Young and unmotivated

Hey
I've been there! Try to make small changes in your lifestyle, don't try to go from not working out to going to the gym 5 times a week. And look for workouts in the gym that you like! It has no future doing any activity you hate - that won't last (at least from my experience).

For the eating part, I've never lived in California, so I can just tell from my experience living in germany and now in Finland (btw. a country where EVERYTHING! is expensive).
- frozen veggies are usually a cheap alternative to fresh veggies and still have all the vitamins, you can easily add some of these to your lunch and dinner
- look for canned beans / corn / stuff - also usually a cheap, yet filling and nutrious option
- plan a bit ahead of what you want to eat: throwing away food is a huge waste (of food and money!)

Don't get discouraged in the beginning. You can do it, small steps and you will get there!

I echo the sentiments above. I eat a lot of beans and lentils and make a lot of soup.

Do you have a slow cooker? That makes it easier for me to balance cooking with working and studying. I'll buy a really cheap whole chicken, put it in the slow cooker in the morning and have chicken for dinner. Then I have leftovers to make sandwiches or wraps for my lunches. Then I use the bones to make stock and have chicken soup for most of the week.

If you're having a hard time affording the gym membership and food, you are probably better off putting that money towards food as it's more important for weight loss than exercise. Also exercise can be done at home or outside.

The lifestyle takes practice. A lot of it. But as you keep going, adapting to your budget and time constraints gets easier.

Hey there!
I'm 25 and live in Southern California! Eating healthy seeming expensive is something I can understand. It put me off for a long time - an excuse I told myself.

Truth is - there ARE cheaper ways to eat healthy that don't involve over priced organic or shopping at Whole Foods. There are ways to eat "healthier" and stay in budget.

If you live near a WinCo - I HIGHLY suggest it there. So much cheaper than any other grocery store. If you don't, it IS possible to shop smart in places like Vons. You just have to do some planning and go for store brands.

A head of lettuce goes a long way. A couple avocados. Canned low sodium veggies - or even frozen store brand veggies! Of COURSE fresh is always better. But yes, it is more expensive. So I always do a mixture. Buy salad ingredients fresh and veggies to use in pastas or home cooked dishes frozen. Eating veggies in any form is still healthier and low calorie than high carb meals.

It's all about portions. Make spaghetti! But only eat a small portion. Use the app to help you keep track of how much you have eaten. And use it to tell you how many calories to eat! IT WILL BE HARD the first 2 weeks. Training your body to be full on a smaller amount takes time. Your stomach lining needs to shrink to accept normal portions.

Lean cuisines go on sale OFTEN! Pick up a couple of those for easy lunches on work days. A bag of fresh apples is super cheap! Keep those around for snacks. Light mozerella string cheese is a good snack too! I'm also a fan of hummus and sugar snap peas! Both can be found affordable and just need to be measures out in portions! (2 table spoons of hummus is roughly 70 calories)

Store brand or the light chobani yogurts are affordable.


It just takes research, planning and dedication. Even the smallest change towards being healthy is a good one!

I know what it's like to not have motivation - to feel fat and useless and not have the energy or will to change it because it's SO much work and changing your life style is a hard pill to swallow. And, truthfully, that's not something anyone on here can help you with. YOU need to be ready and tired of your situation enough to gain the motivation necessary. Because if you don't do it for yourself and because you WANT to - it's going to feel like torture making yourself do it.

I speak entirely from experience. I hope you find your motivation and join us on our journeys!
Good luck!