How to lose weight on low budget, & still feel satisfied

spiritandpassion
spiritandpassion Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am wanting to balance my blood sugar and lose weight. On a very limited budget right now. Stressful time in my life. Don't want to feel hungry all the time. What's a healthy way to do this that is inexpensive?

Replies

  • Buff2022
    Buff2022 Posts: 373 Member
    Shop weekly flyers, use coupons. Buy in bulk Cook at home, pack lunches.
  • spiritandpassion
    spiritandpassion Posts: 5 Member
    So far what I'm using is: beans or legumes, brown rice, fat free Greek yogurt, fat free or low fat cottage cheese, & eggs to help increase protein and fiber. What are other people using that feels satisfying and actually works, while being affordable?
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    Round out your meals with cheap filling low cal veggies. You can usually get frozen around $1 a package, fresh just shop what is on special.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    You can eat the same foods you've eaten in the past. Eating less of them will save you money and lead to weight loss.
  • spiritandpassion
    spiritandpassion Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks ilex70, definitely eating more cheap veggies would be filling and good for me. Great idea.
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
    Upping your fat content will help you feel full longer. Don't start gnawing on a stick of butter or anything but try switching to full fat cottage cheese and yogurt. Do you have an Aldi in your area? I buy a lot of my vegetables there and shop the sales flyers. I also like to buy large packages of protein that's on sale or marked down and split it into individual servings and freeze. Good luck.
  • spiritandpassion
    spiritandpassion Posts: 5 Member
    Stevwil41 -That's right, I've heard that re fat. I personally am trying to do less saturated fat, but I do try to do things like add cold pressed canola oil to kale smoothies. Possible do some avocados, or olives. I can't do nuts for nutritional reasons. I don't know Aldi's - but I have plenty of places I can probably get bulk cheap veggies. When you say buy large packages of protein on sale and then store in individual portions, What kind of "protein" are you referring to?
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    Fat helps you feel full, yes, but depending on the study, protein helps as much if not more so. I didn't see any meat on your list. Here is a website that lists cost per gram of protein and you can see that chicken is a good option.
    http://www.mynetdiary.com/healthy-proteins-on-a-budget-healthy-eating-is.html
  • trjjoy
    trjjoy Posts: 666 Member
    Homemade soups with all those fresh veggies ;)
  • jadedhippo
    jadedhippo Posts: 95 Member
    Potatoes!!
  • faithsimmons526
    faithsimmons526 Posts: 162 Member
    Oatmeal. It's usually very reasonable, and you can do lots with it.

    If -- like me -- you're not fond of cooked oatmeal for breakfast, you can mix plain oats with water, place flattened mounds on a sprayed cookie sheet and make oat biscuits. Top one or two with a bit of peanut butter and it's a quick breakfast.

    Where I live I'm able get extra lean ground chicken at $2.50 per pound, which is quite reasonable ... then to each pound I add lots of chopped onion and/or mushrooms plus up to a cup of dry oatmeal, and an egg. Instead of 4 average, I end up with 6 rather large burgers and increase my fiber intake as well.

    Hope this helps.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    You can eat the same foods you've eaten in the past. Eating less of them will save you money and lead to weight loss.

    I'm completely on board with this, but depending on what you have been eating, it can leave you feeling hungry. OP, you don't necessarily have to make major changes. But you may have to adjust to hit that satiety level. You've gotten some good hints here.

  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
    edited February 2016
    Shop the sales. Each week, I review all the flyers (apps are helpful) and then meal plan based on whats on sale. I have always bought stuff on sale - but meal planning based on sales has made a massive difference to my grocery budget.

    One week, pork was on sale - so we had a lightened up pork stew. The next, chicken thighs were on sale - so I found a skinny recipe. I wanted to make something with eggplant one week but it wasnt on sale. So I waited until the following week when it was on sale.

    Also, focus on using every part of what u buy - reduce any waste. Since I've started doing this, I always seem to have leftovers or something I need to get creative to use up. DH was commenting that there I always food in the fridge now.

    Last week we picked up a turkey for $0.89/lb (I know, not the cheapest it can go). Still, $12 of turkey has become:
    1. dinner for 4
    2. 4 lunch portions for my kids and I
    3. turkey quesadilla dinner for 4tomorrow night
    4. Enough sliced turkey for another turkey dinner the next night (for 4)
    5. Turkey soup dinner for 4 for yet another night.
    plus the carcass has been set aside for yummy turkey stock.

    That's 5 meals for my family! And the extra groceries for all these meals are cheap and simple - bread, carrots, onions, potatoes. Max another $10. For $22 total, each meal costs a little over $4. So about $1.00/pp.

    I know its not very veggie heavy, but we did that last week so I'm not worried.
  • faithsimmons526
    faithsimmons526 Posts: 162 Member
    elaineamj wrote: »

    Last week we picked up a turkey for $0.89/lb (I know, not the cheapest it can go). Still, $12 of turkey has become:
    1. dinner for 4
    2. 4 lunch portions for my kids and I
    3. turkey quesadilla dinner for 4tomorrow night
    4. Enough sliced turkey for another turkey dinner the next night (for 4)
    5. Turkey soup dinner for 4 for yet another night.
    plus the carcass has been set aside for yummy turkey stock.

    That's 5 meals for my family! And the extra groceriea for all these meals are cheap and simple - bread, carrots, onions, potatoes. Max another $10.

    ABSOLUTELY. Every time turkey goes on sale, I'm all over it. In fact, I still have a few 100 g packages of turkey breast in my freezer from Christmas.

    Unfortunately, the carcass has been long brothed and consumed ... along with the carcasses of my friends' and relatives' birds. I have no idea why anyone would throw out bones lol.
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
    turkey and ham make great meals and soups. I shop the flyers, my proteins are always brought on sale.

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