Well, I am 40 and miserable Maybe THAT should have been my username? lol I am married (15 years) and I homeschool 2 kids and have one in public school. I have written several novels that are unpublished, but I have hope.

So far I have tried all the diets and the only thing that ever works is Atkins. I love carbs and fall off that wagon constantly. Today I have a new plan and am asking for help which I will mention in a moment. My plan is to fill the cupboards with low fat, low calorie foods, and only eat those. Then I will ONLY eat at specific times, which will be adjusted and tweaked only at first, and only slightly. If I have a schedule to stick to, that will help me. Kind of like someone to answer to I guess. "It's not time, I can't go look for a snack."

My help that I need is with easy, CHEAP foods for my list. I'm going to make a list of things I can have in the am, for lunch and for snack. I want them ALL to be low calorie, low fat and CHEAP as I don't have much money and have already spent way too much on diets and teas and shakes and low carbs stuff etc etc etc in the past.

Any help greatly appreciated. So far, I have yogurt and grape nuts in mind for a breakfast on my list. I need REAL foods, not salmon with wilted lettuce and a viniagrette I have to make for one lunch

Thanks so much all!

Congratulations on finally deciding to take charge! And it's easier than you think! The first thing to do is make a menu of the food you're going to eat for a week, snacks included. And it doesn't have to be expensive. Actually, you probably paid a lot more for the low-fat things that fill your cubards now.

cereal and milk are great for breakfast. So is yogurt and grapenuts, like you've planned. I usually have a piece of whole grain toast with a small amount of peanut butter. peanut butter is a GOOD fat and very nutritious. And it's very filling.

Take a look at your local grocery sales papers and see what's on sale. Base your menu's around good, wholesome food. Food is ment to be enjoyed. It's hard to plan someone elses menu, because we all like different food. Go to one of the accounteability threads and look at what some other people are eating.

You can do this!

First thing, I suggest that you get the word CHEAP out of your vocabulary. I am not saying this to offend you. Food today, unfortunately has gone up in price but the only foods that is CHEAPER than most foods are refined and processed. I am quite sure that you do not want to eat those kinds of foods. Raw veggies like lettuce, carrots, celery are good to eat. Any type of raw or blanched veggies are good eat as a snack. Vegetables are good to eat period. Drinking more water will also help you. It is very hard to cut carbs completely out of your diet. I was able cut it out for 3 weeks and lost weight. As of now, I eat a little bit of carbs certain days of the week and that works for me. Bottom line, you have to find what works for your body. Remember what you think about you manifest. If you think and feel that you can't do it then you won't but if you know that you can, then you will. This is a motto that I have taken to heart, "Failure is not an option- try something else". I know you can do this, everyone on this site who has lost weight are inspirations to me. They have taught me to stick to my goal and don't give up. You will fall off the wagon, but the key is to get back on no matter what.

Hey 40stillfat -

I think that fruits, veggies, and other unprocessed foods IN SEASON can be very affordable, if you're creative and look for good sources. They are also very healthy! So look for things that are in season in your area, and if possible, find a local grower or farmstand to buy direct from. It'll save you money in the long haul. Sometimes, sales may make packaged, processed junk seem less expensive, but in the long run, it really isn't (either for your wallet OR for your health).

Whole grains, particularly in bulk, are also cheap and low fat. Oatmeal would be a good breakfast, and you can buy it by the pound or cheaply in canisters. Nonfat plain yogurt would be good to keep on hand, and you can usually find it on sale...mix with some frozen fruit (bought on sale) or fresh fruit in season...yum!

Glad you've found us.

Be sure you get the natural peanut butter and not the stuff with any hydrogenated oils in it. Those turn into transfats in your body and are not good for you.

seasonal veggies are always a good choice, another resource I found on this site is others posts and the recipes in the weight watchers threads. they are usually made with veggies kept in your cubbard and freezer that the entire family will eat and low calories.

I use to be a hugh carb fan but have found that if I slowly..and the key word here is slowly removed them from my everyday foods I did real well.

Keep us posted

Cheap is meant exactly as it sounds...as cheap as can be found at today's prices. I can't take it out of my vocabulary as I don't have the money to stock my pantry and fridge with perishables like fruit and fresh veggies etc.

I see what you mean, but when I say cheap I mean what anyone else does, cheap by today's standards..not the 50s for example.