# Need help!



## L&CFarms (Oct 17, 2013)

I need to find a low cost way for my bf and I to lose weight. We are very busy and have gained atleast 20 if not more pounds over the winter from eating fast food and just being unhealthy. We have tried eating healthy before but always end up quitting bc nothing is quick enough to fix for dinner or lunch. Does anyone have any advice on healthy eating and if anyone knows of any easy exercise things we can do that won't take too much time?


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## carolb5 (Nov 14, 2007)

Spoken kindly, any food will be less expensive than fast food. It will require you to cook foods at home and plan to have the right foods in your home. Leftovers, (planned overs) for lunch, and snacks. I would suggest Paleo/Primal. There is a great topic on this board on that way of eating.

Exercise needs to be something you will do consistently. Walking is very good as a start. But no amount of exercise can undo a poor diet. I know it will seem difficult at first but you can do it.

Carol


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Salads: A bag full of premade salad and/or vegetable strips. It only takes a few moments to slice a bell pepper or to set out baby carrots with ranch dressing on the side.

Meat: put a chunk of frozen meat to thaw in a pan and put the (frozen) meat in the oven. Set the timer so it is done cooking when you come home. This is safe because it takes hours for a chunk of meat to thaw: I would not do this with either chicken legs or sliced meat as they thaw too fast. I usually do this with a thick roast beef or whatever. Then you have leftover roast beef to use in a dish or just as leftovers.

Cooked vegetables: put frozen peas or whatever in a microwave proof bowl to nuke, or nuke a couple of potatos instead. 

Stuffing mix is also good and fast.

Do you think roast beef is expensive? Not when compared with fast food! Besides, I buy it on sale and freeze it.

You know, when both my husband and I were working it was not the lack of time, it was the lack of PLANNING that made us hit the fast food places! Because if the meat is not set out to thaw, then you come home feeling tired and hungry and you come home to a freezer full of frozen blocks of things. That is just TOO discouraging! It is far easier when you think ahead and set something out to thaw.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

Crockpot can be your best friend....


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## omahacheeks (Oct 4, 2011)

L&CFarms said:


> I need to find a low cost way for my bf and I to lose weight. We are very busy and have gained atleast 20 if not more pounds over the winter from eating fast food and just being unhealthy. We have tried eating healthy before but always end up quitting bc nothing is quick enough to fix for dinner or lunch. Does anyone have any advice on healthy eating and if anyone knows of any easy exercise things we can do that won't take too much time?


The LCHF is working for me. The rules that I eat by are no sugar, no starch except for ONE meal a week I eat and drink whatever I like. This diet is very healthy. Sugar kills.
The idea of LCHF is to change your metabolism from sugar burning to fat burning. You must eat as much fat as you can. So eating fast food is ok. Eat a triple whopper with cheese but as long as you order your food no bun, no fries, no ketchup but you can have as much salad as you want. 
I drink a bulletproof coffee most mornings. I eat a lot of coconut oil which is a MCT oil. Your body loves it! Fat is an appetite suppressant, too. So your body doesn't really want to eat very much at all. Keep snacks close by, though. Almonds are a very healthy nut. Mix 4% fat (or higher) cottage cheese and sunflower seeds, they taste great together. I dilute cream with water and add a few drops of vanilla creme stevia, it tastes just like ice cream. When you aren't hungry, it's easy to keep with it. Oh, and I rarely exercise.
I've lost 20 lbs in 5 months. Slow and steady wins the race. Good luck with whatever you choose!


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I make up a big pot of vegetable soup(no potatoes and no pasta) and eat off it at least once a day. I also boil up about 8 eggs at a time. Breakfast is normally 2 boiled eggs and a green smoothie. Lunch the soup. Snacks are cherry tomatoes, blueberries, grapes, other various fruits and nuts. Dinner varies but can be purple hull peas, grilled chicken salad, sauteed squash, etc. When I'm really rushed for time I drink a vegan raw meal replacement shake made with almond milk. Lots of fiber to keep me full, tons of vitamins, and under 200 calories.


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## carolb5 (Nov 14, 2007)

omahacheeks said:


> The LCHF is working for me. The rules that I eat by are no sugar, no starch except for ONE meal a week I eat and drink whatever I like. This diet is very healthy. Sugar kills.
> The idea of LCHF is to change your metabolism from sugar burning to fat burning. You must eat as much fat as you can. So eating fast food is ok. Eat a triple whopper with cheese but as long as you order your food no bun, no fries, no ketchup but you can have as much salad as you want.
> I drink a bulletproof coffee most mornings. I eat a lot of coconut oil which is a MCT oil. Your body loves it! Fat is an appetite suppressant, too. So your body doesn't really want to eat very much at all. Keep snacks close by, though. Almonds are a very healthy nut. Mix 4% fat (or higher) cottage cheese and sunflower seeds, they taste great together. I dilute cream with water and add a few drops of vanilla creme stevia, it tastes just like ice cream. When you aren't hungry, it's easy to keep with it. Oh, and I rarely exercise.
> I've lost 20 lbs in 5 months. Slow and steady wins the race. Good luck with whatever you choose!


 
This is the way we eat. Don't be afraid to eat fat. It satisfies your hunger. Low fat is not good, and usually is high in sugar. We eat twice a day, sometimes only once, and a snack, high fat of course.

And the biggy. Some will not approve of the way you eat saying you can't not eat (fill in the blank). You won't get all the nutrition you need if you stop eating bread, pasta, legumes, what ever. Well, it's your body, take control of it.

And if the SAD is so good for us, why are we so fluffy.
Sorry for the rant.
Carol


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## hawgsquatch (May 11, 2014)

I have lost and kept off 90 lbs for three years with Weight Watchers. It is around 40 a month but I save that in two pizzas or three trips to McDonalds. It teaches you to make good choices eating real foods and encourages you to develop a proper eating lifestyle.


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## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

Some ideas: quick often means (to me) raw. Raw fruits and vegetables. An awful lot of veggies can now be purchased washed & cut, ready to eat. Fruit by the piece is grab and go. Cheaper and quicker than fast food.
Cheese sticks/cubes - I buy a block of cheese and spend 5 minutes cutting it into cubes and putting it in a bag. Grab and go a handful.
Nuts - raw preferred, but roasted without salt.
Cottage Cheese in an 8 oz container with a spoon - grab & go. 8 oz of cottage cheese is alot but only <250 calories. Drop in some seeds or nuts. If you want savory - sprinkle with onion and/or garlic powder. Sweet - dip your apple into the cottage cheese.

I think you'll find it's a fairly short change curve to grocery shop intentionally identifying healthy grab & go and then focus on your refrigerator instead of your car & local drive through.

Then there is - cooking ahead. One big pot/crockpot/grill ahead preparation of an entree you can eat from several times. Example: Buy one pork loin, slice into boneless chops and grill them all at one time. Eat some, bag and refrigerate the rest. Ready made, already cooked meat for the week.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Paleo Lifestyle...everyone I know who is consistent, loses the weight, and keeps it off. All are healthier, since they went Paleo. On this regimen, you are never hungry, which makes it much easier than most probably figure until they try it. The key is also to stay active, eat 4 to 6 times a day, and don't count calories. I posted a thread on this...links, as well.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Losing weight is simple- burn more calories than you are taking in, sometimes it's just not easy.  

Be sure to look into the health ramifications of this or that diet, some are simply not recommended.


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## L&CFarms (Oct 17, 2013)

I don't particularly love paleo bc it cuts so many foods out. My boyfriend is a farmer and you just aren't gonna get him to cut out foods. I've been trying to think of more meals with lots of veggies and good lean ( but cheap) protein.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I do not do well without some grain. That being said:

Grill a steak and serve it with cole slaw.

BBQ chicken with vegetable spears and biscuits (I reduced the grain, not eliminated it)

Spagetti squash with meatballs and ragu. I have not yet tried this but I have the squash for it.

Grilled burgers with a tray full of lettuce leaves and tomatos and onions and pickles and such. Set ordinary bread at the side for those who wish to make a sandwich out of their grilled burger. Most of the lettuce and such that does not get eaten will make a good salad the next day.

Fish is low in calories and so I have to serve it with something, but I think that salmon cooked over a wood fire is AWESOME! It tastes like the expensive smoked fish. I just build a fire in a charcoal grill. 

The above is more paleo inspired than true paleo. For one thing, I do not feel quite right if I do not have any grains at all, though reducing the grains also reduced my appetite.


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## TxHorseMom (Feb 21, 2011)

I agree with the soup!! A large pot of vegetable soup goes very far! I also love chicken and rice, tortilla soup. Here's something we do for a treat. We (DH & I) will buy a chicken that is already roasted on the way home from work, then add some rice and veggies and there's a fast easy dinner. The next night we take the leftover chicken and add it to a bagged salad and walla, 2 easy dinners. And depending on the size, will use any leftover chicken, spice it up for, or add it to another chicken breast for chicken tacos.


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## TerriLynn (Oct 10, 2009)

I also second the soup suggestion! Something similar you can do is to keep V8 in your cupboard (I can my own) and when I'm rushed for time I pour it in a coffee mug and nuke it for 1 min (I don't care for it cold) and its like a cup of soup on the go, it really makes me feel full too.


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