Too broke for this.

I second the nerfitness and bodyrocktv. Also 30ds is awesome and free on youtube! Other than that, a big bag of salad is less than a dollar at most grocery stores I spend way less buying salads than I ever did on "non-diet" foods! But I do love a good salad

didn't read the thread so sorry if I'm just repeating what everyone else said...

- cook from scratch when you can, if time is limited, make big batches at the weekend and freeze or refrigerate it in portion sizes that you can grab and stick in the microwave when needed. This is much cheaper than buying ready meals, and you are in total control of what goes in them.

- look for places to get fruit and veg cheap (maybe meat and fish too depending on how things are done where you live).... maybe farmers markets, maybe regular markets at the end of the day when stuff that has to be sold that day is going cheap...

- buy fruit, veg, fresh meat and fresh fish in bulk when it's on special offer and freeze it. It keeps for months so buy as much as you can fit in the freezer

- you don't need *any* gimmicks for healthy fat loss. you need 1. portion control (i.e. a calorie deficit, eat less than you burn off, 2. a balanced diet, i.e. all the nutrients your body needs and 3. exercise, preferably something that works your muscles hard to strengthen them and increase bone density

- find ways to exercise for free. There are loads of exercise videos on you tube, including 30 day shred, many many instructional videos for weight training, also bodybuilding dot com has a video library of how to do many, many exercises, including for beginners, not just for seasoned bodybuilders. there are loads of other ways to exercise for free, e.g. going for a run, running up and down your stairs, etc. If you need equipment, try ebay, freecycle or whatever website you can pick up very cheap or even free stuff that someone else doesn't want. There's usually a good market in used exercise equipment as lots of people buy stuff, then never use it, and decide to sell it.

- use a website like this, which is free, to track your calories

- you don't need supplements or special shakes. Some supplements have benefits though, not saying they're useless, but supplements should be for when you can't get the nutrition from food, they shouldn't be your main source of nutrition and they're not essential.

You don't really need much else. Food is probably the most difficult thing to manage on a budget, but you can get enough healthy food if you look in the right places.

when you save your money for the quality good stuff ...

...With you so far...

like fat free cottage cheese

Awwww you ruined it.

Hey, don't be hating on cottage cheese! You know how much money people pay for Casein powder?

You shouldn't need to spend any more money to lose weight than you do when "eating normal." Forget all the crazy shakes, supplements, and meal plans. Just buy good foods and learn to eat leftovers. The most expensive thing for me is berries... I love making yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. I can get a huge meal from that and the calories won't be too bad. But where it costs me is the waste... I end up having to throw out a 1/2 package of this or that. So produce is tough to deal with because of spoilage. So admittedly, I have reduced the amount of berries I buy.

But here is what I do buy and it probably costs way less than normal meals when it's all said and done.

1. Tomato sauce: Cook a pot of it, makes about 15 - 18 servings.
TOTAL COST for POT OF SAUCE: $36.00

Whole Peeled Tomatoes = 3.5 x 6 = $21.00
Tomato Paste = 3.00
Extra Virgin Olive Oil = $2.00 (hard to tell, you buy a bottle and it lasts you months and months, but $2.00 seems reasonable per pot)
Celery = 4.00
Carrots = 3.00
Onion = 2.00
Garlic = 1.00
(NOTE: you probably won't use an entire package of any of the stuff above, so you will have extra for salads and whatnot)

Box of Pasta (4 servings) = 2.5

Cost per Serving (at 15 servings): $3.03/serving. If you had to make two boxes of pasta for a family of 5, and use even 1/2 the sauce you would probably be around 23 dollars or 4.6 a person.

Even if you included Meatballs which would probably cost around 50 dollars to make 2 pans which would make around 50 - 60 meatballs, call it 50 for the math. Now that's a dollar a meatball.

So that's between $5.00 and $6.00/serving of pasta (at 4 - 8 oz) with 2 meatballs. Where are you going to eat like that anywhere else.


But beyond Pasta and Meatballs, I eat:

2. Cabbage Soup
3. Chilli (with beef and lots of dark red low sodium kidney beans)
4. Salads with tuna
5. Chicken, Pork or beef with potatoes and can vegetables
6. Eggs, Bacon, Wheat Toast, and OJ
7. Cereals and milk
8. Oatmeal Steel cut mixes with instant, milk or water

Everything I buy is basically normal food... do buy more expensive meats, but that's about where I draw the line. I'm not a huge "organic" guy.

I do buy some supplements, but they normally last a really long time... I don't take them daily like GNC wants you to. I take some fish oil when I feel like my meals haven't had a lot of fish or oatmeal in awhile and I do buy protein powder, but that's only because I drink coffee in the morning and I think coffee (and most drinks) is worthless, and so I add protein to give it some worth. I could easily not buy it and I don't think it would change me health wise at all.

Sorry this was written more like a ramble... but I was doing other things while writing it.

Long story short... STOP THE MADNESS on these quick fix meals. Prepare your meals yourself and you know exactly what goes into them. Shakes and smoothies are fine... but, make your own, you don't have to pay for someone else's concoction.

when you save your money for the quality good stuff ...

...With you so far...

like fat free cottage cheese

Awwww you ruined it.

Hey, don't be hating on cottage cheese! You know how much money people pay for Casein powder?

They weren't hating on the cottage cheese. They were facedesking at the fat free part.

Yes I totally agree with you as I have looked at everything from expensive dumbbells to protein shakes but I am resigned to the fact that good old healthy eating and going for a brisk walk can be just as good, I heard about the 30 day shred so I intend to start that on Tuesday but I look it up on YouTube. I am trying not to give in and spend loads on gimmicky things as I hope when I get to the goal weight that will also give more satisfaction. Go with your best instinct and whatever works best for you!

I got addicted to Mcdonalds and at some point spent almost £200 a month there. This is cheaper.

I buy frozen chicken breasts and fish in bulk and buy fresh produce every week and my grocery bill is lower than it's ever been. Stay away from "diet" ready to eat meals or "plans" because you have to pay for the name and the packaging, plus they're loaded with preservatives and other junk. Search the internet for ways to save on your grocery bill and eat healthy. It is possible.

I have NO money and I am on food stamps ($200 a month). I can eat sensibly and I just walk and do calesthenics. You don't have to spend a lot of money. I don't have any special supplements other than my multi-vitamin-mineral supplement. You just have to count your calories and take in less than you expend. That's all there is to it. There are so many FREE exercise videos on YouTube from all sorts of people.