Eating 1x day to stay under calories
WanderingRivers
Posts: 612 Member
Worst idea ever? I started tracking yesterday and thought I was doing OK only to see I was 300 calories over goal for the day. I am not even sure how to stay full on 1400 calories a day with a limited grocery budget. ($50/week) I am debating just not eating save for dinner and and getting some diet pills to crush my appetite.
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Replies
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Ya that's a bad idea.
Rather than one large meal, eat several small meals. Snack every few hours. It'll keep you full.
Also...no diet pills.0 -
I usually will eat 2 cups of ramen for lunch because they are cheap (2 for a dollar) but seeing as they are 600 calories, that just takes my lunch and makes it so it's a bad idea to eat. IDK what else I can snag that's super cheap and will keep me full. I figure if I don't eat until dinner and combine it with an appetite suppressant, I can keep hunger at bay and still stay in budget0
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It is much easier to stay on budget if you cook.0
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Protein. Get greek yogurt, string cheese, chicken breast... You can pound flat a chicken breast and stretch it for salads, sandwiches, etc. Protein will help keep you full.
Add lots of veggies and fruits for your in between snackage.0 -
I used to buy lean cuisine for lunch, normally only a 1-2 a piece so if you buy 5 for a work week only $10-12. The greatest part, they taste great and are only between 200-400 calories
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Oh! Packets of tuna are usually around $1. Make a sandwich with that, light mayo, a little pickle relish, and pepper. Accompany that with some baked chips or veggies.2
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If you eat one meal, you will be starving and over eat. Ramen isn't great for you but you could make your own version on the cheap with past noodles, frozen vegetables, left over chicken etc. $50 a week for one person can be done.....you probably need to look for less convenience foods that you pay more for. An entire box of pasta is probably about a dollar that could be split into many meals. Not to mention sales2
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devilwhiterose wrote: »Ya that's a bad idea.
Rather than one large meal, eat several small meals. Snack every few hours. It'll keep you full.
Also...no diet pills.
I feel less hungry if I eat bigger meals less frequently. If I eat lots of small meals I'm constantly hungry. I eat my first meal quite late (11am ish) and normally have 3 meals a day...it works for me!0 -
If you like pasta, just try cooking your own....whatever type you like and maybe throw in a can of stewed tomatoes. That should help you keep more full and won't have all the sodium, etc. Try baking a couple of potatoes and nuking them up when you're hungry....they are better and you can usually get a bag of potatoes pretty cheap. But definitely cooking your own stuff is cheaper. GOOD LUCK!2
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Do you live alone? I rarely spend more than £100 a month on groceries ($150 ish), which includes food for my pets. I plan my meals, making sure they include lots of fruit & veg.
A typical days eating for me:
Breakfast - Bowl of instant unsweetended porridge or scrambled eggs
Lunch - Big bowl of lettuce, cucmber and tomatoes with either tinned salmon, tinned tuna, or chopped ham
Dinner - Chicken stew, or pasta with tomato sauce and some added protein
That usually adds up to 1400 cals, and doesn't cost much at all.2 -
As devilwhiterose said, you can definitely snack throughout the day and stay full. I have also found that there are a lot of veggies that you can buy frozen that are super cheap and you can heat them up in the microwave. I know some people who just eat a bunch of veggies for lunch. That keeps me full for a while, even though I dislike eating them. I also love the lean cuisines. They're not bad for you except the salt. I got some on sale this week for $1.88 at the Kroger grocery store down the street, though prices vary based on where you are. 0
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Cook in bulk. Beans and rice, cheaper pasta, either omit meat or use less as a seasoning than a huge component. Frozen vegetables or ones that are on offer. Bananas are usually cheap.
It keeps your blood sugar more even to eat more regularly. If you only eat once a day, it could be pretty easy to overeat because your body is so hungry.
Source: I used to have an eating disorder and do this all the time. It was miserable.1 -
Ladiebug710 wrote: »It is much easier to stay on budget if you cook.
I usually will just make something for my kid as my husband works nights so it doesn't make sense to cook this whole meal affair when it's just me and her. She doesn't eat much and it's easier to throw a pb and j or some such in her general direction then to try to do an entire meal with sides and everything that my husband won't even be there for. Only time I cook a real meal is if he is off work and home to actually eat it.
IDK if it's relevant but I am also battling untreated depression which, depending on the day, makes me want to eat everything in sight or not a darn thing at all.0 -
We are a family of 4 and keep our grocery budget to a maximum of $100 a week, it is hard to stay within budget but depending on your region, I live on Prince Edward Island, Canada, we can get a bag of apples for around $4 and a bunch of bananas for around $3 Carrots are around $3 a bag which are great for cutting up and snacking on, which is better then going all day without eating.
Chicken is expensive here, I just bought 4 chicken breasts and they cost $18 so we try to switch up our chicken with eggs, we don't eat red meat that often due to two family members having a hard time digesting it. We like to buy a bag of beans and soak them ourselves to make a chili, soaking them yourself rather then buying a can yields a lot more beans for the $ you pay.
I think your best bet would be to figure out what healthy items are relatively cheap in your area and purchase them instead of buying pills which will not be a permanent fix for getting healthy and could potentially be dangerous to your body.2 -
Hmmm I know all about eating cheap. 50 bucks a week is actually pretty good that is about what I spend! So Tuna is really cheap and you could probably get some at the dollar store if you have one that has food. Our Dollar Trees in certain places have some but even if not Walmart or any other big chain has it pretty cheap. Lettuce or Spinach isn't too bad either. You can normally get some veggies/fruits pretty cheap as well. There is yogurts to purchase for a dollar. If you want to get a some kind of meat a chicken usually is good for lasting for a bit or you can do what I do which is buy thighs or chicken legs for like 4 bucks at Walmart which usually gives me a pretty good amount and I make it last for a week in the freezer. You can also buy eggs pretty cheap and eat 2 a day that will last you a couple days There is plenty of things us poor people can buy and still try to be healthy you just got to spend the time looking and thinking. Get creative! If I can do it you can do it and I am trying to feed two kids on a 50 dollar a week budget as well so we manage! 1
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Do you live alone? I rarely spend more than £100 a month on groceries ($150 ish), which includes food for my pets. I plan my meals, making sure they include lots of fruit & veg.
A typical days eating for me:
Breakfast - Bowl of instant unsweetended porridge or scrambled eggs
Lunch - Big bowl of lettuce, cucmber and tomatoes with either tinned salmon, tinned tuna, or chopped ham
Dinner - Chicken stew, or pasta with tomato sauce and some added protein
That usually adds up to 1400 cals, and doesn't cost much at all.
I live with my daughter, husband, and MIL so I have 4 people total that I need to keep in food for super cheap. We do a lot of carbs because they are easy on the budget.0 -
There's nothing wrong with it, but it sounds pretty awful to me.
This will only work if you genuinely aren't hungry throughout the day. Like people who skip breakfast because they're not hungry in the morning - to each their own, nothing wrong with it. However, if you stay hungry all day and only eat once, you're setting yourself up for failure. This is when overeating comes into play. I know the longer I go without eating, the more ravenous I get, the more I want to eat in a sitting. I could easily eat over 1400 calories in one meal.
I would never be full on 1400 calories/day, which is why I typically don't go lower than 1850 when I'm losing. However, I've done the low calorie thing in the past and it's certainly possible without being really miserable (for the average person, anyway...not a hungry girl like me). High volume foods is where it's at. Find a few staple meals that 1) you enjoy, 2) fit your budget, and 3) are filling, and eat variations of those things daily.
I'm currently bulking and eating 2650 calories/day, so I can't exactly relate at the moment, but my favorite high volume meal is egg white protein oatmeal, which is great because oatmeal is so versatile depending on what you put in it. I've also been known to bulk up meals with things like cauliflower, zucchini, and pumpkin, depending on the dish.0 -
Sounds like you just need to experiment with different foods and see what you like... For me, a high protein breakfast is a must... then you might be able to skip lunch and make it to dinner with a small snack.
High protein foods... Greek Yogurt, lower fat cheeses, lunch meat, beans... I like special K protein bars but I know they can be expensive. ( I HATE veggies lol so I don't waste calories on something I don't honestly enjoy)
As weird as it sounds you have to eat to lose weight, keeping yourself from eating all day will only result in you stuffing your belly at night, right before bed... so it will sit on your stomach all night... At least if you eat a higher calorie breakfast you have all day long to work it off.
For the first 6 months of my weight loss I ate 1200 to 1400 calories and because it was mainly high protein foods I was left feeling full, not wanting anything more. Though I did have a protein shake daily that amounted to 400 to 500 calories.0 -
Google the warrior diet and intermittent fasting. On the Ramen noodle note if you've got left over chicken or something toss that in with some veggies and it'll last longer.1
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Eggs, bananas, bags of apples, peanut butter, big bags of frozen vegetables, chicken legs, rice...all cheap. That's most of what I eat.1
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If you like pasta, just try cooking your own....whatever type you like and maybe throw in a can of stewed tomatoes. That should help you keep more full and won't have all the sodium, etc. Try baking a couple of potatoes and nuking them up when you're hungry....they are better and you can usually get a bag of potatoes pretty cheap. But definitely cooking your own stuff is cheaper. GOOD LUCK!
I don't keep stewed tomatoes in the house because DH hates them. (It's a texture thing.)
If I make pasta for me, I usually melt some butter (real butter, not the fake stuff. It's one of the few things I splurge on) and sprinkle parm on it but that's not something I can do for work lunches.0 -
First: NO DIET PILLS. I promise you'll regret it. Save your money and buy real food.
Second, plan your meals in advance. If you budget your grocery money, budget your calories the same way.
Third, lots of vegetables. Go easy on fruit as they are mostly sugar and will bump your carbs (and calories) up too high. And you must include at least 20g protein and some fat in every meal; they will help you stay satisfied (notice I didn't say full, just satisfied). Lowfat is baloney and WILL NOT help you lose weight. I do best on 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein per day (by calories, and I'm at 1200 to 1400 per day) - YMMV.
Finally, know that it will take your body and your appetite some time to adjust to fewer calories and less food in your stomach. Give it at least a week. Keep in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're looking to lose a lot of weight fast without medical supervision, you're setting yourself up for failure.
Good luck.
(If you're interested in seeing some of my daily logs to see how I do it, PM me. I've lost and kept off 25 pounds by doing it ^^this way^^.)0 -
devilwhiterose wrote: »Oh! Packets of tuna are usually around $1. Make a sandwich with that, light mayo, a little pickle relish, and pepper. Accompany that with some baked chips or veggies.
I work in a small office. Tuna would NOT be a good idea.0 -
KurumiSophia wrote: »Worst idea ever? I started tracking yesterday and thought I was doing OK only to see I was 300 calories over goal for the day. I am not even sure how to stay full on 1400 calories a day with a limited grocery budget. ($50/week) I am debating just not eating save for dinner and and getting some diet pills to crush my appetite.
$50/week for 1 person is $7/day, or $2.38/meal, which honestly is pretty easy to hit (and more than I spend to feed myself). A cheese burger (~450 calories, less if you don't add mayo) is $0.65 for meat, $0.21 for cheese, $0.65 for bread, or $1.35, leaving plenty for toppings or side dishes. Granted, my prices would require you to freeze the meat and eat it often (to get better prices), but isn't unrealistic. You can then top off with a side salad with a light vinaigrette dressing for ~60 calories.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52f120cfe4b0bf8fcb650b3e/t/53f4441ae4b08fc795a1a352/1408517146323/good-and-cheap.pdf
is a good resource for ideas for food that is cheap and good.
If you want to stay fuller longer, eat things that are higher in protein and fiber as they will probably keep you fuller than a carb heavy meal. I know that if I eat a muffin (almost 500 calories and all carbs) I'm hungry very quickly afterwards. If I eat a burger it lasts me a lot longer.
EDIT: also, there is nothing wrong with 1 meal/day (essentially intermittent fasting), but if you need appetite suppressants to do it, then it isn't for you.1 -
Ramen has a ridiculous amount of sodium. Not good for retaining water.1
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I find a handful of walnuts really curbs my appetite through the day.1
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One of the absolute BIGGEST things that has helped me stay full throughout the day is just drinking a lot of water. So many of us have heard how important it is to drink plenty of fluids, but sometimes I think we mistake thirst for hunger. For my average day, I typically have a protein drink for breakfast and don't eat anything else until lunch. In between, I have a 25oz bottle of water that I fill up and finish. I can honestly say I don't get hungry until that next meal. After lunch, I fill it up again, get another 25oz (2/3 of the water my body needs for the day, at this point) before I leave the office. If I can get more (maybe part of another fill up), I'm usually in good shape to not overeat at dinner! The only negative (since water is SUPER cheap) is that you may find yourself going to the restroom more often, so time yourself and pace! I've also found it helpful to get different water flavor enhancers, in case things get a little boring. Hope this helps! 3
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I have a family of 4 (3 big guys), and usually spend around $50 a person. I'm on around 1200 a day and have an open diary if you want to check out mine. I just came back from vacation, so I just started tracking again yesterday, but yesterday was pretty typical, except for the bagels (We bought tons of fresh bagels in Montreal that we have to get rid of, and if you're going lo-carb, I wouldn't recommend them). I usually have peanut butter on an English muffin or cereal for breakfast and half a sandwich with lean deli meat for lunch. If canned tuna turns off your co-workers, you can try canned chicken; in winter, I often bring microwavable soups, such as Healthy Choice or Campbell's Chunky Select. The Healthy Choice are around $2 to $2.50 a container and around 250 calories. The garden veggie is loaded with vegetables and much healthier than Ramen. Boneless chicken breasts and thighs are good for supper and often under $2.00 a lb.1
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My usual lunch at the moment is 2 whole wheat wraps, one with peanut butter + apple slices (I like granny smith because they're slightly sour), one with chicken/turkey (those sandwich/deli slices) + bell pepper. You will use about half a small apple or half a bell pepper per wrap. The cost of peanut butter is rather negligible, and you can buy a whole bunch of whole wheat wraps once they're on sale. For those two wraps, I come in at about 400-500 calories, depending on how much butter and peanut butter you use.
Quick totals and cost estimates:
Let's say you're eating this every day - I would not recommend eating the same thing every day, but just for cost analysis - that's 7x2 = 14 wraps. So 3.5 bell peppers and 3.5 apples. Make that 7 apples so you can eat the other half of the apple together with your lunch, which will make you feel more filled without adding a whole lot of calories. One jar of peanut butter will last you a couple of weeks, and one package of sandwich/deli sliced chicken/turkey should probably last you a week as well.
14 wraps = 3 dollars
4 bell peppers = 2 dollar
7 apples = 2 dollars
chicken/turkey = 1 dollar
1 jar of peanut butter = 2 dollars
Total = 10 dollars, 8 if you already have the peanut butter.
So depending on your local prices (and whether you can stock up on things like wraps and peanut butter during a sale), you would come in around the same price as your current ramen, a bit lower on calories, and on average just a whole lot healthier than plain ramen.2 -
I just feel frustrated because a) I have a budget that I have to stick with and b) I am the only person who is honestly trying to lose weight in the house so I have to cater to other people's food choices and try to lose weight which is why my brain tripped to eating only 1X/day and using appetite suppressants.0
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