Broke and over weight...

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xkitxkatxkaix
xkitxkatxkaix Posts: 368 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that I can't be the only one here with this problem, or maybe I am and I hoping to have a pity party. Is there anyone else here who lives paycheck to paycheck and barely making ends meet? I've tried more then a few times to buy only the healthiest of options at the grocery store (within reason of my budget of course) fresh veggies, avoided processed/canned anything really, etc., but I swear each time I nearly break my bank in doing so. On top of that I had to give up my gym membership which is sad considering that it's only $10 a month but with my rent going up it's just no longer in my budget anymore (sad I know).a What I'm in search for is someone who is in the same boat I am but somehow makes it work! I want to be able to pick peoples brains on this one. What meals do you plan for during your week? How do you fit in exercise into a busy schedule?
I would really love some feedback. Thanks for your time!
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Replies

  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    The great thing about weight loss is that you don't need super fancy foods to lose weight. All you need is a calorie deficit (meaning you burn more calories than you eat). You can eat anything you want as long as it fits your calorie goals. (No, this isn't ideal, but you don't want to break the bank trying to lose weight.)

    I would suggest you shop within your means, log everything you eat, and eat within your calorie goal that MFP gave you. If you do this, you will have success. Once you have more of a grocery budget, you can start adding in healthier options.
  • jackie26us
    jackie26us Posts: 22 Member
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    I'm there! I'm on unemployment so only make a little more than 1/2 of my regular income. I do Zumba DVD's for exercise. I never like to pay for exercise would just rather do these or go for a walk. As far as eating we were taking my husband's tips which is extra money for us. So like $50-60 a week. I use to use this on junk food. So what I decided to do was use it on real healthy food. Very little processed stuff. I found I'm spending $10 LESS than what I did on the junk. I do watch prices carefully. We go to a food bank in our area and lot is processed but they have a lot of veggies. So I bulk up on that. I also plan my meals. It takes planning but can be done. We live paycheck to paycheck and primarily lived off the food bank so had no grocery budget. I feed only 2 of us and Hubby is a big eater due to being very active. Feel free to add me as a friend if you need extra support. Also the only thing I drink is water.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I'm not in that boat now, but I've been there. Potatoes are one of the healthiest things you can buy and they are also cheap. This time of year, frozen vegetables are better than fresh vegetables, and they last longer. You can buy dry rice and beans in bulk for fairly cheap. I don't think you save much money by baking your own bread, but it tastes better and kneading it is good exercise. For meat, some of the cheaper cuts taste great when fixed well.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    edited January 2015
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    You can buy *exactly* the same foods you're buying now, and save money, too, because you're buying less.

    Losing weight requires one-and-only-one change in the foods you eat, namely: eat less of them (and thus, save money (two birds, one stone, right?))
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    You don't have to avoid canned, frozen or processed foods to lose weight and be healthy. You simply have to eat less than you burn. There are tons of apps and videos for free on Youtube with home workouts, as well as DVDs at Target that are less than $10. When I lost weight, it was all at home, with no special equipment.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Hey! Sorry to hear you're going through this . . . hopefully it will get better, soon.

    I don't live paycheque to paycheque, but hear me out - I'm really budget conscious and I have been able to plan meals within a budget.

    I'm not sure if you have like a Costco or Sam's Club where you live - I know their memberships cost money but you might know someone who has one and can help you out. It's a bit of money at the outset, but I buy in bulk and I save a ton!

    For example, once a month I buy meat - once a month! I buy 4kg of chicken breast for $30 CDN and 4 - 1 lb packages of ground turkey for $20 CDN and I can get like 5 lbs of ground beef for $20 CDN. And the meat is grade A beef and completely white meat chicken, zero fat - they stick to a pan when cooking if I don't put some kind of spray or a bit of oil in it. Buying in bulk has helped me big time to save money and always have food I can prepare. The only thing I don't buy in bulk is produce because I'm single and I can't eat it quickly enough to make it worth while, with the exception of apples - I buy apples there because I eat them all the time.

    Also - I know here we have almost like levels of grocery stores. There's the high end ones, middle of the road ones and the lower end ones. The lower end ones sometimes have some iffy crowds but they carry pretty much the same products and the prices are noticeably different. Do you think you might save money if you shop at a different store? Further, we have something called a United Supermarket which is geared to international foods, mostly Asian. The produce they have there is absolutely freaking amazing! And less expensive than a regular grocery store here. So maybe shop around if it's possible? It does suck for sure to not just be able to throw whatever in your cart, regardless of the cost. I'm definitely the same way and I have debt that needs to be paid off so I need to really focus on cutting the extra costs. Can I ask though, have you revisited your budget? I'm not trying to be nosey, but are there maybe areas you could cut out because eating properly is an investment we should never skimp on. Or even maybe look at getting a second job? I do some extra work sometimes outside of my regular job because I need the extra cash. It has helped me to recognize just how much I spend on nights out with friends and a couple drinks here and there and I do what I can to minimize that, although I still do like to have fun! Who doesn't? I don't have a lot left over at the end of two weeks, but it's getting better. I went through a separation which costs me a lot of money to get out of and move on from so a few months ago I was hurting, definitely, but it's getting better and your situation will too :)

    The trick is to really know what you want and like to eat. I do meal prep, so whatever I make I'm eating it for the whole week. When I first started out, some of the things I'm like OMG please be Friday, please be Friday, please be Friday because it really wasn't good, whereas other experiments turned out amazing and are part of my regular rotation.

    If you're ever looking for any meal prep ideas or anything, feel free to shoot me a message.
  • xkitxkatxkaix
    xkitxkatxkaix Posts: 368 Member
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    xcalygrl wrote: »
    The great thing about weight loss is that you don't need super fancy foods to lose weight. All you need is a calorie deficit (meaning you burn more calories than you eat). You can eat anything you want as long as it fits your calorie goals. (No, this isn't ideal, but you don't want to break the bank trying to lose weight.)

    I would suggest you shop within your means, log everything you eat, and eat within your calorie goal that MFP gave you. If you do this, you will have success. Once you have more of a grocery budget, you can start adding in healthier options.

    This is a good motivator for me, I've used this site before but I guess I forgot that was kind of a rule of thumb; be ready to burn what you eat. At least that's what I said before and it helped. Thank you for jogging my memory a bit. :)
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    xkitxkatxkaix wrote: »
    I know that I can't be the only one here with this problem, or maybe I am and I hoping to have a pity party. Is there anyone else here who lives paycheck to paycheck and barely making ends meet? I've tried more then a few times to buy only the healthiest of options at the grocery store (within reason of my budget of course) fresh veggies, avoided processed/canned anything really, etc., but I swear each time I nearly break my bank in doing so. On top of that I had to give up my gym membership which is sad considering that it's only $10 a month but with my rent going up it's just no longer in my budget anymore (sad I know).a What I'm in search for is someone who is in the same boat I am but somehow makes it work! I want to be able to pick peoples brains on this one. What meals do you plan for during your week? How do you fit in exercise into a busy schedule?
    I would really love some feedback. Thanks for your time!

    Check out my food diary! I am frugal, and I keep my food costs pretty low. I dont work out at a gym, and I still lost all the weight I had to lose. You can do this!

  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    I also have post on my blog (only one post, cant miss it) on how I shop at the store to save cash.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Do you have a freezer and a pair of shoes that work for walking? You're all set.

    That said: not eating all the fast food and what not will save money!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    easy way to lose weight and save money: Eat the same foods, just less of them.
  • xkitxkatxkaix
    xkitxkatxkaix Posts: 368 Member
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    jackie26us wrote: »
    I'm there! I'm on unemployment so only make a little more than 1/2 of my regular income. I do Zumba DVD's for exercise. I never like to pay for exercise would just rather do these or go for a walk. As far as eating we were taking my husband's tips which is extra money for us. So like $50-60 a week. I use to use this on junk food. So what I decided to do was use it on real healthy food. Very little processed stuff. I found I'm spending $10 LESS than what I did on the junk. I do watch prices carefully. We go to a food bank in our area and lot is processed but they have a lot of veggies. So I bulk up on that. I also plan my meals. It takes planning but can be done. We live paycheck to paycheck and primarily lived off the food bank so had no grocery budget. I feed only 2 of us and Hubby is a big eater due to being very active. Feel free to add me as a friend if you need extra support. Also the only thing I drink is water.

    This is fantastic advice! Thank you. I live with my boyfriend (big eater/no will power/obsessed with mac'n'cheese) and my best friend (big eater/lost alot of weight/still eats nothing but junk) and I'm kind of awkwardly in the middle. I did however make a great discovery and found a bunch of workout videos on hulu that include fun 10 minute dancing workouts that I'm very excited to try out. I'll have to double check where my food bank is, I guess I didn't really give that idea a try before. Again thank you for your help! :)
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
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    xcalygrl wrote: »
    The great thing about weight loss is that you don't need super fancy foods to lose weight. All you need is a calorie deficit (meaning you burn more calories than you eat). You can eat anything you want as long as it fits your calorie goals. (No, this isn't ideal, but you don't want to break the bank trying to lose weight.)

    I would suggest you shop within your means, log everything you eat, and eat within your calorie goal that MFP gave you. If you do this, you will have success. Once you have more of a grocery budget, you can start adding in healthier options.

    This. Exactly. Eat less of the foods you can already afford. (and I bet you'll stretch the groceries out even longer with the smaller portions)
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    xkitxkatxkaix wrote: »
    I know that I can't be the only one here with this problem, or maybe I am and I hoping to have a pity party. Is there anyone else here who lives paycheck to paycheck and barely making ends meet? I've tried more then a few times to buy only the healthiest of options at the grocery store (within reason of my budget of course) fresh veggies, avoided processed/canned anything really, etc., but I swear each time I nearly break my bank in doing so. On top of that I had to give up my gym membership which is sad considering that it's only $10 a month but with my rent going up it's just no longer in my budget anymore (sad I know).a What I'm in search for is someone who is in the same boat I am but somehow makes it work! I want to be able to pick peoples brains on this one. What meals do you plan for during your week? How do you fit in exercise into a busy schedule?
    I would really love some feedback. Thanks for your time!

    If I was broke and living paycheck to paycheck.
    I would look into $1.00 per box of pasta and tuna fish. Not the greatest, but certainly cheap enough to stock up on a sale.. As long as your calories are low which they would be per serving..
  • xkitxkatxkaix
    xkitxkatxkaix Posts: 368 Member
    Options
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    I'm not in that boat now, but I've been there. Potatoes are one of the healthiest things you can buy and they are also cheap. This time of year, frozen vegetables are better than fresh vegetables, and they last longer. You can buy dry rice and beans in bulk for fairly cheap. I don't think you save much money by baking your own bread, but it tastes better and kneading it is good exercise. For meat, some of the cheaper cuts taste great when fixed well.

    Heh, unfortunately potatoes are part of the problem as to why I'm here. When we first moved into our first apartment we discovered that was a great idea to save on grocery bills. And an extra some odd set of pounds later... here I am. But I do agree, frozen veggies are amazing! I try to bulk up on them every chance I get. I *love* baking. Albeit my bread making skills need a lot of practice, for whatever reason I'm not that good at bread making. Oh well, practice makes perfect right? :)
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,276 Member
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    Been there. Go on "cabbage soup" diet, don't buy meat, processed foods, your grocery bill will actually go down. Onions, cabbage, celery, carrots, some cans of tomatoes...add a bag of oatmeal for breakfast.

    Give up driving to save money. Take public transportation every where. .amazing how walking around takes off weight.
  • AmbitiousButRubbish
    AmbitiousButRubbish Posts: 246 Member
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    Sometimes coworkers or friends have copies of workouts that they are willing to share. I got T25 from a friend and I can do it at home with basically no equipement.

    As far as food goes. A box of oatmeal is $2.50 and that is breakfast for 2 weeks. Spaghetti is also good because if you can control how much you eat (Im italian so it is hard to limit pasta intake) it is easy to get 3-4 meals out of a $1 box of spaghetti. Another option I have been using for breakfast is protein powder. It is $20 but I can us it for a month and it really helps curb my hunger.
  • rita_puentes
    rita_puentes Posts: 4
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    I haven't reached my weight goal but as far as financial goals my husband and I are 100% debt free except for the house following Dave Ramsey 7 Baby Steps. He is a radio talk Financial Advisor and his Podcast is very informative. Good luck!
  • mnwalkingqueen
    mnwalkingqueen Posts: 1,299 Member
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    I tend to grocery shop at Aldi's they are a lower cost grocer that sells mostly only house brands. I don't buy meat there because I am picky but I buy my fish, shrimp and all produce there. I bought 4 bags full of groceries and only spent $50 bucks. I love fish and egg whites so I eat a lot of that plus I don't get tired of eating the same thing constantly. Good luck.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    erickirb wrote: »
    easy way to lose weight and save money: Eat the same foods, just less of them.

    BAM!

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