# Dieting is not Cheap



## chrisr116 (Apr 7, 2015)

I have been on a very strict diet for the past month or so.  My diet coach has it listed out how he wants me to eat.  6 meals per day.  I was looking over receipts from Sam's Club and the grocery store.  This diet is just whole foods.  I am not on any type of powdered proteins, etc. 

I have kind of got a feel for the amount of food and what that food costs me every week.  My proteins are fish, sirloin steak, lots of chicken, and ground turkey.  Sweet potatoes are a major part of my diet also- for my carbs.  Luckily I have a large flock of chickens, so eggs aren't really included in my figure.  The less expensive stuff is salad mix, veggies, and other stuff like balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  I know I am forgetting something.  

But, according to my closest figure, this diet costs me $15 a day.  So, if we break it down farther.  I have dropped 20 lbs since I have started, 244lbs to 224lbs. So, basically a month of dieting costs approximately $400.  We are just talking food here, nothing else like testosterone, etc.  Luckily I am cruising on this diet at 250mg of test enanthate a week.  If we get into the possiblilty of adding in dnp, t3, clen, Primo, Masteron, etc., we are getting into some serious bucks.   

So, that equates to $400 for 20lbs, which is 20 bucks a pound.  Lol.  I am already leveling off, so each pound of fat lost, and eventually, each pound of muscle gained costs a fortune with a proper diet.  

On a side note, if I go figure what a year of deer hunting expenses are, I would probably quit hunting...  That is my other passion.  Wonder what a pound of venison costs by the time it ends on the plate.  Haha, I bet its close to 100 bucks a pound.  

What are you guys spending on food when cutting?


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## kubes (Apr 7, 2015)

My grocery bill is almost double that. You must be doing a pretty good job getting deals. Just like gas food is not cheap anymore


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## chrisr116 (Apr 7, 2015)

Yeah, luckily my wife does the shopping.  If I did, I'd be way more.


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## kubes (Apr 7, 2015)

chrisr116 said:


> Yeah, luckily my wife does the shopping.  If I did, I'd be way more.




Haha I never looked at it that way. I could probably save some money if I did the shopping but I don't have the time


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## Sully (Apr 7, 2015)

Diet shopping is all about finding the deals at different places around town and taking advantage of them. We've got a Whole Foods type place here that sells chicken breast for $1.99/lb on Tuesdays. Free range, antibiotic free, blah blah blah. Basically good quality chicken that they usually charge $5-6/lb for. I stock up when I can make it there. Dollar General now has a market type grocery store in our town too. Lean ground beef there for $1.50/lb. Sirloin steaks for $2.75/lb I think as well. It's a huge pain to make an entire day out of grocery shopping, and having to hit 6 different stores, but it can save a couple hundred bucks a month if u plan it right. Just gotta do a little searching to find the good deals. Good luck bro, I feel your pain. Dieting is rough in more ways than one.


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## Magnus82 (Apr 7, 2015)

$15/day for six whole food meals.  That's awesome considering your eating fish, steak,  and chicken along with veggies for less than $3  meal.  My kids eat your daily budget in snacks alone!


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## greggy (Apr 8, 2015)

I definitely feel your pain.  That's what's wrong with today's society.  It's cheaper to eat fast food than it is to eat properly.


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## kubes (Apr 8, 2015)

Oh I don't think fast food is cheaper but probably about the same and you get so much better food at home!


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## chrisr116 (Apr 8, 2015)

Magnus82 said:


> $15/day for six whole food meals.  That's awesome considering your eating fish, steak,  and chicken along with veggies for less than $3  meal.  My kids eat your daily budget in snacks alone!



Yep, I have to again hand it to my wife for all the shopping and planning.  The sirloin is like $7 a lb at Sams but is choice grade and grain fed, etc.  I can get the steak a lot cheaper but I can't stand steak that is not up to a decent standard.  On the veggies, my lack of pickiness equates to saving money also.  We get one of those 6.6lb restaurant sized cans and I just eat peas with every meal until their gone, then eat green beans until that can is gone.  

I did find this soybean in the pod veggie called Edamamie or spelled something like that.  I love that stuff, for variety every couple of days.  I was chewing up and swallowing them pods and all, until my wife caught me and showed me how to get the beans out of the pod.  The pods weren't meant to be eaten.  lol


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## Sully (Apr 8, 2015)

Actually, other than the thick rope-like membrane that joins the 2 halves of the pod together, the whole thing is perfectly edible. It's mostly a texture thing that keeps most people from eating it. If u peel that seam off from end to end the whole thing eats pretty easily after that. I like to soak mine in some salt water for a few hours before eating them, then throw a little garlic infused olive oil over them and toss in a bowl. Makes a good snack.


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## chrisr116 (Apr 8, 2015)

Lil' Sully said:


> Actually, other than the thick rope-like membrane that joins the 2 halves of the pod together, the whole thing is perfectly edible. It's mostly a texture thing that keeps most people from eating it. If u peel that seam off from end to end the whole thing eats pretty easily after that. I like to soak mine in some salt water for a few hours before eating them, then throw a little garlic infused olive oil over them and toss in a bowl. Makes a good snack.


I'm sure it adds to the fiber for an easy bathroom time.  Lol.  Good point sully.  I'll try your system


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## Sully (Apr 8, 2015)

Hmmmmm, I never checked to see if they had more fiber that way. They might. The fiberous texture of the pods can make them a little tough to chew. Some people don't like them no matter what. I also eat shrimp with the shell on, so U might be better off not listening to me.


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## BrianS (Aug 5, 2015)

Yes the bill can be expensive but the food you're taking is good for your health. And you are already noticing improvement.


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## aon1 (Aug 7, 2015)

Buying a big freezer and butchering a whole beef will cut your bill a ton and the quality is second to none of you get hooked up with a good butcher


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## Magnus82 (Aug 7, 2015)

aon1 said:


> Buying a big freezer and butchering a whole beef will cut your bill a ton and the quality is second to none of you get hooked up with a good butcher



That is a great way to do it,  save money,  and get a better quality beef.  I've done this all my life and have never bought beef from the store, other than steaks when they run out.  Where I live grass fed beef isn't even an up charge and are often less as we have the space to put cattle to pasture.


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## machomadness22 (Aug 23, 2015)

I spend about $80 a week in food from Costo give or take I'm not really following a specific diet but I buy 1 huge 8-10lb bag of chicken, thing of tuna, 2 crates of eggs for me and the wife,3 things of almond milk and I usually pick up a couple of steaks a week from Safeway or something. I buy all my brown rice in bulk so I usually have to replace that every few months same with oatmeal a a big bag of whey!


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## Phoenixk2 (Aug 23, 2015)

machomadness22 said:


> I spend about $80 a week in food from Costo give or take I'm not really following a specific diet but I buy 1 huge 8-10lb bag of chicken, thing of tuna, 2 crates of eggs for me and the wife,3 things of almond milk and I usually pick up a couple of steaks a week from Safeway or something. I buy all my brown rice in bulk so I usually have to replace that every few months same with oatmeal a a big bag of whey!


Only $80 a week? Today at Costco I'll spend about $40 on my steaks for the week alone...


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## chrisr116 (Aug 23, 2015)

Phoenixk2 said:


> Only $80 a week? Today at Costco I'll spend about $40 on my steaks for the week alone...



Yeah, at Sam's a pack of sirloin steak runs about 20-25 bucks.  I believe they are USDA Choice grade vs Select grade you get at alot of places.  I think Costco beef is Choice grade also.  Well worth the extra money, in my opinion.


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## machomadness22 (Aug 24, 2015)

Phoenixk2 said:


> Only $80 a week? Today at Costco I'll spend about $40 on my steaks for the week alone...





chrisr116 said:


> Yeah, at Sam's a pack of sirloin steak runs about 20-25 bucks.  I believe they are USDA Choice grade vs Select grade you get at alot of places.  I think Costco beef is Choice grade also.  Well worth the extra money, in my opinion.



Haha yeah that's why I don't buy steaks at Costco I don't eat enough red meat to justify spending that much upfront, like I said if I get the urge for a burger or steak ill jut run down the street to Safeway in the long run I'm probably spending more.


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## Phoenixk2 (Aug 24, 2015)

chrisr116 said:


> Yeah, at Sam's a pack of sirloin steak runs about 20-25 bucks.  I believe they are USDA Choice grade vs Select grade you get at alot of places.  I think Costco beef is Choice grade also.  Well worth the extra money, in my opinion.



I grill up a bunch of steak and chicken thighs and cut them all up and put in a large glass container. Then I go to Chipotle and buy 4-5 brown rice bowls with mild salsa and some pinto beans(only in 2 of them) for about $5-$6. I take home and mix all the rice together. Then I have a very tasty brown rice mixture to eat with my meat.


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## chrisr116 (Aug 24, 2015)

I'm getting more into pinto and black beans these days.  I know it's not the thing for a contest prep, but I'm not a competitive bber.  I just like eating them.  Bought 4 lbs yesterday that I'm gonna cook tomorrow.  Btw, a pack of sirloin is about 28 bucks at Sam's.  Checked yesterday.  I got breast tenderloin filets there for 2.23 a lb, a 3 pack of Almond milk, 5lb tub of cottage cheese, frozen flounder, a rotisserie chicken and a couple other food items.  Still cost about 70 bucks, even without the steak.  Fish and chicken, rice, beans and sweet potatoes for me this week.  No steak..too expensive.  Lol


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## machomadness22 (Aug 25, 2015)

chrisr116 said:


> I'm getting more into pinto and black beans these days.  I know it's not the thing for a contest prep, but I'm not a competitive bber.  I just like eating them.  Bought 4 lbs yesterday that I'm gonna cook tomorrow.  Btw, a pack of sirloin is about 28 bucks at Sam's.  Checked yesterday.  I got breast tenderloin filets there for 2.23 a lb, a 3 pack of Almond milk, 5lb tub of cottage cheese, frozen flounder, a rotisserie chicken and a couple other food items.  Still cost about 70 bucks, even without the steak.  Fish and chicken, rice, beans and sweet potatoes for me this week.  No steak..too expensive.  Lol



Yeah that's about my week every week, somebody above was talking about buying a whole cow I bought a quarter of a cow 3 years ago and that actually lasted me a good while.


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## squatster (Aug 28, 2015)

$15 per day isn't really to bad
I spend $8 a day at the coffee shop for my donuts  and coffee


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## Phoe2006 (Aug 28, 2015)

https://bpisports.net/article/jay-cutler-bodybuilding-on-a-budget-2


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## Robertftw (Aug 29, 2015)

Phoe2006 said:


> https://bpisports.net/article/jay-cutler-bodybuilding-on-a-budget-2




I liked universals size for $50, $70, $100 videos also. I find it only gets expensive if you shop at Whole foods type of places.


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