I’m not doing this as a pity party I really deal defeated and lost
I’ve gained 10 lbs yup n my fault last night I had Chinese food first time in literally a year of a small portions of each n I’m mad at myself n gaining weight like wtf is wrong with me ,… I know I know right?
I LOve keto and cant afford it I have food yup but literally I’d need roughly 400.00 to get the stuff I need mind u I have a teen boy so
Then the thought so I pay cable bill or food if I had that money
It’s the little things I need that I can’t get
Stevia , heavy cream , mct oil,
But now that the snows finally melting I need to get a car battery n give my uncle back the one he lent me, oh summer tires too can u see I feel like I’m losing my mind and struggle with emotional eating n it’s the worst right now
The best thing I LOVE. About keto is even tho my emotions are dead n I’m broken I felt good I felt pain free n positive
I so need to figure out how to rob a bank lolol JK JK I’m just in a rough spot this last month n trying hard not to shut down literally mentality
Thanks for listening
I feel lost
None of these things are essentials. Do your best within the budget you have and don’t beat yourself up when you slip as that will only make you feel even worse.
I don’t spend a lot eating keto. I don’t use things like MCT oil or stevia. Fresh vegetables and salad greens are cheap. For chicken, get the breasts and thighs in value packs, portion them out, and freeze. Hamburger in bulk, same thing. Canned tuna. Olive oil isn’t that expensive, and you only use it when cooking anyway. I use regular mayo and salad dressings. Unsweetened almond milk is cheaper than regular milk.
You don’t have to get all of the fancy name brand organic stuff. Regular eggs, butter, meat works just as well.
Just stick to fresh produce and meats. Stay away from processed foods, and special “keto” foods and you’ll be fine.
You don’t need all those things. Shop the specials for the cheap meat each week. Cook it simply with some fat (find butter on sale, or good olive oil) with a bit of greens. Whatever won’t spike your sugars and is on sale. I can usually find eggs for $0.99/dozen, stock up and sometimes have them for dinner.
Work on getting yourself really satisfied at meals by adding enough fat to tide you over til the next meal or ideally the meal after that.
And for your son, consider what all my neighbors did with their teenage boys. Basic meals are covered, but they did odd jobs for neighbors to earn money for all of their extra food. Plus, having your son fuel on nutrient dense food (like you will be eating) might keep him from as much mindless and non-filling carb consumption as is possible.
Keep the food simple, and on sale. If you need variety, change up the spices.
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Oh, and you might consider me rich, but cable is still way to expensive for me. No way I’ll pay their outrageous prices! And I almost always go for the specials on meats. And I freeze extra butter (and bacon) when prices are good. The stocking up may take a few paycycles, but as you learn what are good prices, hopefully you can squeeze out a couple extra dollars to pre-buy some of your food for cheaper. You then don’t have to pay the higher price the week you eat it, and can apply that money to what is on sale at that point. Over time it is like a snowball going downhill if you start buying food on the sales cycles. Eggs should be really cheap through Easter, by the way.
As Dr. Fung says (along with many other podcasters) - fasting is just about the least expensive way to accomplish weight loss.
It provides relief in terms of actual cash spend but also frees up time (cooking, driving, shopping, meal planning etc.).
Also, does not involve robbing a bank.
I’m finding using sugar twin is bad that’s why I use skinny girl stevia I get the points and I agree I always buy meat n cheese first
I have rice for my son as his carb and his bread
It’s kinda hard to do keto coffee without heavy cream
I’ve got lettuce n tomatoes for salads I’m good there 
As for cable lol besides painting supplies tv is my sanity saver lol
I don’t go out I don’t smoke drink or any drugs I’m a homebody n my son is a gamer lol
I might have some art commissions? Just waiting to hear back
This isn’t essential either, do what works for you - of course if you just like coffee with cream that’s fine, but don’t feel like it’s something you have to do because there are no rules. Make keto work the way you need it to.
Could be - but, you could end up with an expensive meal that way and not save much. Alternate-day-fasting is eating normally every-other-day. There are other definitions but, I’m defining it this way to ensure a 50% cost cut.
I need to basically start keto over again … and now I got to go get ready for swimming
I hear you about groceries, I’ve raised 5 boys totally, 3 mine 2 my husband’s. Try coffee without the sweetener, they all impact insulin levels, stevia even more so than sugar. That will give you the money for the cream and a dash of vanilla if you need the flavor.
Stir-fries can be a great way to extend the budget and make more servings. Focus on leafy-greens, bok choy, mushrooms, celery, then add 4 ounces or so of protein per serving. Mushrooms have some protein as well, so that will increase your intake. Use plain garlic and oil for the sauce along with salt and pepper, maybe a touch of soy sauce if you’re not gluten-sensitive. Use the same type of budget recipes you’d use with pasta or rice, only substitute with a leafy vegetable or two, you’ll stretch the budget and eat well.
Hang in there, you can do this, if you go over a bit on your carbs with veggies, the world won’t end and you’ll probably stay in ketosis to boot.
You don’t need MCT oil, and stevia may very well be holding back your weight loss. You also don’t need bulletproof coffee. Dairy of any kind is also not necessary. Again, many people find dairy stalls their weight losses. If you aren’t having success you should probably try to stop drinking your fats in bulletproof coffee.
Keto can be very inexpensive. As others have said, shop the sales. I often go for weeks without spending more than $2 a pound for my meats.
If I want to economize on keto, I just buy lots of chicken legs and thighs and fatttier pork products that most people consider unhealthy (so it’s lower priced and less in demand :D). At Aldi I can buy chicken quarters for 89 cents per pound. I can make a meal out of one quarter, a cup of broccoli and a tablespoon of butter for a total meal cost of less than $2.00. I can buy a 5 lb fatty pork roast from Aldi for about $10.00 and get at least 3 feasts or 4-5 meals out of it. My grocery store also sells ugly pork chops aka pork shoulder for about half the price of regular pork chops. They are only ugly because they are the end cut of the loin and tend to be fattier and might have a little gristle in them but I find them delicious when fried up like a steak. I’m also always on the lookout for beef roasts that are price reduced because they are nearing their sell by date. I can occasionally find them for a little more than $1.00 per pound and they can be frozen for future use.
I can literally feel the stress & anxiety oozing out of this post. First & foremost, stop & take a few deep breaths. Make yourself a cup of tea … turn off your computer/tv/put your phone down for a solid 15 minutes (at least) & enjoy your tea in silence. Try to regroup.
There is always a solution, Lisa! I am not sure where the $400 figure for groceries came from & I also do not know how many people are in your household, but overall, grocery shopping doesn’t have to be stressful even if you are feeding others on a SAD. My husband still eats a SAD & we manage just fine without adding any additional cost to our weekly grocery bill.
Most meals consist of a protein, (carby) starch & a veggie. Make meals that both you & your family enjoy, just skip the carby side dishes for your plate. You can even sub something like sliced avocado in place of rice or mashed potatoes if that helps. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Sticking to whole foods rather than “Keto recipes” will also make cooking less stressful. Save your bacon grease to cook in. It’s delicious & free!
Just out of curiosity, what are you currently cooking for your family that you cannot eat yourself?
As far as sweeteners go, you may just have to give them up if they don’t fit your budget right now. It would probably be beneficial in the long run anyway.
I’ve never used MCT oil and rarely use heavy cream.
I do cheap and easy keto meal preps based on the proteins that are on sale in a given week.
For example, I did one a few months ago with over six pounds of chicken thighs and nearly three pounds of veggies that was under $10. For nearly 7000 calories of food. That’s a lot of meals.
Hi, Lisa! I’m not sure whether you are looking for practial solutions or just need to vent some of your frustrations and receive some sympathy, encouragement and hugs! I’m guessing you will get some really great advice about how to do keto on a budget so I’m going to be the sender of sympathy, encouragement and hugs…
I’m sorry you are having a hard time. I know what it feels like to have lots pile up and feel overwhelmed with not knowing where to start to fix it. Its easy to default into avoidance (of everything!) when that happens. It can help to think of things in seasons rather than feeling that it will ‘always’ be this way. That means a difficult season will pass and the trials that you went through in it will have created something of strength and beauty in you. Take one day at a time, one problem at a time. Keep your head up, keep going, you can do it! Xx
How can ppl being truly successful not using the items that are to be used like keto coffee? Mct oils, or stevia? I really appreciate all the posts it makes me feel supported n good ideas
I tried coffee without stevia n it’s just not good
Only dairy I use is cream n cheese which was one of the reasons I got into keto being protein & cheeses
Now the gallbladder is gone I can enjoy water again yay me
I don’t have credit card so I can’t get good deals say on amazon
One day I went to save on , i got celery it was 7.10 I’m like dude I don’t think so
I like out of town so if I’m in town I go to superstore or Costco
The 400.00 because I literally have that little of food
I do try to get sales but usually they’re on before I have money kinda hit n miss lol