Started 2 weeks ago.. have a few questions page

[texasblackrose]

Hi All!
I am so happy to be here. I started PB about 2 weeks ago and am loving it.

My first question is about this "grass fed" meats. I am pretty poor, and my food budget is very very low. about 250-300$ for my husband and myself. We both are on the PB life style now. I guess my issue is, we go to walmart daily and get discounted meats. By no means are these grass fed. Is this going to alter my results by much?

We started dieting on 4-20-11 and i lost my first 20lbs by doing the NO S diet. It was slow and one night i stumbled apon "fat head" movie on hulu which got me into researching more about this life style and brought me here.

I have completely switched over, only eating meats and veggies and little bits of fruit here and there. I have already seen a huge difference in my body and have lost an addition 10lbs in 2 weeks!

I do eat cheese and dairy. Only drink water.

The first week we completely cut out all fruits, and i lost 6 lbs. The 2nd week we allowed fruits and i only lost 4lbs. I know this is an excellent loss in 2 weeks. But i noticed the past few days i have been "stuck" so i am droping the fruits back down to very little and also droping out the nuts in my diet. (was eating lots of them this past week!)

So, again, the grass fed meats.. is not eating grass fed going to be ok? Also switched to real butter - unsalted (walmart brand) .

If anyone has any suggestions or advice for me, much appreciate it! Thanks!


Started No S diet @ 350lbs
Started PB @ 330lbs
Currently @ 320lbs

[jlynd]

I stay away from Walmart meat. I believe all of their meat has been "enhanced", sometimes as much as 10% (water, salt, who-knows-what chemicals). So factor that in to their low prices. Also it looks like something from another planet in those vacuum sealed packages pumped with whatever gas they use to keep it red.

I don't eat grass-fed either (cost/availability), but I think a good quality meat from a grocery store with a butcher department is a reasonable compromise between cost and quality. Just watch those packages too as sometimes they get meat from a central distribution point and, guess what, "enhanced"...

Sounds like you are doing really well on PB ! Keep going !

[tfarny]

Well, you've got to do what you've got to do, basically - grassfed meat isn't going to help you lose weight faster, but it might be a lot better for you in other ways. I don't always eat pure perfect meat either, but I try to. I'd suggest a couple of things: 1) find a way to add $100 to your food budget from somewhere else, if that's possible - can you get by with one car where you live, turn off the air con sometimes, or cancel the cable? I don't know you, but the truth is that a lot of Americans look at their food budget as last priority when it should be up there with housing and health care. 2) garden if that's possible 3) look around your area for grassfed meat in bulk - you can get the good stuff for about $3 per pound if you buy half a cow.

Also, about the weight loss - don't think about it on a day by day basis, I'd recommend weighing yourself only once a week or even once a month - just find a way to measure the fit of a specific pair of pants over time - use pictures, or something. On Primal, your bones get a bit denser and you tend to gain muscle, so the # on the scale is not always the best measure.

GOod luck!

[Sanctus Real]

I agree, don't look at the scale to verify your successes. The scale doesn't account for so many other factors, like gained muscle or bone density, as tfarny said. I tend to look at my 'guns'. And they're getting firmer and firmer, so that's a success in my book.

I wouldn't sweat the grass-fed meat if you truly can't afford it, but you have to consider your grocery needs are going to change quite a bit. Buy your fruits and veggies before you buy your meat, and it may surprise you how much money you have left over for your meat. I spend around $50 a week on produce for a family of four, another $60 on grass-fed meat. However, we eat goat probably 4 days out of the week, fish another day, and chicken the other 2. My husband doesn't know it's goat; I call it chevon, and he thinks it's lamb, lol.

Anyway, I did have a point there. We're actually spending less on groceries now than before, even with the extra cost for grass-fed. We still buy milk, cheese, etc., but look at all of the things you don't buy when you're eating like this. No cereal, no bread, no junk food. I was amazed by how it all added up.

Check out Mark's recipes for creme fraiche and homemade butter. Might be worth a try for you, if you've got the time to do it.

[Sue]

Isn't $250-$300 per week a really good amount for a weekly shop or is this monthly?

[Betho]

$300/month is my budget for our family of 4, though I'm the only primal eater and my kids are little. I think what you want to do is definitely doable, but it will take some work. For us it's definitely going to be a challenge since I'm still buying bready stuff for the others. I just went primal so I don't really have many tips but I think it is realistic. And for what it's worth, we did save up and buy a quarter of a cow and it was a little over $3/lb but totally worth it since the meat is such fantastic quality and who can beat T-bones for $3/lb?

OH and if you can - check into keeping a few backyard hens. They are really low maintenance and the eggs are superb. Mine cost me less than $.75/dozen, and my chickens are out foraging in the yard all day long so I know I'm getting lots of good Omega 3s from them.

[Adrianag]

Don't get hung up on grass fed but do supplement with fish or krill oil.

[texasblackrose]

I wanted to thank everyone for the replies.

I live in apartment that cost way to much right now, but didnt have a choice because the room mate disappeared. Our lease is up in september, we are on food stamps. So another reason why our budget is about 250$ a month.
I have noticed that within the 2 weeks on PB i was able to fit into a size smaller pants, and i can actually SEE some arm muscle!

Ill see where i might be able to cut some $$ out of the budget and look into a local cow! Thank you everyone!

[belinda]

Congratulations on your success so far!

Dont' be shy about shopping for discounted meats and produce. Just be prepared to use them up right away or freeze/refrigerate as soon as you get them home.

It's getting harder to buy meat where I am. Right now medium ground beef is nearly $4 a pound and chicken thighs are $1 each. And that's not grass-fed. I'm going to have to hit a couple of farmers markets this weekend to check out their prices.

[Nomad1]

I envy those who can spend only $300 a month on food. Food here is SO expensive, it's unreal.