Poverty Weight-loss Diet
October 29, 2023 9:35 PM Subscribe
Help! I'm tired of being fat and poor. How do I lose weight while maximizing nutrition with very little money?
I was formerly obese according to BMI and have dieted and exercised my way into the overweight range. My health has improved a great deal but I'm not there yet. I am now attempting to reduce my weight so that I can hit normal BMI and this final stretch is killing me.
I am a short, middle-aged woman so my BMR is only about 1200 calories and my TDEE 1400+ (set as sedentary but I do exercise moderately with some weight training about half a hour per day and walk to the grocery store). I eat around 1100-1200 calories a day. This is very little so every mouthful counts and I cannot afford to eat junk.
As a poor person, I lived off brown rice and beans/lentils for years until I developed digestive issues. I am no longer able to eat beans/lentils or leafy vegetables like spinach (tomatoes, pumpkin, carrots, bell peppers etc. are ok) unless I want to spend the whole day in the loo. I cannot digest milk but yogurt/cheese is ok.
I have been googling for advice on eating well on a budget and the standard frustrating, condescending advice for the poor is just "You're fat because you're lazy and you can just live off beans and rice!" I used to do just that before my digestive issues and a lot of poor people just don't have the time or mental bandwidth to soak and cook beans. I'm not even counting the energy bill and access to a kitchen. A diet of rice and beans alone is low in protein, bland and not exactly high in vitamins.
I have started to track my calories and macros. I used to fill up on brown rice and whole wheat bread and my tracking showed me that these carbs were contributing way too many calories. I cut my brown rice consumption in half and now whole wheat bread is a treat, not a staple. I don't eat more than a slice per meal. I increased protein for fullness to fill the carb void. Fat has also increased unintentionally (it mostly comes from the nuts/dairy). It is working and my weight is dropping. I feel fuller than I do on carbs as well as less bloated and lethargic.
The issue is that my grocery bill has gone up and I'm having trouble hitting my protein target. I'm aiming for 45% carbs, 25% fat and 30% protein (calorie tracker says I should aim for about 90 g per day). Brown rice and whole wheat bread is a lot cheaper than yogurt, cheese and nuts. Better quality Greek yogurt with higher protein is more expensive than the regular, nasty yogurt. I'm experiencing for myself that it's no wonder that poor people are fat and the health issues that ensue is additional damage. Brown rice and wholemeal bread aside, it's even easier, tastier and cheaper to just fill up on processed junk that are easy to store and require no cooking.
Currently, I am getting my protein from some chicken/pork (beef is too expensive), peanut butter, canned sardines (canned salmon has gotten too expensive), eggs, nuts/seeds, yogurt, way too much tofu (3-4 times a week), nutritional yeast and cheese. I try to avoid unhealthy stuff like processed meat(ham, bacon etc). People have suggested protein powder in the past but I can't afford it and I'm not convinced that it's healthy anyway. I'm not in the U.S. and certain things like supplements/protein powder are very expensive here. There is no Costco here and even if there is, I can't afford the membership and I don't own a car to travel any distance or transport bulk groceries.
I'm going to buy yogurt, peanut butter and cheese tomorrow and I don't look forward to the grocery bill. It doesn't help that the prices of everything have increased due to the state of the world (inflation).
I am doing my best but have I left anything out? Advice on vitamins and maximizing nutrients other than protein also welcome. I am taking a cheap multivitamin(from iherb because the price of vitamins locally is ridiculous) just in case given my limited diet so I don't develop some horrible deficiency and have my hair fall out.
I was formerly obese according to BMI and have dieted and exercised my way into the overweight range. My health has improved a great deal but I'm not there yet. I am now attempting to reduce my weight so that I can hit normal BMI and this final stretch is killing me.
I am a short, middle-aged woman so my BMR is only about 1200 calories and my TDEE 1400+ (set as sedentary but I do exercise moderately with some weight training about half a hour per day and walk to the grocery store). I eat around 1100-1200 calories a day. This is very little so every mouthful counts and I cannot afford to eat junk.
As a poor person, I lived off brown rice and beans/lentils for years until I developed digestive issues. I am no longer able to eat beans/lentils or leafy vegetables like spinach (tomatoes, pumpkin, carrots, bell peppers etc. are ok) unless I want to spend the whole day in the loo. I cannot digest milk but yogurt/cheese is ok.
I have been googling for advice on eating well on a budget and the standard frustrating, condescending advice for the poor is just "You're fat because you're lazy and you can just live off beans and rice!" I used to do just that before my digestive issues and a lot of poor people just don't have the time or mental bandwidth to soak and cook beans. I'm not even counting the energy bill and access to a kitchen. A diet of rice and beans alone is low in protein, bland and not exactly high in vitamins.
I have started to track my calories and macros. I used to fill up on brown rice and whole wheat bread and my tracking showed me that these carbs were contributing way too many calories. I cut my brown rice consumption in half and now whole wheat bread is a treat, not a staple. I don't eat more than a slice per meal. I increased protein for fullness to fill the carb void. Fat has also increased unintentionally (it mostly comes from the nuts/dairy). It is working and my weight is dropping. I feel fuller than I do on carbs as well as less bloated and lethargic.
The issue is that my grocery bill has gone up and I'm having trouble hitting my protein target. I'm aiming for 45% carbs, 25% fat and 30% protein (calorie tracker says I should aim for about 90 g per day). Brown rice and whole wheat bread is a lot cheaper than yogurt, cheese and nuts. Better quality Greek yogurt with higher protein is more expensive than the regular, nasty yogurt. I'm experiencing for myself that it's no wonder that poor people are fat and the health issues that ensue is additional damage. Brown rice and wholemeal bread aside, it's even easier, tastier and cheaper to just fill up on processed junk that are easy to store and require no cooking.
Currently, I am getting my protein from some chicken/pork (beef is too expensive), peanut butter, canned sardines (canned salmon has gotten too expensive), eggs, nuts/seeds, yogurt, way too much tofu (3-4 times a week), nutritional yeast and cheese. I try to avoid unhealthy stuff like processed meat(ham, bacon etc). People have suggested protein powder in the past but I can't afford it and I'm not convinced that it's healthy anyway. I'm not in the U.S. and certain things like supplements/protein powder are very expensive here. There is no Costco here and even if there is, I can't afford the membership and I don't own a car to travel any distance or transport bulk groceries.
I'm going to buy yogurt, peanut butter and cheese tomorrow and I don't look forward to the grocery bill. It doesn't help that the prices of everything have increased due to the state of the world (inflation).
I am doing my best but have I left anything out? Advice on vitamins and maximizing nutrients other than protein also welcome. I am taking a cheap multivitamin(from iherb because the price of vitamins locally is ridiculous) just in case given my limited diet so I don't develop some horrible deficiency and have my hair fall out.
It's hard to answer without knowing what's cheap where you live. It's possible that local communities or groups for weight loss or just healthy eating would have better advice.
Is milk cheap compared to yogurt? Making your own yogurt out of milk isn't hard, supposedly (I've known people who do it).
Are you able to exercise more than you're doing now?
You say you can't digest legumes, but what about sprouting them?
Do you have enough sun to grow any veggies at your place, even at a small scale?
Since you mentioned it, iherb has some food products too, including some prepared meals. If you haven't, it might be worth checking if anything there is actually cheaper than it is locally.
posted by trig at 10:18 PM on October 29, 2023
Is milk cheap compared to yogurt? Making your own yogurt out of milk isn't hard, supposedly (I've known people who do it).
Are you able to exercise more than you're doing now?
You say you can't digest legumes, but what about sprouting them?
Do you have enough sun to grow any veggies at your place, even at a small scale?
Since you mentioned it, iherb has some food products too, including some prepared meals. If you haven't, it might be worth checking if anything there is actually cheaper than it is locally.
posted by trig at 10:18 PM on October 29, 2023
Beano might help with the digestive distress. My Mum couldn't tolerate salads or any dark greens, really, but it solved that completely.
posted by kate4914 at 10:50 PM on October 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kate4914 at 10:50 PM on October 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
We make our own yogurt, and it is much cheaper than buying it in the shop. We do easiyo and split the packet and use powdered milk to make up the difference, you can use the last of your yogurt (assuming live cultures) with powdered milk.
You don't need a fancy yogurt maker, but it's definitely easier for us to do the easiyo. (Which is basically a fancy thermos.)
posted by freethefeet at 11:39 PM on October 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
You don't need a fancy yogurt maker, but it's definitely easier for us to do the easiyo. (Which is basically a fancy thermos.)
posted by freethefeet at 11:39 PM on October 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
When I was an overweight student with little income I lost weight. I would cook soups and curries with chicken and vegetables and basically live off of it. I cut out starches, which was difficult at first but then when I realized they’re just “fillers” and contribute little nutrients I didn’t crave them anymore. I could buy a whole chicken for a lot less than butchered chicken, cut it up myself into rough parts and make a delicious soup that went a long way. I would get the bones out and pressure cook them for 2 hours in water to make a gelatinous bone broth. The bones would then be soft so I ground them up into a paste to make dog food by combining it with rice and carrots. Use every scrap of that chicken!
posted by waving at 12:39 AM on October 30, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by waving at 12:39 AM on October 30, 2023 [7 favorites]
Is there a nearby gurdwara or Buddhist temple that does free meals daily? You might be able to load up on decent healthy food that's tasty (if not daily then a regular treat) and fulfils part of your daily count while being easy on the budget and relatively healthier nutritionally. If your trouble with beans is the need for longer cooking time then those cuisines should be okay for you.
If soy products are okay for you, you can check out nearby asian grocers for things like mushroom and fish tofu instead of just plain tofu, for an alternative that's hopefully still economical where you are.
posted by cendawanita at 12:49 AM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
If soy products are okay for you, you can check out nearby asian grocers for things like mushroom and fish tofu instead of just plain tofu, for an alternative that's hopefully still economical where you are.
posted by cendawanita at 12:49 AM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
What about potatoes? they tend to get a bad rap because they're often served with a lot of butter/cream/oil/cheese, but there's a lot of great ways to cook potatoes without adding a lot of fat. a potato is about 150 - 200 calories, depending on size, delicious, and often pretty cheap if you buy a big bag. (look for when they go on sale) They have a lot of nutrients, especially if you leave the skin on, and soak up spices really well. my favourite - cut into wedges, microwave for a few minutes to get them a bit soft, then bake them with a very light coating of oil (if you have an oil spray bottle it's great for this) and spice on either parchment paper or nonstick foil until golden brown. You can do the same with sweet potatoes, also excellent.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:18 AM on October 30, 2023 [13 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:18 AM on October 30, 2023 [13 favorites]
Yes, potatoes, white or sweet. They're really good cut up, roasted and with cheese melted on top.
For me, the diet boards on Reddit can be very triggering. (They read like how-tos for eating disorders.) But I thought of them in connection to you because there are a couple with "1200" in the titles specifically, for people trying to hit that goal. People post meal suggestions, ingenious food discoveries and cooking tricks, and some of those people are on a budget. Some of them plate and present the food nicely so it can at least be fun to browse in that sense.
If you have food pantries where you live, consider going once in a while for something like soup to vary your diet. You can give back when you get a windfall. In the US at least, a small amount of cash is more useful to them than people bringing in food products, because they can buy at a huge discount.
Good luck!
posted by BibiRose at 5:11 AM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
For me, the diet boards on Reddit can be very triggering. (They read like how-tos for eating disorders.) But I thought of them in connection to you because there are a couple with "1200" in the titles specifically, for people trying to hit that goal. People post meal suggestions, ingenious food discoveries and cooking tricks, and some of those people are on a budget. Some of them plate and present the food nicely so it can at least be fun to browse in that sense.
If you have food pantries where you live, consider going once in a while for something like soup to vary your diet. You can give back when you get a windfall. In the US at least, a small amount of cash is more useful to them than people bringing in food products, because they can buy at a huge discount.
Good luck!
posted by BibiRose at 5:11 AM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Do you live near a fresh food market? Is it shut a couple of days a week? Turn up at closing time the day before the closed days and you'll likely score some bargains. I've had over 90% off the price of fruit and veg at 3pm on a Sunday, you just have to be willing to buy the basket in front of you, not pick and choose. Meat goes cheap as well.
posted by deadwax at 5:15 AM on October 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by deadwax at 5:15 AM on October 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
You can make Greek yogurt or labneh by straining regular plain yogurt.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:28 AM on October 30, 2023
posted by warriorqueen at 5:28 AM on October 30, 2023
In my two unemployed years after college I ate mostly potatoes and drank milk because I couldn't afford basically anything else. Potatoes and milk, while unexciting, is a cheap and nearly nutritionally complete way to live.
I was losing so much weight I had to switch to whole milk for more calories.
posted by phunniemee at 5:40 AM on October 30, 2023
I was losing so much weight I had to switch to whole milk for more calories.
posted by phunniemee at 5:40 AM on October 30, 2023
Good and Cheap is a free pdf book that tells you how you can eat healthy food for around. $4/day.
The thing I see missing from your diet is beans. Canned beans are cheap, dried beans are even cheaper. There are zillions of ways to eat them from food cultures around the world, and they are cheaper, less processed, and more fiber than tofu.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:42 AM on October 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
The thing I see missing from your diet is beans. Canned beans are cheap, dried beans are even cheaper. There are zillions of ways to eat them from food cultures around the world, and they are cheaper, less processed, and more fiber than tofu.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:42 AM on October 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
(Sorry I failed to read the full question carefully before answering, but the book is still good even if beans are out)
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:54 AM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:54 AM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I wanted to say that eggs are extremely nutritious, have easily digestible protein, and are generally much cheaper than meat. If you fry up, say, half an onion and half a bell pepper, combine 2-4 eggs in a cup and whisk until uniform, and then pour the egg mixture over the onion/pepper mixture in the pan, you get a kind of egg scramble that is delicious. You can add cheese on top, but you don't need to. You can also do the vegetables as an inside layer if you want to make more of an omelet. I've eaten this egg scramble at least once a day for periods when I was low carb and poor and trying to lose weight. I'd also recommend peanut butter, which has a decent amount of protein and can be eaten with vegetables, can be used to make a sauce for chicken, etc.
I'm a bit cautious of the advice above recommending potatoes, etc. You've noticed that you've increased your protein intake, decreased your carbohydrate intake, and have lost weight. While you can obviously lose weight on a low fat diet, I've read some studies that indicated that more people tend to lose more weight more easily on a lower carb and higher fat diet. Given you've already experienced this, I'd personally be hesitant about relying on things like potatoes. I say this because I too have a tendency towards weight gain, even on a low calorie diet, and in my personal experience, I feel much fuller and that low calorie diet is much easier when it's higher in protein and fat and lower in carbs. In my anecdotal experience, many people who tend towards easily gaining weight are very carb/insulin sensitive - far more than most "normal" people, who can often eat those kinds of things with impunity. So I'd be wary of things like potatoes, bread, pasta, etc. if you're trying to lose weight - or at least, if I added them in, I'd be tracking how they affected the weight loss. Might also be worth getting your A1C or fasting glucose measured at the doctor's office, if healthcare is free/cheap where you are. If those are elevated, that would counsel for continuing your lower-carbohydrate diet, or even for starting something like metformin, which might additionally help with the weight loss. Just a thought.
posted by ClaireBear at 6:05 AM on October 30, 2023 [9 favorites]
I'm a bit cautious of the advice above recommending potatoes, etc. You've noticed that you've increased your protein intake, decreased your carbohydrate intake, and have lost weight. While you can obviously lose weight on a low fat diet, I've read some studies that indicated that more people tend to lose more weight more easily on a lower carb and higher fat diet. Given you've already experienced this, I'd personally be hesitant about relying on things like potatoes. I say this because I too have a tendency towards weight gain, even on a low calorie diet, and in my personal experience, I feel much fuller and that low calorie diet is much easier when it's higher in protein and fat and lower in carbs. In my anecdotal experience, many people who tend towards easily gaining weight are very carb/insulin sensitive - far more than most "normal" people, who can often eat those kinds of things with impunity. So I'd be wary of things like potatoes, bread, pasta, etc. if you're trying to lose weight - or at least, if I added them in, I'd be tracking how they affected the weight loss. Might also be worth getting your A1C or fasting glucose measured at the doctor's office, if healthcare is free/cheap where you are. If those are elevated, that would counsel for continuing your lower-carbohydrate diet, or even for starting something like metformin, which might additionally help with the weight loss. Just a thought.
posted by ClaireBear at 6:05 AM on October 30, 2023 [9 favorites]
The first thing I noticed is that your calorie tracker is advising you to eat double the amount of protein recommended by research-driven health organisations such as this one. (There are more helpful links in that link) I understand that you want to eat a relative lot of protein in order to feel satiated, but in general, protein-rich foods are expensive. Maybe peanuts and seeds are the best exceptions from that rule. (As with peanutbutter, you can use tahini in a lot of sauces and get both extra taste and extra protein). So there is a balance between cost and nutrients that you will probably have to revisit.
Oh wait, millet has a lot of protein, and it's a grain, so absolutely worth looking at as an alternative to wheat and rice. It is usually not expensive, and it is filing.
Is is often forgotten, even on the site I linked to, that mushrooms contain all the amino acids, no fat and very few calories. Even expensive mushrooms are cheaper than meats or tofu, and tastier, IMO. They go very well with brown rice -- or with millet cooked like polenta/grits. Mix several types of mushrooms, fresh and dry, for maximum health and taste.
Your diet is healthy and varied, skip the vitamin supplement already and save those money for something you enjoy. IMO vitamin supplements are bordering on snake oil for most people who eat well, and on top of that, most vitamins work better when they are in food.
You don't mention how many vegetables and fruit you eat, but that is a very important factor for most people's health. In general, you seem very focused on macros and nutrients, but that doesn't really seem to be getting you anywhere. Maybe try a different approach? Zoe is a commercial enterprise, but you don't have to buy their product to use their advice, so maybe there is something you can use on their youtube channel? Here's a video about diets, and another on eating on a budget. The second one adresses your questions directly. To cut their philosophy short, they advise people to eat more vegetable foods, and more varied foods.
Finally, I don't know if you live in a place with significant seasonal variation, but if you do, eating the season makes a huge difference in your budget. For instance right now, cauliflower is beautiful and cheap, and yesterday I used just half of one for a raw cauliflower salad, and the rest will go into a cauliflower gratin tonight. Both recipes contain enough egg and dairy (yogurt/cheese) to give a lot of protein along with the amount in the cauliflower.
posted by mumimor at 6:54 AM on October 30, 2023
Oh wait, millet has a lot of protein, and it's a grain, so absolutely worth looking at as an alternative to wheat and rice. It is usually not expensive, and it is filing.
Is is often forgotten, even on the site I linked to, that mushrooms contain all the amino acids, no fat and very few calories. Even expensive mushrooms are cheaper than meats or tofu, and tastier, IMO. They go very well with brown rice -- or with millet cooked like polenta/grits. Mix several types of mushrooms, fresh and dry, for maximum health and taste.
Your diet is healthy and varied, skip the vitamin supplement already and save those money for something you enjoy. IMO vitamin supplements are bordering on snake oil for most people who eat well, and on top of that, most vitamins work better when they are in food.
You don't mention how many vegetables and fruit you eat, but that is a very important factor for most people's health. In general, you seem very focused on macros and nutrients, but that doesn't really seem to be getting you anywhere. Maybe try a different approach? Zoe is a commercial enterprise, but you don't have to buy their product to use their advice, so maybe there is something you can use on their youtube channel? Here's a video about diets, and another on eating on a budget. The second one adresses your questions directly. To cut their philosophy short, they advise people to eat more vegetable foods, and more varied foods.
Finally, I don't know if you live in a place with significant seasonal variation, but if you do, eating the season makes a huge difference in your budget. For instance right now, cauliflower is beautiful and cheap, and yesterday I used just half of one for a raw cauliflower salad, and the rest will go into a cauliflower gratin tonight. Both recipes contain enough egg and dairy (yogurt/cheese) to give a lot of protein along with the amount in the cauliflower.
posted by mumimor at 6:54 AM on October 30, 2023
IMO your food intake (at least what you eat) is great. Just remember that weight loss is extremely slow, you do have to eat less (or exercise a bunch more) and you won't see any results for weeks, even if you cut your calories way back.
Also, unless you are a professional athlete, you can't exercise your way to weight loss, you have to cut back (or change) the calories you eat on a daily basis. Like I said the food you are currently eating is pretty solid. Maybe get some 3-5 lb weights (very light) to start with some strength building exercises so that your skin and muscles grow as you cut back a bit on calories.
Get a step counter - 10-15k steps per day. Work your way up to 20k, every day.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:16 AM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also, unless you are a professional athlete, you can't exercise your way to weight loss, you have to cut back (or change) the calories you eat on a daily basis. Like I said the food you are currently eating is pretty solid. Maybe get some 3-5 lb weights (very light) to start with some strength building exercises so that your skin and muscles grow as you cut back a bit on calories.
Get a step counter - 10-15k steps per day. Work your way up to 20k, every day.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:16 AM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you are eating only 1200 calories a day, that seems a bit low, so as you step more, you should be able to increase some, but don't increase your calories too much. As you exercise more, your body will want to eat more. Try to keep near your current daily calorie input.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:20 AM on October 30, 2023
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:20 AM on October 30, 2023
Have you considered red lentils? Excellent source of protein and cooks up faster than rice. You can create a tofu-like product from them and can use them to augment things like stews that may have meat in them.
Lentils, in general, are an excellent source of protein, pretty easy to cook compared to other beans, and are versatile.
posted by sid at 8:51 AM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Lentils, in general, are an excellent source of protein, pretty easy to cook compared to other beans, and are versatile.
posted by sid at 8:51 AM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don’t know if a one-time high expense would help, but if you buy a yogurt maker, you can make a week’s worth of yogurt from 0.25 cups of Greek yogurt and four cups whole milk. So buy one tub of yogurt and get multiple weeks of yogurt out of it through taking 0.25 cups of it at a time to make your batch for the week.
posted by CMcG at 9:13 AM on October 30, 2023
posted by CMcG at 9:13 AM on October 30, 2023
Oats are an excellent staple food - high in fiber and protein.
If cottage cheese is available where you live, it's probably cheaper than store-bought Greek yogurt and is a great source of fat and protein.
Organ meats (such as liver) are nutritious and cheaper than other cuts.
Do you live in a city? My small US city has a lot of non-food pantry options for low-income people - sliding-scale farmstands, public refrigerators with free food, etc. Many of these offer produce grown by local farmers. Perhaps your area has something similar.
posted by toastedcheese at 9:44 AM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
If cottage cheese is available where you live, it's probably cheaper than store-bought Greek yogurt and is a great source of fat and protein.
Organ meats (such as liver) are nutritious and cheaper than other cuts.
Do you live in a city? My small US city has a lot of non-food pantry options for low-income people - sliding-scale farmstands, public refrigerators with free food, etc. Many of these offer produce grown by local farmers. Perhaps your area has something similar.
posted by toastedcheese at 9:44 AM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
So I was rewatching the second of the videos I posted above, and about 30 minutes in, they talk about proteins, where Prof. Spector basically say that most of the nutrients in protein are just peed out again if you eat more than you need in each meal. Well, that got me googling!
The first thing I noticed is that almost all the links I got were to commercial sites, either selling protein supplements, diets or connected to some type of body culture. These are all highly unreliable. Do not trust these sites!
Then I found this: Ask a Doctor: Is animal protein easier to absorb than plant protein? (gift link to WaPo).
In the video, they talk a lot about legumes, which you can't eat, but there are other sources of protein out there, and since you are not a vegetarian, you don't even have to worry about it. You can just eat less of the expensive meat. The thing about vegetables is that even the most calorie-dense vegetable, like avocado, has far less calories than even lean pork. (For chicken it's almost the same as avocado, but 100 grams of avocado is a lot cheaper than 100 g of chicken). So focusing more on vegetables in your diet is both a better path to weight loss and to a healthier budget.
posted by mumimor at 9:53 AM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
The first thing I noticed is that almost all the links I got were to commercial sites, either selling protein supplements, diets or connected to some type of body culture. These are all highly unreliable. Do not trust these sites!
Then I found this: Ask a Doctor: Is animal protein easier to absorb than plant protein? (gift link to WaPo).
In the video, they talk a lot about legumes, which you can't eat, but there are other sources of protein out there, and since you are not a vegetarian, you don't even have to worry about it. You can just eat less of the expensive meat. The thing about vegetables is that even the most calorie-dense vegetable, like avocado, has far less calories than even lean pork. (For chicken it's almost the same as avocado, but 100 grams of avocado is a lot cheaper than 100 g of chicken). So focusing more on vegetables in your diet is both a better path to weight loss and to a healthier budget.
posted by mumimor at 9:53 AM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
D'oh, totally missed that you can't do legumes and pulses. FWIW, red lentils are much more digestible than most other pulses and legumes.
posted by sid at 11:09 AM on October 30, 2023
posted by sid at 11:09 AM on October 30, 2023
I think tempeh is an underrated veg protein and it remains pretty cheap (at least where I am). Often legume-based but fermented, so it’s been easier for me in terms of soy, at least, which doesn’t agree with me a whole lot, so might be worth a shot.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 11:24 AM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jeweled accumulation at 11:24 AM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
I agree with those saying it sounds like you're doing pretty good in terms of food, and also that it's hard to know what cheaper options might be available as this does vary a bit by geography (avocados, for example, are way more affordable on the west coast than east coast).
One thing to add is that research has come out suggesting that weight is based on much more than just what you eat, but when you eat it, and how much sleep you get. My MIL has struggled with her weight most of her life, and while she did have some luck with a higher-protein diet, the only thing that really helped her to start losing weight was intermittent fasting. She didn't do anything extreme - I forget, but I want to say she now keeps all of her eating within 8-10 hours each day. She doesn't count coffee with cream - she can consume that outside that time window and still experience results. Also, not getting enough sleep, and not sleeping with natural circadian rhythms can also cause the body stress and that can cause weight gain.
posted by coffeecat at 1:48 PM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
One thing to add is that research has come out suggesting that weight is based on much more than just what you eat, but when you eat it, and how much sleep you get. My MIL has struggled with her weight most of her life, and while she did have some luck with a higher-protein diet, the only thing that really helped her to start losing weight was intermittent fasting. She didn't do anything extreme - I forget, but I want to say she now keeps all of her eating within 8-10 hours each day. She doesn't count coffee with cream - she can consume that outside that time window and still experience results. Also, not getting enough sleep, and not sleeping with natural circadian rhythms can also cause the body stress and that can cause weight gain.
posted by coffeecat at 1:48 PM on October 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
That sounds like way too few calories, especially with moderate exercise! Lots of research has shown that diets like that are more likely to lead to weight gain--your body is going to go into starvation mode and losing weight will get more difficult. I am sure you have good reasons for wanting to lose weight, but know that what you're doing could result in you gaining more weight long-term.
posted by chaiminda at 2:07 PM on October 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by chaiminda at 2:07 PM on October 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
Like coffeecat's MIL, I have had much better success with Intermittent Fasting than anything else I've ever tried, and I've tried a lot! The beauty of IF is you can eat whatever healthy foods work best for you, while saving quite a bit of money simply by choosing not to eat one or even two meals a day. I currently clean fast 19 hours/day and eat during the 5 hour window of 3-8 pm, which works best for my schedule. I've lost almost 15 pounds since the beginning of September, which is shocking to me. As a fellow short middle-aged woman, I've never lost weight quickly or easily. I'd recommend the books Delay, Don't Deny or Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens. Was a huge game-changer for me!
posted by platinum at 2:15 PM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by platinum at 2:15 PM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
For the record, I agree with coffeecat and platinum: as someone who has had trouble losing weight, I have had success previously with intermittent fasting when low-calorie diets have left me feeling cold and hangry. Continuous caloric restriction appears to have very different effects in the body than intermittent fasting, from everything I've read and listened to: continuous caloric restriction can lead to starvation mode, where you body slows its metabolic rate, while as I understand it, that is much less likely to happen with intermittent fasting. Low carbohydrate diets, especially ketogenic diets, actually mimic fasting; so if you've had some success with a lower carbohydrate diet, I think fasting might work for you. There are different routines that can work. Since 2014, I've experimented with 16:8, 18:6, 20:4/OMAD (the first number is the number of daily hours of fasting; the second number is the number of daily hours of eating), and more extended fasts (up to 2 weeks). The Nobel Prize a few years ago was given for the discovery of autophagy, which happens during fasting: this promotes longevity and appears to be something that our ancestors had going on frequently, since they had big breaks between meals. The first time or two fasting can be difficult, but it gets easier as your body gets more fat-adapted (able to run by burning your own body fat rather than on the calories you've eaten that day). As a bonus, unlike most diets, it actually saves money, which would leave you more money for your meal or two that day that you're actually eating. I found fasting much easier once I adopted a low-carb/ketogenic diet, but YMMV.
posted by ClaireBear at 7:49 PM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ClaireBear at 7:49 PM on October 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you're poor, go to the food bank, get whatever healthy foods you can get for free first, take them home. Inventory what you have and meal plan, then go to the grocery store and only buy the missing ingredients to turn the free food and what's already in your pantry into meals.
Starting with the free food bank first and meal planning around that helps a lot in affording healthy food.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:22 PM on October 30, 2023
Starting with the free food bank first and meal planning around that helps a lot in affording healthy food.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:22 PM on October 30, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer. I will note down things I can try.
I don't live near any food banks, temples that provide free meals etc. The lack of car means I can't travel long distances and I can't afford public transport. Anyway, the local food banks give out packs of shelf-stable food which are pretty appalling like white rice, instant ramen, canned fruit in syrup and fat-laden crackers which seem like a one-way road to diabetes and other health problems. I don't eat white rice, instant ramen etc.
Sibylvane- Thank you, your answer is very reassuring.
Dairy is not part of the traditional diet where I live. Milk is expensive and I don't know anyone who eats cottage cheese. There's only one brand available in the local supermarket and it's more expensive than Greek yogurt. Yogurt is actually cheaper because it's popular so there are many brands with a range of prices to choose from. I am eating a cheap local brand which isn't great taste-wise or nutritionally but imported brands like Chobani are prohibitively expensive.
I live in an apartment without any sun that I don't own and I have to share the kitchen with others so I can't spend long hours or take up space in there. The refrigerator is wonky and doesn't keep things cold enough so food gets moldy easily. The owners refuse to replace it unless it stops working totally. I can't even buy blocks of cheese because they can get moldy once I open them. I rely on Babybels and string cheese which are individually- wrapped and seem to keep better. So suggestions about growing things or making my own yogurt aren't practical.
I actually like red lentils and chickpeas and I miss them but attempts at eating them have never been successful. They cannot be the main protein in any meal e.g. red lentil soup because they will send me to the loo. I will experiment with tiny amounts as supplements in addition to animal protein.
ClaireBear, thank you for the lovely egg recipe. Yes, back before I started tracking, I was eating plenty of carbs which I thought healthy like brown rice. I was hungry and yet my weight kept plateauing and I didn't know what to do. It was only after I did this drastic high protein, low carb revamp that my weight started going down consistently.
Mumimor, I eat a reasonable amount of vegetables and plenty of fruit. I do hit the minimum fiber target but I do not eat too much because of my digestive issues.
I have dumbbells and do weight training with them regularly so I do think I need the protein even if I am not lifting very heavy weights.
I like tempeh but it's difficult to get good quality tempeh where I am whereas I can go to any grocery store and pick up multiple brands of tofu made from non-GMO soybeans so I have to rely on tofu. Tofu is also very cheap and the sealed packs keep well.
posted by whitelotus at 9:59 PM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
I don't live near any food banks, temples that provide free meals etc. The lack of car means I can't travel long distances and I can't afford public transport. Anyway, the local food banks give out packs of shelf-stable food which are pretty appalling like white rice, instant ramen, canned fruit in syrup and fat-laden crackers which seem like a one-way road to diabetes and other health problems. I don't eat white rice, instant ramen etc.
Sibylvane- Thank you, your answer is very reassuring.
Dairy is not part of the traditional diet where I live. Milk is expensive and I don't know anyone who eats cottage cheese. There's only one brand available in the local supermarket and it's more expensive than Greek yogurt. Yogurt is actually cheaper because it's popular so there are many brands with a range of prices to choose from. I am eating a cheap local brand which isn't great taste-wise or nutritionally but imported brands like Chobani are prohibitively expensive.
I live in an apartment without any sun that I don't own and I have to share the kitchen with others so I can't spend long hours or take up space in there. The refrigerator is wonky and doesn't keep things cold enough so food gets moldy easily. The owners refuse to replace it unless it stops working totally. I can't even buy blocks of cheese because they can get moldy once I open them. I rely on Babybels and string cheese which are individually- wrapped and seem to keep better. So suggestions about growing things or making my own yogurt aren't practical.
I actually like red lentils and chickpeas and I miss them but attempts at eating them have never been successful. They cannot be the main protein in any meal e.g. red lentil soup because they will send me to the loo. I will experiment with tiny amounts as supplements in addition to animal protein.
ClaireBear, thank you for the lovely egg recipe. Yes, back before I started tracking, I was eating plenty of carbs which I thought healthy like brown rice. I was hungry and yet my weight kept plateauing and I didn't know what to do. It was only after I did this drastic high protein, low carb revamp that my weight started going down consistently.
Mumimor, I eat a reasonable amount of vegetables and plenty of fruit. I do hit the minimum fiber target but I do not eat too much because of my digestive issues.
I have dumbbells and do weight training with them regularly so I do think I need the protein even if I am not lifting very heavy weights.
I like tempeh but it's difficult to get good quality tempeh where I am whereas I can go to any grocery store and pick up multiple brands of tofu made from non-GMO soybeans so I have to rely on tofu. Tofu is also very cheap and the sealed packs keep well.
posted by whitelotus at 9:59 PM on October 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Forgot to say, I got my nutritional yeast from iherb! I do trawl it for cheap foods and I used to buy canned salmon from iherb because the canned salmon in my country is really expensive. Alas, even the prices on iherb for canned salmon have increased too much over time now. Nowadays, I just rely on cheap local brands of sardines for my oily fish and eat 1-2 cans per week.
posted by whitelotus at 10:17 PM on October 30, 2023
posted by whitelotus at 10:17 PM on October 30, 2023
You might find it helpful to do a one-off deep dive on the price & nutritional value per kg or lb or serving size of what you can buy locally. I like making spreadsheets, so I would take a spreadsheet, list the potential sources of protein that I think are cheaper, and the add columns for price, grams of protein, calories, weight and number of servings. Something like this would allow you to spot anything that is better value than other, similar things so you could choose to lean towards eating that more frequently.
Where I live, for example, carrots are about half the price per kg compared to the next cheapest vegetable (onions or canned mushy peas). If I'm saving money then we're eating quite a bit of carrot. Similarly bananas and then oranges/satsumas are a surprising amount cheaper per kg than the next cheapest fruit; and fresh is much cheaper than canned per kg. Likewise cans of tuna, salmon, sardines, ham and Spam all fall around the same price per 100g, which is incidentally about the same as tofu or fresh raw or cooked chicken. For me, any of those items could be interchangeable on price grounds and I would simply pick what I liked best or could store most easily.
You may already have a really strong and accurate understanding of which products available to you offer best value in which case apologies for stating something you probably find obvious. But if you're not sure or if prices have changed recently where you live, then this might be helpful. At the very least it might reassure you that you already are doing the best that you can.
posted by plonkee at 1:55 AM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Where I live, for example, carrots are about half the price per kg compared to the next cheapest vegetable (onions or canned mushy peas). If I'm saving money then we're eating quite a bit of carrot. Similarly bananas and then oranges/satsumas are a surprising amount cheaper per kg than the next cheapest fruit; and fresh is much cheaper than canned per kg. Likewise cans of tuna, salmon, sardines, ham and Spam all fall around the same price per 100g, which is incidentally about the same as tofu or fresh raw or cooked chicken. For me, any of those items could be interchangeable on price grounds and I would simply pick what I liked best or could store most easily.
You may already have a really strong and accurate understanding of which products available to you offer best value in which case apologies for stating something you probably find obvious. But if you're not sure or if prices have changed recently where you live, then this might be helpful. At the very least it might reassure you that you already are doing the best that you can.
posted by plonkee at 1:55 AM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Reading your feedback, I wonder if you should check the hidden sugar in your food. Here, the authorities recommend only two fruits as part of your five-a-day because they have too much sugar. Does your yogurt contain sugar? Or your peanut butter?
Weight loss is hard, and it is normal to plateau at different stages. Intermittent fasting can work, and even if you don't loose weight, it can make you feel better, more energetic.
But there is another thing to think about: your life is very hard, and that may mean that your body is doing what it can to store as much energy as possible in the form of fat, for future hardness. It's a normal reaction, and one that is very difficult to work against. So maybe instead of thinking of diet, you could think about how to improve your life in general. Could you move to a cheaper city? Could you get a better job? I should follow this advice, and I don't, so I know how hard it is. But maybe at least give yourself some more love and care. You deserve it.
posted by mumimor at 2:36 AM on October 31, 2023
Weight loss is hard, and it is normal to plateau at different stages. Intermittent fasting can work, and even if you don't loose weight, it can make you feel better, more energetic.
But there is another thing to think about: your life is very hard, and that may mean that your body is doing what it can to store as much energy as possible in the form of fat, for future hardness. It's a normal reaction, and one that is very difficult to work against. So maybe instead of thinking of diet, you could think about how to improve your life in general. Could you move to a cheaper city? Could you get a better job? I should follow this advice, and I don't, so I know how hard it is. But maybe at least give yourself some more love and care. You deserve it.
posted by mumimor at 2:36 AM on October 31, 2023
Best answer: To keep cheese with a bad refrigeration situation don't touch it with your bare hands and store it wrapped in a cloth that has been wrung out in vinegar.
Eggs will keep a long while out of the refrigerator if you rotate them daily, the way the hen does when she is sitting on them. Apparently they will keep longer if the yolk doesn't sink far enough to touch the inner membrane, so goose eggs and pointy eggs are stored point down to give the yolk farther to sink.
Frozen vegetables are often a VERY good buy. If you put them in the fridge and eat them within the next day they will keep decently AND help keep the fridge cold. I find that mixed vegetables on their own are not as nice as a package with only one sort of vegetable, but they are more versatile. One small package of frozen mixed veg can be used in an omelet, a rice dish and a soup all without me getting sick of corn-peas-carrots-green beans, three times in less that 36 hours, where frozen sprouts or plain frozen peas cannot.
Often fats are an essential source of calories in a low budget diet, so try comparing all the fats and oils available to you and figuring out which one is cheapest. In some places ground meat is used as a loss leader. It can be worth buying fresh ground meat that is nasty greasy, cooking it and separating out all the fat for use to fry things or add to rice etc. The water used in the separating process and part of the ground meat can make soup, while more of the ground meat can make tomato spaghetti sauce.
If you can calculate prices per weight, you can set yourself a maximum and not buy anything that passes the maximum. That can help you decide if you will buy apples this week or not. Where I live they often give the price per gram on packaged food like flour and highly processed food, which is very useful. If the stuff you are thinking of buying costs a lot per gram you can look for some alternatives.
Another good thing to do is to look at nutrition density. Obviously the cheapie sandwich cookies contain very little nutrition, so no matter how cheap they are they are not worth buying. But this can be a useful metric for deciding whether or not to buy things like bread or lettuce or frozen surimi.
If you are struggling to digest cabbage and onions and such and usually eat them crisp, instead of raw, quick fried or steamed, check to see if you can still eat them when cooked into puree in a soup. You might still be able to rely on some of those staples.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:43 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Eggs will keep a long while out of the refrigerator if you rotate them daily, the way the hen does when she is sitting on them. Apparently they will keep longer if the yolk doesn't sink far enough to touch the inner membrane, so goose eggs and pointy eggs are stored point down to give the yolk farther to sink.
Frozen vegetables are often a VERY good buy. If you put them in the fridge and eat them within the next day they will keep decently AND help keep the fridge cold. I find that mixed vegetables on their own are not as nice as a package with only one sort of vegetable, but they are more versatile. One small package of frozen mixed veg can be used in an omelet, a rice dish and a soup all without me getting sick of corn-peas-carrots-green beans, three times in less that 36 hours, where frozen sprouts or plain frozen peas cannot.
Often fats are an essential source of calories in a low budget diet, so try comparing all the fats and oils available to you and figuring out which one is cheapest. In some places ground meat is used as a loss leader. It can be worth buying fresh ground meat that is nasty greasy, cooking it and separating out all the fat for use to fry things or add to rice etc. The water used in the separating process and part of the ground meat can make soup, while more of the ground meat can make tomato spaghetti sauce.
If you can calculate prices per weight, you can set yourself a maximum and not buy anything that passes the maximum. That can help you decide if you will buy apples this week or not. Where I live they often give the price per gram on packaged food like flour and highly processed food, which is very useful. If the stuff you are thinking of buying costs a lot per gram you can look for some alternatives.
Another good thing to do is to look at nutrition density. Obviously the cheapie sandwich cookies contain very little nutrition, so no matter how cheap they are they are not worth buying. But this can be a useful metric for deciding whether or not to buy things like bread or lettuce or frozen surimi.
If you are struggling to digest cabbage and onions and such and usually eat them crisp, instead of raw, quick fried or steamed, check to see if you can still eat them when cooked into puree in a soup. You might still be able to rely on some of those staples.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:43 AM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
The /r/1200isplenty subreddit might be worth a look, they often have recipes and tips for that sort of calorie range.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 8:44 AM on November 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 8:44 AM on November 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by brookeb at 10:03 PM on October 29, 2023