Losing weight with no money?

Eating on a budget is not hard, in fact, it should be easier, use portion control and you will see those grocery dollars stretch! You dont have to buy the expensive stuff to lose weight. Buy chicken breast on sale, canned tuna, frozen fish, frozen veggies, whole wheat bread costs the same as white bread, peanut butter goes a very long way (keeping in mind 2tbs is a serving of course), lunchmeat, eggs, oatmeal, dried beans, rice, potatoes. You can buy all these things in bulk and spend even less per portion. No where is it written that you have to buy packed junk food and eat the whole box if your short on funds. You also dont have to buy loads of organic, whole foods to lose weight. As for the exercise, there are PLENTY of workout videos on youtube that are FREE to watch, one I like is Walk at home with Leslie Sansone.

Yeah, I'm definitely spending less money on food. For exercise- most libraries have exercise DVDs.

youtube workouts

junk food isnt cheaper than healthier food...

junk food=more calories per $

healthfull food=more volume of food per $

Bumping this for ideas!
Also just wanted to say beans are really filling and healthy and cheap. Cook up a big batch of beans (your favorite kind) and freeze some of them. Then pull them out of the freezer whenever you need them.
For exercise, you can do a lot of cardio and strengthening at home with no equipment. Sparkpeople.com has some good workouts or you can google whatever type of workout you are looking for. If you have lower body injuries, google seated cardio routines. There are some good ones out there that really get your heart pumping!

Junk food is NOT cheaper than healthy foods. I used to think this too but let me give you an example that really changed my views....

At my old job, I would run and get a small lunch, I would come back with a pear (50 cents) and a yogurt (1 dollar) and I would drink the water from the water cooler in the office. My co-worker would come back with a candy bar (1.50) and a soda (1.50). She would be hungry in a few hours, and go buy chips (99 cents). I would be fine.

I spent 1.50, she spent 3.99. That is just on the smaller level, but if you buy enough healthy foods for the week compared to junk food for the week, it all ends up being the same, junk food being more expensive.


I agree on using coupons, you can find coupons for yogurt. If you find yogurt on sale, buy extra, freeze what you don't eat. I love eaten "frozen" yogurt, and it won't go bad as fast as in the fridge. Just watch the sugar count in yogurt because it can be pretty high.

Buy fruits and veggies in season, don't even buy them off season or not on sale. I will never spend more than like 99 cents a pound on apples, it might be a little more in your area but know the lowest it goes and don't buy it when it's more than that. I have bought them for 1.29 a pound if its the apples I really like, but anything more than that, not happening.

Stock up on canned goods when they have sales or you have coupons. Canned beans, sauces, etc. I personally would rather buy dry beans and cook them myself, they are cheaper, too. Beans and rice are a very healthy and cheap meal. You can change the flavor by seasoning.

Frozen veggies are a good thing to buy during winter months. Look for sales! They are often 10 for 10.

For when it comes to exercise, there are a ton of videos on youtube. Or you can go buy a DVD from Wal-mart or Target for as little as 5 dollars.


Also, make soups! I love making a chili and freezing it in single sized portions. A huge pot of chili can cost you less than 10 dollars and end up being more than 20 meals. Put it over rice, potatoes, pasta, or eat it on it's own.

One of my favorite recent recipes is...I microwave a potato (make sure you poke holes in it with a fork) for like 5-8 minutes. Cut it in half, scoop out the insides. Crack 1 egg inside of it, sprinkle some cheese on top, bake for 8 minutes. You want the white parts to be cooked but the yolk to be runny (I hate runny eggs, but trust me on this). Once it's cooked, mix the egg up in the potato. SO GOOD. And so cheap.

Check out youtube for exercises. All you really need is your own body. I just did a yoga video I found on there. If you are ever interested in workout videos or light weights or other exercise accessories, there is always tons of that stuff at thrift stores. If you take time to really plan out your meals you can put together a lot of healthy yet affordable meals as well.

I wanted to mention eggs also. super cheap and if you put them in a casserole with some hash browns goes a long way. lots of sites on the web about eating cheaper also

This website has a listing of exercises you can choose from....

http://ruuuth-e808.tumblr.com/post/22830983880/online-workout-videos

Also since cutting out junk food/fast food I have found eating healthy is cheaper....frozen veggies are very cheap. Just as others stated find items on sale. I purposely got a deep freezer to keep meats that are on sale, that way they are always there. Chicken is not expensive here at all, but I don't know where you are. I also notice fast food did not fill me at all....yeah I got a burger/fries/drink BUT within an hour I was "hungry" again...so that defeated the whole purpose of having that high calorie meal. Now, I just fill up on the good stuff and I am more full.

frozen meat frozen veggies and shop the deals of the week, thats the best advice. dont give up just because you're broke. trust me its tempting but dont do it, you are worth so much more than putting crap into your body. sometimes it takes a little patience and practice but you CAN eat healthy on a budget. if they have a grocery outlet near you definitely hit that place up, even trader joes is cheaper than a normal store. crazy huh?

rice and beans, yoga, dancing like crazy and walking. 'junk food is cheap' is not an excusse

You can get home workout DVDs from the local library.

so true!!!!

someone already mentioned You Tube, but also try your local library. I was able to check out everything from Zumba to Jillian Michaels. Last week I checked out a Bob Harper dvd, didn't like it, though I was able to get a few new exercise ideas to supplement my workout program. It's a great way to try different workouts. Also if your library system is like mine, part a consortium, you are not limited to just what your branch has.