Inexpensive Food for Weightloss

quiksylver296 wrote: »

cathipa wrote: »

Agree with @janejellyroll. Maybe if you have been on a deficit for this long and haven't seen the scale move in over a month its time for a diet break for a week or reverse dieting?

Or a food scale. Check out @sarahlucindac 's comment on page 13.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

Yes that too

Do you have access to a kitchen? If you make your own soup, you can control the sodium level. You can even make it in big batches and freeze what you don't want to eat within a few days.

There's also a pretty good variety of lower sodium soups on the market, might be worth checking out.

jamie_rael wrote: »

kopeterson00 wrote: »

What is reverse dieting?

Same, girl. I would love to know what reverse dieting is! I'll look it up.

And I'm sorry for not clarifying; my issue with soup is that it's so high in sodium.

As others mentioned, I was assuming access to a kitchen and homemade soup (which is also why I asked it you had that -- glad you do!).

I’d get an instant pot and batch cook dried rice, beans, lentils, potatoes, oatmeal, grains like quinoa and use those as a base for meal then add steamed veg like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, squash, peppers - anything fresh or frozen that’s on sale. Seasonal fruits like apples, oranges, bananas are cheap. And if you’re near a Trader Joe’s, they sell produce by the item, not pound. So a massive butternut is the same price as a tiny one.

If you are not losing the thing to do first is be more accurate with your logging. Log everything including drinks. Check that the entries you use are correct. Use a food scale.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
If you are confident about your logging accuracy, then look at adjusting your calorie intake or exercise.
Make sure you are getting enough protein, fats, fiber. If you are very low fat or low carb you might increase those and see if it helps you feel less hungry.

Meal planning is a good idea if you have a tight budget.
Low budget friendly foods where I live are things like oatmeal, tuna, whole chicken or chicken thighs, dry beans, lentils, rice, pasta, bread, peanut butter, eggs, potatoes, carrots, apples, ground turkey, cabbage, onions, canned beans, canned vegetables and fruits, frozen vegetables, powdered milk.
Buy generic store brands to save money.

Snacks- eggs, popcorn, pretzels, yogurt, carrots, celery, apples, peanut butter, refried beans, tortillas, homemade hummus, salsa, cottage cheese, canned tuna, oatmeal

You could drink unsweetened teas or broth for a low calorie warm drink.

If you want hot food you can make that fit your calorie goal. You don't have to eat raw cold vegetables. Pizza and soup have nutrients so are not unhealthy. If you have a very low budget and want to eat healthier regular alcohol is probably something to limit or eliminate vs. avoiding normal foods that might help you feel more full.

Low budget menu planning and recipes:
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/70dollarmenu.htm
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/03/35-meatless-meals.html
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/favorite-recipes/
http://www.lentils.org/recipes-cooking/recipes/

Some MFP threads you may find useful:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10518784/healthy-food-choice-on-a-budget/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10500423/costing-a-lot-more-money-to-eat-healthier/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10490067/most-healthy-food-options-are-very-expensive-and-im-on-a-very-poor-budget-what-to-do/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10614805/need-quick-cheap-nutritious-food#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10666103/only-have-150-a-month-for-food-help/p2
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10020804/looking-for-vegetarian-recipes#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1


I find food ideas on Pinterest a lot. Some other good sources of recipes:
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.allrecipes.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/

jamie_rael wrote: »

Hey there!

I want to improve the contents of what I put in my body, but I'm on a budget.

For some backstory; I lost 35 lbs on a 1200-1400 calorie budget over the course of a year. At the beginning of October, I hit a plateau and haven't budged since.

Here's what has changed:
I started working out in October (I know this causes temporary weight gain)
I started drinking when I turned 21 -- I know that I need to cut back on this!
I'm COLD all the time and HUNGRY all the time -- a combination that leads me to want to opt for warm pizza and hot soup instead of colder, healthier options.

Can anyone recommend some snacks geared toward weight loss that hopefully will help me feel full? I'm on an incredibly tight budget (college kid), so inexpensive options would be much appreciated!

Did you redo the goals section in MFP to see if the calorie goals changed with your current stats.

Choose soups with a broth rather than a cream base to save tons of calories. Hot veggies. Oatmeal or other hot cereal (cream of wheat, Wheatena). Hot tea. Popcorn without tons of butter and salt, try other seasonings, even chili powder if you like spicy. Lentils, beans.

My most affordable, convenient lower calorie foods are:

Oatmeal - buy the big tub and flavor it yourself (sweet or savory)
Tuna
Canned broth-based soups
Pickles
Any clearance or sale fresh fruit or vegetables
A giant bag of potatoes or instant mashed
Jarred pasta sauce
Frozen or canned veggies
Eggs
Chicken sausages
Beans or lentils

In general, buy larger quantities and divide into individual portions.