Dieting doesn’t have to be expensive…and we’ll show you how!

Os ginásios de hoje em dia, com mais luzes que uma discoteca, mais aulas que uma Universidade de ensino superior e mais instrutores a venderem PT’s do que pessoas a praticar exercício, levam a crer que frequentar um ginásio pode ser extremamente caro.

As we pass through the “healthy” area of the hypermarket, with prices that look more like a Gucci store in Dubai, we are led to believe that changing our habits by exercising more and following a more balanced diet may be impossible in times of crisis.

The intention of this article is to share some ideas, at least regarding diet, and to ensure that the monthly expense of dieting is not an excuse for not starting.

First of all, some important points:

• Preparation – When we don't have our meals prepared, we make poor choices: we end up eating out (it's harder to track calories and we spend more €€€), or we end up making occasional purchases at the supermarket (more expensive, less controlled).

• Being important doesn't mean being cheap – We can save money on our diet, but that doesn't mean it should be an overly boring diet. We should buy more expensive items in moderation, which are less essential to our diet, but which will allow us to enjoy the things we like in smaller quantities.

  As another saying goes: “it’s a double-edged sword”. It benefits your wallet and your diet to include these foods in small quantities.

• Make a summary of your current food expenses – You will probably be surprised (a lot) at how much you spend on cookies, dinners/lunches out, soft drinks, chocolates, and stops at the gas station. And that night that ended in the trailers?

As for gyms, I'm not going to advertise them, but there are already lots of low-cost offers with enough equipment to achieve the body you're possibly looking for.

If you're clear about what you want, creating your own home gym can be a huge savings in the long run.

The beauty and the ugly of flexible dieting

Flexible dieting (aka IIFYM) is increasingly popular.

In addition to other errors committed due to misinterpretation of the same, there is the general inconvenience of everything fitting “in the macros”.

While my vision of flexible dieting is to “be inclusive,” it doesn’t mean that this is an excuse to eat out more or eat “real food” less often.

I think that if the idea is an excuse to eat whatever you want as long as it fits within your macros, set aside one day a week to play with mathematical equations, trying to keep the focus on less processed foods on the remaining days of the week.

In general, I end up seeing a lot of “flexdieters” who only shop occasionally, or almost always eat in restaurants, etc.

Therefore, I continue to be an apologist for rational thinking:

• What matters most right now?

• Change your body?

• Avoid a budget hole?

So set priorities.

Prepare your lunch boxes, shop while taking advantage of promotions, and plan important dates to break your diet, giving you the freedom and relaxation to eat out and have fun.

Create your menu

Now that you know my basic views on the subject, let's try to understand how to approach the diet in order to optimize the investment (because you are investing something, in yourself and your goals).

Steps to create your menu

1. Set your daily calories/meal, or just based on your diet goal (hypercaloric, hypocaloric, low carb, paleo, etc).

2. Create meals based on the objective set for the day (you can combine practical and easy recipes).

3. Create several simple options for each meal so you can vary between them.

4. Create a basic shopping list, based on your menu.

5. Print the menu and use it as a basis for your shopping trip to avoid impulse purchases.

6. Include a list of spices to your liking, which allow you to savor the food and avoid buying foods already seasoned with unnecessary substances/products/calories.

Some (small) adjustments that allow you to optimize your menu

• Normal pasta is cheaper than wholemeal pasta, and it doesn't make much difference nutritionally.

• White label rice (Continente, Pingo Doce, etc.) is generally cheaper than other more reputable brands. Nutritionally, there is (almost) no change and those who consume a lot of carbohydrates may notice positive impacts on their budget with this change.

• Save calories and budget by cooking with a good non-stick frying pan and, if necessary, olive oil/coconut oil spray (I usually use extra virgin olive oil spray).

• Chicken and tuna are cheaper than salmon and prime cuts of beef, so use the former in larger quantities, thus ending up cutting calories and possibly a few euros from your budget.

  The fat missing from this exchange can be replaced with nut butter and olive oil, for example.

• Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh ones.

  Now bring on the “anti-frozen” advocates… Frozen vegetables will always be a better option than not eating them at all.

• The same rule applies to canned goods. They are delicious, cheap and practical.

Note: Last chapter has some example meals.

How to start?

You already have the menu, you already have the shopping list, what now?

Now comes the most important part.

I read the leaflets from the main supermarkets every week. They are available online and it is easy to find the basic foods that are on sale. It is usually easy to save a lot on meat/fish/eggs with these weekly promotions.

For meat and fish, it is best to buy enough for the entire month, pack it in individual bags and freeze it. It is best to always remove it to defrost in the refrigerator 24 hours in advance.

Always look for possible agreements with local suppliers. For example, in the Power Fitness group we have a supplier of chicken breast at €3.5/kg. There are many of us and the price is very attractive and without having to queue at Pingo Doce.

The same applies to fruit and vegetables, there are many local shops with prices equal to/lower than those in supermarkets. For example, I discovered a few weeks ago that I have a grocery store right on my doorstep with products that are almost all made in Portugal (a few imported), with a price 15-20% lower than in supermarkets. And the taste is much better than frozen bananas (imported).

So, to sum up, we can try to use the following idea: “I consume these 15 foods, 5 of which are on sale and it’s worth stocking up” instead of the impulsive thought: “I’m going to buy everything because it’s on sale”.

Where to buy?

My favorite supermarkets:

• Aldi – Listing the main items with good price/quality: canned tuna (2x the normal can), canned goods in general (includes lentils, ratatouille, jalapeño peppers, etc.), Quark 0%, Cottage cheese 0%, lactose-free milk, fresh goods in general.

• Lidl – Listing the main items with good price/quality: Ice Tea 0%, Quark 0%, Light Greek 2%, Whole Cheerios, various cereals, fresh in general.

• Makro – Listing the main items with good price/quality: Frozen hake fillets, Fullprotein 0%, 1L egg whites, Gin and tonic water (it is often cheaper lol).

• Jumbo – For those who do not have access to a Makro card, Jumbo also sells egg whites.

• Local trade – Always look for alternatives offered by grocery stores/butchers in your area.

How to save money (and time!) when preparing food

Another useful solution is to save time and money on food preparation. 

• Microwave Recipes – They don't kill, unlike some lost items, and they are super practical on difficult days (which we all have).

  Who doesn’t like microwaved sweet potato chips?

• Pressure cooker – It allows you to cook huge quantities of food using only meat, vegetables, spices and some sauce to taste (as simple as ripe tomatoes).

  The recipe for “slow cook” chicken in page is my favorite.

• Cook in advance – Cook in quantities that will last several days. It allows you to save time and money.

Bonus 1: Meal Examples

Below are some examples of meals that can be prepared to be used over several days, which include affordable and, of course, TASTY options.

Breakfast

• Eggs + Egg Whites and Fruit (Sweet version).

• Egg and/or egg white omelette, using vegetables that are spoiling in the fridge.

• Quark 0% with frozen red fruits, or fresh fruit and/or dried fruits.

• Overnight Oats, Just cook the oats with water/milk and add whey if necessary. Leave overnight and consume cold in the morning. (with honey on top only at the time of eating and it won't even seem like you're following a diet).

• Whey shake, fruit, spinach (frozen does not leave flavor), cereals, nuts, etc. Quick and effective.

• Oat and whey pancake. A classic.

Lunch/Dinner

• Thins bread with homemade chicken burger and Light cheese (Aldi) + salad.

• Salad with black-eyed peas, onion, tuna and peppers.

• Slow Cookers with rice, beans and vegetables.

Desserts/Snacks

• The magnificent whey fluff.

• Microwave cake with whey (#beltsanderbrownie).

• Quark with Flavdrops + Fruit.

• Boiled eggs + Fruit.

• Light cream cheese (Aldi) with stevia and cinnamon. It looks like rice pudding!

*You can find these and other recipes here It is here.

Bonus 2: Where we waste €€€

We've already talked about where to save money, and following a balanced diet (whether for gain muscular mass or lose fat) may not be as expensive as many people think.

Finally, let’s focus on where in this area of fitness (not just food) we waste money.

• Excess protein – Many people have a daily protein intake above 3g/kg of weight.

  Unless you like wasting money, 2g/kg is enough to maintain/gain muscle mass without having too much “catabolic” effects on your budget.

  Never forget that the biggest monetary expenditure in our diet is normally related to protein sources.

• Organic food – There is still not enough evidence that the added cost brings benefits equivalent to the difference in value.

  I'm not saying don't consume them, but if budget is a problem, avoid them.

• Useless supplements – No supplement is mandatory but that doesn't mean they have no use. For example, whey It is very practical and cheap per dose.

  More supplements only if the budget allows.

• Expensive workout clothes – They are pretty but they don't bring results.

• Accessories - Pedometers, heart rate monitors, etc. They are cool, they can be useful, but they are not mandatory.

I hope that now at the end of the article, there will be more clarity regarding the doubts regarding whether following a diet is expensive or cheap. Or justify that they can't follow any diet because they don't have money...

Possibly with a few tricks you can follow the diet you want, to achieve the body you want, spending less than you imagine!

Article written by Team Sik Nutrition

[author image=”https://ginasiovirtual.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo-sik.jpg” ]Team Sik Nutrition is a recently formed group of people passionate about the world of fitness. The team’s focus is to guide, educate and motivate those interested in achieving their health and fitness/performance goals. All of this information is based on scientific facts and the experience of the team members.

The CEO of Team Sik Nutrition is João Gonçalves. He is an amateur powerlifter, passionate about fitness and writing articles.

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