Hi guys! Im having a hard time losing weight on a budget. any ideas???

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seg62813
seg62813 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey guys, so i am a college student that also works full time, so basically i have no time and money for food. I gained a ton of weight because I would just stop at fast food places on my lunch breaks at work or school and on my way home when i am to tired to make anything. Not to mention its expensive.
But lately i have been trying my best to eat healthy, and i am having a really hard time because its hard to find healthy foods that are cheap, and really fast to make. I literally dont have time to cook. No time for waiting for water to boil, or waiting for the oven to heat up. I have to make my food in 5 minutes or less.
So I found some foods that are somewhat healthy but honestly its not enough calories or nutrients. I also found a way to buy the same exact things every week and have just enough, but I have to eat the same exact thing every day and for every meal. So for breakfast I eat a packet of instant oatmeal, then i pack a lunch, which is a sandwich that consists of 2 slices of bread, turkey, and a piece of cheese, and then 2 cutie clementines. Then when I come home I drink a slim fast shake, which i actually double, then for dinner I eat tomato soup and carrots.
I can get all of this stuff for about 40 dollars a week, which is awesome, but like i said it just isnt enough food.
So I was wondering if any of you lovely people had any super fast meals that they can make on the go but are also very healthy, and cheap. There has to be something else out there right? Thanks guys!

Replies

  • ravensdiet15
    ravensdiet15 Posts: 77 Member
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    Look into the chunky soups, they would be more filling and still cheap. Also the walmart or target brand of weight loss shakes are comparable and cheaper than slim fast shakes.
  • KLJ7786
    KLJ7786 Posts: 2 Member
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    Seems to me it is more a time issue then a budget issue, if you had the money to eat out a lot and gain the weight then how is it your struggling to afford healthy foods. You can eat anything and lose weight if you eat in portions and track your calories.
  • 1PoisonIvy
    1PoisonIvy Posts: 894 Member
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    Eggs,breakfast, boil them in advance,and have them through the week,add to your breakfast and lunch or dinner...hang in there....pop your on popcorn too
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Beans friend. Dried beans are so cheap. Soak overnight, and then cook in a crockpot or on the stove. You can eat a side of beans with your meals. Beans have fiber which make you full. Rice. Who doesn't love rice and beans? Eggs are cheap. Pick up one or 2 fresh herbs. Cilantro is inexpensive and so is parsely. Trust me a fresh green in your food makes it better. Oatmeal! So cheap. Mix it with milk or water and add some cinnamon and fruit. Let it sit in your fridge over night and nuke that bad boy the next morning for breakfast. Oats are so inexpensive. My #1 suggestion. Lemons and limes for seasoning. I love them
    in my water, squeezed on my proteins, in beans, soups, you name it. A lot v of c stuff can be made cheaply. Especially if you use a crockpot. I even make my own yogurt in my crockpot. 32 oz of yogurt just costs a half gallon of milk that way. Feel free to message me if you want any recipes.
  • Beewallows
    Beewallows Posts: 110 Member
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    The easiest thing I find to do when I'm really busy is find one slot in the week and cook all my meals in advance. You can make spaghetti sauce (with fresh veggies, ground meat and sauce) and freeze it in individual portions and prepare all your pasta and portion it out for each day of the week. This way, for supper, you only need to put the sauce and pasta in the microwave, and you have a way better meal than the shakes.
  • TTopless
    TTopless Posts: 16 Member
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    Eggs, fresh produce (on sale and in season,) tuna. Also, skip convenience packaging i.e. buy a large yogurt container and divvy it out into containers for taking with you. Make your own convenience foods ahead of time. Frozen vegetables are good too...At first, I would use them for preemptive eating. I would microwave an entire sack and eat it and then I wasn't sooo hungry and they gave me super powers so I could resist cake, for instance. Perfect emergency food.
  • Bluwaves1
    Bluwaves1 Posts: 191 Member
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    Boil a dozen eggs at a time, two hardboiled eggs a day is 210 calories, buy the tuna packs that you can rip open. Get the pre-made salad packs. Get some Tupperware containers.
    Do you have any down time at your job? That is a good time to plan out your diet.
  • flavia1432
    flavia1432 Posts: 30 Member
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    You'd be surprised at the number of calories you can get on the dollar menu at any fast food joint. IF...and I know you said you're short on time...if you can spend some time twice a week, you can make a ton of different hefty soups with dried beans, brown rice, frozen chicken from your grocer's own name brand (usu. sold in 2lb bags) and what ever frozen veggies you want. Then just portion it out into resealable containers and put them all in the freezer. I get two weeks worth from 1lb of beans and about 2-3 cups of rice. (very big pot and I portion 1 & 1/2 cups per serving - add all the nutritional value together then divide by the # of portions to enter into MFP) When you're ready, reheat them in the microwave for a few minutes, toss on a portion of shredded cheese and you're good to go.
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    Amy's soups are healthy. The trick is finding various items that can be hearty. For breakfasts that are quick its yogurt and some granola thrown in. For lunch its Wasa bread with some cheese and turkey slices. Snacks can be some "Onesies" prunes in individual packets to throw in your purse, walnut pieces, and those 100 calorie Reddenbacker popcorn bags. Buying those microwavable brown rice packs then adding a small tin of solid white albacore tuna is good.
  • Bluwaves1
    Bluwaves1 Posts: 191 Member
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    enterdanger wrote: »
    Beans friend. Dried beans are so cheap. Soak overnight, and then cook in a crockpot or on the stove. You can eat a side of beans with your meals. Beans have fiber which make you full. Rice. Who doesn't love rice and beans? .

    I work at a prison and they serve beans 5 if not 6 days a week, now that I am on MFP I know why- huge calories, nutritious and cheap!!

  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
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    I meal prep - Cook in bulk, portion into bags, freeze and then reheat in microwave. It's a great way to make meals that meet your intake goals, are cheap to make and super easy when it comes to food time.

    I made a slow cooker apricot chicken - $18.29 for the chicken, sachet mix and apricot nectar. I got 10 portions from it. I then paid $2 for a bag of rice, cooked some of it (0.81c worth) and from the part I cooked, I made 7 portions of rice.

    Each meal of apricot chicken and rice I had cost $1.83 for the chicken portion and $0.12 for the rice. So each meal cost me $1.95 and is nicer than any meal I could've bought for the same price - and I had 7 lunches/dinners made.
  • rockrock111222333
    rockrock111222333 Posts: 2 Member
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    seg62813 wrote: »
    Hey guys, so i am a college student that also works full time, so basically i have no time and money for food. I gained a ton of weight because I would just stop at fast food places on my lunch breaks at work or school and on my way home when i am to tired to make anything. Not to mention its expensive.
    But lately i have been trying my best to eat healthy, and i am having a really hard time because its hard to find healthy foods that are cheap, and really fast to make. I literally dont have time to cook. No time for waiting for water to boil, or waiting for the oven to heat up. I have to make my food in 5 minutes or less.
    So I found some foods that are somewhat healthy but honestly its not enough calories or nutrients. I also found a way to buy the same exact things every week and have just enough, but I have to eat the same exact thing every day and for every meal. So for breakfast I eat a packet of instant oatmeal, then i pack a lunch, which is a sandwich that consists of 2 slices of bread, turkey, and a piece of cheese, and then 2 cutie clementines. Then when I come home I drink a slim fast shake, which i actually double, then for dinner I eat tomato soup and carrots.
    I can get all of this stuff for about 40 dollars a week, which is awesome, but like i said it just isnt enough food.
    So I was wondering if any of you lovely people had any super fast meals that they can make on the go but are also very healthy, and cheap. There has to be something else out there right? Thanks guys!
    seg62813 wrote: »
    Hey guys, so i am a college student that also works full time, so basically i have no time and money for food. I gained a ton of weight because I would just stop at fast food places on my lunch breaks at work or school and on my way home when i am to tired to make anything. Not to mention its expensive.
    But lately i have been trying my best to eat healthy, and i am having a really hard time because its hard to find healthy foods that are cheap, and really fast to make. I literally dont have time to cook. No time for waiting for water to boil, or waiting for the oven to heat up. I have to make my food in 5 minutes or less.
    So I found some foods that are somewhat healthy but honestly its not enough calories or nutrients. I also found a way to buy the same exact things every week and have just enough, but I have to eat the same exact thing every day and for every meal. So for breakfast I eat a packet of instant oatmeal, then i pack a lunch, which is a sandwich that consists of 2 slices of bread, turkey, and a piece of cheese, and then 2 cutie clementines. Then when I come home I drink a slim fast shake, which i actually double, then for dinner I eat tomato soup and carrots.
    I can get all of this stuff for about 40 dollars a week, which is awesome, but like i said it just isnt enough food.
    So I was wondering if any of you lovely people had any super fast meals that they can make on the go but are also very healthy, and cheap. There has to be something else out there right? Thanks guys!

  • rockrock111222333
    rockrock111222333 Posts: 2 Member
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    I am in low carb diet, I have a very cheap and healthy thing to eat. But you have to cook at least once a week: well, You need chicken breast which is very cheap, olive oil, and lemon pepper ( you can get it from winco or Walmart) once a week, wash breasts and cut them into three pieces, add olive oil, about 2-3 tbsp,( don't add too much it makes it taste bad) and add lemon pepper ( about 4-5 tbsp) then put these into a cooking bag, into oven, cook it at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. You can eat this everyday with additional tomatoes, some bell peppers, or if you have time you can add sautéed mushrooms, squash. You cook it once and Separate it to 5 ziplocks, and freeze them, whenever you need, you defreeze the night before. You can eat at work( my husband is eating exact meal)

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