Keto on a budget
Replies
-
If I were going to plan my food around this chart, I would eat way more potatoes since they are apparently super satisfying.1
-
tcunbeliever wrote: »If I were going to plan my food around this chart, I would eat way more potatoes since they are apparently super satisfying.
Key points here before you make that statement is those with glucose intolerance were not included in the study, and these are plain potatoes - as in no salt, no butter, no cheese, no bacon, etc. They were just plain potatoes. It may have been less about satiety and more fear they were going to be forced to eat more of something so bland.2 -
Soaringrose wrote: »That’s great! Should I google grocery outlet or do u know of names of stores?
I just googled grocery outlets near me.
If you have an Aldis or a Trader Joe's... Those are the best cheap groceries in my opinion. Both owned by the same company.
Unfortunately, I have neither. I drive two hours to get to Trader Joe's in Olympia, WA once a month and stock up. I don't think there's Aldis within a two hour drive.0 -
cstehansen wrote: »Versicolour wrote: »My problem is I never ate the cereals in the first place. Egg and toast was my standard breakfast. Two slices of bread is still cheaper than an egg.
Plus I think my body is broken. I am never not hungry. It takes daily force of will to not snack, regardless of what I am eating. I was eating 40gr carbs per day max for three months and I was a miserable dragon I was so hangry
I understand the "always hungry" thing. My wife knew to ask "how hungry are you?" rather than "are you hungry?" when trying to start dinner.
Please take my comments as I intend which is to be helpful. Everyone here has had struggles. I was just talking to someone this morning about how I am like the food version of an alcoholic. It is easier for me to not eat than to have portion control. Back in the day, if a restaurant had a buffet, they did not like seeing me walk through the door because they were going to lose money on me. Now that I am at goal weight and have my BG under control, I will occasionally visit a restaurant that has all you can eat, but what I eat is very different, and I make plans around timing it.
You mention capping at 40 g of carbs a day, but that is only a partial story. For me, I might have 60 a day, but because of what I eat, half or more may be fiber and, given there is about 0.6 g of carbs in an egg, I could have about 6 of those from eggs since I can easily eat 10 in a day. I also eat 3500 calories a day, so many of those carbs could be in very small amounts in other foods. However, if I were to eat 40 g of carbs with almost none of them being fiber and it was on a 1200 calorie a day diet, that would be much different.
I know many claim that fat is satiating, but research shows protein is the most satiating macronutrient and fiber helps as well. When I say protein, I am not talking about highly refined protein like protein powders. I mean real protein. I can't imagine trying to eat even eat close to 1200 calories of tuna for instance where it is almost entirely protein. This is why body builders will eat super lean protein and a little non-starchy veggies (i.e. broccoli, spinach, etc.) when they are cutting weight for a show. It is the only way they can cut and not be super hungry given how hard they are pushing it at the gym.
If constant hunger is an issue, I would suggest increasing the protein and not eating any carbs (outside of the minimal tag along carbs like in eggs) that are not at least 50% fiber.
As for bread, white bread was used in a study measuring satiety of numerous foods as the baseline. Basically, everything except other bakery items and snacks/confectionery items had better satiety than white bread.
Here is a link to the study. You can scroll to page 8 to see the chart.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Petocz/publication/15701207_A_Satiety_Index_of_common_foods/links/00b495189da413c16d000000/A-Satiety-Index-of-common-foods.pdf
Thank you for this. I guess I am just really frustrated. I am the only person in the house trying to eat this way and when mac and cheese is the cheapest meal for 6 people, there's not much option for me to cook separate meals for myself.
I really do appreciate your help. I will have to put a lot of thought into meals that will fit the budget and the macros1 -
Versicolour wrote: »cstehansen wrote: »Versicolour wrote: »My problem is I never ate the cereals in the first place. Egg and toast was my standard breakfast. Two slices of bread is still cheaper than an egg.
Plus I think my body is broken. I am never not hungry. It takes daily force of will to not snack, regardless of what I am eating. I was eating 40gr carbs per day max for three months and I was a miserable dragon I was so hangry
I understand the "always hungry" thing. My wife knew to ask "how hungry are you?" rather than "are you hungry?" when trying to start dinner.
Please take my comments as I intend which is to be helpful. Everyone here has had struggles. I was just talking to someone this morning about how I am like the food version of an alcoholic. It is easier for me to not eat than to have portion control. Back in the day, if a restaurant had a buffet, they did not like seeing me walk through the door because they were going to lose money on me. Now that I am at goal weight and have my BG under control, I will occasionally visit a restaurant that has all you can eat, but what I eat is very different, and I make plans around timing it.
You mention capping at 40 g of carbs a day, but that is only a partial story. For me, I might have 60 a day, but because of what I eat, half or more may be fiber and, given there is about 0.6 g of carbs in an egg, I could have about 6 of those from eggs since I can easily eat 10 in a day. I also eat 3500 calories a day, so many of those carbs could be in very small amounts in other foods. However, if I were to eat 40 g of carbs with almost none of them being fiber and it was on a 1200 calorie a day diet, that would be much different.
I know many claim that fat is satiating, but research shows protein is the most satiating macronutrient and fiber helps as well. When I say protein, I am not talking about highly refined protein like protein powders. I mean real protein. I can't imagine trying to eat even eat close to 1200 calories of tuna for instance where it is almost entirely protein. This is why body builders will eat super lean protein and a little non-starchy veggies (i.e. broccoli, spinach, etc.) when they are cutting weight for a show. It is the only way they can cut and not be super hungry given how hard they are pushing it at the gym.
If constant hunger is an issue, I would suggest increasing the protein and not eating any carbs (outside of the minimal tag along carbs like in eggs) that are not at least 50% fiber.
As for bread, white bread was used in a study measuring satiety of numerous foods as the baseline. Basically, everything except other bakery items and snacks/confectionery items had better satiety than white bread.
Here is a link to the study. You can scroll to page 8 to see the chart.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Petocz/publication/15701207_A_Satiety_Index_of_common_foods/links/00b495189da413c16d000000/A-Satiety-Index-of-common-foods.pdf
Thank you for this. I guess I am just really frustrated. I am the only person in the house trying to eat this way and when mac and cheese is the cheapest meal for 6 people, there's not much option for me to cook separate meals for myself.
I really do appreciate your help. I will have to put a lot of thought into meals that will fit the budget and the macros
I really do feel your pain. My wife is a vegetarian (not vegan as she does eat dairy and eggs) and if my daughter had her way, she would live solely on mac & cheese, cheese quesadillas and grilled cheese. I have had good enough health improvements over the last 4+ years that I have at least gotten the bread and pasta consumption dramatically reduced in my household and made some inroads in getting my wife to actually be a vegetarian and not a pasta-tarian.
The best way to get them to change is for you to change and demonstrate the health benefits. Good luck. It is not easy, but then again, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it and we wouldn't have a world wide epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.3 -
Jumping up and down for the kangaroo mince.
It's close to the same price as gr. beef and I live in Western Canada. It's better tasting than beef and more tender even when well done. 2 -
Thanks for the OP video. I really liked it. She has some great ideas.0
-
I think eggs are my quickest and cheapest go-to when doing a pasta meal for the rest of the family...granted, if we are having meat in the pasta, then I can usually set aside some for me, but sometimes when I'm trying to stretch the meat and put it all in the pasta, then there's always eggs for me.
Omelettes with veggies and cheese, or lunchmeat and cheese.
Fried eggs with a sprinkling of old bay.
Fried eggs with some cheese on top either shredded or just plain sliced american.
Eggs can be paired with whatever is laying around that needs to be used from the refrigerator. Have a portion of leftover broccoli that no one is eating...scramble it in eggs...have a half piece of chicken laying around...chop it for an omelette...have some random hot dog leftover...slice and mix in some eggs.
Plus, they don't take long to cook up, so it's not a huge amount of effort.7 -
I'm always surprised in the price difference for items that are exactly the same at various grocery stores. It really does pay to shop around. The problem with that is the ability to "shop around" is time and transportation dependent. There are many people frankly, that don't have the access to the transportation required, and/or don't have the means to make the time required to visit multiple stores/markets.
I get in serious food ruts, but I usually don't mind them. LOL However, when I'm trying to break out of one I'll scout out the sale meats. You know, the stuff that needs to be used or frozen by tomorrow. I've found some things I wouldn't normally buy and found that I like them!3 -
I'm always surprised in the price difference for items that are exactly the same at various grocery stores. It really does pay to shop around. The problem with that is the ability to "shop around" is time and transportation dependent. There are many people frankly, that don't have the access to the transportation required, and/or don't have the means to make the time required to visit multiple stores/markets.
I get in serious food ruts, but I usually don't mind them. LOL However, when I'm trying to break out of one I'll scout out the sale meats. You know, the stuff that needs to be used or frozen by tomorrow. I've found some things I wouldn't normally buy and found that I like them!
Agree, it's a pain to shop around and compare prices.
But I do it, I hate grocery shopping and having to hit three different stores every outing gets old.
But half and half at local grocery store is $8.00 for a little quart. Walmart is $5.00 for half gallon, and the chain grocer is $3.00 for half gallon, local brand.
Cheese 1 3/4 cup shredded cheddar at local grocer $6.00. $4.99 for the big bag at chain grocer for local brand.
But have memorized the price differences and have shopping list for each store separated.
1 -
Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »Cheese 1 3/4 cup shredded cheddar at local grocer $6.00. $4.99 for the big bag at chain grocer for local brand.
Better read the ingredient list on that shredded cheese; most has potato starch, cellulose, or similar added to keep it from clumping together. I buy block cheese and shred it with a grater as needed.
3 -
shelbydodgeguy wrote: »Emmapatterson1729 wrote: »Cheese 1 3/4 cup shredded cheddar at local grocer $6.00. $4.99 for the big bag at chain grocer for local brand.
Better read the ingredient list on that shredded cheese; most has potato starch, cellulose, or similar added to keep it from clumping together. I buy block cheese and shred it with a grater as needed.
I usually eat almost all organic and all non-gmo. And am obsessed with label reading. But recent circumstances have prevented eating the way I like. I'm having to compromise my food ethics lately. I even ate gmo frozen ground beef recently.. It was so disgusting!
But soon, I'll be back to my favorite foods...I can't wait!! As soon as my house has more paychecks coming in, it'll be back to all organics (organic block cheese, grass fed beefs and free-range chickens)...
Getting teary eyed just thinking about it!!! lol.1 -
Do you mean beef fed GMO corn? I don't think there are any GM'd animals on the market (yet.)
There are GMO salmon on the market in Canada now though. It is NOT labeled as such but is farmed salmon. Any 'wild-caught' or Pacific salmon is natural - only some farmed Atlantic salmon are GMO.[The GM salmon is currently only produced (on land) at a pilot plant run by AquaBounty in Panama. AquaBounty got permission from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in April 2019 to produce GM salmon at an on-land site in PEI – the company says they will produce 250 tonnes of GM salmon in PEI, starting in 2020. (PEI = Prince Edward Island - a province in maritime Canada)/quote] https://cban.ca/gmos/products/ge-animals/ge-fish/how-to-avoid-eating-gm-salmon/0 -
I'm pretty sure the ground beef I ate a week ago was "pink slime."
The US has changed labeling laws to allow pink slime to be labeled ground beef, erg. They also changed laws to not monitor or regulate what is considered "grass fed." I hate the government corruption in the US food!!!
I agree on the salmon. I only eat wild caught usually Alaskan.2 -
ARGH!
The pink slime being ground beef slipped right past me...<sigh>1 -
So just out of curiosity, how much are you guys spending on groceries per month?
I'm sure everyone has a certain budget and depends on family counts. Since I started Keto/low carb for myself and BF (kids are eating my keto+ carbs) I'm spending $100/week easily. That's a increase of $100+ more a month that I used to spend. (family of 4)0 -
I have a family of 4 and I budget $200/week...that includes food, paper products, cleaning supplies, pet food, basically anything you would pick up at a grocery store...we have 2 adults and 2 teenagers...I'm pretty sure the teenagers eat $150/week...none of us really eat breakfast, but the kids both pack lunches and snacks plus dinner at home every night...they are both really active too, so a decent amount gets spent on Gatorade and Body Armor each week.1
-
I'm on a very very low budget right now, just moved, started a part time job, checks are peanuts!!
Family of three.
This is why we're living on eggs and cheese at the moment... Lately, spending around $100 every two weeks.
LOL my 2wk shopping list lately
$5 2lb bag monteray Jack
$5 2lb bag sharp cheddar
$12 coffee
$8 stevia
$8 1 gallon half and half
$12 3 lbs ground beef
$8 4 lbs chicken
$5 eggs 24-60
I stock up once a month at Trader Joe's for olive oil, coconut oil, butter, canned foods, good cheeses, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and frozen veggies, ...2 grocery carts full is usually $80-$130
4 -
I'm impressed @Emmapatterson1729!
@tcunbeliever I know what you mean by hungry teenager! My son is always looking something to eat in the fridge, pantry or cabinets (where I hide the cookies!)
I know I should probably stick to more of the same dishes and limit my grocery list.
The kids don't like school lunches so I have to pack everyday. I have been packing my lunch for over 10 years. I go out rarely because I want to use my lunch break outside doing something.
I do Costco run 1x a month and I blow $200 easy. Mostly Salmon, Beef, Ground meat, Chicken and Nuts, Cheese then other stuff as we need. Cereal, pasta, snacks for kids.
I like going to a local farmers market for produce as they are Fresh and Cheaper than others. But I also do Aldi when I can't make it to the market where I would spend $100/week now...
I think I need to look at what I am making and buying. I wanna be more budget savvy but don't want to eat boring. I'm gonna see if I can shop my pantry and freezer the rest of the month as much as possible!2 -
I use a cash system to stay on target with budgeting...because I'm terrible at tracking things...but if I look in the envelope and there's no money, well, then there's no shopping until payday.3
-
@Emmapatterson1729 : this is $5.95 at Trader Joe's. 622 servings. Whole foods has the same with their 365 label. Maybe you have tried it already?
2 -
@Emmapatterson1729 : this is $5.95 at Trader Joe's. 622 servings. Whole foods has the same with their 365 label. Maybe you have tried it already?
I have not tried it yet. I'll, definitely, check it out on my next monthly trip to Trader Joe's in Olympia.
I miss Aldis!! Owned by the same company, but even cheaper than Trader Joe's!!2 -
At first I worried about the grocery bills because the price of what we were adding, like more meat; but then I realized how much stuff we're giving up and how much less of good, satiating foods we need. Overall we do save money.
That's the gist, but just going thru more details for anyone interested:
We buy twice as much meat and eggs than we used to, but I get 60 eggs now for under $5 so that's not bad. We always bought butter, cheese, lunch meat, etc. I switched from half & half to heavy cream for my coffee, which is more expensive but lasts way longer.
Not getting cereal anymore has saved me a bundle on milk! We don't buy it anymore.
For meat we stock up during sales-- If you can invest in bulk and split it up, it goes a long way and you spend significantly less per oz, it pays to set aside a bit to do that. Last week I just bought a $60 sirloin tip roast at $5.99 per pound and cut it up into about 20 steaks-- hard to get steaks at under $6 per pound otherwise. I also bought a 40 lbs box of chicken breast at $1.65 per pound. Last month Food Lion had .59 cent per pound 10-lb chicken leg quarter bags, I bought 6 of them. Tomorrow I'm heading to Aldis for their $2.19 per pound ground sirloin sale. I also have things like bacon, pork chops, pork loins, ham, beef liver, etc. stocked up in the freezer from when they were on sale... of course I keep all bones and fat trimmings and make use of them as well.
Great part about stocking up on meat sales is not just that it's cheaper in the long run, but also if you are strapped for a month you have enough in bulk to get you through without having to worry about laying out money for groceries.
Tuna & sardines are quite cheap, esp. if stocking up on sale, and quite a healthy & filling meal. A buck per meal is a good deal.
We used to spend a lot on potatoes, mangos, apples, pears, oranges, grapes, etc. but now that the sweet tooth and carb cravings are tamed our servings are much, much smaller. Now we get mostly leafy greens, cabbage, onions, peppers, and cucumbers, berries and the occasional melon, I'd say overall I spend less at the produce stand than I used to.
Eliminating sugar, sugary snacks, carby snacks, cereal (oh how much cereal we went through), frozen meals like waffles and chicken nuggets and hot pockets & pizzas, most artificial sweeteners, soft drinks & drink mixes, pastas, rice, breads & bread products from slice bread to bagels & rolls, noodles, crackers, canned soups, salad dressings, sauces (bbq, teriyaki, etc.), ice cream, chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, popcorn, flour & baking ingredients, etc.... that has taken quite a chuck off our grocery bill that can be used towards more meat.
Also we rarely if ever eat out anymore. Not that we did much before, but at least 2 or 3 times per month we'd find ourselves going thru a drive thru for a fast food meal, or a giant sugar bomb cup of coffee for $6 a pop. That's a huge savings, though I never calculated it in my grocery money so I'm not sure how much but probably over $50 per month.
Some things we have added to the shopping list includes electrolyte supplements, psyllium husks, allulose (used very sparingly for egg white breads), pork rinds, bottled water (where we live the water quality is not too good and we're drinking so much more of it). Oh, and unsweetened seltzer cans make a nice treat for a meal once in a while. We spend a little more on almonds instead of peanuts, and nut butters with no sugar added, but again we're using much less in quantity.
Keeping up with buying butter probably costs a bit more than the cheap seed oils we used to use, but is a worthy place to splurge. I also buy tallow at the butcher for like $8 a pint, but that lasts for months. And I reserve bacon grease for cooking, so that's a savings.
Also we used to generally eat 3 meals per day + snacks & infrequent junk food binges... now we're satisfied most days with 2 meals, or 1 meal & a snack.
Funny, I used to not worry about a $5 splurge on a bag of Doritos even if it wasn't on my shopping list, but somehow managed to squeeze it in the budget. I had to remind myself of that with the meat prices or the prices of electrolyte supplements made me cringe lol. For some reason I was always more readily willing to shell out for a junk food splurge than for good, wholesome foods. Terrible mindset, thankfully broke that habit.
1
