Can ireally lose weight with hardly any money to spend healt

BadTichelDay

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 6:01 am

I can totally relate to op's trouble. I'm also trying to lose weight without spending a fortune on fish, meat, chicken etc. We have meat usually only on Shabbat, the week is vegetarian and carb heavy with few exceptions.
For protein, I use eggs and, as a concession, I bought myself a tub of protein powder which is expensive and maybe not really necessary.
Other than that, I calculate calories. I calculated my daily needs with an online calculator and then decided on a diet 200 - 500 calories below that, without changing my usual carby food (other than the protein powder but I think it's not essential, I could just eat more eggs and milk products instead).
Sticking strictly to my calorie goal has helped me to get 2 kg down in the last 3 weeks. Not a miracle success, but at least a beginning.
And I make a point of taking a walk every day.

believeit

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 6:13 am

amother wrote:

Yes, thanks. I buy this too sometimes. It is also around $1 a can and we finish it in less than a day.

I buy Chickpeas uncooked in a package.(Very cheap) Cook it for hours add some spices and when it is fully cooked I put it in bags or zip-lock bags and freeze it. I have like this for shabbos (more) and for everyday of the week. I take it out of the freezer the night before and it is delicious. U can pm me for the recipe.

amother

Turquoise

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 6:30 am

Eggs and Tuna (when it’s on sale) is my go to protein sources
Occasionally chicken
Fish and beef is for Shabbat- and left overs are most of the time frozen for the next Shabbat.

Too much protein can cause your insulin (fat storage hormone) to spike. The only food that doesn’t do that is fat.

Sometimes you can double purpose your veggies.
Veggie scraps, like the root end of celery or carrot peels,can be made into soup, if cleaned very well. Basically any skin that can be eaten raw can be used this way.
I save the scraps in the freezer until I have enough
You can also grind the veggie scraps and make egg muffin, mini kugel, but you have to save enough in your freezer.

I sometimes stuff zucchini for Shabbat.
The outside skin is washed and peeled.
I use the peel for a veggie dish or soup.
Then core the zucchini.
The inside flesh I make a kugel. I chop it up and mix egg and Spices. Try to find veggies that can serve dual purpose.

FYI- beans are carbs, and for some causes debilitating inflammation.

Simple1

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 7:04 am

When I'm eating healthier, I'm eating less food, partly because the food is more nutritious and filling, and also because I'm cutting calories. I never did the math, but that might lessen the expense.

And having more energy is worth it - you get more bang for your buck.

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 7:22 am

You can do it!

Eat as healthy as you can and get as much exercise as possible AND here are some hacks:

1. Drink water or green tea instead of snacking. Cheap!!!

2. Move as much as possible! Have you ever noticed how skinny people are really squirmy? Any time you are sitting, move your legs under your chair. Dance to whatever song you are thinking of.

3. Keep moving! Run instead of walking as you go through your day. People will just assume you are late for something, it’s ok! Dance as you clean, cook, do chores. No elevators. Take stairs 2 at a time. Walk/run instead of driving whenever possible. Use every excuse you can think of to get up and move in any way you can think of.

Hatzlahah rabbah and big hugs!

DVOM

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 8:04 am

Hi OP! Good for you for wanting to eat healthier!

Yes, healthy food is expensive but being obese is expensive too! There is no grantee of course, but I like to think that what I spend today on healthy food I'll save down the line by not having the healthcare costs of being overweight.

We keep to a very tight food budget. It can be done! Some of the fruit and veggies I've found to be very cost effective are big carrots, zucchini, bananas, some apples, and now at the end of the summer stone fruit like peaches and plums are often really cheap. For protein we eat lots of eggs and tuna. I also buy large containers of (non cholov yisroel) plain Greek yogurt, which always seems to go on sale and is a great source of protein. I wish we liked beans, because that's another really great cheap protein, but I don't really care for them and neither do most of my kids.

pause

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 8:52 am

amother wrote:

Yes, thanks. I buy this too sometimes. It is also around $1 a can and we finish it in less than a day.

Buy the dry ones and cook them yourself. You get triple the amount than what's in a can for the same price.

pause

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 8:55 am

amother wrote:

Often the product sold as baby carrots are baby- cut carrots which are just large carrots cut small - marketing.

In fact, all baby carrots are this, unless you're buying them at a farmer's market with the leaves and roots still attached... Smile

pause

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 9:02 am

Whole wheat bread isn't more expensive than white; you end up eating less of it per serving.

When I diet, I eat way less. Because I'm avoiding extra calories, I don't buy ice cream, ices, ready-made coffee drinks, ready-made lunches, cookies. All of these things cost way more than vegetables.

Also I don't consume more protein while dieting. I try to eat less overall.

BTW, watermelon is a filling snack, and if you buy a whole one is also very cheap.

Last edited by pause on Tue, Aug 14 2018, 9:08 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Black

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 9:06 am

pause wrote:

In fact, all baby carrots are this, unless you're buying them at a farmer's market with the leaves and roots still attached... Smile

There are really baby carrots. They taste very different than baby-cut carrots. You can buy them peeled in a supermarket. They are delicious.

SpottedBanana

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 9:28 am

I want to second/third whoever's been saying to buy dried legumes instead of canned. Half a bag of lentils plus an onion and a couple of regular carrots will make a soup that will fill you and your kids up for dinner for DAYS.

oneofakind

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 11:01 am

Soups are cheap and filling. Try air popped popcorn-a big bag is really cheap and pop it yourself. Anything homemade, even cookies, are cheaper and healthier if you make it yourself. A big box of oatmeal (rolled oats) is filling and healthy. Tap water, filtered if necessary, is cheaper than anything you buy. Do you possibly qualify for WIC or food stamps?
So many diseases later in life are due to being overweight and then the person sometimes is too disabled to work. You don't need tons of protein to lose weight.

All the members of my family are thin. We ate bread at least once a day. We had no junk food and ate average portions.

I do empathize with you in that fruits and vegetables can be crazy expensive. In Brooklyn there are cheaper markets though.

amother

Peach

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 12:12 pm

I don't know where you are - or if this is helpful - but I buy a lot of produce at Aldi - what is on sale.
typical prices
Baby carrots = .99 bag
Avocados - under $1 each - recently were like .65 each

I buy seasonal fruit and vegetables there.
Lately zucchini was dirt cheap - great for soups and roasting and side dishes.
Nectarines, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes were all very cheap.

Canned beans are also very cheap there (rinse to remove sodium) as long as you don't need beans to bishul yisroel.

They also have a lot of interesting gluten free options that are reasonable priced.

Mommyg8

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 12:31 pm

amother wrote:

I recently bought some vegetables at Aldi's, and they all had bugs. Big ones. Maybe I would try agsin after the summer, but for now... I think I'll give it a pass.

Zucchini, fruit and avocado should be ok, though.

Mommyg8

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 12:38 pm

amother wrote:

I've never bought anything "leafy" at Aldi so I can't vouch for that. But their fruit has been delicious this season.

Sorry, I was typing too quickly and left out info. It was peppers, both regular and mini.

ShishKabob

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 1:04 pm

OP, you can definitely lose weight in this situation. Unfortunately you will have to work harder by doing more exercise and eating less. Not as in not eating a healthy amount, but eating less if you have to eat more carbs due to frugality. It's not easy at all. But I believe that you can do it.
Best of luck and lots and lots of hatzlocha!
Hey, a new year is coming up! Hopefully, your cash flow will increase as well and then you won't have to work so hard and you can buy all the vegetables and proteins that your heart desires!

amother

Coffee

Tue, Aug 14 2018, 3:38 pm

Thanks for all the replies. Ill look into finding an aldis near me as I never heard of that store before this site.

Also, ill look into buying chick peas and cook myself. I can look it up online about how to make them.

Thanks everyone for the support, insights, and advice.