After I had my twins nearly 3 years ago, the 50 pounds I’d gained during pregnancy melted off.
And then, over the past three years, I’ve gained about half of those pounds back.
Some of the weight is from stress-eating, some is boredom, and a whole lot of it is the frugal person in me who just can’t let that last bite left on a kid’s plate go to waste.
So last week, I started Weight Watchers online. I used to go to Weight Watchers meetings before my oldest was born and lost 25 pounds, so I know their system works. I have tried the online version once before, but wasn’t very good at tracking my food and exercise.
But this time, I’ve decided that I’m tired of carrying my extra weight. I’m determined to shed these pounds for good, this time!
What I’m finding is that I am really struggling to stick with this diet (ahem… lifestyle change) and stick to my budget.
The first time I did Weight Watchers, my hubby and I were newly married with no kids, and had disposable income to spend on convenience meals and Subway (a Weight Watchers favorite fast food place.)
But with three picky eaters under the age of 5, convenience meals and Subway just aren’t going to cut it for us. We need to be able to find healthy, filling, easy-to prepare meals that work with Weight Watchers, and we need to do that affordably.
The trouble is that a lot of the best choices for this new lifestyle are hard on our budget. Fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat/high fiber foods – There just aren’t a lot of deals or coupons to be found on these types of products.
I know that I can eat beans and whole-wheat pastas, and I could garden (or visit the farmer’s market), but other than these things, I’m at a loss for ideas.
So I want to ask you: How do you do a program like Weight Watchers on a budget without resorting to lots of expensive processed foods? What resources do you use for finding recipes or planning menus? What’s the best way to save money on fresh fruits and vegetables?
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Christina, thank you for asking this question! I am also doing Weight Watchers right now and am struggling to reconcile my budget with my eating habits, especially now that I have a husband and son to feed, as well. I know the "system" works, I just need to make it work with my budget.
This is why we have an obesity epidemic in our country. It is cheaper to eat fatty foods than to eat healthy foods.
I, too am on Weight Watchers (I've done the "At Home" program – I did the math and it was cheaper for me). And I just have to suck it up when buying fresh produce, especially fruit. My kids and husband love it and I'd rather them eat that then junk. I buy what is on sale for the week – our Wal-Mart has fresh pineapple for under $3 a piece and it is so yummy! I do buy a lot of frozen vegetables (which never go bad in my crisper drawer). I also garden in the summer and freeze and can as much as possible.
Also, remember the money that you're spending now on healthy food will save you a lifetime of medical bills!
I just started the online WW the other day and am having the same problem. I am always looking through their recipes, and the recipes at Cooking Light and Eating Well to make meals from scratch to avoid frozen dinners. The most expensive part I find is the low fat cheeses, and butters and stuff like that. I buy bulk frozen chicken breasts and fish, and that helps.
Hi Christina,
I have done weight watchers for years..I gain back the weight when I don't weigh and measure. But I can eat anything on this plan. For fruit and veg., I buy frozen when it is on sale and I have a coupon and stock up in my deep freezer. I buy fresh fruit and veg. when in season. I go to the local stand and bargin with them for a good deal. We eat chicken (.59/lb) most nights. I eat seafood, again best price either frozen or fresh. There are usually coupons for Buy X get $1 off produce coupons, so I do that when it makes sense. The extra work is worth it..in so many ways. Dianne
Funny question you ask. I am a lifetime member and new to couponing. I noticed my weight climb as I "stocked up" on the freebies and surrounded myself with the tempting foods. Now I only purchase what is "safe" for my plan and the other food for my nonWW family is kept separate from my stuff. Good news … You can do this and stay on a budget! A few tricks I have found is to stockup on the low point snacks when they go on sale. Working the CAT deals on SmartOne and FiberOne products and so on. And check the points on store brand vs. name brand you will find some savings there too.
I'm right there with ya! I'm learning as I go. Stock-up on veggies and fruits that are on sale. Use the Progresso coupons for "0 point" Progresso soup. Switch to only 0 point drinks, they are really cheap even if you don't just drink water – I'm drinking water with TrueLemon, Lime, or Orange and always keeping herbal iced tea in my fridge to drink. We can't say no completely to cheese, but are using it a lot less than usual. I'll be looking forward to reading more of your tips as you learn how to eat healthier!
I buy a lot of fruits & veggies at Wal***t, but I've found their prices are not as low as they used to be. So, since Wal***t is NOT the low-priced leader, but they do "price match" every other store's prices, I bring the ads from
Targ**, Krog**, Safew**, and Albert*** groceries, and Wal***t matches the other store loss leader items. That's how I save on produce!
Christina…it is SO hard to get fruits and veg up here! (i'm in MN, you are too, right?)
You have to wait till late spring/summer/early fall to get any veggies (farmer's market) and a few fruits finally priced right. Everything else is too expensive or just gross and goes rotten right away.
i did South Beach diet (not too familiar with WW) but i started it just as school started when all the farmer's markets were closing. Because i'm broke, i can't afford half the designer food crap it tells me to get. Not gonna lie to you, i didn't eat any fruits or veggies like it said i was supposed to. i lived off chili and eggs and turkey bacon and deli meat and cheese roll ups for 2 months. (Lost 30 lbs though)
i'm back to eating regular stuff though and i've found that with portion control, i keep losing (up to 47 lbs!) and so maybe it's more about that. That and switching to diet soda (eliminating like 200 calories/day just that way).
so i'm just goign to let you know, as long as you stick to your diet, especially your portions, you will lose weight even without all the veggies. Make sure to take fiber if you choose my way though lol:)
i can't WAIT till summer and farmer's market.
PS Aldi has good inexpensive produce. i drive 11 miles to get to mine, do you have one near you? It's ridiculous how cheap it all is!
Anyway, good luck!! It's really hard at first but it's amazing how quickly it starts coming off after like 2ish weeks. My junior prom dress is a little big on me!
My husband and I just started a low carb and sugar routine and we are finding it cheaper than before. No expensive snackie stuff he used to buy. And we get filled up so fast we just don't east a lot.
This is the first time my DH is eating what I am eating and it really helps. I could never lose of WW. Some folks need low fat and some low carb to lose (I heard there will be a dna test to tell which you are)
Frozen fruits and veggies are best, they are flash frozen immediately and have more vitamins and minerals. I think they are cheaper than fresh and less waste and cleaning. Of course there are some you need fresh like lettuce. And isn't WW OK for the whole family to eat? That would help because you wouldn't need to buy different foods for you. I think it is good for children, too. Well, I am rattling on to much. Good luck. I have been trying to convince my daughters that healthy food is cheaper than other food, there have been studies to prove that. But, the family factor is what throws it off, I think.
I think my comment got eaten! Anyway, is there a CSA near you? Mine is $300 for 22 weeks, which works out to being a great deal, I think!
Now is a good time to start planning to stockpile healthy foods over the summer while they are in season. Start that garden, grow one thing and share with a friend who is growing something else. Go to farmers markets and freeze, can, dry anything you buy in bulk. I have found that eating healthy isn't much more expensive than eating junk if you price it according to nutritional value. Once you begin to look at nutitional value and price, you begin to see that you are purchasing a lot of no nutrition foods! Don't bring low nutritional foods into the house! Also, soups are a great way to get kids to eat healthy and save money.
Lots of great comments and ideas. For me, I've had to totally change the way I think about my shopping. I did increase my budget by $20 a week. I definitely buy produce that's on sale, but I also buy lots of produce that's NOT on sale–and I'm OK with that–now, but it took me a while.
I also shop at Aldi and Trader Joes and stock up on some staples. I know you are in Northern MN–probably don't have access to those stores on a regular basis.
But you know, the basic foods are really the healthiest–nuts, basic meat, poultry, yogurt, milk, brown rice, whole grain breads and pasta, and LOTS of fruit/veggies.
You can apply the same principles of frugal living–cook meals ahead and freeze them. Make your own smoothie mixes and freeze ahead. Make your own cheap desserts. Take ice cream and freeze in individual portions, etc, etc.
For me, it's all about having lots of the basics–the good stuff on hand. And honestly, for me, that means increasing my grocery budget–not easy but worth it! Good luck in your journey! WW is a great program! There are also tons of great weight loss blogs and communities out there–free resources!
Jen
Oh how I completely understand this post. I am just starting my 3 time with WW. It worked the first time when my husband was working out of town. But now that he is home, it is so hard. He doesn't eat any veggies and is a meat and potatoes man. I have had a hard time trying to eat correctly. I have found that my local farmers market has fruit and veggies much cheaper than the stores!
I've just started using e-mealz just to save time and noticed that they have a points system plan. They have it for Walmart, Publix, or "any store" based on store sales. It might be worth checking out. At $5 a month, I'm willing to give it a try (my time saved is worth that!). And use "Dave" as a coupon code to get $2.50 off your first $15 order. (by the way…I'm not highjacking your comments with advertising…I really do use them and I really don't work for them! I just thought it might be an option for you.). =)
I'm vegetarian but if you eat from fresh (ideally), canned or frozen veggies then it can be cheap and the lack of meat really helps keep cost and calories down…. Never trued weight watchers so not sure how it would work with them.
I like your new design by the way.
Thanks,
Forest.
http://frugalzeitgeist.com
In the long run being a healthy person will save money. Just buy fruits and vegetables you like and will eat. I'm really careful about not letting produce go to waste. Store fruits and vegetables properly to get the longest life from them and plan menus around what you have so it gets used up. Letting things rot would of course be a waste of money.
–AnnMarie
I have emailed a few compliments to companies such as Earthbound Farms and also emailed to ask for coupons only to be sent many in the mail. Try Morningstar, Earthbound Farms, Stonyfield Farms, Annie's and Amy's or any others you like and chances are they will send you some great long exp. date coupons.
In Southeastern PA, we have a chain called Produce Junction. It works similar to a farmer's market but the produce and fruit come directly off the farm with no commercial packaging. This in turn, lowers the prices drastically. An example of the savings would be: 5 lbs of bananas for $1.25. I find this to be an incredible asset to my monthly food bill and shop there exclusively for all my fruits and vegetables. I don't believe the chain can be found outside of my local area but if I were you, I'd look into local growers markets and farmers markets for better deals. Often these places are only open 2-3 days a week but it can be worth the savings to rearrange your shopping schedule. Good luck with your goal!
Well, I'm not on WW, but I am a vegan, trying to lose weight, and a couponer! So, I have some experience in trying to get the healthy stuff for less. I definitely always stock up on frozen fruits/veggies when I can, since they are as nutritious as fresh and often cheaper (especially for me when I consider how quickly produce can spoil). Also, I always scan ALL of the ciriculars for good fruit and veggy prices. I then often prepare them and freeze the meals, but some can be frozen with minimal preparation. I also am always on the lookout for other deals on healthy foods, like Progresso soup as someone mentioned. Also, I receive a free subscription to WW magazine and they always have WW coupons in there
I guess as far as finding the deals goes, it's the same as everything else- keep an eagle eye out for a deal and then stock up!
I did WW online for just a week as part of a free trial offer. It was great, and I was able to take a lot from it without having to pay the monthly fees. In that process, I made my own Xcel sheet for calculating and tracking points. I've posted it to share as a google doc (http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0As2vxJErNEOvdExkZUFFMm1XVVNQb2R6dUc3dl9sZkE&hl=en)
You can download it straight to your computer and then enter your own information – much like you do w/ WW Online.
Additionally, I've found sparkpeople.com to be a great FREE online resource that's similar to what WW has to offer… but again, FREE. It'll track your calories, your goals, fitness, etc.
Finally http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php is an easy way to calculate the nutrition value for all of your home cooked meals.
There are so many great online resources that don't cost a dime. So, no real tips for cutting food costs, but this could be an option for cutting the WW fees down the road.