Stay at home Mom on a budget...

Options
mzconceptiin86
mzconceptiin86 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have really been having a hard time eating the right kinds of food. I know what I am supposed to be eating. Lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats. However I find myself trying to eat smaller portions of the "normal" food the rest of my family prefers. We don't have alot of money and my significant other tells me diet foods are expensive. Especially when I'm the only person eating them. I don't feel like I get a lot of support from anyone and its discouraging. I have struggled with my weight my entire life and I'm sure some of you can relate to that. I am at stay at home mother, I have no job, and basically no social life. For me weight loss is one of the few goals I have. I want to accomplish something, and I have all the time in the world to do it. Feeling alone!!
«1

Replies

  • heatherheyns
    heatherheyns Posts: 144 Member
    Options
    Well, you can eat portions of what they eat, or similar versions. Like when my family has beef tacos I make myself a burrito with lots of veggies and beans. It's similar but a little lower calorie. I'll skip cheese or sour cream sometimes to bring the count down. I eat little diet food, other than fruits and veggies, so I'm not sure what you guys consider diet food.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,986 Member
    Options
    nixxthirteen wrote: »
    :) I make a lot of little substitutions. I want to enjoy the same foods as my SO and others around me, but tweaked to fit my needs.

    He gets mayo on his sandwiches, I have tzatziki. He has rye bread, I use weight watchers multigrain bread. That kinda thing.

    At dinner, we have the same thing. Except I have more veggies and more salad, and weigh out 100g of rice and 100-ish g of meat. He has as much of those things as he likes.

    Yes, we do these sorts of things as well.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Options
    mzconceptiin86 wrote: »
    I have really been having a hard time eating the right kinds of food. I know what I am supposed to be eating. Lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats. However I find myself trying to eat smaller portions of the "normal" food the rest of my family prefers. We don't have alot of money and my significant other tells me diet foods are expensive. Especially when I'm the only person eating them. I don't feel like I get a lot of support from anyone and its discouraging. I have struggled with my weight my entire life and I'm sure some of you can relate to that. I am at stay at home mother, I have no job, and basically no social life. For me weight loss is one of the few goals I have. I want to accomplish something, and I have all the time in the world to do it. Feeling alone!!

    Change your thinking about the "supposed to."
    Cook foods that are inexpensive and that can fit into your plan . . . for example bean dishes (chili and tacos).
    Two good sources:
    http://www.budgetbytes.com/
    http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/eat/recipes/soups-stews/
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    Options
    I'm with everyone else. Stop worrying so much about what you're "supposed" to eat. Grab one or two extra green veggies to attach to your normal meals if you're that worried about it. Produce, fresh produce and frozen, are extremely cheap. I'm uber-broke all the time and while I can't even afford to get a haircut right now, even I can afford a broccoli floret and a zucchini. Super cheap. And the price will vary depending on where you live, so just find what's cheapest near you. Smaller portions of your normal meals is a perfectly adequate way to lose weight. It's been working great for me. In fact, changing my meal plans around was so stressful it actually hindered my weight loss. So don't get too hung up on changing your entire eating habit all at once. Add a veggie to each meal, then maybe trade a usual snack for an apple or pear. Then maybe you switch out your normal white pasta for some whole grain pasta to get an iron boost and some fiber. Baby steps.

    Don't buy "diet foods". Buy foods, and adjust your diet so they fit your nutritional and weight loss needs.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    edited May 2016
    Options
    "on a budget?" The good news is that all you have to do to lose weight is eat less than you're currently eating, which is actually good news when you're on a budget because buying less food = spending less money ;)

    Seriously, all it takes is smaller portions of what you already eat. No special "diet food" required.

    Edited to add punctuation so it would make a little sense
  • evivahealth
    evivahealth Posts: 571 Member
    edited May 2016
    Options
    cnbbnc wrote: »
    I would suggest is scraping together enough money to get yourself a food scale. I'm sure you would rather spend money on better food given the choice, but scales are a fantastic tool that will enable you to eat what you have on hand (in the right quantities) to lose weight. You can totally do this. You just have to get the portions/calories nailed down.

    I totally agree with this ^^^ I had a bunch of bills due last pay and lived off what I had on hand with a couple of cheap things like broccoli thrown in. My food scale was such a help because I could still stay within my calories goals.

    You say you're not getting much support at home which is really sucky - the good news is we are all here to help! Send me a friend add - we've all got this in the bag if we do it together!!
  • cupcakesplz
    cupcakesplz Posts: 237 Member
    Options
    We are a family of 6 and on a tight budget too. I just eat less which means I save money by NOT buying foods that my family doesn't need like biscuits, chips and other snack foods.
  • 12Sarah2015
    12Sarah2015 Posts: 1,117 Member
    Options
    Feel free to add me. I'm a stay at home mum too on a budget.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    Options
    Look up Fruits & Veggies - More Matters. It's geared towards families with kids with loads of kid friendly recipes. Please don't buy expensive 'diet food'. Mayo Clinic website has a great popsicle recipe. If you don't buy cookies, candy, and other overly sweet, salty, or greasy food, you might have money for fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low fat dairy, whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts. Also, get the kids involved in family exercise and in growing a square foot or even patio garden. Have a discussion with your SO.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    Options
    ...when I was a stay at home mom, I made my own baby food and breast fed and used cloth diapers.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    edited May 2016
    Options
    "Diet food" is a marketing campaign.

    Eat what they eat, just stay within your calories (using a scale to measure things). The cheapest things (per calorie) that I personally buy are peanut butter, butter, olive oil, cheddar cheese, mixed nuts <- I eat a lot of these foods to keep my overall food budget low. This allows me to "splurge" on veggies and now and then on boutique spices (just bought some smoked fleur de sel) to keep the bland broccoli or whatever interesting enough to eat. Other dirt cheap foods (in my region) are rice, potatoes, lentils and TVP. Those can easily be considered "normal" foods and fit in a calorie deficit if you're weighing them.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    Options
    Find a farmers market. They sell veggies super cheap compared to a supermarket.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    edited May 2016
    Options
    You really don't need special food.

    I do spend a bit on protein bars/powder because I prioritize protein in my eating and it works for me.

    So my usual breakfast is a protein bar, string cheese and often some raw almonds.

    Lunch is usually a frozen dinner of some kind (avg. maybe $2.50?) or a sandwich, which is what I had today.

    2 slices of bread ($2 a loaf)
    1 tbsp of mayo (maybe $2 for the container)
    around 3 oz. of deli meat ($7.50 a pound because I splurge on good deli meat...$1.40ish)
    some iceberg lettuce ($1ish a head)
    tomato slices ($1 a pound right now)

    Pretty sure lunch came in at about $2.

    Store brand Greek yogurt is usually under $1. Frozen veggies often available for $1 a bag. Popcorn can be really inexpensive if you pop it yourself.

    And, like other have mentioned, use a food scale and just adjust your portions; maybe more veggies and less starch.

  • tahxirez
    tahxirez Posts: 270 Member
    Options
    cbelc2 wrote: »
    ...when I was a stay at home mom, I made my own baby food and breast fed and used cloth diapers.

    And?

    OP I'm on a pretty tight budget too. My SO is fairly willing to try most things I concoct but mostly I like to make foods he recognizes that are just swapped with less calorie dense ingredients. I add zucchini, peppers and onions to my spaghetti sauce, use turkey burger, chicken breast instead of tenders for recipes. check out the MFP blog for some healthy recipes that are family friendly. Get everyone involved in the meal planning phase (everyone picks a recipe to try etc) do some prep together, even small children are able to chop vegetables and such with proper supervision and it helps them develop confidence and independence. Plan ahead and pick recipes that use similar ingredients so you can buy only a few things a week or buy in bulk. Check out the bulk section of your grocery store for things like grains and nuts as they tend to be cheaper and you can buy exactly what you need.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    Options
    2011rocket3touring wrote: »
    Find a farmers market. They sell veggies super cheap compared to a supermarket.

    This depends on the farmer's market. Our big farmer's market is often no cheaper than the grocery store.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Options
    Eat less calories than you burn to lose weight. That is it.
    I have been at this for over 4 years (maintaining for over 2-1/2 years). I have found that it is less expensive than it was to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.
    You can cook from scratch and eat everything your family eats. It will be healthier for you all and cheaper in the long run. Pay attention to portion sizes and calorie intake.

Categories