Need advice from anyone who has had success losing

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?
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Replies

  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
    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
    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
    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
    What do you use to flavor your chicken & veggies.
    Wisters-I will take a look, thanks!
  • TLL09
    TLL09 Posts: 125 Member
    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
    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
    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
    elyelyse-thanks, i love that link!
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
    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
    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.
  • 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
    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
    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!
  • 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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    first of all- where do you live? so i can see what stores are avaliable
  • Bigjayinga
    Bigjayinga Posts: 128 Member
    What's is your budget?
  • CJisinShape
    CJisinShape Posts: 1,404 Member
    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

    For example, Hebrew National makes a 97% fat free all-beef frank that is only 40 calories!

    Thanks for the tip!!!
  • ShaneOSX
    ShaneOSX Posts: 198
    Getting a membership to a place like BJ's, Costco, or Sam's Club might be very helpful if that's an option for you. Buying in bulk is almost always cheaper.

    Also Trader Joe's is quite cheap and among the healthiest stores if you have one near you.
  • I change what I eat based on what is on sale. :)

    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.

    ^ This! I'm a graduate student and this year I spend all my free time doing a clinical placement (unpaid) at the hospital plus my five classes so I understand money being tight but changing what you eat based on sales really helps. I also live in NYC which is super expensive and it even helped here :) Throughout the year I saved SO much just by being flexible and stocking up on meats when they were marked down. Plus I discovered lots of new fun foods!
  • WannaBeThin87
    WannaBeThin87 Posts: 58 Member
    I live in PA & including myself there's 3 to feed. We try to spend about $100 a wk at most & that adds up quickly when I'm trying to buy healthy foods to myself and other foods for my bf & our son
  • amytag
    amytag Posts: 206 Member
    Shop sales, and clip coupons. Most stores offer double-coupon weeks each month. Use this time to stock up on non-perishables. Ground turkey is healthier, and cheaper than, ground beef. Buy store brands - they often have less calories than the national brands.

    Buy fresh produce when it's in season. Cherries are under $2/lb for me right now. Freeze them and you'll have good nutrition in the winter. Next go for frozen veggies. I also buy 5lb bags of potatoes and use them for soups, baked, or roasted.

    Breakfast foods are cheaper too, so consider eating them for dinner. Example: scrambled eggs with wheat toast and some fruit. Or a veggie omelet.

    I generally spend $75 per week for a family of 4.
  • kittyr77
    kittyr77 Posts: 419 Member
    Buy a big bag of oatmeal for porridge for breakfast, really cheap, nutritious and filling. You can add a half banana or some honey to sweeten.
    Whole wheat pasta and brown rice are healthier and more filling and still quite cheap, potatoes you can buy cheap too
    Cheaper proteins include lentils, pulses, "basics" range fish (not pretty cuts but abslutely nothing wrong with it!), turkey tends to be cheaper than chicken
    Fruit and veg often cheaper at local greengrocer than supermarket
    Buy in bulk on offer and freeze what you dont need right now
    Make big meals (casseroles etc) and freeze portions for later
    Make pasta sauces out of tinned tomatoes, onion, dried herbs, can make a big batch and freeze.
    A lot of unhealthy convenience foods are actually more expensive.
    I lived like this ^^^ years ago when i was a student and i looked pretty good! :D
  • misstori09
    misstori09 Posts: 41 Member
    Hi, I am in the same position. However, quitting is not an option since I need to lose weight to improve my quality of life. I shop at a store called Sav-A-Lot, and let me tell you this is the best store! The price of the fresh fruits and vegetables are sooooo much cheaper than the regular grocery stores. So don't get discouraged, check around and see what you can come up with. Good Luck


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  • AmyS79
    AmyS79 Posts: 65
    All you need is meat, fruit veggies.grains all the other stuff you dont need. 100 calorie pack stuff I feel is a wast of money it dont fill you up and you need to overcome cravings for those foods to enjoy whole food.
  • _quirky_girl_
    _quirky_girl_ Posts: 27 Member
    I buy fruit and veg that is on sale and then work my weekly menu around it. I eat beans and eggs for protein. I make my own bread. I buy no processed food except for corn flakes and soy milk. It is inexpensive to eat this way but it can also be a lot of work to turn raw ingredients into a meal. I know that not everyone has the time to eat this way but it works for me.
  • toysbigkid
    toysbigkid Posts: 545 Member
    I'm in the same boat, cut calories and exercise...that's how I have been losing it. I try to cut out as much proccessed as I can and buy as much fresh as possible...Good luck!!!!
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