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I used to be fat. Not morbidly obese, but I was tipping the scales at more than 200 pounds, dragging my miserable self to plus-sized lady shops, wishing the label read size six and not size 16. I managed to lose 70 pounds (and keep it off ) through good-ol’ exercise and healthy eating — sans personal trainers, expensive nutrition plans, complicated supplement guides or fad workout regimes. Do I know a thing or two about losing weight and saving money? Yeah, I do.

There is a common misconception that losing weight requires ample amounts of cash; the more nutritious the food is the more it will cost the consumer. Not true, says Bethany Thayer, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

“You can buy a 10-ounce bag of potato chips for $2.59 and someone might think that’s a good deal but you can get, for that same price, four pounds of fresh red potatoes which are going to have vitamin C, fiber and all kinds of nutrients, or three pounds of carrots, which again, are loaded with vitamins and minerals,” she says.

Americans spend roughly $30 billion annually on weight-loss products and programs, yet the country is fat and getting fatter. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight and an estimated 79 million adults, approximately one-third of the population, are considered prediabetic, according to the Center for Disease Control.  Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of U.S. medical spending, or an estimated $147 billion a year.

Obesity will not only affect how much you dole out in medical expenses, but it can also affect how you’re going to pay for them. Due to a loss of productivity and workplace discrimination, a difference in weight of two standard deviations (approximately 65 lbs) is associated with a difference in wages of nine percent, according to the research paper The Impact of Obesity on Wages by John Crawley for the Journal of Human Resources.

“In absolute value, this is equivalent to the wage effect of roughly one and a half years of education or three years of work experience,” Crawley writes.

Don’t want to end up as a statistic? Listen up: Here are some tips to get you on your way to a new healthy lifestyle without breaking the bank.

Plan ahead
Whether it’s sleeping in your running gear to get a head start on your early morning workout or cooking and freezing large batches of healthy food for the week ahead, planning is key to losing weight and saving cash.

“What gets planned get’s done and as people wrap their brain around fitness being something that they will do on a regular basis, and just spend some time thinking about how they’re going to create a situation where they can do it on a regular basis, they’re going to be far more likely to succeed,” says James Fell, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and author of Body for Wife: The Family Guy’s Guide to Getting in Shape.

Stock your kitchen with lean proteins (chicken, fish, egg whites), fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Pack a healthy lunch rather than dining out to save cash — and be sure to include lots of snacks so when that 4p.m. low hits, you’re reaching for carrots sticks rather than purchasing a chocolate bar from the office vending machine.

“If the healthy foods aren’t there, than you decide to go out and eat and then you’re spending more money and you’re not getting those good nutrients. So you really do need to plan ahead and think about what kinds of foods you want to have on hand so that you have those foods available to prepare,” says Thayer.

Go local and frozen
As the cost of oil rises, consumers will not only take a hit at the pump, but also at the grocery store.  Shop at locations — like a farmer’s market — that specialize in locally-grown produce to cut down on the cost of food miles.  When out of season, check out the frozen food section in your grocery store for some cost-effective and nutritious alternatives.

“I think some people overlook the canned and frozen fruits and vegetables; somehow they are see it as being not as nutrient dense. In some cases, they can have more nutrients because they’re canned or frozen right when they’re picked,” says Thayer.

Get moving any way you can
You don’t need a personal trainer or a membership to a high-end gym to get the ball rolling.  Invest in a good pair of running shoes — roughly $80 to $160 — and hit the pavement. “There’s actually a lot of science that shows people who run outside — versus people who run on treadmills — demonstrate bio-mechanical benefits, but the real benefits are psychological. They run further, they run faster and they enjoy it more. It doesn’t cost anything to run outside,” says Fell.

Not a runner? You can work exercise into your day in a number of cost-effective ways: Take the stairs at work, park farther away from your destination so you have farther to walk or get off the subway one stop earlier. TV addict? Do sit-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks during commercial breaks, or get outside and play with your kids.

Educate yourself
There is a wealth of information online to get you started — but beware — the copious amounts of experts on the Internet should be consulted with discerning eye. “The problem comes in that the reader needs to understand what they’re reading and then be able to apply it to a program. That reading and application doesn’t always work too effectively,” says David Sandler, senior director of education and performance with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

If you’re weary about online content, hit up your local public library. “I would prefer books over finding stuff online because anybody can put up a website, but if you find a book in a bookstore and find, preferably, a reputable publisher than chances are its good,” says Fell, who recommends Human Kinetics for books on everything from stretching, yoga and weight lifting.

Enlist some support
The best way to hold yourself accountable is to tell people what your plans are and build a support network. Join an online weight-loss community like The Kitchen Table at eatcleandiet.com. It’s free and allows you to access member recipes, daily meal plans, photos and write your own stories to encourage people with your success. Fitclick.com allows members to track their daily calorie intake versus daily calorie expenditure and has a social media component and member forums where you can find advice and support on diet and exercise.

Don’t be afraid to consult a professional. Sure, enlisting the help of a personal trainer can be expensive but a booster session to set up a circuit program may be a good investment. “There is value in hiring a personal trainer because they’ll be able to give a safe and effective exercise prescription and really help work with someone to achieve their goals with a properly progressive program,” says Sandler.

The same goes for a registered dietitian. “There are 15,000 new foods that enter the market every single year and you, as a person, regularly only eat about 100. And so a registered dietitian can sit down with you and help you figure out what foods you want in your circle and how to purchase them a little bit more inexpensively,” says Thayer.

If your company offers a wellness program, be sure to enroll — the cost of a personal trainer, dietitian or your gym membership may be subsidized or completely covered by your employer.

Set attainable goals
Whether it’s weight loss or debt repayment, setting smaller goals will often lead to greater success. “Most people are probably looking to shed 20-40 pounds and setting realistic goals of 10 pounds at a time generally seems a lot better and the reason for this is because it acts as a motivator. If you set too lofty a goal, and you don’t reach that goals by a certain point, you tend to get demotivated  and drop out of the program,” says Sandler.