Budget Diets/Diet budgets... :)

[Zhoen]

Ok, so chances are this has been asked in the past, but if you search for either the words "budget" or "diet", whoa Mama, do you get a lot of threads...

I'm dieting, that's cool. I'm trying to have some clue at the end of the month where "all the money went." That's super cool. And I have this belief that the two don't HAVE to be mutually exclusive.

So I'm going to ask this question in both the WISH and budget forums... What are your best budget-friendly diet tricks and your best diet-friendly budget tricks?

I'll save someone the trouble of typing it-- Yes, I could "eat the same food but less of it!" (But that makes for much unhappiness-- if Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!!!)

I thought I had a winner tonight-- I love egg beaters scrambled up with TONS of vegetables... low cal, high protein, high fiber, and a veggie serving... the problem is, ever since we learned about battery cages, we only buy cage free organic or free-range eggs, and they are EXPENSIVE! I had a bunch in the fridge because I found a free-range farmer with good prices at the farmers market the other day, so I took a dozen of those eggwhites and scrambled them with my veggies.

Well, it seemed wasteful to throw half of the eggs (the yolks) away, so I thought I could fry up one regular egg with lots of extra yolks, over easy, because my little one LOVES her "dipdip eggs" with toast, and both my girls are calorie furnaces, so the extra calories would be a plus for them...

Yeah, no dice. She said it looked "gross." So now it's dog food...

Anybody got any great ideas out there? I wanna be lighter when we go to Disney next year, but I want to be able to AFFORD Disney next year!

 

[Marionnette]

Ok, so chances are this has been asked in the past, but if you search for either the words "budget" or "diet", whoa Mama, do you get a lot of threads...

I'm dieting, that's cool. I'm trying to have some clue at the end of the month where "all the money went." That's super cool. And I have this belief that the two don't HAVE to be mutually exclusive.

So I'm going to ask this question in both the WISH and budget forums... What are your best budget-friendly diet tricks and your best diet-friendly budget tricks?

I'll save someone the trouble of typing it-- Yes, I could "eat the same food but less of it!" (But that makes for much unhappiness-- if Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!!!)

I thought I had a winner tonight-- I love egg beaters scrambled up with TONS of vegetables... low cal, high protein, high fiber, and a veggie serving... the problem is, ever since we learned about battery cages, we only buy cage free organic or free-range eggs, and they are EXPENSIVE! I had a bunch in the fridge because I found a free-range farmer with good prices at the farmers market the other day, so I took a dozen of those eggwhites and scrambled them with my veggies.

Well, it seemed wasteful to throw half of the eggs (the yolks) away, so I thought I could fry up one regular egg with lots of extra yolks, over easy, because my little one LOVES her "dipdip eggs" with toast, and both my girls are calorie furnaces, so the extra calories would be a plus for them...

Yeah, no dice. She said it looked "gross." So now it's dog food...

Anybody got any great ideas out there? I wanna be lighter when we go to Disney next year, but I want to be able to AFFORD Disney next year!

Best budget-friendly diet tricks: Water. No healthy adult needs to drink anything else. No Diet Coke. No Crystal Light. No slice of lemon. Just plain water.

Best diet-friendly budget tricks: Walk whenever possible. Leave the car and walk to the store, the library or the kids' bus top. Saves on gas and gives you a little exercise.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Buy whatever fresh produce is in season or on sale: today I bought watermelon, grapes, and bananas for our fruit this week.

Soon I will hit the farmers market and buy what is fresh and at a good price.

Buy when it's on sale and freeze. Boneless/skinless chicken breast are your friend. Find on sale and buy a huge amount and freeze. We sometimes grill a huge amount and then freeze.

Drink NO calories- I have to have my diet drink once in a while, but water is free and ZERO calories. I use skim milk on cereal but not to drink.

If you eat out..share everything. Servings are way too big and way too many calories....

Cheat sometimes. I allowed dessert on Sundays!

 

[Sadie22]

Egg yolks are good for you. No need to separate eggs. Try hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and so on. You need the protein and vitamins. I'm diabetic, I need to lose weight, and eggs are part of my healthy diet. Just not every day.

Try replacing some meat with beans. Vegetable chili is great. Tuna, salmon or other fish, turkey, chicken, cheese used sparingly or try the lower-fat cheeses.

I keep my freezer stocked with homemade entrees. I buy meat, fish, and poultry on sale at stock up prices.

Good luck!

 

[hpfan100]

bulk bins for staples like brown rice, dried beans and nuts
buy produce in season and on sale, grow some of your own too
buy fresh herbs and dry them yourself or grow your own, buy them at discount stores (biglots, dollar store)
if you eat meat, buy bulk packages or on sale or buy whole animal and cut it up (whole chickens are cheaper than pieces)
veggies like corn, peas, green beans are way cheaper frozen if not in season

use coupons for items that are processed or frozen/canned, buy store brands if cheaper

make extras and freeze for instant meals

good luck with your weight loss. I'm doing the same thing right now....hoping to have a smaller but so I can fit comfortably in the seats.

 

[ssawka]

My tips:

• Avoid eating out
• If you have a smart phone, download a free calorie counter app and track everything you eat
• If you're a drinker, drink hard alcohol with a diet mixer. Zero carbs and less calories than beer or wine.
• Avoid expensive crash diets, you can figure out what to eat and not eat on your own.

 

[GinnyEmma]

2 whole eggs equal 160 calories plus veggies equal a fine meal. While cutting portions doesn't make you happy, it is a good idea. It will save money but also retrain hour mind. Eating out, I always share or put half for take out. Long term benefits.

 

[hsmamato2]

eat the whole egg- maybe 2,add a BUNCH of whatever veggies you have that were on sale for the week-
eat lots of bean products,I personally love fat free refried beans from a can,spread on a wheat tortilla- spoon some salsa on for flavor-sprinkle maybe one teaspoon shred cheese on top,micro till melted- add shredded lettuce and a scoop of 0% greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) so BIG and filling,and low cal,and cheap! (my fave diet lunch)
fill your fridge with on sale fruits and veggies,0% greek yogurt, I like agave syrup- a pitcher of ice water,which you can add some lemon,or watermelon chunks to(yum)
can you tell I'm doing this currently?
Oh,a good snack in place of junkfood when the urge hits is a small bowl of sweet cereal,like corn pops,etc. just enough sweet,not too many calories or fat!
stick to 100% WHOLE GRAIN breads/pasta,it's way more filling,so saves you money in the long run

 

[amberdburke]

I am on Weight Watchers. I have figured out lots of ways to make it less expensive.

For breakfast, most days, I eat fruit and yogurt (I buy the big containers of yogurt to save money).

I have been making a lot of WW recipes, but I leave out what I don't have or substitute for things that are on sale.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to include this - I don't make any money off of it or anything - but I have a blog on following WW cheaply - wwcouponer.blogspot.com.

I buy bone-in split chicken breasts (for about .99 a pound) and debone them myself.