It's about the money, money, money

I realized today after gazing at the WIO Facebook page that I hadn't included any information on the cost of this diet. In the current economy, cost is super, super important – therefore I am writing a blog entry about the cost of WIO.

Amanda L. Grossman has a great diet plan cost comparison chart here: http://blog.chron.com/frugalconfessions/2012/01/comparing-diet-program-costs-which-program-is-most-and-least-expensive/

When I looked at other meal replacement programs, WIO lines up with them pretty nicely. Make sure to keep that in mind as you experience the same sticker shock I did when I ran the following numbers.

The initial consultation fee where Rich would have done biomarker testing would have been $150, but I chose to go to my primary care physician because it would be free.  I've noticed that WIO in Sandy and WIO at Elevate in Orem have free testing periods fairly regularly.

After your initial consultation I went home with a week’s worth of MRP powder, a bottle of Udo's oil, a bottle of Real Salt, peanut butter flavoring extract, a shaker bottle, a membership to Elevate’s gym, and the promise of group exercise training and an exercise plan. This set me back $141 (I’ll let you know the breakdown after I go back for my consultation next week).  Starting next week I’ll be paying $86/week to cover the gym membership, exercise training/plan, another week’s worth of MRP, and two bottles of flavor extract to make my shakes extra yummy./

After I left Elevate I drove to Target. I probably spent 15 minutes walking around the produce section as if it were completely new to Target. I am NOT a fresh veggie eater. I also had to keep reading the list of approved foods and looking for them on the shelves.  Of course this was easier said than done when you consider that I probably only like 25% of the vegetables in existence, let alone the limited list of low-carb veggies allowed in phase I of the diet. 

I ended up buying organic lettuce, spinach, a cucumber, frozen broccoli, and frozen cauliflower. After that I bought meat, meat, and more meat. I bought hamburger, roast beef, shrimp, and turkey burgers. I also bought two containers of almond milk to use in my shakes.  As for condiments, I spent 10 minutes figuring out which salad dressings didn't have added sugar, red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar, and then I got a tub of tzatziki sauce, a bottle of pickles, and a can of olives. The whole grocery trip set me back about $60.  However, I’m pretty sure what I bought will last me for more than a week.

I love going out to eat.  I love food. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Italian, German, American, Mexican – these aren't just languages for me, they are exotic and glorious different types of food. Since starting the diet I haven’t been out to eat once (I don’t count the salad bar at work, I’m not packing a salad when I can pay $2 for one on campus). I normally spend around $200 a month on restaurants between meals, drinks, and tips.

I also love math, so I’m going to lay down some math for you.  If Laura spends $200 a month on restaurants and $150 a month on groceries, how much money does she spend a month on food? Answer: 200 + 150 = $350.  If Laura spends $86 dollars a week for the WIO diet and $30 a week for groceries, how much will she spend in a month (i.e. four weeks)? Answer: 86x4 + 30x4 = $526. 

To make a long story longer, I’m spending roughly $175 more a month on food and fitness. Basically I pay $175 for a month’s worth of diet coaching, group exercise, and a gym membership. It’s kind of staggering to look at the numbers written out like this, but I’d rather my wallet shrink along with my body than have my wallet and body stay fat.