The Best Diet to Lose Fat
When You Are On a Tight Budget

Which is the best diet to lose fat when you are on a budget?  It seems that these days everyone has the SOLUTION.  I mean you have the FAST DIET, WHEAT BELLY, PRACTICAL PALEO, the FAST METABOLISM DIET, The SOUTH BEACH DIET, etc. 

TOO MANY DIET BOOKS????TOO MANY DIET BOOKS????

It can go on and on.  It's insane how many diet books are on the market  but there are very few for those on a budget.  The biggest problem with a lot of diet books is the need to buy the ingredients needed for the recipes - this is where things get expensive AND tiresome. 

Another issue is some diets and recipes that require grass fed beef or farm raised or organic chicken.  While this is the healthiest option it is not a deal breaker when it comes to fat loss.  Lowering toxins in your body is going to help but if you can't afford it it's still better to eat whole foods rather than processed food from box or fast food joint.

The Best Diet to Lose Fat


  • First of all, the best diet to lose fat is not going to be a diet….it's going to be a way of eating.  But I'm sure you have all hear that before. 


  • Second, the best diet to lose fat is going to be one that suggests high protein, lots of green leafy veggies, moderate fat intake and a low to moderate carb intake. 

  • Third, the best diet to lose fat is NOT going to suggest the use of special supplements.  If they suggest a basic multi-vitamin and some additional minerals - that's a good thing.  But if they suggest some fancy detox pill or appetite suppressant then look somewhere else. 


My personal favorites are Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto (download a free copy) and The Ultra Simple Diet   which is a great weight loss detox and The Blood Sugar Solution both by Dr. Mark Hyman.

The Ultra Simple Diet and The Blood Sugar Solution place great emphasis on a low carb approach but high in leafy greens and veggies, healthy fats and lean proteins.  The food lists are reasonable for a tight budget as you can adjust what you are going to purchase depending on your finances.  Both books provide a reasonable weight loss menu to help guide your food choices.  If you need to lose weight in a week - definitely choose the Ultra Simple Diet.....it works.

Leafy greens and veggies are certainly affordable.  These can be purchased fresh, frozen, from a CSA or a farmer's market.  Certain veggies such as cabbage and kale are super affordable.

Since this approach requires moderate to low amounts of protein - it also makes it affordable since protein tends to be the most expensive of all macronutrients.  But you can find terrific deals on protein at places like Aldi's or using sources like My Grocery Deals.com to help you seek out what's on sale at your local supermarket.  Buy these sale/low price items in bulk and cook them ahead of time so they are available for meals.

Although both the Ultra Simple Diet and The Blood Sugar Solution suggests supplement use - Dr. Hyman does state to do the best you can when it comes to supplements.  If it's not within your budget then focus on the foods or do what you can when it comes to the supplements.  Dr. Hyman does have his own line of supplements which are pricey but he gives a list of supplements that you can purchase elsewhere if you do not want to purchase his line of supplements. 

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is the ultimate guide to fat loss.  Although it's quite long at over 300+ pages it has everything you need to know about fat loss.  It tells the TRUTH about losing FAT and not losing muscle along with it.  Tom Venuto tells it like it is and puts a lot of emphasis on the HARD WORK needed to lose fat.  Putting in hard work doesn't cost much at all - just a lot of sweat and maybe tears.

This approach emphasizes the calorie in/calorie out approach which is sometimes hard for people to accept - but it's a reality that a deficit is needed in order to lose fat. 

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle has a broader food list compared to the Ultra Simple Diet and The Blood Sugar Solution.  I like to alternate both approaches because the Ultra Simple Diet can be used as a detox. I feel that for those with stubborn fat or those that have trouble with cravings and inflammation - using the Ultra Simple Diet approach is a good way to clear a lot of junk out of your system so you can adhere to the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle approach.

For example, you can start with the Ultra Simple Diet and complete 2 weeks of this program then transition to Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle for about 12 weeks.

Then assess your results at the end of this timeframe to determine if you feel you would like to go back to the Ultra Simple Diet for another 2 weeks.

Some people can stay on the Ultra Simple Diet longer - but it is a more limiting and strict approach.  The choice really is yours….you cannot go wrong with either one of these. 

By using many of these foods you will be able to get the bulk of your healthy foods for under $35 per week.  For many people who are successful at losing weight use these foods as their staples they then add in other foods depending on sales at the supermarket, food interests (wanting to try something new) and other recipes. 

Things to remember:

 

Fat loss is a journey and requires consistency and discipline….there is no magic bullet.

 

Preparation is key - having your foods available and ready is needed for a foundation of success.

 

You still need to exercise - it helps to elevate your metabolism while you are placing your body in a calorie deficit which WILL slow your metabolism down.  Participate in resistance training and aerobic activities to keep your metabolism revving.

 

Your attempt at fat loss is NOT GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE all the time.  Don't expect to always feel good….or satisfied….or happy.  You are going to be making changes that your body is NOT USED TO so it will try to throw a tantrum and force you to give it what it wants……junky, crappy food.


These are my recommendations for the best diet to lose fat but there are many more.  Ultimately....the best diet to lose fat is the one that you can stick with on a consistent basis and it fits your lifestyle. 


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