I recently polled a few of the weight loss and fitness groups I belong to on social media to ask what people find is their biggest struggle when it comes to weight loss and staying on the path to healthy. I was surprised by the answers I got.
I assumed that the number one reason why people “fall off the wagon” and resort back to their unhealthy habits was going to be motivation, or lack thereof. While a few people did mention it as one of their reasons, the overwhelming majority of people mentioned either time or money as the reason. Time or money?!
I understand that it is the common misconception that it is more expensive to eat healthy, it doesn’t have to be. Yes, if you switch from microwave dinners to organic wild caught salmon, you are going to see a dramatic hike in your grocery bill. But it doesn’t have to cost more to eat better! It also doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Switching out little things here and there can make a huge difference.
Last night for dinner (for my family of 4) I made chicken in an Italian butter cream sauce, and served it over cauliflower. Dinner took 20 minutes to get ready and cost under $8. (1.5 lbs of chicken breast $3.34, two bags frozen cauliflower $2, butter and cream under $2, various spices maybe $0.50). I could have cut that down further by buying chicken when it was on sale, or by buying different cuts of chicken which are cheaper.
Healthy meals don’t have to be expensive, and they do not have to take a lot of time to make. I won’t make a meal that takes longer than 30 min of cook/prep time. If I need to make a roast I use a slow cooker and I run it during the day when I’m at work, making prep time almost non-existent. Here are dozens of FREE recipes that take under 30 mins, and use only a few simple ingredients.
Meal plan to save money and time. The less you go to the food store, the less you will spend. Impulsive buys are bound to happen every time you walk in that store, so make fewer trips, and buy things that are on sale, or that you can group together to save on prep time.
Don’t buy “healthy” processed foods. Just because it says “gluten free”, “organic” or “sugar free” doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Organic mac and cheese is still chemical crap. Organic palm oil, is still palm oil! You don’t need it in your house, and definitely not in your body.
Eat veggies, raw or sautéed in butter for a snack. The fiber will fill you up, and your body will thank you. For $3.50 you can buy a bag of chips, or you can buy a big bag of spinach. You can easily eat that entire bag of chips in one sitting (pretty sure we’ve all done it), but I bet you can’t do that with the spinach. That bag of chips will give you no nutritional value and was an entire waste of money, since you will be hungry again shortly. That spinach, as much of that bag you can finish, will keep you satisfied for a while. Yay, fiber!
Don’t eat snacks. It’s a waste of money, and it is hurting your weight loss goals. Look into Intermittent Fasting, or just stick to 3 big meals a day.
You don’t need fancy supplements or ketone laden powders to help you get into ketosis. Your body knows how to do it on its own. Drink only water, coffee and tea. Just eat good whole real food. You can get your electrolytes from the foods you eat, with the exception of Potassium if you are doing strick keto or are very low carb. If you aren’t doing keto, eat a sweet potato or butternut squash to get that potassium.
Keep it simple. Keep it whole. Stay away from anything with a nutrition label. Invest instead in devices that will save you time in the kitchen, like a slow cooker or an instant pot.
We can work together and find ways to make healthy living more accessible and more affordable for everyone. If you have specific concerns, please let me know.
