What to eat on a tight tight budget & Beginner Troubles.

wallofchaos
wallofchaos Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Just started Piyo and i'm severely out of shape. within 10 minutes I cant do another exercise. Questions I may have to help would be.

when should I eat compared to my workout? Hours before? hours after?

Anyone have a descent diet for a severely budgeted person. I live on 200$ a month in food, not much at all. I know if I had a job I would eat 200$ worth in one week. Fresh fruits veggies and lean meat. But I cant do that.
Even if I cant eat really good I am sure doing Piyo is enough to at least get in shape and shed a few extra pounds off my belly and over all body. I do steer clear of lots of junk food.
I tend to eat oatmeal or raisin bran for breakfast. lunch and dinner vary. I stick to a eating schedule best I can. and nothing after 7pm going to sleep by 11 to midnight. sometimes a little fruit after 7 just because I get so hungry sometimes I just cant sleep.
Currently about 25 to 35 lbs overweight. Most of it is in my belly.

I know they say shakeology is a good way to go. Should I really invest in that? Anyone have experience with it they would care to share?

A lot of the workout kills my head from the blood rushing to it, and my ears plug right up within 10 minutes.
My wrists from plank, and one shoulder that is giving me serious problems, which I am going to talk to the doctor about.
Will my wrists and my head get used to this after how long?

I think my head is the worst problem. I have tried exercising before and the same thing happens, My ears plug up and its just miserable for about an hour afterwords.

Hope someone can shed some light here. even if I know i'm not the only one, might help.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to advice. Thanks.

Replies

  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    sounds like you may be starting off too hard. when i started this last may, i walked. it helped me get in shape and lose weight, lowered my blood sugar and blood pressure. after a few weeks, i was ready to up the intensity.

    i eat a lot of quaker oats which i make with non-fat milk for some protein. perhaps you can get a huge container of non-fat greek yogurt every other week. it's very high in protein, and hopefully can fit in your budget. pasta is filling, can be cheap and a good complex carb - along with an inexpensive sauce, it can fit into most budgets. and don't forget dried beans. they're really cheap, shelf stable, super healthy, calorie dense and can be made in a wide variety of ways. eggs are a good protein source - i like egg beaters, but i don't think they'd fit your budget, although maybe a store brand would work. mash potato flakes are also inexpensive and shelf stable.

    if you get hungry, i suggest you eat just before bed instead of hours before bed. i don't find fruits to be very satisfying - they don't last as long as protein and complex carbs for me. i have unsweetened cereal and a little milk just before bed. don't worry - the myth about putting on more weight by eating late is just a myth. if you eat less calories, you'll lose weight no matter when you eat them.
  • adidrea
    adidrea Posts: 275 Member
    Eating healthy and cheaply starts by deciding to cook most of your meals at home. It's -very- doable to eat well on $200 a month, especially if you're just feeding yourself.

    I would skip the shakeology, it's an overpriced marketing trick (sorry shakeology reps! haha). You can make filling, wholesome foods for cheaper. A quick google search for something like "Healthy meals for $200 a month" will turn up lots and lots of blogs and websites with recipe ideas, shopping lists, tips, etc.

    If you have a printer, you can also check out websites like coupons.com and print yourself some coupons. You'd be surprised how it adds up over time.

    As for working out, I really think you should just get yourself checked out by a doctor before you start working out. If you think something is wrong, nobody here is really qualified to give you medical advice. Your doctor knows best! But if that's not possible, maybe try increasing your intensity more slowly and gradually. Start with long, brisk walks, then build up to something more intense over time. Maybe you're just overexerting yourself early on and your body isn't ready for it.

    Good luck to you!!
  • sally_jeffswife
    sally_jeffswife Posts: 766 Member
    Easy cheaper meals- If you get a bag of O brien hasbrown potatoes those already have some veggies in them Put them in a baking pan with a can of chunk ham or spam and 1 can of nacho cheese soup,1 can cream of celery soup,1 can cream of mushroom soup and bake that. Eggs are pretty inexpensive and are always good. Egg salad sandwiches, Omelettes. If you can find cheaper hamburger meatloaf is pretty easy to make and not too expensive. Just need crumbled bread,cubed cheese,ketchup,2 eggs,hamburger and seasonings. I have even made that with crushed cereal in place of bread if have been out of bread. Or you can make the greek flavored one and use hamburger,bread,cheese,lemon juice,oregano,eggs. Tuna Fish Sandwiches are pretty cheap. Homeade Soup is a good option just cuz it can make a whole lot and then will last for several days. Tacos aren't too bad price wise. Pasta is pretty good with butter,lemon,basil and white cooking wine.
  • wallofchaos
    wallofchaos Posts: 2
    Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Great advice for me. Eggs are my least favorite food but I think if I eat them right I enjoy them. Some very good suggestions here. I really appreciate it.
    I did also find a better replacement for shakes when I do that. Garden of life's products have good reviews. I like a shake for one of my meals/snacks since its quick, easy, and not too heavy. ive lost 10 lbs and kept it off so far for a couple weeks. but i stopped losing. fluctuating calories i think. Working on fixing that. Next month will be my next grocery run. Better food to come thanks to the suggestions here.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
    If you buy your own food and not eat out too much, you can easily get by on $200 a month and eat healthily. I have 4 adults in my house, and we spend under $200 a week (that averages to less than $50 a person). I tend to buy lots of chicken breasts in bulk when they are $1.99 a lb. I open the package when I get them home and freeze them individually in freezer bags. My son, who is a body builder, practically lives on them. It's summer, so fresh produce has been cheap, but in winter and fall, I buy frozen store brand vegetables. I'm also a fairly aggressive coupon-er, although mostly for non-food purchases, since I try to limit packaged foods. But I use coupons for cereals and dairy products, such as yogurt. The store where I shop has a loyalty card, and they do lots of Buy 1 get 1, so if they have bread as a B1G1, I buy 2 loaves and freeze one. You can also save by buying tub yogurt rather than the individual ones and adding your own fruit. I even use canned fruit in the winter, canned in its own juice, or frozen berries. A tub of Greek yogurt is under $4.00, whereas the little ones are $1 each. The little ones are OK for bringing to work, but when at home, I eat the big tub stuff. I usually go through a tub a week. The same goes for cottage cheese.
  • Kirstie155
    Kirstie155 Posts: 1,001 Member
    If you are just feeding yourself, $200 is totally doable for a month. I spend $200/month for myself and my SO, but I also make many of our meals from scratch, including bread and biscuits (and yes, we both work full time). Convenience foods are more expensive because they save you a ton of time. $12 for a frozen lasagna? Make it yourself and save a bundle. I buy our fresh meat from a local butcher ($$$$) that runs groupon deals every other month for half off($$). This gives us great quality meat at a steep discount. I buy in bulk and freeze.
    Shop the sales, and learn how much each item costs. If I go to the store thinking I want peaches, and get there and they are $1/lb more than average, I wont get them. Stock up on bogo sales.
    Don't buy convenience foods. I say this again because it is the best way to save. Stay away from prepared snacks like granola bars and chips. Cereal is also expensive. Oatmeal is great and cheap, get the generic brand. We also drink little milk in our house because it is very expensive.
    There are a million tips we can give you here. See which ones work for you because if you hate cooking, my advise of making all of your food from scratch wont help!
    Good luck!
  • charlottemilton
    charlottemilton Posts: 144 Member
    I second all the suggestions above. I feed 3 adults and 1 teenage son on less than $200 a week and I buy organic fairly often so it can be done. I do take the grocery circulars and plan out the menus for the week. Several years ago, my husband and I took a finance class and learned that using cash to pay for purchases alone will decrease the amount most people spend. That alone cut our grocery budget by about 10%. By using the Wednesday grocery circulars and planning our meals, we were able to decrease our grocery spending by about 25% and we eat better with less waste. I am not a coupon user except for the occasional one I actually remember to bring with me (usually for sewing or craft supplies not groceries, lol.) I do know location can make a big difference in grocery spending. Good luck.
  • avoidtheclapp107
    avoidtheclapp107 Posts: 49 Member
    I've recently started to budget to eat for $25/week (and you thought your budget was tight!) It's hard and I'm not great at it yet, but I'm getting much better. I make something in the beginning of the week (vegetable soup, chili, mexican lasagna) and eat it for the week. Also Dollar Tree has really good **** for $1--flour tortillas, frozen fruits and veggies (yes! they have a frozen section!) other stuff...and lucky for me my dollar tree is right next to a farmer's market--definitely the way to go for cheaper fruits and veggies. Eggs (although you don't love them) are cheap for the week and keep you full. I just make a menu, buy my ****, and eat accordingly. It keeps my wallet in check, too!

    Add me if you want we can swap recipes and horror stories!
  • SunnyRease
    SunnyRease Posts: 2 Member
    Don't be afraid to eat after 7pm, you may find having a small snack about 2 hours before bed really keeps away hunger in the morning. But it is good to each within 2 hours of waking up. Water in the evenings helps with the cravings and I usually have a small amount of nuts or other protein for my late night snack. I found fruit had too much sugar for me that late at night.
  • jigsawxyouth
    jigsawxyouth Posts: 308 Member
    200 dollars is totally doable!
    Depending on where you live, see if there is a local Aldi. Very affordable and most now carry several organic products, that will NOT break your budget. For a family of four, I spend roughly 250 a month there.
    I recently started eating leaner meats (fish, turkey, chicken breast), and they have all of that there.
    I'm not even joking, when I was on a severely tight budget, Aldi was a life saver for healthier food options. Good luck!
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,418 Member
    Second everyone saying cook at home.

    I don't eat out very often, which keeps my budget in check. If I have food at home, it's food I don't need to buy as takeaway.

    I buy meat when it's on sale and freeze it. Eggs and cottage cheese are my best friends. Rice and oats are excellent and cheap. Making bread is easy. Apples are generally pretty cheap year round. Carrots, too. But when I can get special produce for cheap depending on the season, I do. And I find friends with gardens :)

    Batch coooking is awesome. Chili and soup are ways to eat well for cheap (in the winter, I make a big batch and freeze in individual portions for work). In the summer, I make mason jar salads (google it!) so I don't even have to think about lunch all week, just grab and go.

    My budget is also 200$ a month for just me. Feel free to add me, my diary's always open.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    I have been below the poverty line for years, just now above the line (yay) but I keep a pretty tight reign on costs.

    Fruit- bagged apples,bunch bananas,raisins, and orange juice are the cheapest usually. I aim for two servings a day.

    Veggies- I buy a head of iceberg, cut it up, and keep it in the fridge in a ziplock gallon bag to make quick salads throughout the week. Whole carrots, frozen peas,white potatoes in a big bag, onions, and cabbage tend to be cheapest veggies you can find here.

    grains-(BASE YOUR MEALS ON THESE) quick oats in a big tub (generic brand),cheap loaves of bread,boxes of pasta, cereals (we love raisin bran here too!),tortillas,popcorn (i make mine on the stovetop in a pot.)rice (choose minute rice if you are not experienced with cooking rice.)

    dairy- fat free milk, lowfat yogurt (when they have a sale on it, every other week)

    protien- keep it lean, with beans(canned baked beans are a favorite in our house), lowfat cottage cheese, tuna,lean deli meat, etc. We also eat eggs, and firm tofu.

    healthy fats- italian salad dressing, premade hummus,margarine (tub), olive oil mayo. Measured out and used sparingly.

    Treats- We like hard candy, like butterscotch candy for treats, also frozen fruit/yogurt popsicles. I also buy a box of white wine and have a glass or two a week of that as a treat.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Ugh you don't need to blow money on Shakeology. Frozen and canned veggies are extremely affordable. If you go with canned, look for "no sodium added" or "light syrup added." Beans and other dried lentils are extremely cheap and can flesh out a diet/add protein, vitamins & minerals.

    As for the exercise: it's not working for you. It's just cardio with stretching. It should not be causing pain/ears to plug up. Find a different routine or start slower.
  • D_squareG
    D_squareG Posts: 361 Member
    If you don't already, learn to cook! You can make tortillas from just flour, water and shortening. You can make soups from a cheap cut of meat and a pot full of.vegetables. Eggs, tuna, chicken are all cheap usually. Look for a sale ands then buy extra for your freezer. I always have onions, potatoes and carrots. They are a base for many soups and stews. And I always have romaine lettuce for salad. Eating cheap is easy if you prepare your own meals. If you don't know how, You Tube it good luck in the kitchen!
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    exercise- try walking. In place while watching TV or outside around your neighborhood.

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