03/12/2023
Message to all of those Losing Weight on a budget.
While living off of government benefits (£300 a month) I managed to lose about 100lbs (150lbs total weight loss, 100lbs while broke AF). It involved a lot of cheap protein, specifically Greek yogurt. If you can tolerate dairy, its probably the best protein per (insert your currency here). You could also make a bulk purchase of unflavoured protein powder and mix it in with cheap porridge. Another easy quick hit of cheap protein would be skimmed milk. You get about 4g protein per 100ml and its extremely cheap. The only reason I rarely used this was because I tried to stay in ketosis and the processing of this milk makes it very high lactose.
Second best in value per (insert currency here) would be eggs, one of my go to favourites that I really enjoy plain and boiled. I know its weird. They are versatile so you can do with them as you wish and a staple for any ketogenic diet. They also take the least time to prepare of the cooked options, scrambled in butter takes a few minutes and is delicious!
As for meat, learning when your local store does clearance/reduction sales for items going out of date is a great source of cheap protein. Just ask one of the workers for a rough estimate of the time they do reductions and where they put them. Keep an eye out for items of interest stocked in high quantities with sell by dates within the week; Also keep an eye out for meat items that come with a 'sauce'. Sometimes the flavours are very unpopular which makes them more likely for reduction and you can just chuck away the sauce.
Canned fish is an incredible option too. The day I discovered canned Wild Salmon was the day I stopped eating 500g of Greek yogurt a day. There is also Mackerel, Sardines if you can stomach them, Tuna and Anchovies!
Another that may not be especially helpful for weight loss but critical for budget bulking and weight gain is peanut butter, very cheap and very satiating. If you follow a Ketogenic protocol this is easily an item you can add to your diet while losing weight!
I saw a few comments about low tolerance for Legumes (Chickpeas, Lentils, etc). If you haven't already, try and soak them for a long time, maybe even days before use. Then cook them to mush. I have heard from friends with IBS that this made legumes tolerable for them (especially the cooking them to mush).