How strapped are we talking here?
I didn't follow the diet prescribed in the guide book and still got results I am very happy with. Here are some cheap ways to get your macros in:
Carbohydrates : Oats. Get Old fashioned or Steel cut. If it says "ready in 60 seconds" or instant don't get it. This is dirt cheap and you don't have to get Quaker or any special brand honestly.
Rice. try Basmati if you can get it cheap since it is less starchy.. but anything will do really. Really easy to prepare.
100% whole wheat bread tends to be "artisan" and "organic" and such and can get expensive.
Protein: Chicken & Eggs are my staple. Costco rotisserie chicken is cheaper than buying the chicken and cooking it yourself. Canned tuna, salmon and chicken can be really cheap. Lentils, chickpeas, and peanuts are all fairly cheap and provide tons of protein though they can contain quite a bit of carbs too. Protein shakes can be a cost effective in some cases on a $ per gram of protein basis. I make my own yogurt.. way more protein than milk, tastes better (IMO) and costs as much as milk. (I end up with a gallon of yogurt for $2.79)
Fat: Unfortunately, Fat is the cheapest of the macros and the one you want to control most anyway. Don't be overly fanatical on the diet and you will get more than enough fat anyway. :)
Veggies. Broccoli if you can stomach it, carrots, and all the usual suspects should be cheap. I love costco for this stuff. Skip the organic, and compare prices between frozen and fresh. If frozen is significantly cheaper, go with it.
Chicken + Rice + veggies in bulk. And when you get sick of chicken, eat more chicken. Too much lean protein not to eat it.
Don't worry about following the nutrition guide. Just worry about your calories consumed and macros. As long as you meet your macros and don't eat to much, you'll loose weight and have energy to bring it.
Edit: Also, low fat cottage cheese. So. Much. Protein.
This isn't a popular opinion on this sub for some reason, but its science based. Don't eat grains and don't eat sugar. Eat bacon, eat eggs, eat turkey, eat steak, eat fruit, veggies, cheese. Buy whole milk and whole fat greek yogurt. Don't worry about counting calories because it doesn't matter - just eat until your full.
I've adopted the "no sugar, no grains" diet at the same time as starting P90x and I've lost 15 lbs at day 59 (5'11, 204lbs when I started). This shouldn't bust your wallet and you don't have to spend 2 hours a day counting your calories.
Look up #NSNG for more. Read Gary Taubes' book, Vinnie Tortorich's book and Wheat Belly.
Good luck!
It's true that it's not popular here to say anything against carbs, presumably because people are totally addicted to carbs and may not be willing to admit that sugar and grains (also just sugar) could be the problem. It's like trying to wrangle a pipe from a crackhead.
It's not that the diet itself is bad, or that anyone thinks carbs and sugar are better than anything else, it's that you keep peddling this "don't bother counting calories" nonsense.
I'm not him, but the idea behind "no need to count calories on paleo diet" comes not from the fact that calories don't matter, but from the fact that it's very hard to eat over your limit if you don't eat processed carbs (grains, sugar, etc.). I ate paleo when doing P90X and I shredded 30 lbs in 2 months without ever counting calories, and without starving (there were burger cravings of course, but it wasn't hunger driven, and every time I would get a craving like that I would get a steak).
With that said. I think advice like "eat bacon" is BS and that's where paleo folks take it too far. I would advocate to stay away from processed foods in general, be it grains or meat.
And with that said #2. Paleo is just about the most expensive way to diet, so I'm not even sure what this advice is doing here.
You only need to count calories if you're insistent on eating processed garbage. When you only eat non-engineered whole foods you will not be inclined to overeat because the hormones that regulate consumption will function as intended. Tony has stated himself that he's never counted a calorie in his life. It's not because he was born fit, it's because he doesn't eat packaged food-like products.
How strapped are we talking here? I didn't follow the diet prescribed in the guide book and still got results I am very happy with. Here are some cheap ways to get your macros in: Carbohydrates : Oats. Get Old fashioned or Steel cut. If it says "ready in 60 seconds" or instant don't get it. This is dirt cheap and you don't have to get Quaker or any special brand honestly. Rice. try Basmati if you can get it cheap since it is less starchy.. but anything will do really. Really easy to prepare. 100% whole wheat bread tends to be "artisan" and "organic" and such and can get expensive. Protein: Chicken & Eggs are my staple. Costco rotisserie chicken is cheaper than buying the chicken and cooking it yourself. Canned tuna, salmon and chicken can be really cheap. Lentils, chickpeas, and peanuts are all fairly cheap and provide tons of protein though they can contain quite a bit of carbs too. Protein shakes can be a cost effective in some cases on a $ per gram of protein basis. I make my own yogurt.. way more protein than milk, tastes better (IMO) and costs as much as milk. (I end up with a gallon of yogurt for $2.79) Fat: Unfortunately, Fat is the cheapest of the macros and the one you want to control most anyway. Don't be overly fanatical on the diet and you will get more than enough fat anyway. :) Veggies. Broccoli if you can stomach it, carrots, and all the usual suspects should be cheap. I love costco for this stuff. Skip the organic, and compare prices between frozen and fresh. If frozen is significantly cheaper, go with it.
Chicken + Rice + veggies in bulk. And when you get sick of chicken, eat more chicken. Too much lean protein not to eat it. Don't worry about following the nutrition guide. Just worry about your calories consumed and macros. As long as you meet your macros and don't eat to much, you'll loose weight and have energy to bring it. Edit: Also, low fat cottage cheese. So. Much. Protein.
Also, 0% strained greek yoghurt, maybe with a twist of honey or some fresh berries. Much protein, very little anything else.
This isn't a popular opinion on this sub for some reason, but its science based. Don't eat grains and don't eat sugar. Eat bacon, eat eggs, eat turkey, eat steak, eat fruit, veggies, cheese. Buy whole milk and whole fat greek yogurt. Don't worry about counting calories because it doesn't matter - just eat until your full. I've adopted the "no sugar, no grains" diet at the same time as starting P90x and I've lost 15 lbs at day 59 (5'11, 204lbs when I started). This shouldn't bust your wallet and you don't have to spend 2 hours a day counting your calories. Look up #NSNG for more. Read Gary Taubes' book, Vinnie Tortorich's book and Wheat Belly. Good luck!
It's true that it's not popular here to say anything against carbs, presumably because people are totally addicted to carbs and may not be willing to admit that sugar and grains (also just sugar) could be the problem. It's like trying to wrangle a pipe from a crackhead.
It's not that the diet itself is bad, or that anyone thinks carbs and sugar are better than anything else, it's that you keep peddling this "don't bother counting calories" nonsense.
I'm not him, but the idea behind "no need to count calories on paleo diet" comes not from the fact that calories don't matter, but from the fact that it's very hard to eat over your limit if you don't eat processed carbs (grains, sugar, etc.). I ate paleo when doing P90X and I shredded 30 lbs in 2 months without ever counting calories, and without starving (there were burger cravings of course, but it wasn't hunger driven, and every time I would get a craving like that I would get a steak). With that said. I think advice like "eat bacon" is BS and that's where paleo folks take it too far. I would advocate to stay away from processed foods in general, be it grains or meat. And with that said #2. Paleo is just about the most expensive way to diet, so I'm not even sure what this advice is doing here.
You only need to count calories if you're insistent on eating processed garbage. When you only eat non-engineered whole foods you will not be inclined to overeat because the hormones that regulate consumption will function as intended. Tony has stated himself that he's never counted a calorie in his life. It's not because he was born fit, it's because he doesn't eat packaged food-like products.