Dieting on a shoestring budget

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PatrickXFCE
PatrickXFCE Posts: 52 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All

After doing a few good things this year on MFP, I have found myself sinking back into old patterns.

The good things I have done are

1. Swimming
2. Yoga
3. Walking.

The issue I have is dieting itself and changing what I eat. I have at least 3 criteria

1. The food has to taste good(that's a matter of opinion)
2. It has to be cheap.

I am trying to get under 1900 cals for the day and I don't think I can get there without making a few changes, so I am reaching out to you for advice. I would also like to peruse the food diaries to see what has actually worked for all of you here. This way, I can adapt my plan to fit the need.

Thanx in advance!

Replies

  • Jess__I__Can
    Jess__I__Can Posts: 307 Member
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    What do you LIKE to eat? One way to save money is to peruse all of the local adverts and buy the best deals. If you shop at Walmart, they will price-match anything else in your area. My local Sprouts and Aldi always has great sales on produce, and I get Walmart to price match it so I don't have to shop all around town.
  • activefatgirl
    activefatgirl Posts: 107 Member
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    Hi Patrick,

    I joined MFP about a year ago and was doing great, losing weight eating. I fell off the wagon just around October and gained a lot back. The one thing I learned from this, is I need to eat what I like and count my calories as I eat. Now I'm eating "my food" and trying not to go over my calories. I'm now spacing out my meals so now I'm not eating till I'm super full because I know my next course is right around the corner.

    I believe being on a budget shouldn't matter when it comes to weight loss, it's calories in vs. calories out. Just because pasta is $1.00 it doesn't mean you need to eat four servings of it at one sitting. That $1.00 pasta can be three or four meals, when you portion it out and stay with in your calorie budget.

    Don't play in to all the hype if all the new diet trends; whole grain is better for you, eat brown rice over white rice, eat organic most of the time, chicken breast is better for you then chicken thighs....

    Sure all this maybe true, but if you are eating what you like and what you can afford and LOSING WEIGHT well I think that out weighs all of the above and then some. You are getting healthier and that is what matters.

    I hope this helps.

    Take care...
  • PatrickXFCE
    PatrickXFCE Posts: 52 Member
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    Well, I do like fruit, but we go through it rather quickly. Unfortunately, I also like bread, meat and coffee with ridiculously sweet cream. I also like to snack before lunch too.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    What would you typically eat in a day, before you were trying to make changes? The simplest solution is to reduce your portion sizes. And if necessary, add in some fruits/veggies if you were not getting them already.
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    If you like black beans they're relatively cheap. I rinse them, soak them overnight, drain them, rinse them again, then cook them on low in the crockpot for 6 hours with two cups of water for every cup of beans and I throw in a few garlic cloves. When they're done, I add some salt. Then I eat them with fresh veggies.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    You'll be spending less tbh. Try bulking on a shoestring budget!

    I eat pretty much the same stuff whether I'm bulking or dieting. I just eat less when dieting.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Not sure where you live, but I find the cheapest and tastiest produce is the stuff I buy from our local farmers market. It's all locally grown so there are no added costs tacked on for transport or for a grocery store re-selling it and it supports local business, which I like.

    It's hard to find good produce on a budget when you shop at the grocery. Especially when 1 Avocado is $1.50 and a whole box of mac n cheese is $0.99

    For meats I like to get some of the cheaper cuts like London Broil and marinate it in the fridge for several days to make it tender then grill it. If you like beef try a top round london broil marinated in low sodium soy sauce, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, honey, and red wine (or a bit of red wine vinegar which is less expensive and works just fine). London Broil usually only comes in a 2 lbs+ cut so eat some from the grill one day and slice it thin and stick on a salad or make tacos out of it.
  • PatrickXFCE
    PatrickXFCE Posts: 52 Member
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    These are all very good suggestions. Thanx
  • PatrickXFCE
    PatrickXFCE Posts: 52 Member
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    I live in Middle Tennessee. We do have some farmer's markets in our town. I am not sure how often they are open.
  • occsunray
    occsunray Posts: 11 Member
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    Almost 99% of what my family eats is bought at Aldi. If you have one near by you, I would suggest checking it out. We previously shopped at Walmart and weekly I would spend $150 to $200 for my family of four (actually 3 at the time). Now for a family of four I shop at Aldi's and routinely make it out of there with enough food for all meals and leftovers to send with my husband for his lunch for under $100. They have a good selection of fresh vegetables and fruits. They are growing their organic section weekly it seems. They even had grass fed beef the last time I was there. Good luck!
  • Lib_B
    Lib_B Posts: 446 Member
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    A friend of mine just shared this on FB and most look relatively healthy. And definitely budget friendly. I'm going to be trying some of these myself. As a quasi-vegetarian (I try to eat vegetarian/vegan until dinner and then if I have meat, it is only at the evening meal), black beans and chickpeas are a staple for me. http://www.thekitchn.com/15-budget-friendly-meals-that-dont-involve-pasta-recipes-from-the-kitchn-204966?utm_source=tk&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=social

    Also, I LOVE this recipe and usually get 2-3 lunches out of it. http://bevcooks.com/2013/04/roasted-curried-cauliflower-and-chickpeas-with-grains/
  • LUreda
    LUreda Posts: 10 Member
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    I can relate! I am on a tight budget & I love food :) What works for me is eating lots of fruits & veggies that keep me full. I also try to limit too many animal fats from meat, cheese, etc. You are welcome to check out my diary. It's open. I'm certainly NOT perfect. But, you are welcome to look. Do you cook? You can definitely control a lot of the calorie intake by making your own food so you know exactly what you are eating. Cheap & healthy foods that I go to are: beans, brown rice, steam in bag veggies from the freezer section, chicken/veggie stock (use instead of water to make rice, soups, sauces taste better), apples, bananas, oranges, romain lettuce, lean meats (on sale), and assorted fresh veggies. I also like to use low calorie foods with lots of big flavors like basil, cilantro, salsa, etc. Good luck! No one ever said losing weight was easy! I still have a ways to go :)
  • PatrickXFCE
    PatrickXFCE Posts: 52 Member
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    Yes, we frequent Aldi's a lot, as well as Publix. My wife loves Publix because of all the Bogo's
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,949 Member
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    Try out farmers markets for produce. You could try jarring the cheap fruit in the summer for winter.
    I'm going to see what else anyone says on how to save money. I spend about $200 - $300 a month for 1.5 people (hah) worth of food (I'm terrible at shopping sales and knowing my prices). But not eating out saves a lot of money, sit down restaurants are the worst. McDonald's for example seems cheap. But if you eat off their dollar menu, you get hungry an hour later and eat more anyway.

    ETA: I love my grocery store's credit card. I use it for everything so I earn points on everything and that gets me free food from the store. Check out what loyalty cards you have around - they're best used exclusively though (to save the most moola). Also, you may be able to get meat (like whole chickens or half cows) from local farmers for a great price too (note for half cows you need space to save the meat - a large deep freezer. Also, do expect to be still eating that meat 1 - 2 years after you get it).
  • Lib_B
    Lib_B Posts: 446 Member
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    And I echo what others have said about Aldi - if you have one in your area they can be a great resource - particularly since you do like meat and bread. Even our newest Aldi in town still lacks in the produce area. Great for staples like onions, potatoes, bananas, etc. But not so great for things like brussels sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, etc. Those I get at my neighborhood grocer. I was just at Aldi last weekend and picked up two marinated turkey breast tenderloins that we prepared on the grill. One tenderloin was enough to feed 4 of us (but my kids are small). And the second, we are slicing up and using on salads for dinner tomorrow. I found the BEST way to save money is to meal plan and parlay leftovers into another meal. We'll have roast one night and then I shred the leftovers for BBQ beef sandwiches, etc. Produce is one area where you probably won't save much, but you can do all sorts of creative things with meat. I've been known to roast an entire turkey and then put the roasted meat into individual serving baggies in the freezer. Quick meal for the kids, sandwiches for hubby, etc. Bulk meat is a great way to save money (and time) if you plan.
  • angf0679
    angf0679 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    One thing I am discovering is how easy it is to freeze things I didn't think you could freeze. I love it when my local grocery store has their Buy One Get One free sales as I can stuck up on items. This week even bananas are part of their BOGO.

    One other thing I do is buy the chicken breasts. I can either eat that in a meal by itself, or I have different recipes that I can make with it that make into something that is either two meals or even upwards of four meals. (It's usually when I make wraps with it that I can get upwards of 4 wraps out of the one chicken breast)
  • Lib_B
    Lib_B Posts: 446 Member
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    One thing I am discovering is how easy it is to freeze things I didn't think you could freeze. I love it when my local grocery store has their Buy One Get One free sales as I can stuck up on items. This week even bananas are part of their BOGO.

    One other thing I do is buy the chicken breasts. I can either eat that in a meal by itself, or I have different recipes that I can make with it that make into something that is either two meals or even upwards of four meals. (It's usually when I make wraps with it that I can get upwards of 4 wraps out of the one chicken breast)

    I make buffalo chicken stuffed peppers and I can easily get 4 - 5 lunches from 2 chicken breasts, a package of mushrooms, a thin sliced onion, some Franks Buffalo sauce, 2 red peppers cut in half and a little mozz. Cheap and good!
  • RebeccaP1972
    RebeccaP1972 Posts: 101 Member
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    I am with ya on this

    I find that cooking on the weekends for the week tends to stretch our budget, If I'm prepared I usually don't stop by and grab something to eat. it has helped for me.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    Options
    Hi All

    After doing a few good things this year on MFP, I have found myself sinking back into old patterns.

    The good things I have done are

    1. Swimming
    2. Yoga
    3. Walking.

    The issue I have is dieting itself and changing what I eat. I have at least 3 criteria

    1. The food has to taste good(that's a matter of opinion)
    2. It has to be cheap.

    I am trying to get under 1900 cals for the day and I don't think I can get there without making a few changes, so I am reaching out to you for advice. I would also like to peruse the food diaries to see what has actually worked for all of you here. This way, I can adapt my plan to fit the need.

    Thanx in advance!
    Um.

    eat the things you like, stay under your calories. eating less = saving money.

    Simple.

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