Losing weight on a budget.....

[Mississippigirl]

I have been dieting since February but stopped for two months, have not gained one pound back because I still watch my portions and exercise. I need to lose 40 more lb.s but I have been in and out of work for a couple months now and we are trying to bounce back financially. What can I do to still buy what I need without spending a ton?

[kalamari]

That's a great accomplishment, not gaining anything back with all the stress!

 

My thoughts: Obviously you did something that worked, why not just keep doing what your doing? Why do you need to spend anything? It costs nothing to walk. In some of my leaner financial days, I used to ride my bike to Publix when I needed groceries, I found out that I got exercise and spent my money way more carefully as I had to figure out how to lug it home. Do you live in an area where you can grow veggies or buy them on the cheap from a farmers market? How about a food co-op?

 

Dried beans can easily be cooked, good for making homemade hummus (my favorite) and they are cheap. Eggs in moderation are good, and also not real expensive. Lettuce wraps are great. I live alone (for now) but buy meat in bulk as it's cheaper, but I have the butcher wrap each piece in freezer wrap so I can grab one serving for myself, also helps with planning meals, etc.

 

The reality is, it is always portion control and exercise in the end that works. It doesn't always work fast, but it works in the long run for keeping it up. Keep up the good work! Menina

 

 

I have been dieting since February but stopped for two months, have not gained one pound back because I still watch my portions and exercise. I need to lose 40 more lb.s but I have been in and out of work for a couple months now and we are trying to bounce back financially. What can I do to still buy what I need without spending a ton?

[Mississippigirl]

Yeah, we have PLENTY of farmer's markets out here. But while dieting I ate a low fat low calorie diet and drank lots of water. But I had to buy the lean ground beef and turkey instead of the full fat kind and it is expensive. Now I have to buy the other because I have to feed two kids and a husband....so it is sucking right now. I guess I could double up my workout..........Thanks for the input!

[jkrav]

i say u buy a ton of tuna and eat that, just dont add mayo add somethign else to give it flavor that is less fattening. u dont have to eat what everyone else is.

[adoptmom]

This time of year I stick to fresh fruits and veggies. We buy alot of our meats from Costco which saves alot too. We eat alot of seafood, fish and chicken. In the winter I switch over to frozen bags of veggies and fruits like berries and cherries. I buy tons at a time, it seems.

 

My kids and DH are notorious for going through 10 pounds or more of fruit a week. (I have 4 but one of them is only at the mashed banana stage right now.) On Saturday I bought 10 peaches, 4 pounds of bananas, 3 pounds of apples, and 3 pounds of cherries. Yesterday was Monday and I had to go to the grocery store because we were out of peaches, bananas and cherries already!:eek: You really can train them to eat good, healthy food. I only short order cook for one of my kids and that's only IF the rest of us happen to be eating something she's allergic to which is rare.

 

I feel your pain on the grocery bill though. My youngest DD was diagnosed with allergies to corn, eggs, peanuts and peas. She's since outgrown the peas and eggs and supposedly we could give her peanuts. I won't try it. We used to have to buy most of her food in specialty stores and her bi-weekly foods would cost almost as much as the food for the rest of the family for the week.

 

That's when we started cutting out almost all processed foods from our diet. It all contains high fructose corn syrup which is the thing to which she's most allergic. DH and I lost 10 pounds just from doing that. Now after 2 years we find that when we do eat something at someone's house that came from one of those boxed mixes we can hardly stand the chemical taste. :eek: Considering that's what we both ate as kids me, a few times a month and him almost every day, that's BIG! I used to use them all the time too because they were easy and that's what DH and the kids would eat. Even our kids will complain about having to eat "chemical food" if we're at a family reunion or something. Tastes do change, You just have to be consistant. It really didn't take long.

 

Just don't do like those nutballs on "Honey We're Killing the Kids" and start out with tofu and bokchoy!:D DS (who is 8) and I were watching that one night and he just kept going on and on about it. "Mom, I like bokchoy. Tofu's ok. But there's lots of GOOD FOOD! Why did they start those kids out with that? Why did they do that to them? That's just mean!"

 

Tami

[mountainmare]

We also have plenty of farm stands here and during the season it is really a budget saver. Do you have pick your own farms? That can be a fun outing and you can freeze a bunch for thwe winter. Some of my fondest memories are of freezing corn and canning tomatoes with my mother and grandmother, it might be a nice family tradition to start. Don't get trapped into expensive preapckaged "lo-fat" must haves. If you have to buy regular groung beef, just drain off the fat after you cook it. Turkey is turkey--and cheap right now because its not Thanksgiving. buy a turkey ,the whole thing is cheaper that fancy low fat cuts. I was just at my poultry stand at the farmers market and they had turkey londonbroil, I asked what they were and the lady laughed and said, just turkey breasts but people pay more for fancy names--I bought a turkey breast. A whole breast ( with bones and skin) will feed alot of people, freeze some of it for later use, boil the bones and freeze the stock for soup later on. The same for chicken, you don't need the boneless skinnless kind, and the bones are not waste--you can make stock!!!

Do you have a bulk foods store? You can get good wholesome grains and cerals--without paying for the fancy packaging and advertising.

My advice is to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX--literally.

[kalamari]

For the .50 per pound it might cost you to buy a better cut of meat and for the extra 5.00 it might cost you per week to do so, is there 5.00 per week you can cut elsewhere? You can still buy chicken breasts with skin and take the fat off yourself, or use chicken thighs. Or maybe it means you buy less of a certain treat for your kids that week.

 

When I was a kid, it was a huge TREAT to have s coke on Friday night..and we could only have one..we weren't allowed during the week..same with some other treats, but then I grew up either not craving these things or enjoying more when I DID have them.

 

My own opinion, you can probably continue to eat everything you currently buy, just have to modify it somehow. Let me give you some "gentle feedback" here..you need to stop saying to yourself it "sucks". Big deal. Lots of things in life suck but the reality is, you have to do them and go through them, whether it's weight loss, money loss, or anything. You can keep focused on how much they suck, or you can say "Yes it's a bad time in my life but this too will pass, one day at a time, and in the end I'm going to be thinner because of it." Maybe you should focus on how great it is you haven't gained any weight back during a stressful period in your life and that your becoming healthy, no? :)

 

 

Yeah, we have PLENTY of farmer's markets out here. But while dieting I ate a low fat low calorie diet and drank lots of water. But I had to buy the lean ground beef and turkey instead of the full fat kind and it is expensive. Now I have to buy the other because I have to feed two kids and a husband....so it is sucking right now. I guess I could double up my workout..........Thanks for the input!

[adoptmom]

Another thing I do when I make something with ground meat to stretch is that I always add canned beans to the recipe. I add them to chili, sloppy joes, and even to the pulled meat of BBQ alot of times. You can buy them really cheaply if you watch the sales and they not only stretch the meat but they lower the calories and fat but also up the fiber and fill you up. I just drain and rinse them before tossing them in because I don't like that funky liquid they come in. Dried beans would be even cheaper but I tend not to think that far in advance!:D

 

Canned beans chickpeas are a great thing and I keep tons of them the cabinet. One of my kids' favorite meals is to throw a little bit of meat (maybe 1/2 a pound of ground beef or turkey) into a big pot of baked beans. I make my baked beans from scratch because all the commercial ones have either corn starch or corn syrup so they're off limits to DD. BUT that means I can make mine with KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce which is sugarless and brown splenda to keep the sugar calories low. Throw in carrots, celery sticks, and peapods and it's dinner.

 

I also make Mock ham, Mac and cheese substituting cauliflower for the macaroni. DD who at age 4 would actually only eat 10 things begged to have this last night.

 

We also make bean soups, fruit soups and frankly alot of soup in general.

 

Here's the recipe for that Moc and cheese. It's not low, low calorie but it's a kid pleaser and gets another serving of veggies in without you having to cook another meal for yourself.

 

1 head of cauliflower (or 2 bags frozen)

1 cup low fat buttermilk

2 oz low fat (not non-fat) cream cheese

1 1/2 cups 2% shredded cheese, whatever is your favorite. I use a mexican blend or cheddar jack. Reserve 1/4 cup.

1-2 Tbls dijon mustard to taste

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional- could substitute regular pepper)

2 oz chopped ham or canadian bacon

 

Preheat oven to 350. Chop cauliflower into small pieces and steam or microwave until tender. In the mean time make the sauce by heating the buttermilk, cream cheese, and mustard together in a small sauce pan. When the cream cheese is melted begin adding 1 1/4 cups of the shredded cheese a handful at a time and stir until completely melted before adding the next batch. Add cayenne and ham at the end.

 

Once the cauliflower is cooked drain off any liquid and pour into a sprayed baking dish. Pour the cheese mixture over and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes until bubbly.

 

I serve this with a green salad or fruit.

 

Tami

[sharonella]

Everyone here has already had lots of great things to say! We are such a knowledgeable bunch!

 

One of the things I do is shop the sales & use coupons. (If one of the things you've cut back on is getting the paper delivered, consider getting the Sunday Paper - it has all the sale flyers & coupons & well worth the weekly expense! (Sometimes what's on sale this week also has a coupon! But sometimes this week's coupons are NEXT week's sales - so keep your eyes open!) I also shop at stores that DON'T use those super saver cards. Their regular prices are just too high to make the "savings" worth anything on the selected sale items! :eek: I also buy store brands for most things - little known fact - many "store brands" are made by a national company, & they stick the store brand label on it. (Of course, some store brands don't taste the same, but try them & see what you like!) Stock up on sale items, but if possible, put the "extras" elsewhere, so you're not tempted to use up more of something just because "there's plenty". For example, I buy cans of soda on sale, but even tho I have 10 or more 12-paks sitting in my basement, it doesn't give me license to have more in a day than what I would have if there was only 1 12-pk sitting there.

 

Like kalamari said - as a kid we had treats, & not every day - my mom bought 2 pkg of cookies a week - period. There were 7 of us kids. We could only have 2 cookies at a time. When they were gone, they were gone til the next week's shopping. (Dad had 2 jobs & like I said, there were 7 kids...they had to stretch the budget every week.)

 

When I was unemployed, it was the fast food & junk food that went first & I cooked more at home. But sounds like you're already doing that, tho.

 

If you live close enough to stores to run some errands on foot or on a bike, you could save $$ on gas, as well as get in a little exercise. One thing I did when I was young & unemployed was walk to the unemployment office! I lived about 3 miles away, so it was less than an hrs walk. I also lived less than 1/2 mi away from the supermarket (uphill!:rolleyes: ) I would shop a 2-3 times a week & walk instead of drive. Of course, that wouldn't have worked if I had to shop for a whole family, but I'm sure I still would have done it to pick up a few odds & ends.

 

Good luck! It's great that you've been able to maintain your weight loss thru this trying time!

 

Sha

[Mississippigirl]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I will try buying fruit and veggies in bulk and freezing them. And my attitude has changed also. Things are looking better anyway now and the exercise is helping with that.

[mjt2890]

Here is what I do and it's quite cheap, hopefully you can get some ideas.

 

Lift Weights 4x a week ... Free small gym @ work (all old Tampa Bay Buc Football Equipt donated to us). You can do this yourself with an inexpensive set of dumbells. Check Goodwill or Play It Again Sports.

 

I bike ride or walk 5x a week (none on Wednesday/Sunday for rest/recovery), this is free (minus the one time expense for a bicycle). I replace my shoes whenever the Reebok Outlet has 40% off walking and running shoes. I do jog and run sometimes, but I find that for fatloss, walking is much better. I love hiking, but it's too wet this time of year in SW Florida.

 

Eating right isn't expensive. I avoid eating out all costs. Maybe once or twice a week when I'm with family or friends and can't avoid it. I'm completely vanilla and eat the same menu for a long time, then burn out and switch. Right now I eat ...

 

Breakfast - Protein Shake (Cookies & Cream, 74 servings $30) with 1 cup water, 1/2 a Banana, 6-8 ice cubes, 1 Tablespoon Virgin Coconut Oil, and sometimes some a Tablespoon of Natural Peanut Butter.

 

9am Snack - Handful of almonds (buy in bulk @ costco, 3lb for $12) and double dose of fiber supplements.

 

Lunch - 2 slices double fiber bread, Oscar Mayer Turkey (kind in the resealable box), mustard, pepper, 2% Kraft Swiss Cheese, sometimes jalapeno slices too.

 

During Weight Lifting - Two Protein Shakes (just 1 scoop + 1 cup water)

 

Dinner - Baby Spinach Salad (Light Done Right dressing, Mushrooms, Red Onion, 2% milkfat cottage cheese, 1 hard boiled egg, shredded cheese)

 

No eating after dinner (5pm) as I sleep early, 9pm cause an early morning at my job.

 

Sometimes I splerge for another breakfast type protein shake, since it's like a smoothie or milkshake if you add milk instead of water.

[sharonella]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I will try buying fruit and veggies in bulk and freezing them. And my attitude has changed also. Things are looking better anyway now and the exercise is helping with that.

 

I admire your industriousness - Actually, just buying the store brand frozen veggies is usually pretty cheap & just as good as buying fresh many times, without the trouble of preparing veggies to "freeze properly". I'm no expert on cooking or freezing by any means, but many veggies do need to be "blanched" (dropped into boiling water for a minute or two, then put in cold water to stop the cooking process quickly) before freezing, or they can become mushy when thawed.

 

Plus - Frozen veggies are frozen at the "Peak of freshness" - usually within 24 hrs of being picked, while sometimes, by the time we eat the so-called "fresh" foods we buy at the store, it may be up to a week since it was it picked! I buy fresh veggies when I know I'll be eating them in a day or two & always have frozen on hand (I try to buy when the store brands are on sale - so even cheaper!)

 

Glad to hear that things are looking up! Did you know that exercise can naturally release chemicals into your bloodstream that can be just as uplifting as any drug? They refer to it as "runner's high", but any aerobic exercise (including walking) done for 30 min or more can bring on that "feel good" feeling that sticks around long after you've taken that post-workout shower! I love how I feel after a workout or a bike ride - very good about myself!

 

Good for you & keep us posted!

 

Sha

[SailAways]

I have been dieting since February but stopped for two months, have not gained one pound back because I still watch my portions and exercise. I need to lose 40 more lb.s but I have been in and out of work for a couple months now and we are trying to bounce back financially. What can I do to still buy what I need without spending a ton?

 

Good for you - you should be an inspiration to many. Not gaining any of the lost weight back, is wonderful, so you obviously are on the right regimen. Keep up the good work.

Stick with the exercise program, and go with bulk frozen vegetables as suggested by others. They truly are frozen almost when picked, and are as good as any you can freeze yourself, and perhaps when on sale, even cost less. I buy 5# bags of frozen vegetables at COSTCO - a discount store. I don't know if you have access to that or not, but they are always wonderful.

 

Another note, if you drain the less expensive ground beef after browning, and sponge all of the fat from the pan and meat with paper towels, you will end up with a product much like the more expensive ground sirloin. Very little difference when the fat is removed.

 

You are my hero - Keep up the Good Work!! You can be very proud of yourself.

[gerif]

Excellent advice given here, and I really don't have much to add. Just think about "bulking" out your meals with veggies and things like beans and brown rice - they won't add many calories, have lots of fiber AND are very economical.

 

We didn't have much growing up, so there were many meatless meals - we also walked everywhere as there was only one car that dad took to work. I had one aunt who was an absolute wiz at stretching a pound of meat, but it all tasted wonderful. Her pasta and bean or pasta and lentil soups were wonderful. Of course, we didn't think about it then, but they hardly cost anything AND were low fat and filling besides.

 

Even when I make something like lasagne, I add spinach, shredded carrots, zucchini and mushrooms - and have a big salad, too.

[mjt2890]

Well my love affair with baby spinach is over for the time being :( Gotta use lettuce now until they fix the e. coli situation.

[sharonella]

Don't forget, the darker the greens, the more nutrients! (I think the cellophane wrap on iceberg lettuce has more nutrients than the lettuce itself! ;) ) Until they straighten this out, I will miss my spinach salads, too! But since I like LOADS of other veggies I can find many substitutes!

 

Plus, if you were going to cook with it anyway, FROZEN spinach is a good substitute - and it comes in bags (as well as the solid blocks), so you can use as little or as much as you want.

 

Sha

[kalamari]

I'm addicted to homemade hummus and make it every weekend. It requires one can of drained chickepas, a lemon, about 1/2 cup or so of Tahini past and lots of garlic (I use an entire bulb and garlic sweats out of my pores!). The most expensive thing will be the tahini, but for aound 4.00 a jar you can probalby make about 5 batches of hummus from it...chickpeas are like .49 per can, a lemon is about the same, and a garlic head close to that price. So it techincially figures out to about 1.78 per batch but it's loaded with protein, simple to make, and good for veggies or a half pita sandwhich. You can probably get about 10 servings at least out of a batch.

 

The best hummus recipes were on wwww.cooks.com. Also on that website are alot of good international recipes, many of which use beans and rice as staples. That might take some of the boredom out of eating!

 

Don't forget, the darker the greens, the more nutrients! (I think the cellophane wrap on iceberg lettuce has more nutrients than the lettuce itself! ;) ) Until they straighten this out, I will miss my spinach salads, too! But since I like LOADS of other veggies I can find many substitutes!

 

Plus, if you were going to cook with it anyway, FROZEN spinach is a good substitute - and it comes in bags (as well as the solid blocks), so you can use as little or as much as you want.

 

Sha

[Sunshine91]

My youngest DD was diagnosed with allergies to corn, eggs, peanuts and peas. She's since outgrown the peas and eggs and supposedly we could give her peanuts. I won't try it.

 

Tami - Have your daughter re-tested by an allergist before letting her have any foods on her list. I'm sure you're already aware of that but as kids get older they of course want to try things & when they go to friends homes people will give them foods saying oh, it can't be that bad. (Why do people do that?) I worked for an allergist for a few years.

 

Mississippi - Keep up the good work. You haven't gained anything since Feb. That's fantastic. Hope the job situation turns around soon. :)