Tight Budget and weightloss

Two things I've done that make the biggest difference for the least amount of effort:

1. Don't let anything go to waste.
2. Eat less.

I started out (before I was calorie counting) by eating only until I wasn't hungry, instead of eating til I could eat no more. The other was to eat the leftovers no one else wanted (at another meal, not on top of my own) and those little bits that weren't worth saving before, suddenly could be a whole meal or even a snack.

Like a few bites of leftover meat and veggies were an omelet the next day.

I've always wondered why there are those who think that it's more expensive to lose weight than it was to eat in such a way as to gain it. The whole idea is to eat less of what you were eating before so it should be cheaper to lose weight, right? I get that you might feel you need to eat "clean" or "healthy" whatever that means to you, but it's not necessary to eat any special way to lose weight, just to eat less.

As far as eating on a budget, buy a crockpot/slow cooker if you don't already have one. It can turn cheap cuts of meat into fabulous dinners. You can also make things like chili, soups and stews in quantity and portion them out and refrigerate or freeze for future meals. Buy fresh fruits and veggies on sale and freeze. I do this with berries and bananas, especially, and use them to make smoothies. In fact, try to buy everything on sale as much as you can. Places like Costco are great for toilet paper and laundry detergent. If you have friends who are interested you can go in together and split up the packages and all save some money.

Avoid prepared foods as much as possible because you're paying for the prep not just the food. Buy whole carrots in bulk and cut them up instead of buying baby carrots. Buy a head of lettuce instead of the baggies of pre-washed and cut salads which are crazy expensive. Buy whole chicken breasts and debone them yourself. You get the idea.

I hope this doesn't come out in the wrong way but...

on a tight budget could mean buying less food? be more selective? buying less food and eating less is the key to weight loss, isn't it?

So with this happening, it is hard to buy all the things I would like food wise to help me lose weight.

Losing weight requires eating less, so your food bill should be going down, not up.

I buy everything frozen, esp. veggies and fruit. Carefully heat in the microwave--I'm a microwave queen. Stuff never goes bad and it's easy to throw veggies in everything.

Lunch today was 1.5 cups of greens beans/carrots, 1/4 cup black beans (don't remember the grams) and one tilapia filet (all frozen). Put the veggies and the beans on the bottom, the fish keeps them moist. Microwave. Ta-da! I also do that with my "chicken." Or tuna/salmon pouches.

I do not buy organic veggies. I buy generic. They're cheap and I buy blends to get a variety.

I choose to spend money on bread. I buy low carb/sugar, high fiber/protein bread.

Dinner is usually a bunch of veggies cooked in a skillet with a teeny bit of olive oil and some egg whites. Usually another protein source like shrimp, trader joe's 96% lean ground beef or morning star farms grillers crumbles. Sometimes I throw beans in there and if I'm feeling really wild and crazy I'll toss in some shredded plain potatoes.

I buy expensive dark chocolate (sweetened with stevia) and organic peanut butter. I pick and choose my expensive stuff and still do keep my grocery budget to a minimum. Cheap staples, more expensive special treats.

I buy with my health and goals in mind. Usually.

KALE!!! Kale is super healthy , nutritious and CHEAP. Plus it can be used in a variety of different combinations.