help me out a little please...well maybe alot

prettigirl01 · January 2017

i feel like im a train wreck seriously. Im the heaviest ive ever been in my entire life. Even when I was pregnant I was never this heavy. I weigh in at 195 pounds and im 33 years old. I know where this gain has come from and its alcohol and fast food. Almost everyday. Well good news is ive completely cut out the alcohol. I cant even drink in moderation...at least not for now anyway so it had to go. As a single mom working from paycheck to paycheck and getting some government assistance with food, its super hard to buy all the healthy stuff that I need to get started. So I will be relying on my tax refund to stock up on at least 2-3 months of healthy foods to get myself started. What I want to know is...myfitnesspal has me at 1240 cals a day given the info that I put in and I feel that's way too low. Im sure it can be done but I feel like im starving near the end of the day because most of my cals are eaten at lunch time. That's when im the hungriest. I guess I just need some suggestions of what I can eat on a very tight budget for now and I really mean TIGHT! I want to focus on my diet before I incorporate any exercise. Don't want to put too much on my plate at once...literally. so any suggestions im open to and my diary is a hot mess lol please don't judge. Also I know absolutely nothing about macros and all those other words so ill need the basics to start off. Thanks

cathipa · January 2017

If you are on government assistance aren't fresh and frozen produce on the list of covered foods? What about poultry and ground beef? Dry beans? You don't need to buy lean cuisine or other supposed diet foods to lose weight. Eating healthy is cheaper than fast food, but does require preparation and cooking.

ahoy_m8 · January 2017

First question: What did you tell MFP was your desired rate of loss?

prettigirl01 · January 2017

maybe I should say I get food stamps so I only get a certain amount a month for me and my child and what they give me is barely enough to get us through the month so a lot of times im using money as well to buy food. from what Ive seen when shopping is eating healthy is way more expensive than a meal at mcdonalds but again I don't know anything about eating healthy. it was never done in my household growing up so I know I have a lot to learn.

jemhh · January 2017

In season vegetables and fruit, frozen veggies and fruit, rice, and beans are good starts. Do you have a freezer? If so, you could keep an eye on sales and stock up that way. Grocery stores cycle sales so one week frozen veggies will be on super sale, the next week it might be cereal, the next week something else. If you can use coupons (a lot are available online) you can usually find a coupon to match with the sale item and get it really cheap (especially if the grocery store doubles coupons.)

As for your 1240 calories per day...what are your height and weight and how many pounds per week did you tell MFP that you want to lose? For every half pound per week that you want to lose, your calorie goal decreases by 250, to a lower limit of 1200. That means that if you decrease your weekly weight goal by a half pound, your daily goal would go up to 1490 and if you decrease it by a full pound your goal will go up to 1740. Both of those could be more sustainable in the long term. As nice as it is to think of losing the weight quickly, long term sustainability is the name of the game here.

It looks like your diary is closed. Could you open it up (go to Settings/Diary Settings)?

kommodevaran · January 2017

You are the one to decide how fast to lose weight. The lower he calories, he faster the loss. 195 pounds isn't that much, and it will come off slowly. If you are really hungry, you're probably eating too little.

Cutting alcohol will free up funds for food. You don't need lots of stuff and not an special stuff. You can build up your pantry, slowly, week by week: One week a bag of rice, the next some pasta, the next a bag of beans, the next potatoes, the next oatmeal etc. Use this as a base for your meals. Add fresh and frozen vegetables, and some fruit and dairy, oils, nuts, meat or eggs. Learn to cook. Plan meals and eat up everything.

prettigirl01 · January 2017

hey ahoy_m8 im so glad you asked that because I just went to check my settings and I had it set to lose 1.5 pounds a week and now I see why the cals were so low. my bad! I changed it to 1 pound per week so that makes it much better for me.

GauchoMark · January 2017

prettigirl01 wrote: »

i feel like im a train wreck seriously. Im the heaviest ive ever been in my entire life. Even when I was pregnant I was never this heavy. I weigh in at 195 pounds and im 33 years old. I know where this gain has come from and its alcohol and fast food. Almost everyday. Well good news is ive completely cut out the alcohol. I cant even drink in moderation...at least not for now anyway so it had to go. As a single mom working from paycheck to paycheck and getting some government assistance with food, its super hard to buy all the healthy stuff that I need to get started. So I will be relying on my tax refund to stock up on at least 2-3 months of healthy foods to get myself started. What I want to know is...myfitnesspal has me at 1240 cals a day given the info that I put in and I feel that's way too low.

what did you tell MFP was your lb/wk weight loss goal? If you chose 2 lbs/wk, that is why it is so low.

prettigirl01 wrote: »

Im sure it can be done but I feel like im starving near the end of the day because most of my cals are eaten at lunch time. That's when im the hungriest. I guess I just need some suggestions of what I can eat on a very tight budget for now and I really mean TIGHT! I want to focus on my diet before I incorporate any exercise. Don't want to put too much on my plate at once...literally. so any suggestions im open to and my diary is a hot mess lol please don't judge. Also I know absolutely nothing about macros and all those other words so ill need the basics to start off. Thanks

aside from pre-prepared foods, protein is going to be your most expensive food. Next up is fresh veggies and fruit.

Just a quick rule of thumb, about 1g/lb of lean body mass of protein, 0.35g fat/lb body weight, and the rest of your calories from carbs will get your macros to a pretty balanced diet where you won't lose too much muscle mass during the fat loss.

As for cheap protein sources, canned tuna, canned chicken breast, skim milk, beans (like black, pinto, etc), eggs, and greek yogurt are pretty cheap and good choices. The local grocery has had fresh chicken breast for $2/lb for months now, so that is pretty cheap since that would give you like 3-4 servings.

You can make a salad and top it with canned meat.

Another option I do a lot is to make chili with lean ground beef or ground turkey.

One more trick is spaghetti squash topped with marinara sauce that I put in some meat.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive, but you have to cook your own food. If you buy a packaged food that says "healthy", "low fat", "low carb", "gluten free" or any other buzz word like that, it is going to cost extra...

lorrpb · January 2017

You prob have your loss set at 2 lbs per week . I suggest you change it to 1 lb per week. you will have more calories and still lose weight. I'm not clear why you can afford to buy alcohol and fast food, but not fresh food at the grocery store? Do buy a $10 digital food scale, you might even be able to find one at Goodwill if you check a few times. Then weigh everything you eat & log it. Doing so costs nothing. Do that for 2 weeks, then look over your diary for places you can cut a few calories if you're consistently going over your new, higher goal. You don't have to buy any special food you get started this way.

cheryldumais · January 2017

I agree with trying to use more veggies. Frozen sometimes is cheaper than fresh and often just as good. The bulk will fill you up more. I use alot of air poppped popcorn without butter for snacks. This is also very filling. Soup works great and if you make something homemade with lots of veggies you will be surprised at how long you stay full. My experience has been that pasta which is cheap makes me hungrier and is too high in calorires. I substitute spiralized (thinly sliced like spaghetti) veggies. This fills me up, reduces carbs and is low in calories. Don't be afraid to lower your expectations of losing quickly. You will learn as you go and sometimes a longer more liveable program is easier to sustain. Most of us want to lose 2 pounds a week but the reduction in calories often makes that impossible to stick with. Good luck.

prettigirl01 · January 2017

you made me smile kommodevaran when you said 195 pounds isn't that much but for someone who is 5'5" I think it is but looking at me you couldn't tell. im mostly heavy in my midsection and thighs. I also know I must buy a scale to weigh my food. this is probably the main reason why I could never lose any weight. also eating the wrong things and feeling hungry an hour afterwards. I know what I need to do but I can never remain consistent. after a week or 2 I relapse and im back to the crap again. the willpower has to come from within. im trying to find it

prettigirl01 · January 2017

these suggestions are really helpful and im writing them down. I also checked out allrecipes.com for some low calorie meals. I can cook but I choose the fast food route and I know I will never get anywhere if I keep that up. Im super excited about where this will go

cathipa · January 2017

Check out skinnytaste.com. excellent source of healthy low cal recipes.

joanthemom8 · January 2017

I am a big fan of pinto beans. My hubby is from Mexico and were a staple for him growing up. I just boil them with a little salt.... yummy! I even love the bean "juice". Great source of fiber too! You can also "smash" them to make faux refried beans (I don't like to add oil or lard to my beans). A bag of dry beans (that lasts our famly of 4 at least two meals) is only about $1.25 -$1.50.

ahoy_m8 · January 2017

You can do it, OP! And honestly, people on MFP have had really impressive success starting heavier and shorter than you. Check out the success stories thread!

Has anyone mentioned legumes? They are packed with fiber & protein, fill you up, keep you full, are easy to make, keep in your pantry a really long time and are inexpensive. My pantry is full of different kinds of beans & rice so when food gets low I can always make something delicious and filling from the pantry. You can do them in a slow cooker, too, if you have one.

Also about willpower, it's kind of overrated. Sure it helps in clutch situations, but it is easy to overuse and it exhausts. It's probably more reliable to have a good strategy or realistic plan (i.e. slower rate of loss). Aside from being more sustainable without exhausting your willpower every day, a slow rate of loss is closer to maintenance, so when you do reach your goal weight, it's just minor adjustments adding a few calories to maintain for life.

cmazurek85 · January 2017

I would suggest looking up recipes on pinterest. they have so many pins that link to cheap, easy to cook meals. I love the crock pot. If you don't have one, consider going to goodwill or a second hand store to get a cheap one. I can make a healthy, nutritious, balanced meal overnight.

Eating healthy really doesn't have to be expensive, especially if you're weighing all your food. I find that when I eat less, I spend less on food, because I'm not letting it go to waste, and I am not eating as much, so Im buying less at the store. buying staples (meat, rice, frozen and fresh produce) is actually much cheaper than a mcdonald's meal.

I love the Wendy's 4 for $4. It's heaven for me when I want to eat junk food. I bet you probably spend $4-$6 on your meal. You could buy a whole chicken (on sale at the store, I've seen them as low as $.90/lb), or $6 for a whole chicken. 2 cups of dry rice makes about 4ish cups of cooked rice, 1 can of beans Is probably obtained for $.75, I bag of organic frozen veggies is about $2.50. you could buy some very ripe/must sell onions and tomatoes from the produce section (the kind you have to use THAT DAY) for less than $1. so that's $10. You will get at least 5, generously portioned meals from that list. I've done it before. this comes out to about $2 per meal and roughly 550 - 580 cals a meal (100 g of rice, 80 g beans, 6 oz chicken...including all the oils needed to make the rice, etc). the Wendy's 4 for 4 meal is a MINIMUM of 1,130 calories. So you're eating half the cals at half the cost and getting more nutrition!

You don't have to eat organic (which can get expensive) but you have to eat well. Good luck! PM me if you need help!

jennyi27 · January 2017

i would strongly suggest eggs in the morning for breakfast if you find yourself really hungry for lunch. i have found - after trying various things - that eggs really stick with me the longest. they are a good source of protein, relatively low on calories, and pretty cheap too! i like to take 2 hard boiled eggs with me to work and eat them with my coffee.

P.S. Good for you for taking the steps to get healthier. Your child will be learning healthy habits too.

cmazurek85 · January 2017

Also, try going to a Spanish market or Asian food market. you could get a giant bag of rice and dry beans for next to nothing (per oz)!

sllm1 · January 2017

Definitely switch to 1 pound per week if that's not what you have your setting at. 1240 is too low to be sustainable, IMO.

K3rB3ar89 · January 2017

There are TONS of recipes on pintrest! Also you said mcdonalds everyday so i got curious and punched a double cheese burger and medium fries into my diary. Its 780 calories before the drink. Yikes! Those are my go to meals at mcdonalds but for how little you get for calorie wise is it really worth it?

kzooyogi · January 2017

A huge way to save money in the long run is to make things yourself! It will cost a little more upfront so that you can stock your pantry, but once you have things on hand, making your own sauces, salad dressing, condiments, etc. saves so much money and only takes a few minutes!

help me out a little please...well maybe alot

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