help me out a little please...well maybe alot
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I agree that Aldi is the place to go! Their produce is usually much cheaper as are eggs/milk. Eggs are our "go to" for inexpensive healthy meals, especially since they have been so inexpensive the past few months. You can get a dozen eggs for well under a dollar and that is good protein for multiple meals. Add in a loaf of whole wheat bread and some produce and you have quite a few meals for just a few dollars.3
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You got a lot of good advice. I just wanted to add budgetbytes.com. Delicious recipes that are really cost friendly! She is pasta heavy, so watch your portions, but everything is pretty healthy.
My groceries cost approximately $130 per week, feeding myself, my husband, 2 kids, and includes toiletries and dog food for two large dogs. I usually make one meal that Hubs and I eat all week for lunch (this week was big pot of turkey chili). A baked oatmeal does breakfast for a couple days. Birdseye Steamers veggies are a staple.
It takes more time, but as you get used to meal prep/batch cooking, it's much easier! Once a month or so, I do a freezer meal day where I prep things that I can freeze to dump in the crock pot.1 -
prettigirl01 wrote: »im a little overwhelmed by all the responses but im taking it all in. my first purchase will be a scale that's for sure and then ill focus on the food. I do have my family's support but im not going to force them on this journey with me. This is for me and if they want to make changes they have to want it for themselves. It will be hard to be around them when they are eating everything I love but after time im sure I wont even want those foods anymore. Im just trying to learn to be patient. I have always wanted a quick fix. Now its just time to slow my roll and learn from this website. Ive failed at this before but I never give up. I think this time im ready
And who ever said you cant eat that? Think we all eat "healthy"? Key is moderation and planning.. i get excited about eating cookies now lol and on sat ill be drinking eating pizza and having cake. Will i feel guilty? Not a chance! Because were allowed every once in awhile;) good luck!3 -
You've got a great attitude!!! Slow is good. Do what you can right now to stay at your calorie goal. Slowly you will learn what foods keep you satisfied and what foods to eat only occasionally. Read through the forums for tips and things.
Best of luck!!1 -
-Plan your meals around what's on sale. I bought a chicken on sale for $79/lb. I roasted it Sunday for dinner. Made chicken salad for lunches a couple of days. And am now simmering the bones for broth. When the broth is done (2 days in the crock pot) I will feed the bones to my dogs and cat as treats and use the broth to make a soup or something this weekend.
-Make soup at the end of the week with all your leftover veggies.
-Beans and rice are super cheap and versatile.
-Use your freezer. If it's just you and your daughter, it will be easier and more cost effective to make large batches of things and freeze some for additional meals when things are tight.
-Add veggies for bulk. I especially love cabbage for this. I just bought cabbage for 10 cents a pound and it can be added to many different types of dishes.
-Bacon is not the devil. A little goes a long way for flavor and the bacon grease can be reused.
-Flavor your food well and you can satisfy a lot of different cravings. Herbs, vinegar, fish sauce, chilli sauce; mix it up so you don't get bored.
Bottom line: Healthy eating isn't really expensive.
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+1 for Aldi's. Lentils are very inexpensive and a good source of protein and fiber. We have meat for dinner maybe twice a week; the other five nights are bean-based.0
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I'm eating well on a very tight budget - feeding the family on the USDA "Thrifty Food Plan" budget, which is what SNAP is based on.
A few thoughts from someone who does all the shopping and cooking for 2 adults and 2 teens while working full time and does it on the cheap:
1) Spend the money that was being spent on drinking on health-related things.
2) You don't need special food to lose weight.
3) We eat a lot of beans, lentils, ground meat, chicken thighs.
4) I stretch meat with beans and grains. (Example: When we have burritos, there are always beans in it too)
5) Frozen veggies are your friend - I get frozen store brand veggies for 99c a bag (that's not sale, that's the regular price) and they're a great way to get more vitamins and fiber. Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, squash are especially cost-effective.
Regulars in our meal plan include:
Beef and bean burritos: pack of tortillas, pound of ground beef, 2 cans of beans (I mash them with a potato masher in an iron skillet), bit of cheese (maybe an ounce per person).
Red beans and rice with bacon or ham
Jambalaya - a lot of rice, carrots, onions, a can of tomatoes, some chicken thighs and some diced sausage
Split pea soup - peas, carrots, onions, a bit of ham or bacon
All those can be healthy foods and can be "diet" foods when eaten in reasonable portions.3 -
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. 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[/quote
you might consider low carb high fat (LCHF) or Keto. i have been doing it for a year. i cut my cals and am rarely hungry or have cravings and have lost 120 pounds great website that you do not have to buy anything is dietdoctor.com0 -
Ditto to the advice on sales, coupons, & meal planning. A few additional notes:
Make sure you write the expiration dates in a large, easy to see way on the packages where you can’t miss it, and make sure you use everything before it expires – we produce WAY too much food waste in this country. Eggs are a super cheap way to get protein in, and can often go on sale for a $1 a dozen, although not as often as they used to LOL. Frozen veggies are better than canned, because they usually have less sodium in them, but both are good options, so when they go on sale, stock up. They can be nutrionally equivalent, if not better than, your average grocery store fresh produce, particularly this time of year. This is because they are flash frozen & packed very quickly after they are picked.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/reasons-buy-frozen-fruits-veggies/story?id=20683879
Dry beans are cheapest, but take some planning to soak the night before. If that is just too much, then stock up on the canned beans when they go on sale.
Ultimately, planning is going to be your biggest tool. Keep a food inventory list on the cupboard or fridge door, so you know what you have and when you need to replace it. Sit down with the weekly ads, see what’s on sale, and take a few minutes to plan out the meals for the week using those sale ingredients, plus what you have in your pantry that needs to be used up. When it goes on sale, buy the BOGO chicken breasts, cook them all, portion them out, & freeze them in some Ziploc to have cooked meat whenever you need it. That would help with the “fast” part of replacing fast food too. The recipe sites are a great help for planning meals around sales, because you can plug in the one or two key ingredients you’d like to use. Good luck on your journey to a healthier you!1 -
prettigirl01 wrote: »im a little overwhelmed by all the responses but im taking it all in. my first purchase will be a scale that's for sure and then ill focus on the food. I do have my family's support but im not going to force them on this journey with me. This is for me and if they want to make changes they have to want it for themselves. It will be hard to be around them when they are eating everything I love but after time im sure I wont even want those foods anymore. Im just trying to learn to be patient. I have always wanted a quick fix. Now its just time to slow my roll and learn from this website. Ive failed at this before but I never give up. I think this time im ready
And who ever said you cant eat that? Think we all eat "healthy"? Key is moderation and planning.. i get excited about eating cookies now lol and on sat ill be drinking eating pizza and having cake. Will i feel guilty? Not a chance! Because were allowed every once in awhile;) good luck!
I like how you eat lol! I wanna be like you but for nowi have to start off slow because that kind of food is like pringles and you know what they say about pringles lol once you pop you cant stop
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what do you guys think about fruit? I heard some fruits have a lot of sugar so which ones would be best for me? I will add that I have a fruit allergy and a lot of fruits I cant eat without taking an allergy pill 30 mins before. It sucks but I guess id rather do that than eat canned fruit which is packed with sugar0
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Dry beans are cheapest, but take some planning to soak the night before. If that is just too much, then stock up on the canned beans when they go on sale.
http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-dont-soak-dried-beans-20140911-story.html1 -
lots of great tips here, and i want to just add a +1 for making large batch food and freezing. soups, casseroles, curries, etc. freeze really well, you can portion them out and stick a piece of tape with the calories on them in the freezer then you have them ready to grab and go when you don't have the time or energy to cook. i also eat a lot of leftovers and i'm ok with making something in a big batch and eating the same thing every day for a week because it gives me time to do all the other things i need to do besides cooking.
I agree with jessiferrb (above) and some of the other posters. A big pot of soup is easy to make, super inexpensive (especially if you use dried beans as the base), and very healthy (as long as the soup is not cream-based). It's great to have food waiting for you when you get home from work especially when you feel hungry and ready to make poor choices. Plus, the smell of homemade food permeating throughout the home is both welcoming and soothing. Good luck on your journey - and I know you can do it!!
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prettigirl01 wrote: »what do you guys think about fruit? I heard some fruits have a lot of sugar so which ones would be best for me? I will add that I have a fruit allergy and a lot of fruits I cant eat without taking an allergy pill 30 mins before. It sucks but I guess id rather do that than eat canned fruit which is packed with sugar
I just want to say that I really love this thread and you are awesome for looking at this with such a positive and open outlook. You are going to do great!
Fruit is fine to eat within your calorie goals if you like it and don't have a medical condition that requires you to limit sugar. Definitely weigh/log all of your fruit, though, since some of them can get up there in calories (I'm looking at you, bananas) and weighing them in grams is the most accurate way to log them.2 -
prettigirl01 wrote: »what do you guys think about fruit? I heard some fruits have a lot of sugar so which ones would be best for me? I will add that I have a fruit allergy and a lot of fruits I cant eat without taking an allergy pill 30 mins before. It sucks but I guess id rather do that than eat canned fruit which is packed with sugar
unless you have a specific health reason to monitor sugar intake i wouldn't be too concerned about it, especially fruit. i would weigh it, log it, make sure it fits my goals (calorie wise) for the day.
the only macro i really track is protein, to make sure i get enough of it.2 -
I eat fruit a couple of times per day. I have been concentrating on Apples and oranges lately because they are cheaper and a good calorie buy. I eat bananas a couple times a week but they are a bit higher in calories so don't use them daily. If I eat canned fruit I use the one canned in juice but it still costs more calories so I don't use it too often. I started out heavier than you at 233 pounds and am also 5'5" tall. It has taken me a year to get to 161 but it can be done. You have a great attitude, that will help you lots along the way. I just started out with small changes and over time my tastes changed. It took several months but now I am eating alot of things I never would have before. It's surprising how you change your habits which is why taking a year to lose 72 pounds was better than losing it quickly. I'm still impatient to lose the last 26 pounds but I'm confident I'll eventually get there.0
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When you start out, look for the things that you can change that will make the most impact, and focus on those things first. Cutting out alcohol was probably the best first step you could make, both in terms of how it will impact your calorie intake and in terms of your household budget, so great job starting there.
What's the next thing you can change that will make the most positive impact? I'd start by taking a look at your diary and trying to identify the foods that you eat most often that are giving you high calorie counts but not filling you up, and coming up with ways to replace them without breaking the bank. Without looking at your diary, I'd guess those might be fast foods or salty snacks like Pringles, but I'm not 100% sure. It's entirely possible to stay within your calorie intake while still eating fast food, but that might mean that you're eating such small portions that you don't fill up. The suggestions for batch cooking, buying dried beans/rice, frozen/canned veg, etc., that everyone is already giving you are exactly right.
What you DON'T want to do is get so focused on the tiny things that you lose the big picture, which is that weight loss happens when you burn more calories throughout the day (including all your movement, exercise and just being alive) than you eat. That's all that has to happen for you to lose weight. The sugar in fruit doesn't matter...if you like fruit, eat fruit (plus, it has fiber which helps keep you full). Buy in-season fruit and look for sales. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. If canned vegetables are cheaper than fresh/frozen, eat them. You can always rinse canned veg to get rid of some of the salt if that starts to be a concern, but I wouldn't worry about it just now. At the beginning, focus on calorie intake and you'll start to lose weight; you can always fine-tune things as you go.1 -
Hey, prettigirl01, instead of trying to binge buy all of the food "healthy" at once. Start off with just a few items. I totally understand that whole budget thing. I have a family of 5 with three teenage boys, so staying on budget is a must. However, about a year ago my husband was diagnosed as gluten intolerant. It was very expensive and my $100 to 125 a week budget went right out the window. I realized that I needed to take things slower. I started off simple, literally, one package of plain jasmine rice instead of rice o roni. (Which was cheaper and lasted longer anyway, 3 boxes of rice o roni, 3 bucks, 3 meals. The bag of plain rice is also three dollars but makes six meals) Then the next week a big 10# bag of potatoes, which again turned out to be cheaper and last longer and in the end healthier than the boxed food. By the end of two months, my food budget was back in line, and I was only shopping the outside of the store. Small changes over the long term, it sucks because that boxed food is so easy and convenient but now looking back on it I wished I had started it sooner. Also, try the bulk food for all of your seasoning. You can buy a teaspoon at a time if you are not sure if you will like them. We have a Winco here, but I am sure other places do the same thing. Your can buy new spices for like 0.25 cent and see if you like them before you commit a larger dollar amount to it.0
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Lots of great advice in this thread! Just want to offer some encouragement! I am another 33 year old woman who lives paycheck to paycheck, no kids but also no food stamps so maybe we're about on the same page?
Hang in there - you CAN make it work to have healthy food around. Buying groceries to make one meal for me and my husband seems to cost about the same as buying food out...however, once you buy enough groceries to make a week's worth of meals (i.e., buying in larger packages, so the cost per pound goes down as the quantity goes up) you start to see and feel the price break. Beans of all sorts are high protein and high fiber and you can usually buy them @ around $1/lb. (in 1 lb packages, or even less in bulk) so they're a great value nutritionally. Since they have both protein and fiber they will help keep you full longer too. Also, don't be too hard on yourself! It's not easy being in the financial situation you describe. 2 -
Eating healthier CAN be more expensive than junk, but it doesn't have to be. I've only skimmed the replies so far so forgive me if I am repeating anything already mentioned. My husband and I are both full-time students who only work part time, minimum wage jobs...so, I understand the financial struggle.
Here's what I do:
Find ways to replace "meat" proteins with other proteins. Tofu is very versatile and can mimic chicken quite easily. We can buy 14 ounces of tofu, mix it with beans (more protein) and veggies for a meal. It would be around $4 for both of us to eat a meal.
Or, peanut butter. Watch how much since it can be calorie dense, but also a good source of protein and may satisfy a sugar craving.
I cannot stress beans and rice enough. They're versatile so you can do all different kinds of things with them and rice is great for carbs and beans are great for protein. What's best is they will get you full quickly. We used to live in a location where they had a farmers market and we could buy 50 pounds of rice for $20.
Another good tip: Pre-plan. Make weekly menus, make an exact list of the items you need to buy to create those meals and only buy those items. Another thing that would coincide with this is to check out the sales flyer prior to menu planning. Plan your meals around the sale items for the week. This week green peppers were really cheap so I implemented those as much as I could in our menu to keep our costs down. Stuffed peppers, burrito bowls with peppers, soup, etc.
I also love hot tea. There are so many flavors with little to no calories and you can use a sugar substitute to keep the calories reasonable. Very filling for the belly!0 -
Terrific advice, so I won't add to it. But I will give you a big *hug* and a "You got this!" 1
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cmazurek85 wrote: »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)!
omg..I was gonna suggest the same thing but worried that I might offend some people..:) Mexican or Asian food markets have some great price, especially on the staples.
If you don't mind making many trips, you can also load up on soon to expire pastries, breads,etc from Kroger and value markets.
Sometimes I find it amazing that it takes very little food and expense for a person to carry on her day, healthy and all. All my excessive weight and the high associated costs of it really comes from the bad habits of very overindulgence and going out to expensive restaurants or buying unnecessary, expensive craps (alcohol, M&Ms, special occasional cakes, etc.)2 -
If you haven't already, check if you qualify for help from local food banks. If you do it's free stuff and will free up a bit of your budget. If you need recipe ideas, I also like Good and Cheap, a free cookbook targeted at tight budgets:
https://www.leannebrown.com/cookbooks/
I think starting with a modest calorie goal and seeing what you can eat that will fit in it is a good plan. I ended up really changing the foods I eat instead of eating less of the same foods - it might just be psychological, but half a sandwich wasn't cutting it while switching to a good salad was. I eat most salads without dressing and if you have enough moisture or fat in there you really don't miss it.
It's also true what they say about drinking lots of water. I think I mistake thirst for hunger a lot, keeping a bottle with me and drinking regularly helps prevent that and keeps my stomach full. I also feel virtuous every time I pee, which works out to a lot of good feelings. (If work doesn't let you go regularly, do this outside work hours, obviously. It still helps even when I'm not doing it steadily all day.)1 -
Oops - forgot this earlier; it's the best way to test your eggs post-printed expiration date to see if they are still safe to eat; I use it regularly.
http://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/tell-if-your-expired-eggs-are-still-good-eat-0154309/
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Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »prettigirl01 wrote: »what do you guys think about fruit? I heard some fruits have a lot of sugar so which ones would be best for me? I will add that I have a fruit allergy and a lot of fruits I cant eat without taking an allergy pill 30 mins before. It sucks but I guess id rather do that than eat canned fruit which is packed with sugar
I just want to say that I really love this thread and you are awesome for looking at this with such a positive and open outlook. You are going to do great!
Fruit is fine to eat within your calorie goals if you like it and don't have a medical condition that requires you to limit sugar. Definitely weigh/log all of your fruit, though, since some of them can get up there in calories (I'm looking at you, bananas) and weighing them in grams is the most accurate way to log them.
thank you. I hope my post will help someone else as well and im looking at things in a positive way because to be honest ive been a very negative person all my life. I always think of the worse in situations but its time to change that. im tired of being that way and if I want any results I have to be positive
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You will see them as long as you work for them! And your family will be inspired by your dedication and change0
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I'd suggest looking for a crockpot at Goodwill - you can throw some ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook all day, and have meals for 2-3 days. Look for the crockpot recipe threads here on MFP, there are some great recipes there. Try not to get overwhelmed and change everything at once, perhaps focus on making one meal healthy at a time. Start with the concept of food prep, then work on improving dinners, then lunch, then breakfast. Before you know it, you'll be in a habit. You can do this!1
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I find frozen vegetables very affordable and tasty and I second, third, and fourth the batch cooking and soups and casseroles approach. I think that's good common sense for anyone following a reduced calorie meal plan, even if you are made of money!
Eggs are also quite affordable and go a long way for the calorie conscious. You can boil them in advance and have a grab-and-go breakfast always ready. I find boneless/skinless chicken thighs more affordable and more tasty than chicken breasts, so that's another way to cut out some expenses.
Most importantly, though...is you can do this. You can! There are so many helpful people here and once you've taken the first step to know you need to make a change, you can find a way to get where you want to be. 1 -
I haven't responded to all of you individually but you guys are wonderful. To know that complete strangers give more support than family and friends is amazing. About a month ago one of my favorite cousins called me fat. It really hurt my feelings because we are so close. Then a coworker asked me if I was pregnant. That was worse than anything. People can be really mean until they've walked in your shoes and then its not so funny anymore but im learning to let things like that go. People will talk about you when youre big or small so screw them but when I loose this weight ill see who will have the last laugh and it will be me lol
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