POOR GIRLS CAN GET FIT!

We rarely eat out but our fridge is always full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lately they are from our garden, but even in the winter I can buy all the fresh we want. I use a jogging stroller and run with my son a lot and do workout DVD in our basement while he plays. I always thought it was too expensive to eat healthy, but I had never really tried either.

Fresh fruits are expensive, that is true, like berries and such, but if you measure your food and only eat one serving at a time, they really go a long way for the money.

Buy your boneless skinless chicken breasts in big packs because the are cheaper, I get a pack for $9 and it makes three dinners for my family of four, again measure that chicken and only eat one serving at a time. If your budget is really tight, just buy a whole chicken and broil or boil it and take off all the meat to eat, granted you are getting some dark meat so it is not as healthy as pure breast but the real culprit in chicken is the skin part and how you cook it.

Grapeseed oil has same benefit as olive oil but performs much better for cooking because olive oil caramelizes at low temps (that explains why your skillet you sauteed with olive oil is hard to clean) and grapeseed oil is very affordable, barely more than canola oil.

Buy generics when possible- saves you money, and sometimes a generic form is actually more nutritious (read the labels).

lemons and limes are cheap during summer and can be used to season most anything, also great to make a citrus zesty salad dressing when mixed with the grapeseed oil

don't overlook the local dollar tree, cheapest way to buy sandwich baggies (so you can break that big pack of chicken into smaller packs to freeze them) and also spices, dollar tree has an abundance of spices

beans are cheap, and delicious, and nutritious

just trying to help, some ideas you might not have considered yet

We are a one income family under my husband. I completely agree with what you're saying! Although the government claims that we are well under the poverty level, we are managing our money just fine without having to resort to welfare checks or things of that nature (not that some situations don't call for that). We forgo cable and fancy phones, no unlimited internet for the phones we do have. And we don't waste money on fast food very often (still a work in progress though!). We certainly aren't perfect but you would be amazed at what you don't miss when you don't have it. For example, we watch all the tv we want online for free.

Anyway.. the moral of my story is I completely agree! I am able to fix healthy meals and watch portion control (which is very necessary on a strict budget) and we do just fine. There are a lot of public options for exercise also. Such as groups that meet for tennis for free once a week, or running clubs. You would be surprised at how simple it is, and once you do it this way, it's hard to go back to paying $60 a month for whatever gym, then $30 a month for whatever diet program!

I am also under the impression that MFP is the best. I am biased though

I agree with you to some extent, because I am a poor girl and I am getting fit! I've never gone to a gym and have lost almost 27 lbs so far. I agree, it is possible. You don't need too many resources.

The only thing I disagree with is the food part. Yeah, Special K and Kashi are expensive haha. But things like good fruits (blueberries is one of the main ones I eat because of its antioxidant content and fat fighting nutrients) are not cheap. Meats are also not cheap and I'm not necessarily talking steak. Chicken is expensive as well. Since I started eating healthy, I DO spend more on food than I did before, and I don't buy processed health food junk. Also there are some things that if you really want the healthy version of, you SHOULD be buying the organic kind. I don't buy organic fruit/veggies, but I do buy organic almond butter, and raw, organic honey, because it's better for you than the processed kind. But, that being said, there are some great, healthy foods that are cheap like frozen veggies, oatmeal, bananas, whole grain pasta, etc.

And I agree with the recipes thing. I love that!

How I stay fit on a budget is definitely a choice of where I shop. I LOVE costco, because I can buy bigger bulk items of food I eat all the time. And for exercising, I buy workout DVDs. They are maybe $6-$10 a piece, and they are totally worth it for me. I'm a huge Jillian Michaels fan, and I have like 10 of her DVDs. Also, I did "invest" in a yoga mat.

75% correct, but now the price of "fresh" produce has increased alot. Broccoli is 2.49 a lb, brussels 2.49 a bag (12 oz), cauliflower 3.19, avacados 1.19 EACH... then don't consider the price of raw meat (5lbs unfrozen chicken 12$, 3 lb pork, 11$ grass fed beef, 1.85 lb 10$) or even milk (3.59 a gallon 2% or 1/2 gal almond milk @ 3.19). Even things like sunflower seeds - 16oz bag, 3$, almonds (raw) $5... [all prices are local to me - walmart, supermarkets, trader joes - and none organic, this is just standard stuff]

It's better than prepacked stuff, yes. But it's still not cheap. And not everyone has access to farms, farmer's markets, etc.

Plus, take into consideration that if you are running, you will need shoes - your 9 year old kicks aren't gonna cut it.

But yes, you don't need a gym, fancy gadets, pricey clothes, ect. It can be done on the "cheaper" side.