Frugal Diet ideaas

[DianaMarie]

Hello everyone!!! My name is Diana and I am looking for all the suggestions and Ideas I can get to "REALLY LOSE THE WEIGHT THIS TIE " but it has to be cheap cheap cheap to do. I have very little money these days and I am a stay at home mom with only one income...I lost my job several years ago and have had numerous part time jobs but it is not enough to support my family. I am just now learning how to budget and plan and loads of stuff that has saved me loads of money.
I really need to lose 100 lbs and I know it will take at least a year or two to accomplish this. I just want to know what many of you are doing to take the weight off and not spending hundres to do it. I need really tried and true remedies. I would love to do a program called Optifast but it si thousands of dollars to do so that is out...is there anyway I can copy this program for less money. I really need your ideas...
please write as soon as you all can...I will check this forum daily and if thisis not convenient for you please e-mail me any ideas or suggestions you have....DianaMarie1@excite.com
Thanks!!!! I love this site and look forward to being here more often

[Sara Noel]

I've lost over 75 lbs in 2 yrs by making healthy choices. Nothing major. Just cutting out pop, not snacking sugary/salty foods daily, and cutting back on fast food.

Eating balanced and using portion control. (more veggies vs. meat)

My weightloss was done without extensive exercise and now that I've maintained this weight successfully, I plan to implement a more strict exercise regimen and get off this plateau to lose the remaining 20-25 lbs.

I think weightloss is an individual thing. I know this worked for me, but I also gained this weight from pregnancies and wasn't ever very heavy prior to pregnancy.

[MandiDawn]

I think the best way to lose weight is watch what you eat and excerise.

Cut out/back on snacks, pop, ect
Watch portion control. This is a big one. Only eat what one cup of cereal instead of 2. You really don't need that extra cup, and if you are still hungry, grab a bananna or something.
And for excerise - just grab your shoes and go for a walk. I park in the last space at walmart ,the mall anywhere I go so I have farther to walk to the door. Little things make a difference.
Good luck

[handmerounds]

I agree with the above. I have been and still am losing weight. This is what worked for me.
Switched to diet soda, drink 1% milk, drink juice from coffee cup (I use to have a great big glass).
Cut portions down. This was easy after a while because I like to feel satisfied now, not bloated!!
Cut out having ice cream, little debbie cakes. I still eat ice cream but cut my portions.
Eat more fruit.
Started walking.
I REALLY wanted it this time.

From my experience, you can't go on some magic diet!! You have to make little changes. You have to WANT this!! Care about yourself, you deserve the best body you can have. Nobody can do this for you, you have to do it for yourself!! And to my surprise, It WORKS! If you make some little changes they will add up to big RESULTS. In my opinion, once you start losing the weight by eating a little less, walking, etc you won't have that extra weight. Choose to be healthy!!

Hope that helps. My weight loss all started by a conversation I had with my aunt. She was talking teary eyed about how she wished she would have taken care of herself, and she encouraged me to "not let myself go" like she did. I thought about what she said and I didn't want to be old, overweight, and tired. That was where I was headed. But not anymore, I feel very proud of myself!! I am also very thankful for that conversation. I hope I can inspire someone as well. Hope your journey to health starts today!!

[britbunny]

Yeah, I'm witheveryone else on this one... it hurts at first, but once you get going it's fine. I think it's the IDEA of doing it is harder than the reality.

Cutting back on the junk, eating more fruit and veg, cutting back on the meat has worked for me. Loads of water to drink, cut right back on the alcohol (if you drink) and move about more.

Don't try to do it all at once, for example just decide to start drinking water throughout the day, doing this will do you a lot of good. The small things really do make the difference

All those magic diets magic cash out of your bank account and eventually magic the weight back onto your body IMO.

I do an exercise DVD occasionally but the main thing for me has been to be just generally more active, stuff like cleaning windows, sweeping instead of using the dyson, scrubbing the floors instead of mopping etc. Walking more, making a rule to always walk if the journey is less than a mile, we used to drive to MIL's house which is 4 minutes walk away, eek!

Wow, it sounds like hard work doesn't it, maybe I'm not cut out to be a salesperson! LOL

I've lost at least 50lbs since August, (I say approx 50 lbs because as everyone knows here as I've said it a million times, I stepped on my scales and they broke - is that an incentive, well yes it is)

If you think you would like some exercise equipment you could always look at freecycle you never know what they have there.

HTH.

[CarrrmenJ]

I always thought that to "eat healthy" it had to be expensive. But not this time. I have been eating on $100-$125 a month for the last 2 months, and have lost 18lbs so far, and it doesn't feel like a "diet". My strategy is very little meat, up the dairy to make up for protein, TONS of fresh produce, nuts, seeds, and whole wheat pasta/rice. Basic work week, mon - fri is as follows:

Breakfast is smoothie with 1 cup ff plain yogurt with half can pineapple, some ginger slices, flax seed, half tsp of cinnamon.
Morning snack is piece of fruit with 12 almonds
Lunch is chili (2 cns diced tomato, 2c blk beans, 1 can corn, half lb 93/7 hamburger, chopped up green pepper, chopped up onion, spices), greens (collards, mustard, and beet or dandelion usually), quarter of avocado, red pepp strips and another piece of fruit
Afternoon snack is small handful of sunflower seeds and another piece of fruit
Drink 16oz of skim milk before drive home
Dinner is half cup or cup whole wheat pasta or rice with tom sauce, rocc, mush, peppers, etc.) veggie stirfy (bbroth based chick soup (use 1 rotisserie chick, 1 breast w/o skin for one weeks worth of soup, 1 breast w/o skin for next weeks, one thigh and drum as weekend "meat" meal, one next week, use bones to boil and make own broth, add carrots, 2c lentils, kale, and mushrooms - delish!!)
Evening smoothie is same as breakfast, sometimes add frzen berries if on sale or honey to make sweeter

Weekend is "meat" meals...chick thigh and leg with sweet potatoe (honey as sweetener, not sugar) a 4 oz serving of salmon with sides, tuna casserole (single batch easy to make with one can and one serving cooked pasta, a little parmesan cheese and some olives go a long way!)

Making my own broth and using dry beans, my max budget is $125 a month, and sometimes can make it under the $100 a month mark. My dairy is the most expensive, using 1 gallon of milk and 3 32oz containers of plain yogurt each week, that's around $40 a month (coupon if possible) and almost half my budget. 2lbs of 93/7 hamburger is around $10, and 2 cooked rotisserie chickens is $10. 1 bag of 16oz beans and 1 bag of 16oz lentils at $3 a month. Produce and spices from produce stand or farmer's market (5 red pepps for $1.50!!!!) I spend about $12 every 2 weeks at produce stand, and come home with BAGS of stuff. Stock up on canned tuna and frozen salmon during sales, particularly 10 for $10's that come along. That's great when the salmon is prepackaged into individual portions - $1 a serving!!! Then pantry staples are whole wheat pasta, brown rice, olive oil, honey.

There is a great site called world's healthiest foods that's very informative about healthy food, and it's all "normal" stuff. Another reason I upped my dairy is because there is research now that calcium helps burn fat, especially belly fat. It's on there under the milk and yogurt sections. All my dairy is fat free. Cinnamon helps stabilize blood sugar. Use honey or syrup as sweeteners instead of sugar, you will use less because it is sweeter than sugar, and it has health benefits (not saying guzzle it like a woolly bear - it does have calories!!). I eat BEFORE I get hungry, on a schedule (at least during the week). Drink tons of water, it goes faster if you have a straw. I pick fruits, veggies, and dishes that I LIKE and know I will eat without wanting other stuff. I cook the bulk of my food on the weekend, a batch of chili, a batch of soup, a mess of greens, a bunch of pasta or rice, and the beans and lentils. IMost nights for dinner I just stir fry depending on what I feel like for veggies and flavor that night, then add the rice or pasta, heat the soup and it's less than 15 min. I have a bag of individually wrapped small extra dark chocolates for the occasional treat. I take NO MONEY into work, and leave my debit card in the car so that I don't succumb to the afternoon soda and candy bar "to get me through" temptation. I haven't denied myself on the couple office parties and lunches we've had, or Thanksgiving a my parents - because then it's truly a "treat", not junk on top of every day soda and candy bar on top of a wings and fries. I use the nuts and seeds with my fruit between meals to feel full and hold me over with the fat and fiber content. It's working... There is also a site called fitday, and it's free. You can track your foods, activities, etc. Oh yes, and my dog gets 45 min to an hour walk each day.

Good luck!!!!!

[Marie78]

CarrrmenJ, you are doing a great job with your weight loss. I am bookmarking your post as a favorite to read later. I am pregnant and expecting our baby in July. I am going to use your post for motivation and tips to lose the baby weight and the weight I needed to lose before the baby (30 pounds). Keep us posted on your progress.

[CarrrmenJ]

Sorry, I forgot to add that nuts and seeds and flax seed may seem expensive, but a little goes a loooooooooooooooong way. My first $4 bag of almonds lasted me a month when eating only 12 or so a day in the a.m. snack, and I am STILL working through my $3 bag of sunflower seeds!!!!!! A $2 bag of ground flax will last a month and a half. Also on the fitday site you can plug in your height, weight, and goal weight by whatever date, and it will calculate how many calories per day you should be eating to lose however many lbs a week. My first goal is to lose 10% of my body weight (it is easier for me to do it in chunks, just like paying off debt so if you are 200lbs your first goal would be to lose 20lbs. Then at 180lbs your next goal would be to lose 18lbs, and so on and so forth. The site will caution you if you want to lose more than 2lbs a week. I chose to lose 2lbs a week for my first goal. After that you can make a new goal, with your new weight and 10% under that, and it will calculate the calorie difference again. I don't freak out about dailly calories like a crazy person, as long as my weekly balance adds up. It also has graphs and change stats that help keep you on track and motivated. Plus with being able to plug in your food anytime you can plan ahead if there's going to be an event or something, or if you REALLY want a soda and candy bar, plug it in first, see what other sacrifices you would have to make to have it fit in your "calorie budget", and decide if it's worth it. That 2 min check has saved me a few times For some the calorie thing would drive them crazy, but it keeps me on track for now!!! Some things are already becoming habit, like "oh no, that's way too big a portion".

Anywho, you can do it!!!!!! Just figure out what makes it easiest for YOU, even if others think you're crazy. We're all smart folks here...apply some of that brainpower to a solution

[CarrrmenJ]

Congrats on the litte one Marie!! Soon we'll all be skinny and rich...lol