Hello all My name is Christina, I am 30 years old. I have been struggling with my weight since I was very young. Obesity runs heavy on both sides of my family. My Grandmother on my father side died of colon cancer caused by bad eating habits almost all her life. My mothers mom is 400 pounds and has bad diabetes. When I joined the Air Force I weighed 144, but due to pressures of the chart the military, I exercised and starved my self to 128. I was exercising 3 times a day and eating to little. My habit caught up with me and I crashed. I was medically bordered out when I was 21. From 21 to 26 I bounced between 148-155. My happiest weight was 144-148 at a size 8. When I was 26 I married and conceived on my wedding night. Despite the fact I was sick every day of my pregnancy I gain 20 pounds, my son died when I was 6 months along. Depressed and angry I conceived again 4 months later, without losing any of the weight. By the time my daughter was born, the scales tipped 210. I also suffered from horrible gestational diabetes which puts me at a even more increased risk to get it in my 40’s. My daughter is turning 4 in August and I have trouble keeping up with her. My stomach is flabby and stretched marked. I hate the way I look and depressed. I am also scared I am going to let her down and die like my grandmother. I am currently 189 and want to get back to my 144-148 range. I am struggling because my husband and I are low income, so we are too broke to eat perfect and for me to join a gym or weight loss program. Any advice would be appreciated. Like how to cook low fat that won’t break my bank. A variety way of doing it so I don’t crash from eating the same things for lunch and breakfast over and over till I scream. Also a way to exercise that won’t cost a arm and leg. Thank you for reading this.

Hi Christina, welcome to the forums :-)

hiya im also new to the boards even tho i joined in 2007 ,ive now been able to actually do something about it.

i am also on a tight budget,the only reason i can go to the gym is that they sent out flyers with it being half price.

all i would say is just change the way you cook

Grill instead of Fry

Low calorie cheese,milk butter rather than full fat

If you have fries have oven fries instead of cooked in oil

Drink lots of water and eat little and often

as for exercise do you have a flight of stairs if so use them, dance while you do the housework (your daughter will join in),walk a little faster than normal

hope these help a little bit

Oh hun, you have overcome great obsticles, you can overcome your weight too.
I have found that eating better is really not as expensive as I thought. I will tell you that my husband cooks most of our meals and I do not feel that I can ask him to cook for the family and then go and cook for myself after he has put in the effort so I have been trying to keep my calories lower during the day and then eat a small portion of dinner.
Where I live, I can buy a 5lb bag of grapefruit or oranges for $3 or less. This is as cheap as a bag of chips or cookies and lasts longer. I also buy yourgert with coupons or when they are on sale.
Take some time to compare prices on the healthier options compared to what you normally buy. For instance, I used to get Sunbelt CC gronla bars, not a great choice even though gronla bar sounded good, however, I have found that I enjoy the Kellogg Fiber bars more, they are better for me and only cost 50 cents more per box. Jello is also a low calorie, inexpensive snack.
As for working out, walk when you can, that is free. I cannot afford a gym membership either, however, I did search the internet for excersises that I could do at home. There a tons of them there. I also wanted to let you know that if there is a YMCA in your area and you have a lower income, you should be able to join for a reduced rate. I went to the website for my area recently when I was considering joining and saw this option is available.
Take care my dear. Head up, shoulders back and onward.

Thanks ross88guy

Sonnab thank you.. I think one my problems is I eat to little and when I finally get hungry I eat fattening meals due to me being starving.. I rarely am hungry, but thank you for the advice.

Oh thank you so Much NEWmom.. I truly needed to hear your words.. I am so happy to have found this site

Hi, Christina!! I just started this today, too. Good luck!! With the right motivation and support anything is possible

thatgirl76.. hurrah for the newbies..

Hi Christina and welcome. Here are some of my suggestions for healthy eating on a budget
- b/f going out to shopping, make alist of the foods to buy and stick to it - this will help avoid spending more money with a lot of empty calorie foods
- look over the sales ad in the local newspaper, use coupons, and stock up on sale items (freeze the excess) - whole grain brains, veggies, fruits, low fat or reduced fat cheeses, skinless chicken and low fat cuts of meat (round or loin cuts) all freeze well
- purchase in bulk - this will provide your family with better value for your money
- start cooking all your meals and avoid fast foods
- consider purchasing frozen vegetables - same nutritional value; canned fruits and veggies are also nother healthy option just make sure that the fruit is canned in water and not syrup and that veggies are canned with no salt added
- consider purchasing fresh fruits and veggis which are in season - check out your local farmers market as well
- make your own salad dressing (one part vinegar to three parts olive oil - add garlic, herbs, salt and pepper)

As for exercise, walking is free and so accessible. Once you have developed a sustainable level of cardio transfer the walking into a mix of walk/run and eventually, if you want, turn your free workouts into running sessions. Use your body weight for strength training - push ups, squats, lunges, sit ups - all of these are free, do not require any devices and can be performed in the comfort of your own home. I hope this helps. If you want some receipes for meal ideas, let me know and I'll send them to you.

I wish you all the best in your journey and know that you are not alone. Cheers

I forgot to add - for protein sources consider eggs as well, and dried beans/lentils - fantastic source of protein!

I agree, dried beans and lentils are very inexpensive, are incredibly health and super filling.

Hi Christina
I eat 6 times a day but they are generally between 200-300 calories. I'll have yougurt and almonds or a banana and almonds, couscous is more expensive but brown rice will work just as well. Focus on eating smaller meals more frequently. That should help you out some. If you have a bicycle, you could get out and bike some. I've found that playing tag with my boys WEARS ME OUT. In a good way though