Hello, I'm new here as I begin on my journey towards losing weight and gaining my perfect weight. I begin the program in a week. Everything looks good and I'm positive that it is very beneficial, but what I'm concerned about is the affordability of following through with the program. I have the desire to eat healthier and become more active, yet the cost of the foods on the shopping list might not allow for me to buy everything that I need to prepare all the meals that have been planned for me. I'm only a working class, low-income citizen. ( Don't pity me.) What can I do?  

I am in the same boat as far as income.  We have always ate healthier than some by picking the right kinds of food.  We may not always have organic or even natural but we have veggies and whole grain, no pre-cooked or packaged dinners.  We also don't always use a bunch of vitamins or supplements.  If the money is not there it just can't be done. 

However, low income doesn't give anyone the excuse to eat frozen pizza, or frozen dinners no matter how healthy the dinners claim to be.  We spend less on ingredients (not necessarily organic) to build our own pizza from scratch (not from boxed pizza crust) than our friends do to buy frozen. 

My mom used to buy Hamburger Helper on sell because she had even less money to work with.  My husband band the stuff from our household as soon as we married.  I quickly found that I could buy rice and veggies to make my own skillet concoctions a lot cheaper.  And once you get used to it it doesn't take that much more time. 

If you can't afford some of the cuts of meat or variety of fish, substitute with a lower cost version that is allowed.  You don't have to follow the meal plans exactly, they are to give you ideas to work with.

Hi,

I am glad the question was asked. I am thankful for your response. I am pretty much in the same boat. My husband works but I am disabled and on SS Disability. That makes things tight. I do have to keep my supplements. An alternative/ medical doctor sent me in the right direction about 7 years ago. Before that I keep spiraling downhill. I've replaced most of my prescription meds with natural supplements and have been slowly progressing uphill. Since my disability is is from a birth deformity, I can not completely overcome it, but with God's help and guidience, I can be the best I can be with it. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I feel that this is the next step in my healing.

I try to buy local grown foods when possible but that can be expensive at times. We try to buy organic when we can, but the cost is so much more. We have a small yard so a big garden is out. My husband made flower beds around the house. Most of them are vegie beds. He also made me one small one in the back yard. This year we have planted peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, cabbage, romaine lettuce, parsley, basil and oregano. I planted some old green bean seeds in front of the tomatoes, but I guess they are to old. I guess I am saying this because it is one way I save on the cost of food and I know that my vegies are natural.

I can't follow the menu either. My meals have to be very simple and I can't cook consistently. I so used it to get an idea on what I should be doing and follow as best I can.

One of the best investments I made toward following the guidelines toward healthier living is an extra freezer!  I live in a farming community and when the local stands are up and running, I buy twice and much as I need and put it in the freezer.  I usually can't do enough to carry me all the way through the winter, but I find myself going for weeks without having to buy overpriced, out of season fruits and veggies from the local grocery store when I try to freeze during the summer.  This is also easy to do with canning applesauce, green beans and many other things.  The local vendors really are a lot cheaper and better tasting and we are having yummy sweet corn even now in January.  Plus, I can stock up on meats when they are on sale.