Any ideas on how I can lose weight while on a tight budget?
By Tina from Orange County, CA
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Takes lot of walking to lose wt & don't eat as much as you have been eating,good luck.
I have wondered the same thing. I am what doctors so nicely refer to as morbidly obese. When you have a limited income, unhealthy foods are much more affordable than the healthy fruits and vegetables. It also doesn't help that I have an adult mentally handicapped daughter living with me. If I buy apples and oranges she won't touch them, but if I buy strawberries, grapes, etc.
Carefully read and follow the "serving size" that is listed in the Nutrition Facts on every product that you buy. For instance, on a box of macaroni and cheese, the serving size is one cup. Your meal can be rounded out with two 1/2 cup servings of vegetables (canned, fresh, or frozen), and 1/2 cup of fruit for dessert, also canned, fresh or frozen.
First, can you give us some information about your cooking skills? And any allergies, as well as your range of cooking equipment. And your general amount to spend each month, plus number of people fed on that amount. And your age, and range of mobility as far as walking and getting to a store. Do you have a car?If not, what is your real situation re getting to what kind of stores. How often can you get out? What is the weather and your neighborhood safety as far as walking, and are you on any meds? Most importantly, are you in an apartment or a house? (Is there dirt available since you live in sunny CA, there are possibilities for growing a few vegetables which could make all the difference.) Is there help available to you for any of the logistics of your life as in strong young grandchildren once in a while, or a good natured adult
Don't be shy, we don't know you and you don't know us.
But I'm pretty good at nutrition as well as a good cook from scratch, and I've learned a lot about getting to a healthy weight. I'm 65 and got rid of 40 pounds a couple of years back over 3 years, due to changes in my circumstances, but I was healthy and felt well while I did it.
It is so easy to say the word diet but there are so many little factors which act as roadblocks and tiny tho they may be, they all count. Money is only part of the story.
I can share with you my daily lifestyle of how I've lost weight over the years. I'm been battling high cholesterol most of my adult life. Perhaps I had high cholesterol when I was a young girl and never knew it until I had my cholesterol checked in my adult hood. Later in life I found that my high cholesterol is genetic.
A number of years ago my doctor put me on the diet to lose the excess weight and I started a regular exercise program to bring down my cholesterol. I tried every alternative therapy known to man and also became a vegetarian 7 years ago. Still nothing brought down the high cholesterol, so now I'm taking a cholestrol lowering drug which has been keeping my cholesterol in the normal range.
I no longer eat meat or poultry and my doctor said that a vegetarian lifestyle is highly recommended for those who suffer with high cholesterol. I don't drink cow's milk but use rice milk for my morning cereal. And I also limit my cheese/dairy product intake. If I decide to eat an egg omlet, I use only the egg white. The cholesterol medication WILL NOT lower my cholesterol, if I constantly eat all fatty foods. It doesn't work that way. I don't buy junk foods, but I keep popcorn on hand and use my hot air popcorn popper.
I have to limit starches such as bread, etc. because it breaks down into sugars which raises my cholesterol.
I try to faithfully walk on our motorized treadmill each day and lift dumbbells to burn off the excess calories. I'm limited right now and can't exercise because I have tendonitis in my left foot and I'm on crutches until my foot heals.
So my advice to you is to watch your food portion sizes, stay active and follow a daily walking program.
It doesn't cost anything to go for a walk, push back from the table, and cut out fats. Special foods, plans, or equipment aren't needed.
Since I've become vegetarian (I don't eat anything that has or can have a face;no egg. I do eat milk and cheese), I've lost a lot of weight, and my body has become more healthy (hair, nails, etc). The important thing is right diet and exercise (which isn't a quick-fix diet but it's the daily choices that are the right answer). Mix your grains and beans, get veges, nuts and dairy (those two are fattening so not too much), fruit, and spices. We try to grow what we can (someone lets us use their yard as we don't have one). We also dry our food (best way to preserve) and grind it (easy to throw into sauces). I try to remember that my stomach is only as big as my fist, so eat that portion and then I'm done.
Please no more suggestions on a meat free lifestyle. I love my steaks etc and cannot imagine my life meatless (and yes, I love animals). Thanks for the help and time though.
Weight Watchers works. It doesn't have to be expensive either. Right now they have free registeration. All you have to do is go to one meeting and they give you all the information you need to get you started. The meeting cost 12 dollars. If you want to know anything esle there are plenty of sites where people blog their tips and recipes. It's really an easy plan. You don't have to buy anything special. And if you feel that it doesn't work you can always sell your starter pack on ebay. Tons of people want the information but don't want to go to a meeting. I've lost 20 lbs and still counting. I don't attend meetings but have plenty of support from my family and friends. Good Luck.
My husband and I have been on a low carb diet. It's ok but somethings I really miss and doing the shopping is a problem because I see those things. We eat the prepared dinners such as lean cuisine, some banquet, etc. I check the carbs to make sure they are under 30 for dinner. I fix a salad or fruit along with this. Also portion control works. Americans are over eaters. Look at the portions and obey that. Also on the low carb, you can eat lots of meat and jello and it has no carbs. I eat lots of chicken breasts. Good luck
Resist pre-packaged foods and cook from scratch.
Eat only the amount of food you can cup in your hand at each meal and eat more meals a day because it is better for your body to eat a handful every couple of hours than to gorge yourself with the standard three meals.
Don't eat a meal for at least two hours before you go to sleep and three hours is even better.
If you want to treat yourself with an unhealthy snack only have a couple of bites.
Walk.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
Think thin and think healthy! You'll be amazed at how just readjusting your mind will help :-)
As much as you might think this sounds crazy and as much as you might hate the idea of doing it: Stand in front of a mirror naked every day and visualize what you would like to improve about your body. That's what professional body builders do! Case in point is good ol' Arnold ;-) He wore those sweat pants cut off at the knee so he could visualize his skinny calves being built up to make his body more symmetrical and look where he is today ;-)
There are many fine online sites, but I loved Sparkpeople. Sparkpeople is free and I used it successfully. It has an enornous amount of great info and encouragement! Groups, nutritional info, success stories, and incentives galore.
Recipes, and recording spots. It's a blast.
Eat lots of fruits and vegies, steamed or raw or microwaved without added fat or butter. Grilled chicken or fish-chicken breasts on sale are a good buy-stock up and freeze. Whole grain breads or pastas. Lots of water. Half of a meal plate should be vegies, 1/4 a starch and 1/4 a lean protein. Avoid processed foods as these contain a lot of hidden fat and salt and sugar. Read labels religiously. Take lunch and approriate snacks to work to avoid fast food lunch and vending machines. Make time to exercie-walk, jog, bike, skate, swim-all free and/or low cost. Set reasonable goals for yourself of 1-2 lb week and reward yourself at certain milestone losses with a non-food reward like a movie, pedicure or new shoes. Good luck! It can be done!
Walking in your neighborhood is a great thing, you should walk at least 30 minutes a day. If you can't walk that long, you could walk for 10 minutes at a time. I find that I can do that, I had polio as a child and my foot gets very tired when walking, the foot tends to drag. Also, downsize your dinner plate. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit. Hope this helps.
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