1. Measuring Cups and Spoons

This’s a cheap yet very helpful little purchase. In fact, you can purchase each of these at Dollartree for a dollar each. They’re very valuable when you’re trying to lose weight. Use them to measure out your portions. After awhile you won’t need them because you’ll be able to eyeball what a serving looks like. If you’ve never measured your portions before then you may be surprised by how big of a serving size you’ve been eating.

2. A Water Bottle

Water is your best friend on the road to weight loss. It’s healthy and keeps you hydrated. It can help you cut out empty calories if you use it to replace soda and other beverages that offer no nutritional value. You can opt for drinking bottled water or purchase a water bottle to refill throughout your day. There’re many cute options in water bottles, some of which even have motivational sayings for healthy living inspiration.

3. Hand Weights

You need strength training along with your cardio. Many times you can combine them by using a set of hand weights while you’re exercising. You can use them when you walk, jog or do other types of cardio. They’re very economical and can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Target and many other stores. As time passes, you may want to up the pounds per weight you’re using so buying cheap is wise.

4. A Good Sports Bra

You know, you just can’t concentrate on your workout if the girls aren’t secure! I know it’s funny but it’s also true! A good sports bra is worth the investment. Plus, I’m just going to be honest. Having cute workout clothing is motivating to me and I’d say it is to many of you as well!

5. A Yoga Mat

A yoga mat is a good weight loss tool even if you don’t do yoga. They’re great for yoga, Pilates, stretching during a warm up or cool down and more. I even use mine to make planks more comfortable. If you have a hard wood floor like I do then you’ll probably find a yoga mat very valuable during your workouts. It can save your wrists, knees, ankles and more.

6. A Fitbit

This’s the only weight loss tool that I don’t personally own or use. But I couldn’t leave it out because I’ve heard so many great things about it. It seems like an amazing little gadget. It tracks your steps, calories burned and even how well you slept. It also syncs with your smart phone if you want to transfer your data.

7. A BMI Calculator

Lastly, a BMI or body mass index calculator can be very helpful to you. It gives you an accurate picture of where you are with your weight and the range you need to be shooting for. You can access BMI calculators for free on many websites. Here’s the link to one cdc.gov from a very reputable site so you can quickly check yours. There’s nothing like seeing your weight and BMI in black and white to give you a reality check.

These’re some valuable tools to use on your weight loss journey. Do you use any of them? What other weight loss tools would you recommend?