Losing weight on a budget

FiresongUK · February 2014

I'm a student and I don't have much money. I would love to invest in a gym membership, HRM, fresh food every day etc. but unfortunately it's just soooooo expensive. I'm finding that I can't keep it up cooking for myself because by the time I've bought all the ingredients it's over double the cost of buying a ready meal or something like that like I used to. I'd really like a HRM to accurately track my work-out calories when I go for a run, but it looks like all the accurate ones are out of my price range. I would like to go to the gym, but membership is out of my budget.

Has anyone here had success losing weight when you can't afford those fancy things?

kommodevaran · February 2014

I don't do fancy. But I do lose weight.
You don't need a HRM or a gym membership to lose weight. Just go for walks, or run, or both. When you buy food to cook for yourself, you'll buy ingredients for more than just one meal, and home cooked can be more nutritious, so actually you'll be able to save money. Frozen, dried and canned food can be just as good as fresh items, just check the label.

arrseegee · February 2014

I think if you can save up some money to properly stock your kitchen with good basic ingredients it doesn't need to be expensive to cook. As a student I made low fat meals with lentils, cans of fish, rice, pasta, frozen veggies and other grains as my staple ingredients. There are websites you can google to find healthy low budget recipes.

Can you walk? Walk. Want to try running? Download a free Couch 25K program and get going with that. Or search the internet for bodyweight exercises and YouTube exercise videos.

A HRM is a luxury item that I think is in a 'nice to have' rather than essential category. Same with a gym membership. Neither of those things makes you exercise, you still have to motivate yourself, so why not just do something free.

toddis · February 2014

You don't need an HRM, fresh food, or a gym membership.

Eat less, move more.

FiresongUK · February 2014

Thanks for the replies. So far I've been doing a 5k program (the zombie one) and also using a treadmill 1-2 times a week when I visit my friends. The treadmills great because it gives estimated calories burned. When I'm doing the Zombies 5k thing I plug in the time I've spent walking/running but have no real indication of pace, and MFP tends to tell me I've burned twice as much as I'd do on the treadmill despite me putting in less effort. I just wish I knew how much I've really worked off so I can eat them calories back properly.

I do enjoy rice and pasta but then I feel like I'm getting through way too many carbs. Frozen food is my biggest problem. Our freezer is little more than an ice box really, and that's shared between me and my two housemates. One owns snakes and half the freezer is full of dead mice. There's maybe space for 1 bag of my own frozen stuff.

Canned stuff is a good idea though. I've always imagined tinned food to be the worst of all processed stuff, like spam or hamburgers in a tin haha. I dislike baked beans so never really headed down that section, but thinking about it you can get lots of fruit and veggies in tins like them tasty baby carrots or sweetcorn. I'm going to try that next time I go to the shops

My problem right now is that MFP tells me I'm in "starvation mode". Sometimes I'm finding myself eating for the sake of it just to get the calories up, despite not being hungry. I've never been a big eater, the reason I've been putting weight on is probably because up until a few years ago I was getting by on 1000 calories a day or less and then suddenly I was eating that bit extra plus drinking a few times a week with friends.

midnightjogger · February 2014

I am definitely on a budget and you would be surprised what you can buy at the Dollar Store now days. I buy my green tea,salsa, cheese .eggs and spinach all for a buck a piece from the Dollar store. I also found some oats with flax seeds in it there. I also buy a lot of my frozen fruits there.y have Berries, strawberries and mangos. Best of luck!

xCarpeDiemx24 · February 2014

I am a student and I can totally do that on a budget! I shop at M&S and here is a rough breakdown for me;

Piece of Salmon
Mexican Sliced Chicken
Sweet Chilli Chicken

The above three cost £6 and do 6 different meals because they are pretty large. I have the salmon with a roasted courgette (67p) and a roasted pepper (5 for £1).

I have the sliced chicken with salad (huge cos lettuce, £1, lasts me all week).

Then I buy carrot battons (£1), celery (£1) and houmous and tzatki (£2.50).

I make up a rice, sweetcorn (50p) and kidney bean (80p) salad each week.

I buy alot of fruit. 4 kiwis (£1), 6 nectarines (£2), 3 bannans (67p).

My shopping usually comes to £20 a week which i think is totally reasonable.

I don't pay anything for my exercise. Just walk and do lots of workout videos from Youtube. I did do a set of weights at the start if the year (£7).

smilyus · February 2014

Get a slow-cooker/crockpot (mine was $25 dollars) and make big stews/soups/chillis/overnight oatmeal with basic ingredients. As a bonus, you will have many portions that can be used for other lunches or meals that you can just reheat when you are too busy to make it fresh. Hopefully you have stuff like a freezer? Learn what freezes well so you don't waste food. Slowly work on building up a kitchen of spices and basic grains and cooking ingredients. Buy lentils one week, buy dried black beans another week, buy a few dried spices the next, - etc.... It does sometimes seem like it costs a bit at the beginning but in the long-run it is cheaper.

I don't have a HRM and been exercising for over a decade without one and still kept off over 100+ pounds. I do have a gym membership now but didn't always in the past. I would just use home workout videos (but they are online now!) or outdoor exercises.

deadyankee · February 2014

Making your own food is cheaper than buying processed food. You certainly don't need a gym. You can walk on the street and you can do pushups etc in your own space.

smilyus · February 2014

Thanks for the replies. So far I've been doing a 5k program (the zombie one) and also using a treadmill 1-2 times a week when I visit my friends. The treadmills great because it gives estimated calories burned. When I'm doing the Zombies 5k thing I plug in the time I've spent walking/running but have no real indication of pace, and MFP tends to tell me I've burned twice as much as I'd do on the treadmill despite me putting in less effort. I just wish I knew how much I've really worked off so I can eat them calories back properly.

I do enjoy rice and pasta but then I feel like I'm getting through way too many carbs. Frozen food is my biggest problem. Our freezer is little more than an ice box really, and that's shared between me and my two housemates. One owns snakes and half the freezer is full of dead mice. There's maybe space for 1 bag of my own frozen stuff.

Canned stuff is a good idea though. I've always imagined tinned food to be the worst of all processed stuff, like spam or hamburgers in a tin haha. I dislike baked beans so never really headed down that section, but thinking about it you can get lots of fruit and veggies in tins like them tasty baby carrots or sweetcorn. I'm going to try that next time I go to the shops

okay I just saw this reply so you have limited freezer room. I would still do the crockpot but just try to make sure the portions are something you would eat within a week. Most of the stews, oatmeals etc.. stay fine in a fridge if eaten within 5-7 days.

arrseegee · February 2014

Thanks for the replies. So far I've been doing a 5k program (the zombie one) and also using a treadmill 1-2 times a week when I visit my friends. The treadmills great because it gives estimated calories burned. When I'm doing the Zombies 5k thing I plug in the time I've spent walking/running but have no real indication of pace, and MFP tends to tell me I've burned twice as much as I'd do on the treadmill despite me putting in less effort. I just wish I knew how much I've really worked off so I can eat them calories back properly.

I do enjoy rice and pasta but then I feel like I'm getting through way too many carbs. Frozen food is my biggest problem. Our freezer is little more than an ice box really, and that's shared between me and my two housemates. One owns snakes and half the freezer is full of dead mice. There's maybe space for 1 bag of my own frozen stuff.

Canned stuff is a good idea though. I've always imagined tinned food to be the worst of all processed stuff, like spam or hamburgers in a tin haha. I dislike baked beans so never really headed down that section, but thinking about it you can get lots of fruit and veggies in tins like them tasty baby carrots or sweetcorn. I'm going to try that next time I go to the shops

Check the labels, because actually canned foods can have more nutrients in them than, say, vegetables that have been incorrectly stored in the fridge for a week. Not spam, ewww, but there are canned/tinned options for many vegetables and also good protein sources. eg. Canned beans are a staple in my house, they are great for rustling up a healthy meal when we're running out of other foods.

hstoblish · February 2014

If you're thinking of prioritizing any of those things, I'd say that the fresh food is by far the most important. A key way to make fresh food work is meal-planning. The husband and I do one big shop a week where we plan out a week's worth of food. I'd also suggest trying a few vegetarian nights. There are some great tasty recipes out there. I wasn't super healthy at the time, but I was a vegetarian through university and saved so much money that way (I didn't even know it at the time). The key is things like lentils, beans, tempeh etc. Tofu can be good but I think I overdid it on the soy front back when it was a staple in my diet.

Good luck!

Unknown · February 2014

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FindingAmy77 · February 2014

I lost most of my weight at home with a limited budget. I would love a hrm and fresh food all the time, Not going to happen. I am the queen of saving money. It just takes time and planning. Get some meal ideas from youtube. Most of mine come from there. If you are only cooking for one, its okay to get prepackeaged meals every once in a while but they are so high in sodium so find what you like and try to recreate it at home. THis way you spend less and have some to put away. That is if you aren't living in a dorm with no freezer. It can be done. I believe that the fresh food craze is all fine if you have the money but canned goods are at least vegies too. It comes down to calories bottom line. Calories in and calories out. Being broke just makes me more creative is all. I get the job done and so can you. No need for fancy accessories. don't let this be excuses.

jitsuda · February 2014

- I don't use HRM.
- I don't have gym membership. I dance to a dance DVD.
- Rice, egg, canned beans and frozen veggies are cheap. Cook in big batches and freeze them. It's still cheaper than take outs (or even pre-made food at the supermarket.)

Good luck

Alaskamommy · February 2014

First of all, I saw in your profile that you are giving up smoking. Hooray for you! That is so hard, but you're already showing that you have inner strength just by trying. I wanted to commend you for that.

As to losing weight on a budget, I am in the same spot and it is HARD. I live in Alaska, and fresh fruit & veggies in winter ... let's just say I'd have to sell off one of my kids or rob a bank to buy what I'd like to have. But, I do what i can. I can't afford a gym membership right now either, so I walk up and down stairs and do workout videos at home, and I do have an old treadmill. It isn't pretty, but I can walk on it. Also, there are tons of websites with little ways to burn calories where you are. Pinterest has a lot. As they say, where there's a will there's a way.

Anyway, best of luck to you!

mdpurcey · February 2014

If you have a smart phone you can use some of the free apps to help you figure out what your pace is or even to help keep track of your steps that you have taken.

Sunbrooke · February 2014

Some fresh food last longer than others. Corn tortillas last really long and the extra thin ones are only pretty low cal. Kale lasts a couple of weeks it you rinse it and pt it in a gallon bag with a paper towel. Same with broccoli (which should be cut up and ready to eat when you get home from the store. I like Roma tomatoes because they are already serving size. Same with mini cucumbers. Celery lasts a long time too. I like to keep cut up veggies in a big plastic container. Wholly guacamole is convenient for dip.

You may see if you have a friend with the same problem. Maybe you could buy everything together and he. Split it up and split the cost.

Losing weight on a budget

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