Trying to lose weight on a tight budget!

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  • lolosensan
    lolosensan Posts: 251
    This thread is making me super curious about Trader Joe's. I have never been, and we don't have one in my area...but I was under the impression it was like the designer boutique of supermarkets and everything was priced CRAZILY...no???

    I keep seeing it mentioned as a budget store. I am confused but intrigued now!

    Everything is priced CRAZILY cheap! :)
  • lmanasero
    lmanasero Posts: 19 Member
    I am also in a similar situation to you, I can't afford a gym membership and live paycheck to paycheck. I still spend way to much at the store but it is because i want to eat food that is healthy and that happens to cost more money. I usually work out to Billy Banks Tae Bo or Shaun T Beach Body videos. I like Tae Bo a lot because you can get a really good workout within a short amount of time. I get up every morning at 5:20am (which sucks but is worth it) and workout. I don't have time to workout when i get home because i am a mom and wife and seem to always be too busy in the evening. I am not extremely overweight but i am definitely not happy with the recent weight i have put on. I just want to feel better about myself. Working out makes me feel better even if i dont actually look better.
  • Susie_1
    Susie_1 Posts: 128 Member
    Hi, I have just sent you a friend request as I am sure that we can encourage each other, I too am losing weight on a strict budget and also like yourself take comments to heart, I always try to think before I open my mouth and I just wish other people sometime would too, "Tough love" doesnt help me at all in fact it makes me worse, my confidence is low so I dont need negative comments just understanding and encouragement.

    Your ex sounds a real horrible person and I know that you are far better off without him,

    Onward and upwards (or in our weight loss campaign downward :bigsmile: )

    Good luck, you can do this!! xx
  • LRoslin
    LRoslin Posts: 128
    This thread is making me super curious about Trader Joe's. I have never been, and we don't have one in my area...but I was under the impression it was like the designer boutique of supermarkets and everything was priced CRAZILY...no???

    I keep seeing it mentioned as a budget store. I am confused but intrigued now!

    It really depends. I used to drop 100 bucks there, come home and realize that I had bought produce at Trader Joes that I could have gotten cheaper at Kroger. So you have to shop wisely. Their produce is not a big money saver, but some of their organic produce is the same price as their regular, so that's good. I usually only get bagged spinach there, everything else is pre-chopped and prewashed and therefore more expensive than, say, an entire head of broccoli at Kroger's.

    Where I save is on things like gluten free foods. My son and I both have to avoid wheat, so I find the gluten free boxed mac and cheese there, much cheaper than at Kroger's. Udi's Gluten Free bread is cheaper at Trader Joe's as well. I can find cheaper gluten free flour and pasta at Trader Joe's.

    But I don't do the bulk of our grocery shopping there. We get everything else we can at our regular store, and then I go for a TJ run to fill in the gaps. I don't purchase nuts or nut butter (nobody else eats it and if I let them in the house I'd eat it all), but I've noticed their sunflower seed butter is cheaper than Kroger's, as well as the almond butter. I like the texture of TJ's Greek Yogurt better than any other brand, so I get it there. Barbara's Puffins cereal is easier to find there, and I prefer their green tea.

    All told I usually spend about 30 bucks a week on average at TJ.s

    I will say one thing, TJ's is much cheaper than Whole Foods! Maybe you've heard of Whole Foods, which is a budget buster.
  • kaylachristine1016
    kaylachristine1016 Posts: 11 Member
    1. abs are made in the kitchen not the gym
    - canned / frozen veggies are cheaper than fresh but still really good for you.
    - do NOT eat empty calories. like coke. it has NOTHING for you. save it for your cheat day.

    2. do you even lift, bro?
    - building muscle makes it so you burn more calories at rest. It also helps you maintain the weight loss.
    - cardio is a quick fix. sure, you'll lose weight, but as soon as you're not hitting the gym 7 days a week and eating more than 1200 calories, it will ALL come back.

    3. home is where the heart is
    - can't afford a gym membership? check out youtube. there are so may videos online that teach you how to do weightless exercises.

    4. when you want it bad enough, you will drop the excuses.
  • osorio0203
    osorio0203 Posts: 24 Member
    I am a husband and father of 3 so there are a lot of mouths to feed. Unfortunately my family is pretty picky about their food, so I have had to find new ways to feed them healthy and cheap. Chicken and pork are probably the best things I can buy at a good price. Also fruit and frozen veggies. Also.....learn to make your own pasta. If you make whole wheat pasta it is a really cheap way to feed a lot and still feel good about eating it. Also......brown rice is good. Walking or running is great ....... I do a lot of body weight training as well. I don't like to lift weights, so the body weight exercises are great.....and free. If you do squats and lunges and crunches and push ups and anything else you can think up in repetition for 20 to 30 minutes a day you will work up a good sweat and feel great. Push yourself to see how many rounds you can get through in your time limit and try to beat that time.
    I have been doing this for a few months and have lost over 30 lbs. You must be diligent with it though.

    My best to you. Good luck. Have a great day
  • RhysWill_I_Ams
    RhysWill_I_Ams Posts: 245 Member
    I would say buying in bulk is best. But you have to look around, Things liked chicken is always on offer somewhere. Also frozen veg is great and brown rice.
    Ways to make it last is prep. On like a day off (for example Sunday) take 2 hours out, cut up and grill all your chicken, boil the rice and veggies, and package it all into individual portions. Do yourself and your other half as well, use it as time together. then have Mondays in the fridge and put the rest of the weeks in the freezer. Every night when you come home put one from freezer to fridge and by morning you can start all over again.

    I'd also say invest in Vinegars (red,white,balsamic) good quality mustard (dijon, french, multigrain) and hot sauces. These all have active fat burners in them as well as making bland food taste good. Mix and match, you know what you like!!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    This thread is making me super curious about Trader Joe's. I have never been, and we don't have one in my area...but I was under the impression it was like the designer boutique of supermarkets and everything was priced CRAZILY...no???

    I keep seeing it mentioned as a budget store. I am confused but intrigued now!


    You're thinking Whole Foods I bet.......some people call it "Whole Paycheck"

    I wish I had a Trader Joe's in my area.........oh, well
  • jbwent
    jbwent Posts: 27
    Sometimes contentment in a relationship can add to weight gain slowly. Fat and happy. I tried a lot of those magic pills and special exercise equipment, none of it works. The only thing that has given me results is keeping this diet journal. I found I would eat too much some days and not enough on other days. I think it's called diet bounce. Consistency is key. I don't worry about what I eat until dinner and then I'll cut back accordingly with portion control which also helps with the food bill. Check what you want to eat for dinner and see if you can eat all of it or half of it. a little bit of something is better than nothing.
  • angel5561
    angel5561 Posts: 142 Member
    I buy great value every thing and do most of my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart I buy my produce at aldis they have great deals like 99 cent strawberys and 75 cent mushrooms also if your eating less you'll spend less it kinda balances it self out I save left overs for lunch the next day which takes the guess work out :) im also on a budget so I know it can be tough but you can do it

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