Healthy eating on a budget?

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My husband needs to lose 60 pounds, according to the doctor. He already works out every night, so I think we need to tackle it from the (name removed by moderator)ut side. Since the baby came, I’ve been in a cooking rut involving lots of rice, pasta, and tortillas. Not that I didn’t make lots of that before, but it’s become too much. What are some easy, healthy, cheap meals that don’t involve lots of carbohydrates but that aren’t horribly boring? My husband would suggest that we eat plain chicken and steamed vegetables every night, but that’s just not okay with me. I love food, especially carbohydrates and ethnic food, and can’t stand plain chicken and unseasoned veggies. And meat is expensive.

Also, what are some ways to encourage healthy snacking at home and at work? We always have apples, etc but he just goes and makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bunch of cheese. If I say anything, he gets annoyed, or will just tell me not to buy it if I don’t want him to eat it. I don’t think it’s fair that I can’t have a jar of Nutella just because he will eat it with a spoon if I don’t hide it in the sugar canister, or that I can’t make myself a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch because he’ll eat an entire packet of sliced cheese in one evening. At work, he used to bring steamed veggies to eat, but keeps forgetting and then stress-eats a ton of snacks from the vending machine, which ticks me off because it’s unhealthy and expensive. I think part of it is that he never packs a lunch, so maybe I should start doing that. Any healthy boxed lunch ideas?

Any other tips for living with a weight challenged person when I’ve never struggled with it myself are also welcome.
 
You might find these two blog posts by Sheila Wray Gregoire helpful:

How to Lose Weight Without Burdening Your Family

Top 10 Ways to Support a Spouse Struggling to Lose Weight

Honestly, as a person who’s dealt with eating disorders, I would say that to support him you should not keep triggering foods around. If you really want to, keep them in a space that is all yours that he doesn’t go into. I wouldn’t lie about it, but maybe just not mention it.

In extreme situations, a food safe can be helpful (I don’t have one, but I have wanted one and they could be really helpful to the binge eater - no matter what, you can’t have it. That’s a great help in early stages to learn to say no to binge urges.)

As far as foods to eat, beans can also stretch meals but are healthier than white rice and pasta.

Do you shop at Aldi, or can you? I do the bulk of our shopping there and easily spend much less than comparable items at the regular store. They have been expanding their range of organic and other healthy items, too - it’s not all canned and processed junk. We eat very little of that.

Budgetbytes.com is my standard recommendation for low-cost recipes. Mostly from scratch, freezer friendly, and budget friendly (she doesn’t shop at Aldi, and I can beat her prices on most everything.) Very tasty too and a wide variety of cuisines.

Ultimately, though, he has to want to lose the weight. I think you can plan healthy meals, model responsible eating and snacking, but he is going to have to deal with adjusting his taste buds, eating less than what he’s used to, and learning new habits. This is hard, harder than people who don’t deal with this realize. I’m not saying that gives him carte blanche to continue living the way he has because it’s clearly not working, but it’s only going to stick if he’s the one who does it.
 
At our house, packed lunches are typically leftovers, with snacks like portable fruit (e.g. apple, banana, orange) or cut up in a container, a handful of nuts, yogurt, and string cheese.

If he wants to/is willing to eat bland stuff for lunches, you could do that. Broil/grill/bake a bunch of chicken on the weekend and he can take a piece with him to work. That doesn’t affect you.

Stir fries might also be an option. If he prefers plain you can add your sauce or seasonings after him.

One thing that occurs to me, though, since there is some very picky eating in my family, is that food that is spicy or incredibly flavorful is more difficult to eat to excess. The blandness of the food your husband prefers may mean that he eats more to feel satisfied.

Since you don’t have the space for meat buying in bulk, that is something I would figure out for sales if you have a typical freezer space either above or below your fridge. Many grocery chains (and Aldi too) will run BOGO sales on meat, and that’s the time to stock up.
 
Sorry to go on and on, but this is a topic I am pretty passionate about. 😉

With chicken, one cheap way to be able to store a lot of it is to buy the breasts in the big value pack when they go on sale, dump as many as will fit in a slow cooker, add a few cups of chicken broth (or water, or diced tomatoes with taco seasoning if you will use it mostly for Mexican recipes). Cook for 6-8 hours on low, then shred with forks (or a mixer if you have one, it’s pretty amazing how quickly it goes.) I store in 2 cup containers in the freezer. (These ones actually hold up very, very well and I have washed and reused them, too.) Precooked shredded chicken is very, very handy to have.
 
Thank you for all the advice! There is an Aldi nearby, but it’s a 28 minute walk, so we’ve been going to the grocery stores that are closer to us but not as cheap.
 
How about soup? I like to buy a load of really cheap veg that is about to go off, make it into soup and freeze it. To eat you can just put it straight into a pan on the hob and keep stirring until its heated. You could have it with wholemeal bread for a quick frugal meal.
 
When that chocolate or that packet of sliced cheese is there, it seems like a comfortable, yummy, easy option to snack on. And when you’re struggling with overeating, it’s so easy for “just one more… maybe two,” to turn into, “oops, the whole package is gone.” Probably his blaming you for buying it is just his shame talking–he feels bad for eating the whole thing, and goes into defense mode when you point out the evidence that he’s not so strong-willed as he’d like you to believe he is.

Sounds like he really does need your help, support, and encouragement! It’s true that it’s not fair to you, but if you will lovingly choose to make the sacrifice to keep the unhealthy stuff out of the house, it will go a long way toward helping him with his health.

Maybe start shrinking carb and meat portions just a little bit at a time, and at the same time, slowly increase the things he should be eating more of, like greens (something like fresh spinach, baby greens, or romaine are more nutritious than iceberg lettuce, too). If possible, offering a course at a time–like a healthy soup or garden salad before the main dish–can help, because it encourages him to fill up on that first course. When there is a plate of options (or, worse, a whole spread on the table), most of us go for whatever option in front of us is most tempting. Limit what is in front of him to healthier options, and it will be much easier for him to learn to eat better. Be aware, it will take quite some time to “train” his palate to prefer healthier options.

Beans and lentils are a great “starchy” option to help stretch meals but still avoid some of the unhealthier carbs, and you might also consider whole grains like brown rice, quinoa (I like the red best), and barley–or even oatmeal (for instance, I use dry oatmeal and/or cooked beans in meatloaf and meatballs, instead of crackers or bread crumbs). We also like spaghetti squash, when available, as a nice substitute for pasta. Maybe try using lettuce wraps instead of tortillas for some meals. Offer water before serving other beverages, as well (with a slice of lemon or lime if you like). I’ve found that picky eaters generally will accept one small ingredient change at a time, but it’s not as easy to convince them to accept something that in several ways looks, tastes, or smells different than what they’re used to having.

I usually make my own “frozen dinners” for my husband using a microwaveable divided container. Since my husband sometimes forgets to bring the containers home or is rough on them, I get disposable ones, like these, but then wash and re-use them several times. That way, if he loses them or whatever, I’m not upset about the cost of replacement. 😉 I figure, even if he threw it away each day, it’s still cheaper to pack his lunch than most fast food or probably even vending machine stuff would cost–and definitely healthier.

I do a lot of double batches of dinners and prep stuff, so I can usually make the lunches a little different than just leftovers from last night (though I also send those with him sometimes). There are lots of “bento box” type meal ideas available if he wants variety, but if he’s truly satisfied with just chicken breasts and veggies, you can prep and pack a bunch of lunches at once and keep them in the freezer. I’ve noticed lots of frozen vegetables and some fresh ones are now available in the “steam-able” bags intended for a microwave. That might be an option to pack in your husband’s lunches. One thing you can do to help is when he’s heading out the door and you kiss him goodbye, also hand him his lunch so he doesn’t forget it.

I buy a lot of stuff at ALDI, too, as Pensmama87 mentioned. With nine of us in our household, shopping there generally saves me quite a lot of money, even though I’m also buying healthier stuff (I love their Fit & Active line). I buy a lot of fresh veggies and fruit there, too, and wash and prep them, so the kids snack on those first, because the chips and cookies are out of sight and harder to get to. If it’s in sight and easy, they’re more likely to eat it. 😉

This isn’t easy for either of you, but it’s doable and worth it for his health. 👍 I will also say a prayer for you and your husband! :gopray2:
 
I come from a culture where there is no snacking or eating between meals and dessert is usually a piece of fruit.

I went back to my childhood habits of not snacking and having fruit for dessert. This is for weekdays. On weekends I allow myself treats like sweets or an occasional snack but I practice strict portion control on these.

With mealtimes, 50% of my plate is non-starchy vegetables, 25% protein and the remaining 20% is usually a starchy carbohydrate like brown rice.

With beverages, limit sugary drinks, even fruit juice, and drink a lot of water.
 
So sorry your husband is struggling with the issue of overeating. It can be very frustrating and overwhelming at times.

Back in 2003-2005 I lost 90 pounds for good. I joined Weight Watchers because, at the time, it was the only commercial weight loss program recommended by the American Medical Association and I wanted something sensible. The support and accountability in the weekly meetings were invaluable. After several months of weekly meetings and steady weight loss, I felt motivated enough to do it alone. I’ve kept the weight off ever since, give or take a few pounds.

This might be something to look into, even with your budget, as Weight Watchers is relatively inexpensive AND available to do online for those with busy lives. One of the best things about it was that Weight Watchers addressed the psychological aspects of weight loss.

As for your question about healthy eating on a budget, I always go back to rice and beans. Both are healthy, versatile and inexpensive. When I’m pinching pennies I make salsa beans and rice- just make heat everything according to package directions, then stir
together with the salsa all in a pan. Easy peasy.

You could google healthy eating on a budget and get linked to some helpful resources. I google everything nowadays.

Remember to offer up your sufferings in this matter, It really does help.

May God richly bless you and your husband in this endeavour.🙂
 
These are good ideas! Especially the soups. Just to clarify, it’s not that he’s picky at all, but that his idea of healthy eating is lean meat and steamed vegetables, whereas I need sauce, rice, cheese, etc. We can’t afford nice cuts of beef and I can’t stand plain poultry. I’d have meltdowns over being forced to eat it as a child.

We did both give up snacks at one point, but didn’t keep it up. I can see if he’s open to it, but I think it would be easier to start cooking healthier meals first. We never have dessert.
 
For meat - can you look into buying in bulk? We’ve saved so much money by buying our pork and beef from a meat locker in bulk. You don’t have to have a member ship (like Costco or Sam’s) and the prices are much more reasonable than the grocery store.

There are lots of ways to lose weight, but portion control is going to be the biggest common denominator. You can’t exercise your way to weight loss. Exercise is important for many, many reasons, but weight loss is pretty much all intake.

One way we really control our grocery budget is to use a grocery delivery service. They take coupons, have a store brand and run sales. The prices are quite comparable and you are able to see a running tally of your purchases as you put them in your cart. Meal planning, grocery delivery and bulk purchasing of meat are keys to keeping us on a food budget that is quite reasonable.
 
zea_maize said:
For meat - can you look into buying in bulk? We’ve saved so much money by buying our pork and beef from a meat locker in bulk. You don’t have to have a member ship (like Costco or Sam’s) and the prices are much more reasonable than the grocery store.

There are lots of ways to lose weight, but portion control is going to be the biggest common denominator. You can’t exercise your way to weight loss. Exercise is important for many, many reasons, but weight loss is pretty much all intake.

One way we really control our grocery budget is to use a grocery delivery service. They take coupons, have a store brand and run sales. The prices are quite comparable and you are able to see a running tally of your purchases as you put them in your cart. Meal planning, grocery delivery and bulk purchasing of meat are keys to keeping us on a food budget that is quite reasonable.
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We don’t have anywhere to store extra food, so buying in bulk is out. Our freezer is tiny. Plus there’s nowhere within walking distance that sells in bulk. I did try grocery delivery a few years ago, but the fruit was bruised, some eggs were cracked, and the cans had small dents. I don’t trust them anymore.
 
AClaire11 said:
We don’t have anywhere to store extra food, so buying in bulk is out. Our freezer is tiny. Plus there’s nowhere within walking distance that sells in bulk. I did try grocery delivery a few years ago, but the fruit was bruised, some eggs were cracked, and the cans had small dents. I don’t trust them anymore.
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Well, you shot down all my ideas 😉
 
zea_maize said:
For meat - can you look into buying in bulk? We’ve saved so much money by buying our pork and beef from a meat locker in bulk. You don’t have to have a member ship (like Costco or Sam’s) and the prices are much more reasonable than the grocery store.

There are lots of ways to lose weight, but portion control is going to be the biggest common denominator. You can’t exercise your way to weight loss. Exercise is important for many, many reasons, but weight loss is pretty much all intake.

One way we really control our grocery budget is to use a grocery delivery service. They take coupons, have a store brand and run sales. The prices are quite comparable and you are able to see a running tally of your purchases as you put them in your cart. Meal planning, grocery delivery and bulk purchasing of meat are keys to keeping us on a food budget that is quite reasonable.
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I agree that bulk meat purchasing is a great way to save money, but the OP lives in a small apartment, so storage becomes an issue pretty quickly. Before we had a chest freezer, I could only keep 2-3 kinds of meat in my freezer, if I wanted to have any more room for veggies (important in winter) or freezer meals.

Couponing well also requires storage, though if the OP wanted to try it I’d suggest toiletries as a way to free up money for food. Bonus is that they last longer and can fit anywhere.
 
Another thing about recipes that works with my husband: he’s not likely to poke about the Internet, but if I borrow a cookbook or two from the library and browse through, I’ll tag recipes with post it notes to get his approval. Anything he agrees to, I scan in (if our printer/scanner feels like functioning that day) or snap a pic of the page with my phone so I have it to reference later.

(Recipes that are successful I do copy by hand onto index cards. I don’t know why but it’s much more satisfying to me to have them all right there without needing to look at a screen while I cook.)
 
pensmama87 said:
Another thing about recipes that works with my husband: he’s not likely to poke about the Internet, but if I borrow a cookbook or two from the library and browse through, I’ll tag recipes with post it notes to get his approval. Anything he agrees to, I scan in (if our printer/scanner feels like functioning that day) or snap a pic of the page with my phone so I have it to reference later.

(Recipes that are successful I do copy by hand onto index cards. I don’t know why but it’s much more satisfying to me to have them all right there without needing to look at a screen while I cook.)
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That’s a great idea! I already have a shelf full of cookbooks, so I’ll start looking through those first.
 
AClaire11 said:
My husband needs to lose 60 pounds, according to the doctor. He already works out every night, so I think we need to tackle it from the (name removed by moderator)ut side. Since the baby came, I’ve been in a cooking rut involving lots of rice, pasta, and tortillas. Not that I didn’t make lots of that before, but it’s become too much. What are some easy, healthy, cheap meals that don’t involve lots of carbohydrates but that aren’t horribly boring? My husband would suggest that we eat plain chicken and steamed vegetables every night, but that’s just not okay with me. I love food, especially carbohydrates and ethnic food, and can’t stand plain chicken and unseasoned veggies. And meat is expensive.

Also, what are some ways to encourage healthy snacking at home and at work? We always have apples, etc but he just goes and makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bunch of cheese. If I say anything, he gets annoyed, or will just tell me not to buy it if I don’t want him to eat it. I don’t think it’s fair that I can’t have a jar of Nutella just because he will eat it with a spoon if I don’t hide it in the sugar canister, or that I can’t make myself a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch because he’ll eat an entire packet of sliced cheese in one evening. At work, he used to bring steamed veggies to eat, but keeps forgetting and then stress-eats a ton of snacks from the vending machine, which ticks me off because it’s unhealthy and expensive. I think part of it is that he never packs a lunch, so much aybe I should start doing that. Any healthy boxed lunch ideas?

Any other tips for living with a weight challenged person when I’ve never struggled with it myself are also welcome.
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Costco! That’s what we do and we are on a budget.

But no diet will work if he’s eating poorly at work and the rest of the day. Is he a big snacker? What does he eat for breakfast and lunch? Also does he drink any calories? Those add up super quick!

ETA: You may have to cook to two different tastes. Make the startchy stuff for you and the other for your husband. You could use chicken from his grilled chicken for your food and veggies are easy enough to cook by themselves. I know this is overwhelming with your baby acting up lately, but it might be the only option if you won’t eat your husband’s cuisine. Also is he against cooking for himself? Chicken and veggies are easy enough even fo culinarily challenged husbands. 😉
 
Portion control. Keep making the food you like, but serve it on small plates. If you serve up a massive plate of something healthy, it will have the same calories as a smaller plate of something less healthy.

Portion control and snacking is the number 1 reason why people put on weight - what you eat has an effect on your long term health, especially if your diet is too limited and you end up malnorished, but not necessarily so much of an effect on weight. It’s just that the “portion size” of heavily calorific foods is tiny. IMHO 🙂
 
ShrodingersCat said:
Portion control. Keep making the food you like, but serve it on small plates. If you serve up a massive plate of something healthy, it will have the same calories as a smaller plate of something less healthy.

Portion control and snacking is the number 1 reason why people put on weight - what you eat has an effect on your long term health, especially if your diet is too limited and you end up malnorished, but not necessarily so much of an effect on weight. It’s just that the “portion size” of heavily calorific foods is tiny. IMHO 🙂
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Yes. But your last sentence says it all and why most people in the abundantly food-blessed First World can’t stick to it. A protein rich diet with loads of plain non-starchy veggies and a healthy portion of fruit is the best bet. But again nothing will work if he sneaks in lots of extra calories at work or in drinks and snacks.
 
protein will help him lose weight, since it’s more filling at lower caloric amounts. for most guys that usually means lots of meat, but it can be eggs since you’re on a tighter budget. Making egg scrambles, bakes or frittatas with veggies usually freeze ok and can be added to tortillas/rice/pasta for the rest of the family and he can eat less of the starch and still feel full.
 
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