Weight problems, and money

[Smithburg]

So I started a diet recently that I had to stop. Frankly I just don't have the money to afford the healthier foods and such. Im also trying to quit drinking soda but I have to admit I have an addiction to sugar. I need to stop taking it in and I need to exercise more. One of the problems is that I am finding sugar and sugar substitutes in EVERYTHING, and not only that but they hide it in foods. They have different words for sugar, and say zero sugar on the containers. I'm trying to drink water and such but I'd like to find something else I can drink that doesn't have sugar. If anyone could give me any advice I would be grateful.

 

[Moosebite]

Have you tried replacing sugary drinks with something else? Try drinking water/un-sweet tea/vegetable juice when u get the urge for something sweet. Also try it in recommended servings listed on the label. Try to find something you can enjoy that falls into your diet. Another thing to consider is exercise will forever be FREE. Walking when you have a free moment never cost anything. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Jedoro]

Flavored water? Sugar itself isn't a bad thing, just regulate your intake. I drink Kool-Aid and just don't use as much sugar as would be in an equal amount of a soda or something.

But yeah, barring a more healthy diet, just be sure to exercise so that you burn off more calories than you take in.

 

[Johndo]

I'll let others talk about the sugar problem but You don't need to buy the healthy foods to just lose weight. I guess depending on the diet plan you are going for, you're just needing to eat less. I saved quite a bit when I was losing weight because I was buying food at the store instead of going out to restaurants and fast foods.

Oh and lower down your sugar intake to hopefully zero. Understand you're wanting to control your cravings. Control it to the point that food is just fuel. Changing your idea of food is the best way to lose weight. My meals were so small and quick that I would be done eating lunch in 5 mins. And than I moved on to doing other stuff.

 

[IndomitableSam]

Try drinking tea. Doesn't have to be hot tea - you can drink it cold, too. All different falvours, too. I find peppermint or lemon teas are good cool. Or regular orange pekoe with lemon juice is good - better with sugar, but drinkable without.

Also, we're coming into summer - how is it fresh foods are more expensive? You need to find a nearby market and buy lots of veggies. Carrots store for a really long time in an open bag in the crisper - months, even. Make sure the bag is open or ventilated, though. Apples can last weeks, too.

Fruit may be a good way to get your sugar. Makes you work for it, too, even if it's just the effort of cutting up an apple. Don't peel it though, the skin is the best part for you.

Try making spinach salads with raspberry poppyseed dressing and strawberries on top. My mom makes it a lot in the summer and it's great. A few red onions (and very little dressing) and it's really good.

I don't eat a lot of sugar - but I do eat way too many carbs.

Do you have a space for some gardening? Even a balcony or some window space. Find some cherry tomato seedlings and grow them - they're so damn good plucking them off the plant and eating them. Cherry tomatoes (of any variety) are usually very easy to grow and are great. And sweet.

Apparently diet drinks make you crave sweets more, so maybe avoid them.

Have you tried dark chocolate? Maybe just eat a square after every meal and it'll help.

Also: do you take the bus anywhere? If so, make yourself get off a couple stops early. I usually only do this on my way home because it screws my schedule otherwise. But even that extra 5-10 minutes of walking helps - I always feel better when I do it. Lately I've been getting off right infront of my place as I'm breaking in new shoes (and they hurt right now), but I always feel like a bad person. I used to have a bus driver who always drove my route home who would ask me if I was getting off early - I could hardly say no then.

If you don't take the bus, just park further away. I pass a gym on my way to work every day and it's always hilarious to see the cloest parking spots full, and the ones further away empty. I sometimes wonder why people are so dumb. Park at the back of the lot when grocery shopping and don't push the cart to your car if you can avoid it, carry those six bags of groceries and cry as your arms burn. Then when you get home, take one bag at a time inside so you keep walking back and forth.

Do you have a dog? Could you get a dog? Go for walks with it. Do you have a parent/grandparent who could use some outside and social time? Go visit them and get them moving.

... Not that I do many of these things... except garden. So... if I wasn't a lazy ass, these are things I'd be doing.

 

[lettucethesallad]

Quitting sugar cold turkey won't help, you'll just build up an urge and then eventually go to town on candy. Replace things gradually - soda with water/tea/stuff like that, take a 30 minute walk every day, take the stairs instead of the elevator etc. Don't drink or eat things with sweeteners in them, as these things actually increase your feelings of hunger.

When it comes to food, I find that unhealthy things generally are more expensive than the healthy alternative. Buy produce that's in season, they tend to be cheaper than those that aren't. Eat foods that make you full but are low in calories. If you're hungry all the time, it's easier to jump ship.

The boring trick here is more calories out than in. That's all there is to it. But start small, and set realistic goals. If you take walks, maybe increase the time you walk every day. Reward yourself when you meet your goals, but make sure to challenge yourself too, as it will make you feel better about yourself.

Captcha: bread of life. But don't overdo it on the carbs, man.

 

[Batou667]

Depends how much willpower you have.

If you can afford to buy junk then you can afford to buy healthy alternatives. You may need to buy in bulk and you may well have to prepare more food yourself, but there's always a way.

There are plenty of good beginners exercise routines available, look for bodyweight exercises, aerobics and calisthenics routines on youtube. Jog around the block a couple of times, whatever. Just remember that the results are directly proportional to how hard you push yourself. Want to take it easy? Cool, but it'll be months before you see real change.

The most effective way to tone up, build muscle and lose fat is to lift weights a few times a week and do cardio on days you don't lift. Good muscle tone increases your resting metabolism. You'll literally be burning calories while you sleep or sit on your ass.

Learn to love water (the plain, unflavoured kind). Drink at least 2 litres of plain water a day. Have a glass of water on your desk at all times, and if you think you feel hungry, reach for your glass of water first - sometimes dehydration can be confused with hunger. Occasionally treat yourself to a cup of tea or coffee, or a nice glass of fruit juice or a home-made fruit smoothie. If you absolutely must get a fix of sugar, try to only have one can of soda a day. Save it as a treat with dinner after you've finished the day's work and your workout. Eventually your tastes will change and you won't crave sugar any more.

There are very few areas of life where you genuinely have 100% control of a situation, but your own body is one of those situations. You can be fat, average, skinny, toned or sculpted like a Greek god or goddess, it's in your hands. Good luck!

 

[Smooth Operator]

Gotta love how capitalism turns off peoples brains.

Well here is a cheap diet plan: eat less, we don't get fat because we ate too many burgers, we get fat because we eat one too many all the time.
So less face stuffing and more water drinking, those sodas can build up to a whole extra meal over the day.

 

[lSHaDoW-FoXl]

So I started a diet recently that I had to stop. Frankly I just don't have the money to afford the healthier foods and such. Im also trying to quit drinking soda but I have to admit I have an addiction to sugar. I need to stop taking it in and I need to exercise more. One of the problems is that I am finding sugar and sugar substitutes in EVERYTHING, and not only that but they hide it in foods. They have different words for sugar, and say zero sugar on the containers. I'm trying to drink water and such but I'd like to find something else I can drink that doesn't have sugar. If anyone could give me any advice I would be grateful.

I remember back at a magical time when the only thing I drank was pop and my lack of any real appetite helped me balance out the calories I took in from pop. It was pretty awesome until I began to eat more and I no longer had anything for balance. I wouldn't say that I was overweight, but when I used a scale I found that I gained an entire 20 fucking pounds from when I last checked. To say the least, I was just a bit freaked out.

From then, I had no choice but to completely change my diet or just continue to gain weight. My eating habits are far from healthy and I too am pretty poor, but never the less I lost approximately ten pounds. Here's a few things you can do to help with the pop thing:

1. Substitute: Instead of drinking pop I now drink tea and water. I my self hate water, but plain and simple, it's good for metabolism and it's not going to cost you a thing. The same goes for tea. Green tea, Oolong and Pu'erh aren't going to do miracles but a few cups a day can support you with your endeavor. At times I have incredible cravings for pop and I usually satisfy it by having something a pop with no calories in it every once and awhile.

2. Drink . . . a lot?: I'm not saying this works for everyone, but it does for me. I love drinking, I really do. I pretty much drink instead of eating whenever I'm hungry. To clarify I don't mean alcohol, I just mean water and other drinks that lack in calories.

3. Money helps: I'm not saying you need to be rich (I my self am pretty poor) but always having a destination will give you a reason to go out and walk. And well, money gives you a reason. Just be sure to not spend it on anything that's unhealthy for you.



I'm afraid I can't really list anything else for you, but I will say this: There will come sacrifice. If you eat a lot, you'll gain weight. If you don't, you'll be hungry. I don't condemn either choice, but understand that no one can have both. With all that said, isn't it kind of ironic that the taste of basically all food is opposite of how healthy it is for you?

And a note: Tea was the first step I took.

Captcha: Dog Chow

Ew, no thanks.

 

[bluepilot]

To be honest I find that the best diet is to eat good food but eat less of it. Buying diet food is a kind of false economy because even though the individual items are cheap-ish, eating them everyday certainly stacks up the overall cost.

Fruit and vegetables seem expensive but unlike processed foods they can be used in a clever way. It is easy to have vegetables, pad them out with rice or lentils and make them last.

Home cooking and portion control, believe it or not you can lose weight and save a fortune just by getting the basics right.

The soda has to go. I know it will be tough at first but after the initial withdrawal symptoms you will feel much better. Sodas, diet or not they put in so many additives and I do not think they are the kind of thing you should be drinking everyday.

 

[R0cklobster]

^I'll second the above comment. I've found that it's just as often quantity that can stuff up your weight. I managed to lose 10-15kg's [22-35lbs] just by only eating one serve at each meal (try to eat slowly) and not snacking (ask yourself whether you're hungry or just bored if you go to have something between or after meals) unless it's a piece of fruit or something. How effective this might be depends on how overweight you are, ultimately.

 

[Erana]

Do you like juice?
The water where I grew up I swear tastes aweful, even after filtration, so its hard for me to drink it straight. When I realized I didn't get enough hydration when I was drinking just water, (which doesn't help with my migraines) I switched to a low-calorie juice and diluted it. I usually get by with just a splash of juice, but it would probably be a decent place to start weening yourself off sodas.
I'd suggest cranberry juice, but if you can't stand that, go for a blend of cranberry and some other fruit juice.
Cranberry juice is good because it helps to prevent urinary tract infections, which are linked with kidney disease. (And if you're having issues with sugar, making things easier on your kidneys can't hurt)

Also, frozen vegetables aren't usually that bad, price-wise. I'd suggest getting a family sized package of Brussels sprouts and eating some frozen for a nice hot weather snack!

Also, beans are surprisingly nutritious. They are a carb, so that's important to keep in mind at meals, but they're dirt cheap. They tend to have a lot of sodium when canned, though. Again, frozen is your best alternative to fresh.

Also, if you like chewing, go for sugar free gum. When you can find a good sale on the larger packs, its pretty economical, especially when considering that its keeping you from snacking on something that's just as costly. Trident, Orbit and Extra tend to have the best longevity per pack for its price in my experience.

 

[Whateveralot]

First off, healthy food doesn't have cost more money; you just need to learn how to cook without processed food. It's this processed food that contains the sugars and saturated fats that make you weigh too much.

Buying unprocessed food and learning to make that into a decent meal can be quite hard, but it's very well worth it.


Then, there's drinks. There's enough flavoured waters on the market that taste good and contain very little to no sugar. Don't buy the stuff by the way; just the natural stuff would do fine.

 

[Avistew]

I would suggest herbal tea, it doesn't have the caffeine, there are lots of flavours and the only sugar will be sugar you add in yourself. Regular tea if you do want the caffeine. Both can be drunk hot or cold.

Eating healthy isn't that expensive. It's cheaper to buy beans and rice and frozen veggie cook for yourself than it is to buy fast food. Mind you, you might not consider beans and rice so healthy, but if you're going from junk food to that, you'll lose weight.
Eggs and really nice too, and way cheaper than fatty meats. And if you're lazy or don't have much time, you can even cook eggs in the microwave. Add some frozen vegetables to the eggs in a bowl and you'll have vitamins too.
If you do make rice, I suggest cooking it in broth.

I would suggest not to replace soda with juice or flavoured water, as these tend to still taste very sweet, and it might keep you addicted to sugar. If you can, gradually or cold turkey, switch to something that doesn't taste sweet, it will help a lot with cravings. Nowadays even when I eat regular fruit it tastes so sweet to me that it's almost sickening, it keeps me away from eating too much sweets.

Good luck!

 

[Whateveralot]

I would suggest not to replace soda with juice or flavoured water, as these tend to still taste very sweet, and it might keep you addicted to sugar.

Fair enough. It's a bit double, though; Either you feed the addiction without drinking something filled with sugar. On the other hand, you are not losing the addiction itself.

I'm a big fan of lemonized water, though. So call me prejudiced.

 

[OneCatch]

So I started a diet recently that I had to stop. Frankly I just don't have the money to afford the healthier foods and such. Im also trying to quit drinking soda but I have to admit I have an addiction to sugar. I need to stop taking it in and I need to exercise more. One of the problems is that I am finding sugar and sugar substitutes in EVERYTHING, and not only that but they hide it in foods. They have different words for sugar, and say zero sugar on the containers. I'm trying to drink water and such but I'd like to find something else I can drink that doesn't have sugar. If anyone could give me any advice I would be grateful.

I wouldn't worry too much about sugar in fruit juices and the like - unless you're drinking literally gallons it isn't going to be too much of a problem. Water is probably your best bet though. I would try and cut out soda and other carbonated drinks.

If you're worried about sugar in other foods (and that is a valid concern - there's so much crap in ready-meals), then how about making meals from scratch? Grab some veg or whatever, get a cookbook (or go online) and spend a bit of leisure time working out what recipes you can make for cheap without too much fuss. Simple is good!

That way you know exactly what's going in what you eat. (protip - look for food that can be put in the fridge or freezer after cooking and then reheated, then you can make one huge batch and store it for when you can't be arsed to cook).