17yrs old. 220lbs. want to be in the 160 area! needs support

crazycheermonkey

well basically i need support and some CHEAP recipes to help me through this! i live in a house with 11 other people and all of then are overweight except one. so you can imagine it wont be easy to do this alone!
i am starting my new "diet" tomorrow. this includes cutting out soda completely. walking or some kind of activity for at least 30-45mins a day. eating better but, again, cheap. and trying to keep my calorie intake around 1,260. also,, i am home-schooled so i have the access to eat whenever i want. i tend to eat out of boredom. i eat sunflower seeds when i can to keep me from eating things like chips. not sure if its a good substitute or not!
this is for anyone and everyone who needs and can give support and throw in tips and such :]

CandiesAndSweets

Welcome to the community! Congratulations on making such a great decision for yourself! It sounds like you got a good plan going for you. So go for it!! You can definitely do it!! :flowerforyou:

mamakathy

You can do it! It sounds like you have a good plan. There is a lot of great support here. Add me if you'd like.

nisijam5

What is in the food budget for food...what kind of cheap meals are you looking for?

biceptor

you can do it just keep a positive mental attitude about it, and when things get tough remember it's going to be worth it. one of the best things you can do is to gradually ease yourself into it. i'm an exercise science and health major and am also studying psychology, so things like behavior change are my focus. i would recommend not trying to cut something out entirely, especially if it's something you're used to having because your body will feel like it's going into withdraws and you'll crave it. let's say you have 7 sodas every week, i would try to cut it down by 1 soda every week so 6 weeks from now you'll only be having 1 or maybe even no soda at all through the week. like i said, this will make it easier on you, and you won't feel like you're giving up as much. also, try to substitute white meat for red meat whenever possible. i know turkey isn't the cheapest, and that's one of your biggest concerns, but i'm a college kid and i know what it's like to live on a budget. the ground turkey tastes almost the same as ground beef, but is so much healthier for you. tuna is a good investment that i have made, and that's really cheap. one can of tuna is good for a couple of sandwiches and cans only cost a dollar if not less. fresh fruits and vegetables and yogurt are good things to have around to snack on and you can make smoothies. anything with a high amount of protein is going to promote a lean body which will help increase your metabolism. also, don't be afraid if you hit a plateau sometime. just fight through it, and maybe switch up what you're doing in terms of a workout to promote muscle confusion.

I hope this helps! let me know if you need anything else

crazycheermonkey

well i currently have no job. and like i said i live with A LOT of people and only one person working in the house. so my budget isnt very big. but i could buy in bulk if it would save me money and get m more meals than just buying things here and there. i think dinners and snacks is where a lot of my problems come from because i dont eat that much throughout the day.

idahogirl71

It is awesome that you are wanting to do something about this now. The longer you wait the harder it seems to be to lose it. I started dieting at age 9, but never stuck with it til now. This is a great place to start and lots of support on here. If you utilize the tools and add friends on here to support you, you will not be bogged down by being the only one in your house on this journey. You have to do this for you, not for anyone else.

Be sure to check out the recipe section on here. There are a lot of great ideas. Best wishes to you in your journey. Feel free to add me if you would like.

mommybear0922

Good luck on your weightloss journey! I too am aiming to get down to about 160. Feel free to add me if you like

woja9640

Hey sweetie, go ahead and add me as a friend. I have quite a few recipes that are low cost, low cal AND delicious.

Nachos - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/201660-low-cal-nachos?page=1#posts-2664230

Mini Pizzas - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/201647-mini-pizzas

Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/196303-spaghetti-and-ground-turkey-meatballs


Here's a hint - 1 serving of ground turkey is 4 oz. You can get 4 meals out of 1 lb of ground turkey.

Also, you can make a mozzerella bake using 1 serving of egg noodles, 1 serving of spaghetti sauce and 1 serving of non-fat mozzerella cheese. Cook the noodles first on the stove, preheat the oven to 425. Once the noodles are done, in a pie tin you mix the noodles and sauce then top with the cheese and you have a meal that is only 220 calories.

Hope this helps!

crazycheermonkey

thanks so much!
thats a good idea about cutting back easily. we always have soda in the house so i drink a lot of it. i dont mind some diet soda so maybe i could switch to that and cut back gradually from that. i dont love the stuff so im thinking that may be even easier on me. :]
thank you for the support!!!

Mellissande

I don't know if this is the case for you, But when I was 17 I only ate twice a day, Supper and School lunch and I gained weight like nobody's business. The more often you eat the more your metabolism will raise so if you're noticing you tend to eat 1 or two large meals a day, try doing 2-3 regular meals with small snacks in between. And congrats on doing what's right for you. We all know it's not easy at all, but You'll always have support on here if you need it

nisijam5

I think what you need to do is find some websites that offer basic recipes with 5 or fewer ingrediants. Try allrecipes.com or cookinglight.com. Try to eliminate processed foods. When you go shopping, try to stay out of the aisles for the most part. Shop for fresh or frozen fruits and veggies and lean meats.

Learn to cook, it's the most important skill you can learn
Freeze meals when you cook
Soups go a long way and fill you up
Try to plant some potted veggies like tomatoes and cuks, which are easy to grow
Log your calories and watch where your weak spots
Give yourself an occasional treat so you don't feel deprived
Get up and move, you can google the couch to 5K (C25K) to burn extra calories, walking and running are free

Melissa83

Thats awesome I so cheer you on. Do you have a wii if so I can lend you some of my actives I have if not try going to the Library they have an amazing selection on getting fit. I have a really good recipe it for Chicken Parmesan (I lovvvvvvvvvvvve) All you do is take two chicken tenders, put them in a pan and with this amazing marina sauce you can make I will post tomorrow put alittle over it with mozzerella cheese and then use whole wheat pasta. It tastes Great!!!

crazycheermonkey

thanks!!
im going to try to get the stuff for alot of these!
and yes i do have a wii :] il tell you what,, that sword fighting game on the resort disc is a workout all its own! lol

elliecolorado

Ground turkey is good and can be bought in bulk, just divide it into serving size portions and freeze. Also tuna is affordable and healthy (in water). If you have a sweet tooth, sugar free jello or pudding. Veggies, frozen veggies are cheaper.

Good luck to you, and feel free to add me as a friend!

SylentZee

I agree with Biceptor, tuna, turkey, fruits and veggies are an awesome choice. Diet Coke is good if you like to have flavor with your food, which is something I enjoy to have with a meal, water can get dull at times. Personally the diet coke has been coming in handy with drinking alcohol lol, diet coke and vodka are way better then beer or a long island.

Melissa just made me hungry with the chicken parm comment, geez

heartpdx

i know how hard it is to lose weight when you don't have much money.

cheapest and best things to buy to keep healthy while you are on a low cal diet:

-beans (come cheap in a bag, are a great source of protein, and go with lots of other things)
-tuna (also cheap and a great source of protein. try having it with salsa instead of mayo)
-fruit and veggies (go for what is in season and you will save money. buy fresh when on sale and frozen when its not) you will find during your journey to a healthy weight that the real bum kickers are sodium and carbs--so frozen meals and other "fast" foods aren't worth the monetary savings.
-oatmeal (usually cheap, super filling, and you can sweeten it up with a little sugar and cinammon)

eating at home is always a cheaper, healthier option, and if you can buy dry or frozen of above in bulk then more power to you.

well done making the committment at such and early age! and if everyone in your house truly is also overweight, why not encourage everyone to participate? it always helps to have the people you live with support your journey, and buying together you can save a lot of money (and trade off cooking, too!)

good luck! i have friended you, so please feel free to ask for help or whatever you need.

crazycheermonkey

thank you thankfully we have a lot of beans (however,, ICK! haha)
and the oatmeal is a great idea :]] i know it fills me up! and i like to use about half the milk in it so its thicker. more filling that way. :]
we have a lot of canned veggies, but if i eat that i will be draining them of all the nasty juices and not adding salt or butter to them like normal! i appreciate the support it means so much to me!!