leading a healthy lifestyle. Do I drink a shake instead of every meal? No. But because it provides the best possible nutrition, I never let a day go by without drinking at least one.

Imagine if a tasty McDonalds shake offered you all the nutrition you needed for a whole meal, but it was only 180 calories? Since weight loss equals consuming less calories than you burn off, you can easily imagine how it is an extremely successful and healthy weight loss plan. It costs roughly $1.50, compared to a fatty, salty $10.00 meal at any given restaurant. You don’t need to be a genius to see that the math is in your favor.

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #3: Cut Your Snacking Bill
I personally cannot go to the grocery store anymore without spending at least ten dollars on the things that used to cost  $6.00.  Milk, butter, eggs, bread. It all adds up so quickly that something needs to be sacrificed in order to make ends meet. Instead of cutting back on healthy foods like chicken, fish, vegetables and fruit, cut back instead on the unnecessary snacks that line the cupboards of overweight people.

Did you know that every year there are roughly 200 new processed snack foods introduced to the marketplace, and only about 5 new health foods? Think about it. A Reeses candy bar used to be only available in one variety. Now you can choose from dark and white chocolate, chunky, caramel filled, reversed and fudge dipped. No wonder we are the fattest nation in the world! Do yourself a favor and cut back on these fatty snacks. You cannot pig out on junk food if isn’t in your kitchen. You’ll be doing your body and pocketbook a favor.

Healthy Weight Loss Tip #4: Stop Smoking
You know this guilty pleasure does nothing but cause harm to your body, and since the cost of cigarettes will continue increasing as much as anything else, now is a great time to quit! Where I live, a small package of cigarettes cost almost $7! That’s more than I pay for several days worth of my soy-protein meal replacement shakes. What do you think replacing the cost of a meals and quitting your bad smoking habit would do to your healthy weight loss goals? Probably triple your efforts!

Since everyone is faced with the problem of paying a little bit more for everything we buy on a daily basis, making sacrifices is the only viable option this side of getting into debt and hoping prices will fall back into place. Let’s face reality, they never will. Shifting your lifestyle by making healthier decisions with the tips outlined above is a much smarter route to travel…and you’ll be well on your way to a healthy weight loss as a result.