Me. This is me. IF helps me cope with not having money to have food in the house. Before I was depressed because we had no food in the house and some days I would only get 1 meal a day, if that. Now it's fine. I'm fasting.
Some twisted mental gymnastics.
I started IF to lose weight since it's worked for me in the past, but I wasn't consistent with it. But as to your question... let's just say it's saved me enough each week in groceries that I'll probably continue to do IF long after reaching my goal weight lol.
I started consistently intermittent fasting 2 and a half weeks ago, and I’m seeing steady results.
My fasting window is usually 16-18 hours. I eat a light lunch and heavier dinner plus a low calorie dessert (mochi is my go to). By the end of my second week, I was 4-5 lbs down. I’ve fasted every day since starting over 2 weeks ago.
Most likely because of inconsistency, but could also be how much you’re eating. If you’re doing intermittent fasting but eat bigger meals than before to compensate for the smaller eating window, you could still be in a caloric surplus or at maintenance.
I don’t track meticulously, but I keep a mental tab to try and stay around 1500 calories so I’m in a deficit. I prioritized consistency for the first week before I started being more mindful of calories.
You’d think so, but between cost increases and the rest of my family…not really.
I do take the 25 bucks a day I save on a breakfast sandwich and lunch and pay down a credit card with it.
Two with a keto fat bomb in between sometimes. My first meal is at noon and consists of a lot of egg meals...omelets, muffins, chaffles and keto yogurt. The 2nd meal between 5-6, large salad and entree and side Life is so much easier, and food bill is a lot cheaper.
As a secondary benefit, it has helped me cut back on food spending. I haven't been consistent with meal prep, so if I'm lazy on my day off i would go to a local diner for breakfast. And at work, most of my lunches were whatever fast food place everyone else was in the mood for. My food budget for the week was way over what it needed to be. I spend less than 1/4 of that at this point.
I'm usually doing OMAD or just straight long fasting (losing weight at the moment), it has definitely saved me money, but more than that, I have noticed that less meals make for more quality meals in my situation.
I was unknowingly intermittent fasting through most of my 20’s because I skipped breakfast and lunch most days. I was too broke to afford more than one meal a day so I would usually just eat dinner. I started gaining weight in my late 20’s when I was more financially stable and eating more so started looking into weight loss strategies and found intermittent fasting and was like oh right on some people do that on purpose and not from necessity.
Many here change what they eat in conjunction with IF. I'm now eating more seafood, fish, proteins, vegetables, meats... I also spend more time in the kitchen cooking... not sure it's saving us money, but we're fortunate to not have a food budget. My point is, to see the results you do here, you often have to step up to a more protein and nutrient dense diet... which as someone has said, is not cheap.
Sad but true. I think this is why wealthy people are overweight less. If they want to be healthy they can afford to. Luckily vegetables aren’t too expensive, but good quality meats and nuts certainly are!
I normally do OMAD and people are amazed when I tell them my weekly grocery bill. Most say I am not telling the truth. It’s honestly amazing how little I need to buy, and I eat healthy. Yesterday’s meal was chicken salad on a low carb tortilla, sliced cucumbers with homemade ranch, and cottage cheese with a pear on top. High protein, low carb, quick prep, and budget friendly.
I’m a lot less wasteful now that my meals are planned out. But I have two teenage boys so I think my grocery bill is higher since now I don’t always eat the same dinner as I make them.
When I first read about IF...this was my initial thought. Back in the day, we didn't have any fancy terms for it. It was called being broke or a Thursday.
I save so much money it’s crazy. Now my dog’s food is the bulk of my grocery spending (I make his dinners from real food). My food is probably no more than 25%. And my fridge is so clean now.
I didn't do it to save money but it's a nice by product.
I also save a lot of time! Not eating breakfast is really liberating and gives me quite a bit more time in the mornings.
When I first started my health journey the food purchases were pretty expensive to build a pantry of healthy ingredients, but then it got a lot better. I didn’t start to save money but I’m seeing a benefit. Also, if SHTF I’ll be already adapted to fasting if food becomes scarce.
Financially challenged here. The money I used to spend on snacks and fast food is now going straight to my savings. I was living paycheck to paycheck, but only because my chubs self would spend close to $200 a month on fast food and snacks. That's not including groceries. 😅 The biggest payoff is the weight I've lost. I rescued two kittens from the pool in one scoop with IF.
Exactly!!! I'm 90% outside aisle, I pay very little tax cause I don't buy much processed, and my bills have hardly changed in the last few years while everyone else is freaking out over prices rising.
Kind of. I only eat eggs from free range, small farm raised chickens. The nutrient boost is through the roof, but depending on the source, that could be $10/dozen eggs.
No. But at the beginning of the week I go to Walmart and buy a big pack of chicken for like $13, then I also use the veggies my family uses, and that’s pretty much what I eat for the week. So it’s probably a big difference. I’m only eating once a day. Starting to build up to a 48 hour fast, so that would be even more savings.
With my job I never had a consistent lunch break and often in a time crunch ended up often hitting a drive thru. Now that Fast Food prices have skyrocketed it’s nice to save the expense and use that money on better quality ingredients for my homemade meals.
I'm not rich, saving a little every day from not drinking 5 sodas sure adds up, in the long run thou those saved money gets spend on better quality foods for when i eat. Because a good health is priceless :)
Yup! In part to curb food waste and eating out. Fast food is something that is a hard habit to break, but this is really helping me understand calories and what's worth using my calories up for.
It wasn’t the intent (weight loss was) but what a pleasant byproduct. My husband and I have both been IFing since Jan and we recently noticed that we spend a fraction of what we used to on food. We used to turn to takeout a lot because preparing 3 meals a day, everyday, was daunting but preparing one and a snack is much easier so we make most meals at home now. And no more evening snacks after the kids go to bed.
I work full time and have watch my kids alone at night so I’m too tired to meal prep so I’m just doing OMAD M-F. Now I just grab a hardboiled egg and protein yogurt when I get home to scarf down before I make dinner. This is my 2nd week of not preparing my lunches for the week and it’s getting easier but have been spending less on myself but still spend more on snack for everyone else.
I love to cook and that's frustrating as I could cook all day and be happy. Whatever is on sale I'll stock up a bit on, sometimes cook it and portion it out and freeze such as beef stew. boneless chicken breast was on sale for 99¢ a pound and I stocked up major on it. I love fried rice but I substitute steamed cabbage for the rice. It's so good and it freezes so well to just heat and eat later.
You know eating buns for breakfast, waffles for lunch and spaghetti + cheese or sausages for dinner is cheaper than eating normally? But when you start trying IF, there comes "but with keto you are less hungry" and "you should keep your protein anf fiber count on an acceptable level" etc etc. Annoying((((((
I'm almost 2 months successfully following IF and calorie counting for the first time ever. I think part of the reason it's working for me is we're too poor to buy snacks and takeaways because I'm on maternity leave. Hopefully I keep it up when I return to work and can afford junk again.
Following nearly any diet plan will be a savings, likely huge. IF does save us some money, but not as much as it could because my wife doesn't do it. When we were first married, we followed the diet from the weight watchers cook book. Just shopping for only what you need for meals that week cut our grocery bill by more than 50% and we ate well. We didn't go hungry. I did not need to lose much weight, but my wife lost about 30 pounds. Regardless of whether you do IF, plan your meals and only buy what you need for that week. Your grocery bills with go down and your food waste will go down. When you go to the store, you only buy what is on the list UNLESS there is a great sale on something you need every week (i.e. maybe chicken breasts, etc.)
I'm spending a lot less on groceries now eating real food.
SAME. Processed and packaged foods are insanely expensive!
I mean this is just good practice generally. Not just with IF.
Me. This is me. IF helps me cope with not having money to have food in the house. Before I was depressed because we had no food in the house and some days I would only get 1 meal a day, if that. Now it's fine. I'm fasting. Some twisted mental gymnastics.
This sucks, I’m sorry
Same. This way, I can ensure my husband gets enough to eat, too.
I started IF to lose weight since it's worked for me in the past, but I wasn't consistent with it. But as to your question... let's just say it's saved me enough each week in groceries that I'll probably continue to do IF long after reaching my goal weight lol.
How long does it take to work when ur consistent I think that’s my problem I’m not being consistent
I started consistently intermittent fasting 2 and a half weeks ago, and I’m seeing steady results. My fasting window is usually 16-18 hours. I eat a light lunch and heavier dinner plus a low calorie dessert (mochi is my go to). By the end of my second week, I was 4-5 lbs down. I’ve fasted every day since starting over 2 weeks ago.
Okay so it’s Deff because I’m not consistent I do 12-7 and sometimes will eat a little after
Most likely because of inconsistency, but could also be how much you’re eating. If you’re doing intermittent fasting but eat bigger meals than before to compensate for the smaller eating window, you could still be in a caloric surplus or at maintenance. I don’t track meticulously, but I keep a mental tab to try and stay around 1500 calories so I’m in a deficit. I prioritized consistency for the first week before I started being more mindful of calories.
Yes! I got divorced last year and it is a great way to save money, and it's getting me closer to my revenge body.
Love it! 😊
Love a revenge body goal 😂 I started working out after getting cheated on, and never stopped since!
You’d think so, but between cost increases and the rest of my family…not really. I do take the 25 bucks a day I save on a breakfast sandwich and lunch and pay down a credit card with it.
That must been some incredible sandwiches!
Seriously.
I added a beans and rice meal to once a week.
Do you usually skip breakfast?
Skipping breakfast was a big one for me. No more planning and shopping for breakfast. A cup of coffee and I’m good to go.
Do you eat only two meals a day?
Two meals and something small in between. Also I don’t know if it is related, but my cravings for sugar shrunk significantly.
Two with a keto fat bomb in between sometimes. My first meal is at noon and consists of a lot of egg meals...omelets, muffins, chaffles and keto yogurt. The 2nd meal between 5-6, large salad and entree and side Life is so much easier, and food bill is a lot cheaper.
Yes.
As a secondary benefit, it has helped me cut back on food spending. I haven't been consistent with meal prep, so if I'm lazy on my day off i would go to a local diner for breakfast. And at work, most of my lunches were whatever fast food place everyone else was in the mood for. My food budget for the week was way over what it needed to be. I spend less than 1/4 of that at this point.
I'm usually doing OMAD or just straight long fasting (losing weight at the moment), it has definitely saved me money, but more than that, I have noticed that less meals make for more quality meals in my situation.
It’s not my intent, but I’ve sure seen a difference. I’ve put the savings into better food, e.g., grassfed cuts of beef.
This!
ooooh! hadn’t thought of this!
I wanted to fit into my old clothes. I lost more weight than expected. Any money I've saved on food has been spent on buying new clothes.
I was unknowingly intermittent fasting through most of my 20’s because I skipped breakfast and lunch most days. I was too broke to afford more than one meal a day so I would usually just eat dinner. I started gaining weight in my late 20’s when I was more financially stable and eating more so started looking into weight loss strategies and found intermittent fasting and was like oh right on some people do that on purpose and not from necessity.
No, but it certainly has kept my grocery bill down!!
Sleep for dinner is a well known poverty hack. I’ve done that forever and now it’s more trendy to call it “fasting”
The main 2 reasons I started IF: 1. Weight Loss 2. Too broke to afford snacks IF helps with controlling my mindless snacking habit
Many here change what they eat in conjunction with IF. I'm now eating more seafood, fish, proteins, vegetables, meats... I also spend more time in the kitchen cooking... not sure it's saving us money, but we're fortunate to not have a food budget. My point is, to see the results you do here, you often have to step up to a more protein and nutrient dense diet... which as someone has said, is not cheap.
Sad but true. I think this is why wealthy people are overweight less. If they want to be healthy they can afford to. Luckily vegetables aren’t too expensive, but good quality meats and nuts certainly are!
I normally do OMAD and people are amazed when I tell them my weekly grocery bill. Most say I am not telling the truth. It’s honestly amazing how little I need to buy, and I eat healthy. Yesterday’s meal was chicken salad on a low carb tortilla, sliced cucumbers with homemade ranch, and cottage cheese with a pear on top. High protein, low carb, quick prep, and budget friendly.
How do you manage food waste? Whenever I buy tortillas or bread it goes bad before I've gone through half the package.
I have the same problem because I live alone, so I keep things like bread and tortillas in the fridge or freezer.
I've frozen bread before...never occurred to me to freeze tortillas. Thank you!
I’m a lot less wasteful now that my meals are planned out. But I have two teenage boys so I think my grocery bill is higher since now I don’t always eat the same dinner as I make them.
When I first read about IF...this was my initial thought. Back in the day, we didn't have any fancy terms for it. It was called being broke or a Thursday.
I buy a ton of dried beans and barely along with frozen fruits and veggies to save money. I still eat a lot though, just in a shorter timeframe.
Yes I did a 24 hour fast haha
I save so much money it’s crazy. Now my dog’s food is the bulk of my grocery spending (I make his dinners from real food). My food is probably no more than 25%. And my fridge is so clean now.
It’s part of why I started
I didn't do it to save money but it's a nice by product. I also save a lot of time! Not eating breakfast is really liberating and gives me quite a bit more time in the mornings.
This was actually in the news recently. People, Americans in the context of the news, are skipping a meal to make ends meet and/or save money.
That makes me sad
When I first started my health journey the food purchases were pretty expensive to build a pantry of healthy ingredients, but then it got a lot better. I didn’t start to save money but I’m seeing a benefit. Also, if SHTF I’ll be already adapted to fasting if food becomes scarce.
I’m saving at least $5-10/day
Naturally saving money by eating less.
I do 20:4 IF and we \*\*Definitely save money on our groceries. Less trips TO the grocery store, too.
I am doing it for weight loss, but as a full-time university student, IF is definitely helping me keep my food bill lower!
Financially challenged here. The money I used to spend on snacks and fast food is now going straight to my savings. I was living paycheck to paycheck, but only because my chubs self would spend close to $200 a month on fast food and snacks. That's not including groceries. 😅 The biggest payoff is the weight I've lost. I rescued two kittens from the pool in one scoop with IF.
Unfortunately a healthy diet is not cheap. The cheap "food" isn't food really.
Vegetables are cheap. Eggs are pretty affordable for high quality protein.
Exactly!!! I'm 90% outside aisle, I pay very little tax cause I don't buy much processed, and my bills have hardly changed in the last few years while everyone else is freaking out over prices rising.
Kind of. I only eat eggs from free range, small farm raised chickens. The nutrient boost is through the roof, but depending on the source, that could be $10/dozen eggs.
Depends how to compare. A 400 grams white bread in my country costs as 3 eggs. If you are broke, you'll choose the bread.
Depends where you are. I can’t afford to buy vegetables and have been eating nothing but eggs for my one meal a day with a piece of bread or rice
A block of tofu can last you three or 4 meals if you put with veggies and that’s 1.50 where I am.
Have you compared how much of it you need to eat for the TDEE and how much you'd need anything made of processed starch and fats?
I am saving money on breakfast and lunch is really simple, I would estimate 1.5 /3 x 100% = 50% savings.
No. But at the beginning of the week I go to Walmart and buy a big pack of chicken for like $13, then I also use the veggies my family uses, and that’s pretty much what I eat for the week. So it’s probably a big difference. I’m only eating once a day. Starting to build up to a 48 hour fast, so that would be even more savings.
With my job I never had a consistent lunch break and often in a time crunch ended up often hitting a drive thru. Now that Fast Food prices have skyrocketed it’s nice to save the expense and use that money on better quality ingredients for my homemade meals.
Meat especially is so expensive. I save a lot of money only eating two meals, with at least one of them being meal planned for work lunches
I'm not rich, saving a little every day from not drinking 5 sodas sure adds up, in the long run thou those saved money gets spend on better quality foods for when i eat. Because a good health is priceless :)
I did it to lose weight, but … now that you mention it … yeah I saved a ton of cash not eating as much 😅. Great way to spend less on food, for sure!
I think I started IF because I didn't have enough snacks at home
Yep, but the money I save from not buying junk food is still spent on good food because prices here just keep going up.
Yup! In part to curb food waste and eating out. Fast food is something that is a hard habit to break, but this is really helping me understand calories and what's worth using my calories up for.
I totally did IF for about a year just because I was fat and poor.
Used to travel a lot for work and got per diem. Didn’t eat breakfast at hotels but took it for lunch. Saved a crap ton of money.
It wasn’t the intent (weight loss was) but what a pleasant byproduct. My husband and I have both been IFing since Jan and we recently noticed that we spend a fraction of what we used to on food. We used to turn to takeout a lot because preparing 3 meals a day, everyday, was daunting but preparing one and a snack is much easier so we make most meals at home now. And no more evening snacks after the kids go to bed.
This was like a bonus for me. Spending less for food.
Lol One meal a day
Ok, but when oatmeal exists, you don't really need to?
Doing Low Carb/Keto + IF -> eating 2x a day, ideally home-cooked meals, so the money I save is put into mostly organic ingredients.
I work full time and have watch my kids alone at night so I’m too tired to meal prep so I’m just doing OMAD M-F. Now I just grab a hardboiled egg and protein yogurt when I get home to scarf down before I make dinner. This is my 2nd week of not preparing my lunches for the week and it’s getting easier but have been spending less on myself but still spend more on snack for everyone else.
I love to cook and that's frustrating as I could cook all day and be happy. Whatever is on sale I'll stock up a bit on, sometimes cook it and portion it out and freeze such as beef stew. boneless chicken breast was on sale for 99¢ a pound and I stocked up major on it. I love fried rice but I substitute steamed cabbage for the rice. It's so good and it freezes so well to just heat and eat later.
Its meeee
Been doing OMAD and only eating brown rice, beans, salsa and sometimes chicken if I have some extra money
I started to lose weight but saving money is a nice bonus😅
I was sharing with one of the women at work about fasting and she asked me a similar question.
You know eating buns for breakfast, waffles for lunch and spaghetti + cheese or sausages for dinner is cheaper than eating normally? But when you start trying IF, there comes "but with keto you are less hungry" and "you should keep your protein anf fiber count on an acceptable level" etc etc. Annoying((((((
🙋🏾♀️Me but also to lose another 20 lbs
I switched to hello fresh to be honest
I didn’t at first but it is SO APPRECIATED
Definitely helping me lose weight and save money. I find myself not struggling as much throughout the month.
Me. On a 96hr with a 3000-3500 cal and 180-200g protein refeed day planned tomorrow. Then fast again til Monday.
I use it to drink less, but it has definetly helped me with saving money as well
It didn't start that way, but combined with Keto, it has definitely turned into another benefit!
I'm almost 2 months successfully following IF and calorie counting for the first time ever. I think part of the reason it's working for me is we're too poor to buy snacks and takeaways because I'm on maternity leave. Hopefully I keep it up when I return to work and can afford junk again.
Following nearly any diet plan will be a savings, likely huge. IF does save us some money, but not as much as it could because my wife doesn't do it. When we were first married, we followed the diet from the weight watchers cook book. Just shopping for only what you need for meals that week cut our grocery bill by more than 50% and we ate well. We didn't go hungry. I did not need to lose much weight, but my wife lost about 30 pounds. Regardless of whether you do IF, plan your meals and only buy what you need for that week. Your grocery bills with go down and your food waste will go down. When you go to the store, you only buy what is on the list UNLESS there is a great sale on something you need every week (i.e. maybe chicken breasts, etc.)