Is this an affordable diet?
 

I'm interested in starting this diet, but I'm on a very strict food budget. I get produce at cost, so that's not a problem. I've been looking at the book on Amazon and thinking about giving it a try.

There are ways to eat at a reasonable cost on this plan. For many of us the cost of produce is one of the largest expenses so it sounds like that won't be a problem for you. Many people eliminate or cut back their eating out so they save money there. Certainly eating without processed foods is more expensive but you can catch meat on sale and you can use dried beans if necessary to save money. Things like Splenda are expensive but not required on this diet. Remember that you do not need to follow the menus in the book, just eat from the food lists so you don't have to have expensive seafood or other items.

I think it is worth the extra cost but I do shop the sales.

well considering that you will not be spending money on fast food or junk food and you get produce at cost (lucky lucky lucky YOU) you should be fine since this plan is mostly about lean protein whole foods and mostly veggies....

Thanks everyone. I don't really eat a lot of processed foods anyway, except for the occasional granola bar. I do eat A LOT of breads/grains/cereals, which I understand aren't allowed until a certain point in the diet. That will be my problem if I do because I have a guy and a daughter to cook for too.

I don't think I spend more now on groceries than I did before. I'm more willing to spend a little more on quality food though, things I might have considered too expensive in the past, but since I am not buying cookies, candy, soda, etc., it evens out.

And most of us here have families or others that we cook for. That really isn't too difficult, as we are cooking normal, healthy food. I make my chicken and veggies or whatever, then add in some potatoes or rice for DH and kids. I haven't had too many complaints so far. The whole family eats WW pasta now and loves it.

I don't like potatoes so I rarely cooked with them before. I still cook rice (Uncle Ben's Converted is allowed in phase 2) and I switched to whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread and tortillas. During phase 1, I would just eat vegetables instead of these starches while fixing the starches for my family and in phase 2, I eat smaller portions of the starches with a lot of vegetables while my 10 year old eats the starch and some vegetables.

I've also started serving Brian and I salads while the rest of the dinner finishes cooking. It helps fill us up so we eat less of the rest of the meal when it is ready. I don't make him eat totally on plan but I figure every little bit helps.

CLZF, :welcome3:

One way to save money is to get the book at the library! :D A new book is coming out next month, so if you want to buy a book, save your money and buy that one. It'll have updated lists and a bigger emphasis on exercise, or so we're told. You can find updated lists for the book in our FAQ.

You can't eat grains during Phase 1, but it only lasts 2 weeks. Then you can introduce them during Phase 2 and figure out what works for your body. :)

I think the biggest cost involved with the food on SBD is the move from (cheap) processed food to (expensive, relatively) unprocessed food. If you aren't buying a lot of processed food already, I don't think you're going to see much of an increase. I agree about produce, too--that's the biggest cost for me as well. At least 1/3 of my shopping list is produce...sometimes as much as 1/2. Meat can get expensive, but you can find ways to save--I tend to buy boneless pork chops at Sam's Club when it goes on sale for something like $1.29/lb. They'll slice them for you at whatever thickness you want. When I make them, I just cut off the layer of fat on the edge and end up with a very lean cut of meat.

I find it easy to cook for others on this plan. We'll make a meal with meat, veggies, and a starch. I'll just eat two servings of veg while DH has grains. Or we'll have something like the Taco Bake and I'll have it on angel-hair coleslaw while DH has his on a WW tortilla.

Hope you decide to join us, CLZF! :D

I've always found that eating/shopping healthy is more expensive. And if you go organic, it's sky high. In the long run, it's well worth it.

I definitely spend more! Dairy, produce and lean cuts of meat are much more expensive than buying some of the processed foods and fattier meats I used to buy. We do tend to eat less on this diet, so we save a little that way, but overall I'd say we are spending more. Hope this helps :)

Do you have a favorite "normal food" cookbook?? I will be cooking for my family and need to keep things as normal as I can.

TIA

Gina

I think the recipe section of this SBD forum is fabulous. I have made several of the recipes and my family loves them. I checked out the SBD cookbooks but the recipes were either too fancy or food my family would not have eaten.

Originally Posted by GinaXOXO:
Do you have a favorite "normal food" cookbook?? I will be cooking for my family and need to keep things as normal as I can.

TIA

Gina

what do you make for them now?

I agree with finding recipes here on this forum or even over on the low carb, sugar busters and even ww forums. You just have to make sure the ingredients are SBD friendly or be able to tweak those to make them ok.
I also will use the computer...usually google to search for recipes. Then I just make things SBD friendly. The original SBD book has a lot of recipes in the back and we have the orange colored SBD recipe book. We have used those recipes, but the majority of the ones I use are from online.
I tend to blend recipes. I will find 3 or 4 recipes for an ingredient and then I blend those recipes to suit our tastes. I like to create in the kitchen!

We spend about the same amount of money at the grocery as we did before, but we already cooked most of our meals and used very few prepared foods.

My DD, 23 years old, doesn't hardly ever cook and is on a limited budget, she managed to do a SBD inspired food plan very successfully. Basically she just stopped eating fast food. She does buy the prepared SBD foods and fresh salads, veggies, fruits. She still eats out a lot, but avoids bad carbs, bad fats, avoids all fried foods and eats a lot more soups and salads. AND she looks fabulous!!! (not a biased mom at all???)
Karla

We have saved money since going on the SBD. I think the biggest and most important money saver is planning. Planning is also key to not slipping up. With careful meal planning you can budget your money around your menu. Most of our budget is on produce, then meat, and then dairy. We tend to like a lot of fresh vegetables, which can be more expensive than frozen and canned. But we also try to purchase what produce is in season and on sale to cut back the cost a little.

Good luck, and I hope you decide to join us! :)

Originally Posted by ladybugnessa:
what do you make for them now?

:rofl: Nessa, you are too much.

Gina, this "diet" is really just a healthy eating plan. I don't really cook that different now than I used to. I serve my husband (when he's actually with the family and not halfway around the world...) and children the same food I cook for myself and they love it. The only thing I've kind of gotten away from is using artificial sweeteners. I tried them when I first started on the Beach but I don't like giving them to my kids, and, to be honest, I don't particularly care for them myself. So I've gone to using agave nectar to sweeten things like oatmeal and tea. I do use honey for the kids' oatmeal; I'm not worried about spiking their blood sugar and causing carb cravings!

Really, the crux of this diet is getting in lots of veggies and a balance of protein and good carbs. It's not unreasonable to expect that an entire family can eat this way.

Kara

actually i was quite serious..... how can we figure out what to suggest for the family to eat if we don't know what they like now.... we can't totally change their food... we have to adapt and modify what they like now....

I buy large packages of chicken breasts on sale & freeze them. I have also started using beans more, as my main dish and they're cheap and filling. Just add some tomato juice and spices and you have a main dish. I buy whatever fruit is on sale and I do the same with veggies. Store brand cheeses are cheaper and I watch for sales there too. I also noticed that because these foods are so filling, you're actually eating less volume than you might with the cheaper grocery items. Store brand oatmeal is cheaper than the boxed cereals most people eat. Skim milk is cheaper than the other kinds. I do splurge on the whole grain muffins or bread. I guess my thoughts are that you're health is the payoff and that makes it more affordable in the long run.
You're also showing your family a healthier way of eating.

Originally Posted by murphmitch:
I buy large packages of chicken breasts on sale & freeze them. I have also started using beans more, as my main dish and they're cheap and filling. Just add some tomato juice and spices and you have a main dish. I buy whatever fruit is on sale and I do the same with veggies. Store brand cheeses are cheaper and I watch for sales there too. I also noticed that because these foods are so filling, you're actually eating less volume than you might with the cheaper grocery items. Store brand oatmeal is cheaper than the boxed cereals most people eat. Skim milk is cheaper than the other kinds. I do splurge on the whole grain muffins or bread. I guess my thoughts are that you're health is the payoff and that makes it more affordable in the long run.
You're also showing your family a healthier way of eating.

Where have you found whole grain muffins?

yes START UP is very expensive... after a while it's just filling in so it's not so bad...

Originally Posted by cathbro:
Where have you found whole grain muffins?

Pepperidge Farms makes a 100% whole wheat English muffin. I can only find them at one local grocery store though. Can't find them at Walmart. They have 3 Gms of fiber. They do have 4 Gms of sugar which might be a little high. I can't remember what the sugar limit is suggested for SBD breads. They haven't impeded my weight loss though or caused cravings.

3g of fiber for how big of a serving???

For one serving which is one muffin.

100% Whole Wheat English Muffins
Containing 6 grams of protein
Amount per Serving (serving size) = 1 Muffin % Daily Values** Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%
Iron 8%
Niacin – 10%
Thiamin – 10%
Riboflavin – 6%
Folic Acid – 6%
Calories 140
Total Fat 1.5g
Sat. Fat 0.5g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 210mg
Total Carb. 26g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 4g
Protein 6g

Trader Joe's also sells whole wheat/whole grain english muffins.

Originally Posted by cathbro:
Where have you found whole grain muffins?

I found Thomas brand 100% whole wheat English muffins today. Similar stats as the Pepperidge Farms only less sugar (2Gms instead of 4 Gms).

Originally Posted by murphmitch:
For one serving which is one muffin.

100% Whole Wheat English Muffins
Containing 6 grams of protein
Amount per Serving (serving size) = 1 Muffin % Daily Values** Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%
Iron 8%
Niacin – 10%
Thiamin – 10%
Riboflavin – 6%
Folic Acid – 6%
Calories 140
Total Fat 1.5g
Sat. Fat 0.5g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 210mg
Total Carb. 26g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 4g
Protein 6g

is a muffin 30g or 60g?

57Gms. so basically 2 oz (which I suppose is technically 2 servings of a grain, although I've never been able to eat 1/2 of a muffin)

Originally Posted by murphmitch:
57Gms. so basically 2 oz (which I suppose is technically 2 servings of a grain, although I've never been able to eat 1/2 of a muffin)

yes that would be two servings since a serving is 30g or one ounce.
so it's really only 1.5 g of fiber per serving which is really not enough to meet south beach requirements. IF it's not causing you problems then that's great and I would keep it up. but for those that want to be 'purists' it's not really acceptable.