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How to begin

JoAnn9225
JoAnn9225 Posts: 2 Member
in Getting Started
Im a senior need suggestions for creating a healthy menu on a budget

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,397 Member
    Hi, and welcome! I'm a senior who's been here for a while. (OK, almost 9 years, loss then maintenance. ;) )

    My suggestion would be to log what you're eating now to start. For me, logging and reviewing my diary helped me identify foods that were contributing a lot of calories to my days, but that didn't seem subjectively worth that calorie "cost" for their satiation, nutrition, tastiness, or other reasons. Those were easy thing for me to reduce (portion size or frequency) or eliminate in order to reduce calories.

    In general, so-called whole foods will be more filling and calorie efficient for many people. (I'm talking lean proteins, whole grains, veggies/fruits.) Home cooking from scratch is a way to limit cost and control calorie level, if it's feasible for you.

    Sometimes people think that losing weight requires us to eat all "health foods" or "superfoods" or "diet foods". That's not true. There are lots of good, nutrient-dense foods that are affordable. What those are tends to differ a bit depending on where a person lives (noting that this app is international) . . . but if you're on a limited budget, you're probably already tuned in to what's affordable and practical for you.

    In particular, it's fine to use things like frozen veggies/fruits that are often less expensive than fresh. In reality, they can be more nutritious, because they're flash frozen soon out of the field, very fresh . . . whereas "fresh" veggies/fruits have been riding around in trucks/trains and sitting in warehouses/stores, losing volatile nutrients along the way.

    When I first joined MFP, I took a "gradually remodel eating" approach to hit my calorie goal, feel full and happy most of the time, get solid nutrition, etc. That kind of approach isn't perfect for everyone - no one approach is universally perfect! - but it's one possible method to consider.

    There are more details about that idea in this thread, if it appeals to you:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

    Best wishes for success: IME, the results are very much worth the effort!
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,920 Member
    edited February 2024
    People may have additional relevant suggestions if you give us an idea of what country you live in and if you're in a rural or urban environment. Food that's cost effective for me may not be for you 🙂
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,067 Member
    you might get more replies if you post your question here
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/food-and-nutrition
    along with your gender, height, weight and any restrictions to your diet - are you eating low sodium, vegetarian, any food allergies or health issues like IBS or diabetes?

    even on a tight budget, there are lots of options.

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