{"id":953,"date":"2010-11-11T09:58:30","date_gmt":"2010-11-11T14:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturallyintense.net\/blog\/?p=953"},"modified":"2019-10-08T10:16:57","modified_gmt":"2019-10-08T14:16:57","slug":"5-tips-for-eating-well-and-losing-weight-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturallyintense.net\/blog\/weight-loss\/5-tips-for-eating-well-and-losing-weight-on-a-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips For Eating Well And Losing Weight On A Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eating Well & Losing Weight On A Budget- The Poor Man\u2019s Weight Loss Diet Plan<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the biggest misconceptions is that you must be affluent or dedicate ridiculous sums of money to be able to eat healthy, lose weight and keep it off. True, eating top of the line meats, produce and the like from high end supermarkets and organic type stores is not cheap, even here in the United States where food prices are on average far lower than in other countries relative to average income, but is it really impossible to eat healthy and lose weight while on a tight budget? Is the poor man\u2019s diet plan inevitably one of low nutrient junk foods high in calories, fat, salt and sugar? It doesn\u2019t have to be and eating well on a budget can be done successfully. While it is unquestionably true that cheap refined junk foods and low cost fast foods offer an affordable solution to those on a fixed income who need to eat without breaking the bank, and these food manufacturers and chains do everything in their power to remind you that you don\u2019t have to spend that much to eat. However, you can eat well on a tight budget. I came to America with $500 in my pocket and a family, and I found a way even back then. for seventeen years, I worked with the formerly homeless on fixed incomes and taught them how to eat healthy, lose weight and maintain good nutrition without spending exorbitant amounts of money. I even held cooking workshops for them, and many cases, eating healthy was actually cheaper and helped them spend less on food overall than eating junk. It starts with a change of mindset. If you firmly believe that something is not possible or realistic, you will stop looking for solutions as you would have resigned yourself to failure. It’s an easy way out and the reason why so many claim that they can’t afford to get into great shape as it takes the pressure off you to be creative and not handicap yourself with past experiences. It does take work, but the opportunities are there and the more you keep working at it with a spirit bent on persisting until you figure out how to do it, you will certainly succeed.\u00a0 \u00a0That said, here are five well used tips to eat healthy and lose weight on a budget:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eating Well & Losing Weight On A Budget The Poor Man\u2019s Weight Loss Diet Plan- Tip 1<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"losing<\/p>\n

Eat Breakfast At Home<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There is a saying back where I come from in the islands that a rich man brings his food while the poor man buys his foods out and that is why the rich man stays rich and the poor man stays poor. It\u2019s pretty accurate as it is always far cheaper and healthier to cook your own meals and carry them with you to work than it is to eat out. A consumer review group found that as many as 37% of Americans adults ate breakfast at a fast food chain within the past month.[1] Not surprisingly McDonald\u2019s was the top restaurant (if you can really call it that) followed by Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and Burger King rounding out the top four national fast food chains frequented for breakfast.[1]. (As an interesting aside, people who eat breakfast at fast food restaurants tend to have active lifestyles and are 14% more likely than the average adult to belong to a health club and engage in regular exercise- so much for the idea of active people eating healthy!) The general cost for breakfast at McDonalds- which is the cheapest of the lot comes in at about $1-$5 (not including tax) depending on where you are in the United States. For those prices you can get some really terrible foods that will go a long way towards helping you start your day the wrong way (there is nothing remotely healthy about things like Egg McMuffins, hash browns, sausages, breakfast burritos or bacon, eggs and cheese made with the lowest grade food products possible and\u00a0processed meats<\/u>) . Now while their dollar menu dominates the morning meal battle by offering a fast and cheap way to eat on the run, it is still cheaper to eat better. But it will take a bit longer.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why- a perfectly balanced and nutritionally sound breakfast of oat bran cerea<\/a>l or oatmeal (old fashioned oats- not the instant or sugar added varieties), two egg whites and a banana tallies up to a mere\u00a0$1.49<\/strong>\u00a0using organic bananas and free range eggs! A container of Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal costs $4.89 and yields just about 15 servings (they say 30 servings on the container- but no one would really eat that small of an amount in the real world) so figure about 32 cents a meal- a dozen organic free range large brown eggs cost $4.99 a dozen- which only sounds like a lot if you don\u2019t factor in that two egg whites will cost you only 66 cents a meal. The bananas are organic and at 99 cents a pound would cost just about 49 cents for one. Of course, you could go even lower if you didn\u2019t choose organic fare and keep in mind that the prices quoted are all from Fresh Direct, which is for the most part a tad more expensive than what you can find if you shopped around. Either way you are still eating breakfast for less than what you would pay for at Starbucks and the regular menus at McDonald\u2019s, but you do have to watch your portions, which leads to the next tip on eating healthy on a budget:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eating Well & Losing Weight On A Budget- The Poor Man\u2019s Weight Loss Diet Plan \u2013 Tip 2<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"losing<\/p>\n

Eat smaller portions<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the first things that I noticed when I came to the United States is just how large the portion sizes are. I remember well ordering at a restaurant and being amazed at how much food they piled on my plate, it was at least twice as much as I would have got at a restaurant back in the West Indies! In general, few people realize that you really don\u2019t need to eat as much food as they do and that eating less is not only healthy but will save you money. Knowing how much is enough is not an easy task and studies have consistently shown that most people are unable to accurately estimate their food intake. It is so difficult that a study involving nutrition students that had been rigorously trained in food energy content found that even they had a low level of accuracy (18.5%) in figuring out the caloric value of several foods set in front of them. [3] Also you don\u2019t want to go down the road of measuring your food and counting calories as it can become a bit obsessive and has little to do with a natural way of losing weight. So how do you know how much is enough? Simple, you use my rule of thirds for losing weight.<\/p>\n

The rule of thirds- First when preparing your meals, always give yourself one third less than your regular serving. It isn\u2019t that hard to do, but you are in one move cutting your calories, ensuring that you don\u2019t overeat and reducing your food bill by 33%! The second part of my rule of thirds is to imagine your stomach as divided into three equal sections. Now whenever you eat you always leave one third of it empty.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As simple as this may seem, these two easy methods of self-regulation have helped everyone from housewives to physique competitors that I have worked with over the years get into optimal shape and it is a simple way to accurately regulate your dietary intake without depriving yourself. It also helps you cut down on your food expenses by eating less. As a result, you will have a little more money to spend on better quality foods.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eating Well & Losing Weight On A Budget- The Poor Man\u2019s Weight Loss Diet Plan \u2013 Tip 3<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\"Losing<\/p>\n

Cook Your Meals And Bring Them With You<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We already covered how much cheaper it is to eat in than eat out when it comes to breakfast, but keep in mind that the healthiest of restaurants for lunch or dinner can never be as healthy or cost effective as the food you make at home. (See my article- How to Eat Out & Lose Weight- the Restaurant Guide<\/a>) The convenience of being able to grab something\u00a0on the go is appealing, but to get a really good meal, you will pay more buying from a health focused restaurant- and you don\u2019t really know if the food is as healthy as they claim it to be. Chains like\u00a0subway<\/u>\u00a0create the illusion that somehow their foods are healthy- but for the most part, they are not. As for fast foods- they might be easy to get and inexpensive, but keep in mind that you are paying for food- not nutrition and that your body will always want more as it isn\u2019t getting what it needs. Also, the price you will pay in medical costs resulting from obesity and the slew of metabolic related diseases that come with it such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension is a hidden cost in every cheap meal. So, what do you do when you don\u2019t have that much to spend on food- cook and carry!<\/p>\n

The best way to afford good quality food is to cook all your meals for the week on the weekend and portion your meals out (using the weight loss rule of thirds) into Tupperware containers that you refrigerate and take with you when you need it. A simple meal consisting of organic chicken, brown rice and lentils can cost as little as\u00a0$4.05<\/strong>\u00a0[2]- which is even less than what it would cost in some fast food chains! An organic chicken costs about $14.00 (I know it sounds like a lot but trust me it is worth it as all chicken isn\u2019t exactly chicken!) which would yield let\u2019s say four servings (even less if you are under 180 lbs. or not very active), which works out to $3.49 per serving. Basmati brown rice costs about $4.29 for a 2 lb. bag, which is about ten servings (the label says a \u00bc cup per serving which would yield 19 servings, but \u00bd cup is a bit more realistic) which comes to 42 cents a serving. Add lentils to give everything some flavor and it adds only 14 cents to the total.<\/p>\n

You can make these prices go even lower by following these rules:<\/p>\n