How do I begin?

get a scale, prepare your own food, log calories accurately

You don't have to get crazy and change your life completely around in one day...

How you start?

Make just one change to your normal eating habits and learn to love walking in the evenings, before you know it, you'll be running and reading nutrition labels on everything

All great ideas. I started by clearing out fridge and cabinets, found 5 healthy recipes, cooked ahead on sunday, even just prep ahead, chop, seal in baggies. I eat oatmeal every other day am and eggs every other. Go on walks with the kids, get down on the floor with the kids laugh, crawl, hide and seek, etc the lbs will fall off quick first few weeks then may slow down dont quit!! You are the mentor of your home and the center of your childrens universe!!

1. Food scales are essential.
2. Do something sustainable. Accept that pretty much everyone in the world eats junk food at least occasionally and try not to be so hard on yourself. Allow yourself things that you like that aren't necessarily that good for you, but in smaller quantities.
3. If you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up, just get back on it.
4. Don't pay too much attention to the scales. They are dirty liars.
5. Meal prep if you have the time is really beneficial. Before I made the effort to meal prep, many unnecessary calories were eaten in the 'I've had a long day so can't be bothered to cook' phase.
6. Protein will keep you full!

dklmiller wrote: »

How do you meal prep on a budget? Is it really as expensive as everyone says?

Depends largely on what you buy and where you live. I have one store near me that often has meats on for a damn good price, and often in bulk as well. I just bought a Food Saver so now I vacuum seal anything and everything I can. Also I use mason jars for lettuces and veggies. Sometimes storage is the trick to making things go a long way. Watching for good sales and stocking up when you can is good too.

OK, I'm older than dirt and live on social security. Tbh, u don't have to change your diet that much. I buy whatever is on sale and figure out how to make meals out of it. Some weeks it's chicken, some weeks pork and on rare occasions beef. But the key is to consume less per day than you have in the past.

Don't get all consumed about this food or that food... It's calories in vs calories out...

Personally I love food so I walk extra miles or go to the gym... But I'm retired and have a lot of time.

Just remember this is a journey that ends in physical fitness... I have been able to get off blood pressure meds and have lost 20# so far. Body fat is down to 24% and waist is 3.5 in smaller. But more importantly... My pulse recovery rate is now at - 20 within two minutes. I remember when I started my heart rate jumped up almost Instantly... Now it takes several minutes and a steep incline on treadmill to get above 105.

Good luck to you and remember... It's a journey not a race

You can save money by making a large amount of something, then portioning it out and freezing it or storing it for later in the week. This can also make planning easier. I like to buy chicken breasts on sale, grill them, then dice them in freeze them in serving sizes. I throw that on salad with an egg, and I have a protein-rich salad full of veggies and it is not terribly expensive. You can do this with lean beef and salmon, too.