Need advice from anyone who has had success losing

Options
WannaBeThin87
WannaBeThin87 Posts: 58 Member
in Success Stories
I absolutely cannot afford to buy healthy food, at least not much of it anyway. All of my pervious attempts have left me broke and my grocery bill basically doubled. So my question is, for those of you that struggle financially as well and have lost the weight how did you do it? Financial hardships are the main reason I don't even bother to try and lose weight anymore. I guess I could start out by counting calories & exercising even if its just walking. Any advice?
«1

Replies

  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
    Options
    Very cheap healthy food:

    Brown rice - sold uncooked in bags the same as white rice
    Greens, veggies and fruits - there's almost always SOMETHING that's a good bargain
    Chicken - Store-brand frozen raw chicken (NOT NUGGETS) is usually a decent price or on sale
    Eggs
    Beans - There are about 3 servings of beans in a can, which can be found for a dollar or less
    Canned tuna - not really very cheap, but keep an eye out for sales
    Peanut butter - again, keep an eye out for sales

    I'm sure more people will have ideas as well.
  • Lift_This_
    Lift_This_ Posts: 2,756 Member
    Options
    Very cheap healthy food:

    Brown rice - sold uncooked in bags the same as white rice
    Greens, veggies and fruits - there's almost always SOMETHING that's a good bargain
    Chicken - Store-brand frozen raw chicken (NOT NUGGETS) is usually a decent price or on sale
    Eggs
    Beans - There are about 3 servings of beans in a can, which can be found for a dollar or less
    Canned tuna - not really very cheap, but keep an eye out for sales
    Peanut butter - again, keep an eye out for sales

    I'm sure more people will have ideas as well.

    winner winner chicken dinner!!!

    even if you buy beans in a bag....you can cook what you want, store the rest and make great meals....

    canned tuna....i buy in bulk at costco....i love it, so much cheaper.
  • wisters
    wisters Posts: 84 Member
    Options
    Please take a look at my blog, because I too could not afford to join a gym or any weight loss programs. What I did I had to do on my own.

    Good Luck!!!
  • WannaBeThin87
    WannaBeThin87 Posts: 58 Member
    Options
    What do you use to flavor your chicken & veggies.
    Wisters-I will take a look, thanks!
  • TLL09
    TLL09 Posts: 149 Member
    Options
    try focusing on what you can do. Exercise. Control your portions and let go of the idea that it is more expensive to eat healthy. Homemade dishes made with whole foods ( as in unprocessed) tend to have more servings, freeze the leftovers for quick meals in the future. Good Luck!
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    Options
    I found this link the other day about eating healthy on a budget
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/10/11/how-to-eat-healthy-without-breaking-the-bank/
    and even though they focus on a paleo diet, most of what they say goes for all types of healthy eating.
  • WannaBeThin87
    WannaBeThin87 Posts: 58 Member
    Options
    tamaral09-Eating healthy is more expensive, my grocery bills have proved it. I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to losing weight. My boyfriend is skinny & eats whatever he wants so if I want to lose weight I will have to make something separate for myself which I don't have a problem doing...I'm just looking for advice & trying to find out what everyone else has done to lose weight when money is really tight.
  • WannaBeThin87
    WannaBeThin87 Posts: 58 Member
    Options
    elyelyse-thanks, i love that link!
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,407 Member
    Options
    Shop at a fruit market instead of the supermarket. You will find the meat butcher is less expensive at the fruit market than at the supermarket. Buy fresh vegetables and fruit. You will find that cereals, dairy, bread cakes and other prepackaged food so expensive there that you won't buy them. Tada, healthy food on a budget! For the best deals, try ethnic fruit markets - Hispanic, Asian or Mediterranean - these nationalities tend to like cooking their special dishes at home than buying prepackaged anything, so you get great deals. Easy, cheap healthy fruit market dinners:

    Rice, fish, salad
    Whole wheat tortillas w chicken or lean beef
    Chicken and veggie soup
    Breakfast: cream of wheat (delicious and filling at 230 calories)
    Rice and beans, meat, chicken or fish
    Breakfast: fresh fruit, toast, tea

    If you are not used to cooking, have fun, it's a culinary adventure. If you must have prepackaged food, go to thegrocerygame.com - they help you combine store sales and coupons for serious savings (like half). Don't make excuses!
  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
    Options
    Eating healthy is more expensive, my grocery bills have proved it.


    If you follow portion sizes you get a pretty good deal on the healthy food. I know when I ate unhealthy, if something said it was 6 servings my wife and I would split it between us. So the one item of unhealthy food that may have been .29 cheaper in the store lasted us one meal. So now we break the healthy food into the 6 portions and it will go for 3 meals between us. .29 well spent i'd say.
  • awackywabbit
    awackywabbit Posts: 10
    Options
    Farmer's markets also offer great fresh grown fruits and veggies straight from the grower and is often cheaper then the grocery store.

    This site will help you find one in your area: http://www.localharvest.org/
  • healthyliving_girl
    healthyliving_girl Posts: 290 Member
    Options
    I change what I eat based on what is on sale. :)

    What I have found on sale regularly...

    bags of spinach, salad, or cabbage (there are so many different brands that at least one brand is on sale).
    tuna pouches when they are on sale for less than $2 and stock up
    ground beef (buy in bulk, brown the meat and store in individual servings for the future)
    and obviously, various fruits and veggies.

    ...sometimes I can get avocados super cheap. However, today I saw them in the store for $2.49 each. WTF? I passed on the avocados for today.

    The only thing is you'll probably have to be more open to trying a variety of foods - shopping by sale items versus specific foods.
  • kenny_johnson
    kenny_johnson Posts: 108 Member
    Options
    The truth is, you don't need to eat healthy foods to lose weight. Eating healthier foods is ideal, of course -- but, it's more about calories in, calories out.

    Here's an easy example with less healthy options:
    Mcdonalds: Angus Bacon & Cheese Burger (790 calories), Large Fries (500 calories), Large Coke (310 calories) = 1600 calories
    Mcdonalds: McDouble Burger (390 calories), Small Fries (230 calories), Large Diet Coke (0 calories) = 620 calories

    So "healthy foods are expensive" is not a good excuse for not losing weight.

    But as others have said, you can eat healthy (veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, beans) for reasonable prices. I do a mixture of trying to make healthier choices and eating less calories of the bad stuff. I still eat pizza, burgers, hot dogs etc, but I'll eat less or make "better" options. For example, Hebrew National makes a 97% fat free all-beef frank that is only 40 calories!
  • kittyconni
    kittyconni Posts: 62
    Options
    I eat lots of veggies and chicken. Salad fixins are really inexpensive and you can buy Walden Farms Dressings for about the same price as you can get any other dressing for. ( I pay 2.89 for a bottle and it is carb free, calorie free, gluten free, sugar free, fat free and cholesterol free). They also have bar b q sauces, peanut butters, jelly, mayo...alot of stuff!)

    Eggs are a good source of protein too and you can most always get them on sale!

    Good luck!!
  • goncountry
    goncountry Posts: 75 Member
    Options
    If you shop later at night in the produce section, things are marked down a good bit because they need to restock. Tonight I saw bags of spinach for 1.00 each. Granted, you have to eat it pretty quickly, but you can't beat that price and it's cheaper than a burger! Keep an eye out for what fruit is on sale with your weekly ads. I like to buy a rotisserie chicken and make a few meals out of it. Canned beans go on sale a good bit. I know nuts are expensive, but they are great for helping out with your appetite. I keep some in my car for emergencies so I don't stop and eat a candy bar or something. You can order large containers of nuts on walmart.com. I do this sometimes.
  • mjtull
    mjtull Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    Cucumber, tomato salad with onions and very low 10 calorie dressing. Fat free cottege cheese with fresh strawberries, Frozen diet meals 2.00 each like Healthy Choice Top Chef, summer sqash or zukeni. Ultra lean hamberger, cereal with fresh berries fresh or from the bag, poched eggs with two pieces of bacon, egg beaters with peppers or onions. No bread very little pasta, no juice. Skim milk and coffee. If I eat out its a salad with low, low calorie dressing. Usually about 1000 calories per day.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    Options
    Before I joined MFP I lost 35 lbs. What did I do? I ate less CRAP (Carbonated Drinks, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners & colors, process foods) and I ate more FOOD (fruits & veggies, organic lean protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and drink 8 cups of water)

    Addiction to sugars, caffeine, and "convenient" processed foods was the hard part. But after I ditched all that, it was easy to lose weight. You either live to eat, or eat to live...

    Oh, and I also completely ditched the wheat, rye, and barley products. Our body wasn't created to eat grass like cow so I dumped that stuff. Sure, fiber was hard at first, but now I get all my fiber from veggies and fruit. If I REALLY need fiber, I'll eat popcorn, rice, or extra servings of peas.

    A cheap meal that I've been eating is 1/2 cup gluten free rice krispies cereal, 1 bag of frozen "fiesta" mixed vegetables, 2 tablespoons of pico de gallo, and on the side I'll drink water. Effectively 130 calorie meal and it is quite filling and high on the healthy carbs (and the cereal is fortified with vitamins).

    I went from 210 to 160 from April to the end of July, just by doing the above.

    Good luck on your adventure.
  • macx2mommy
    macx2mommy Posts: 170 Member
    Options
    It would help to know what you at eating now that you feel is cheaper. What is you budget?

    I am sure I could find a way to subsitute and make it comparable. The key I did learn in eating is that it can be cheap, and healthy, but you must be flexible and creative. I had to do a lot of creative meals, and make things that I had no idea what to do with, also you have to be open to new foods.

    Shop only on sale. Make sure you know the prices of things. When there is a good deal, stock up., use coupons, don't let anything go to waste, buy in season or discounted items. Find ways to freeze things, and make large batches. I used to buy fruits and veggies when there was a great sale. Bought cherries for $1.49 a pound, usually $5 a pound. And n the winter up to $11. I went I bought 20 lbs. I have pitted all of them and froze them. Am good Neil next year. I did the same with chicken and ground beef. For ground beef, I buy when on sale, and if the lean isn't available, I will buy regula. As soon as I get home, will fry a lot of the ground beef with onion and garlic and drain out the oil, and put them in ziploc bags frozen. I stopped buying soda, and drink water, the kids get mlk.

    There are many things on can do to cut groceries.
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
    Options
    first of all- where do you live? so i can see what stores are avaliable
  • Bigjayinga
    Bigjayinga Posts: 128 Member
    Options
    What's is your budget?

Categories

Do you Love MyFitnessPal? Have you crushed a goal or improved your life through better nutrition using MyFitnessPal?
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!