Too few calories

Milk. I drink fat free milk. 13g of protein, 0g fat, 80 cals. 2 cups there gives you some much needed protein and 160 cals. That's pretty cheap. Eggs are good. 5 eggs give you around 25g of protein and 125 calories. Chicken Breast, 250 cals, 40-50g of protein. V8 juice. 1 cup is about 100 calories. Eggs are relatively cheap, so is milk, and frozen chicken is cheap and can be microwave in like 8 minutes. doesn't taste as good as if you cooked it in a pan, but it still works.

Edit: I just read 365's post. Starches are a great idea. Maybe some bread too, unless your going low carb for some reason.

Plain egg whites (cheap ones in the egg section); 1 egg & cheap oatmeal (Ralston) for breakfast. Lunch is low/non-sugar wheat bread w/Buddig meat (chicken, beef, turkey, etc.). Usually have a high pro snack between lunch & dinner. Dinner is low-fat beef, pork, chicken, etc. I was eating below 1100/1200 calories and am now up to 1390/1400; it took some work, but I have lost abt 9 lbs. I also started watching my sugar intake (trying to keep it below abt 50 gm). There are several eating plans out on the Internet (check out Bodybuilding.com) that will give you ideas on what to eat. Good luck!!

If you are only eating 500 calories a day you are starving yourself. A balanced diet of vegetables, fruit and protein is actually less expensive than processed food. Shop the walls of a supermarket as that is where the unprocessed food is. You only need small amounts. Good food + good health. Drink enough fluid during the day too as often we mistake lack of fluid for hunger. Drink that dreaded glass of water. Squeeze some lemon juice in if that helps.Protein powders are mainly made up of whey, just drink the milk its cheaper.

iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »

What do you mean protein is too expensive? I think you need to reevaluate your food spending/planning. You bought ice cream and pb2, I paid like 7 bucks for my jar of pb2. In my opinion, you could be spending that more wisely. You can buy frozen tilapia at Aldi for like $3.99 a pound, also agree with the eggs and Greek yogurt idea.

It sounds to me like you aren't eating nearly enough during the day (only 500 calories?) and then binging at night. You didn't mention breakfast; I would add a protein rich breakfast and maybe a few small snacks to your days and I honestly think that will help.

Yeah, what they said in bold. Priorities, dude, priorities. Saying meat is too expensive and then saying you're buying ice cream and PB2 makes it clear that you're using money as an excuse for some reason.

Meal timing and frequency is irrelevant. You don't need 4-5 meals a day in order to lose weight. If you're having a hard time eating more than 500 calories per day, how did you end up becoming overweight? And...your lunch is celery, lettuce, and cucumbers? Are you a rabbit? Eat something with substance!

If you can fit ice cream and cereal into your day without going over your calorie goal, there's nothing counter productive about it. I eat ice cream with cereal on top every single night and the weight isn't packing on.

I buy a lot of boneless skinless chicken breast, Walmart has it for $1.99 LB. I cook it up and freeze. I grind it so I use it in place of groundbeef (which is around $5.40 LB here) I add spices and make sausage with it. I sometimes grill the whole package and use in salads for the week. Add in veggies and fruit that is in season. While things like PB2 have a place in my diet I find that buying "real" food keeps me full longer and I feel better. If I don't meet my 1200 goal for the day then I don't. I do need to add in more dairy, that's my goal for the next month.

I'll just leave this here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods

Truenutrition sells unsweetened, unflavored protein powder. So does Isopure. You can add flavor/sugar/whatever you want. Just saying. You can get protein powder without stevia or sucralose -- you just have to look around.

I typically pay < $2/lb. for all the protein sources I use on a weekly basis. Things like eggs, chicken thigh, pork chops, sausage and bacon. It only gets expensive if limit your options, or gravitate to the "vanity" sources/cuts.

I'm 6' 1.5" and 284 lbs. atm. My weekly grocery bill is $45-50 on average, and I always hit or exceed my macro targets.

I've seen budget grocery lists for bodybuilders that end up being under $50/week, and they have much higher protein and overall requirements.

There's no need for supplements, or to eat 4+ meals a day.

Your $4 box of cereal ( 14 oz ) along with the $3+ gallon of milk very easily translates into 3 lbs of assorted pork chops @ $1.87/lb. in a family pack at walmart ( for example ). That 3 lbs is 6+ meals, or < $1 serving ...

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If you dont want to eat it ( or prefer to eat other things ), fine. But don't blame cost.

I think there's plenty of room in your food budget for meat. Chicken thighs are cheaper than breast and taste better IMO. If you take the time to cook one big batch, you can eat it for a few days.