Question

What would you guys recommend for someone needing to lose weight (around 140 pounds) that can't afford a gym membership?

First, see what your normal caloric intake is for a regular day. Once you have that, reduce the amount of calories (nothing too drastic though). And start doing some sort of exercise, be it walking, running or playing some sport.

As for an affordable gym membership. I'm not sure which area you are in. I'm in Houston and there are Fitness19 5-10 bucks a month PlanetFitness 10 a month and Sometimes you can get a good deal on a Gold's Gym Membership. I'll shoot straight with ya. Going for a walk in the neighborhood isn't going to work for very long. It's a good start don't get me wrong. You need to get into the habit of taking your fitness seriously (This is all coming from a guy that weighed almost 300 lbs in Feb of this year. I'm at 246 now) It takes a good month going 4 or 5 times a week to get the habit of going once you do you will love it. As for the things you need to do to drop the weight. Def do Cardio at the very least 25 minutes not more than an hour. Do intervals get your heart rate up for 2 minutes or so and pull back. If that means you have to be outside doing it Run 2 minutes as fast as you can and walk 5 minutes. Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and changing the way you look at getting into shape it's a journey. Lift weights. If you are doing it outside. Lift whatever you can that's heavy 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Muscle burns fat the more you build the more fat you will lose. Eat breakfast ( I know this is kind of random It's early and I'm hungry lol) Eat lean meats Chicken, Tuna, Turkey, Eggs Your body will need Protein. Eat veggies and fruit. I know it's tough. Whatever you do don;t give up and don't think your on a diet. Diets do NOT work. You are changing your lifestyle you can eat healthy and the food is still great. Eat 5-6 times a day 3 meals and snacks between. Nut's, seeds and such. I can truly go on and on. Good on you tho for making the choice to get in shape. If you want more advice or any other questions PM me.

I'm paying $60 a month with Anytime Fitness, and that is considered cheap where I live. Would LOVE to be paying $10 a month!

Seriously, I don't know what your diet is like, but cutting out anything with added sugar will go miles in your favour. Eat heaps of non starchy vegetables and lean meat, fish etc, don't eat too much bread or cereal, cut fast food out, like KFC and Mc Donalds and drink coffee with little or no sugar instead of caffeinated sodas (I find it weird saying soda, we call them soft drinks here). And have a cheat day where you can eat some of the stuff you have cut out.

You will probably start losing weight straight away if you start following some of those rules. Also get yourself a good pair of runners and start going for some cardio exercise outdoors instead of joining a gym. I dont understand people who join a gym just for cardio when there is a whole world to see while running outside.

Thanks for the advice guys. I am still walking but I missed a lot due to some work issues.

I'm currently at 355 - started at 370 and at one point I was down to 330 but gained it all back.

I honestly can't afford even $10 a month. I know that sound ridiculous but I'm working 2 jobs and my wife is getting ready to start a part time job just to make ends meet.

Do you have more dietary suggestions? I try not to eat fast food but I have to be real careful with my protein intake because I have gout. If I take in too much too quickly, it flares up and my foot swells and hurts and I can barely walk for about a week...

Avoid processed foods, added sugars and grains, like shadow_zone suggested. I like Houstonmetalhed's regime, too!

Ish, I too had a major gout problem. I'll get to what I have been doing in a bit on that. That is great that the weight is dropping I'm proud of you man! Good job! Walking/running will only get you so far. Muscle is the best component to burn fat. The more muscle you build the more calories you burn. As for muscle building I would recommend lifting whatever you can get your hands on. Have a junkyard nearby go ask to borrow a sledge and go outside and beat the hell out of some metal. Just go at it for 30 minutes or so get a good sweat going get your heart rate up you are working your upperbody, and your grip. If you have a tire shop nearby you can usually get a tire for a dump truck that cannot be used as they can't do anything with them they don;t recycle and they just sit you can do a ton with those. Flip the tire beat the tire with a sledge push the tire. Lots of stuff you can do to get a workout in and lift without hitting the gym you just have to set your mind to do it. Now as for the gout. drink drink drink drink water at the very least a gal a day tough but it helps to flush the acid from your body. also drink cherry juice or get papain tablets from a pharmacy. the typical anti-inflammatories don't work. good luck buddy feel free to pm me.