For Poor Bodybuilders

[orzonus]

Alright, so I'm a poor bodybuilding college student. I am completely out of groceries and only have about $50 to spend tonight. What are some real cheap/healthy foods I can buy? The only thing that I can think of is tuna. Can't live on tuna forever!

[Chuckdiesel99]

Oats for carbs and whey protein

[twangtownguy]

Chicken breasts or tenderloins. Not breaded or seasoned.

Tuna gets old fast, but you can dress it up with a little mayo and/or relish if you're not already.

I second the oats suggestion.

Get a large can of Spanish peanuts (unsalted) and a large bag of raisins. Mix them up in a ziploc bag, about half and half. Great cost effective snack that you can carry anywhere.

Cottage cheese.

Fresh fruit like bananas/apples/pears.

Make your own protein bars. Plenty of recipes available here if you search.

[gtpeebs]

oats will really fill you up also!

[getgot211]

eggs: 18 @ sams ~ $1

oats are dirt cheap

don't agree with whey, if your strapped for cash whey is one of the last things you should worry about

[whatsinaname]

in the same boat (college budget)

$70 lasts me roughly a month (buy skim milk every week, which is not included below)

(3) bags of chicken tenderloins (unbreaded) ~$20
(3) boxes of organic oats ~ 9
(5) sm.jars of natty pb ~ 11 (smokin good deal @ $2/jar)
(3) loaves of 12 grain wheat bread ~8
(2) dozen eggs (usually restock towards e.o.m.) ~ 3
(5) boxes of brown rice ~ 15
(4) packs of albacore tuna ~ 15

--these foods are the basic backbone of my diet. ive grown accustomed to {whey shake / oats} for breakfast. {tenderloin or tuna / brown rice} for lunch. {chicken / brown rice} for dinner. two of the three remaining meals are peanut butter / wheat bread. (on's anabolic milk for bedtime meal)

[DarkoStoj]

eggs, tuna, cottage cheese, fat free yogurt, nuts, buy the chicken breasts in bags (like $8 for 12 or something)

[GimpyPaw]

Make checking the discount meat bin at the grocery store a habit.

While a lot of people will rail on this one, I used to eat a lot of Top Ramen when things were tight. A standard weight gainer meal was 1 package Top Ramen, 1 can Tuna, 1/2 cup frozen peas, and 1 TBS Curry powder. Strain the noodles, then add all the other stuff. Eat, thinking to yourself, "cheap good, taste optional". (= 630 cal, 16 g fat, 65 g carbs, 54 g protein)

Think Costco or Sam's Club when shopping for oats and whey.

Check the discount sections of big supermarket and department stores for your supplements too. I found some creatine monohydrate (weider brand) marked down to 40% of it's original price at Walmart, and at another store I found BCAA's for 70% off. If your not particular about brand, and your an opportunist, you can get sups for cheap.

[Wtf?]

The trick is knowing where and how to shop. I only spend about $50 a week but I'm cutting.

Walmart and Target is always cheaper than the average grocery store for tuna, eggs, quaker oats and milk..

Banannas are the cheapest fruit. Good source of fiber+b vitamins and potassium.

Spend like $20 on protein powder that could last a few weeks..

If you have a Whole Foods near you, they're also cheap. www.wholefoods.com They sell grains like oats, rice, barley and nuts and seeds in bulk. Oats are .75 a lb and you can get fresh, ground natural peanut or almond butter for like $2 a pound.

Check your grocery store's advertisments online or in the store and get whatever is on sale. Turkey is really cheap this time of year.. Chicken and pork are also the cheapest meats.
Try and find out what time they mark down meat. I think most stores do it in the mid afternoons and around 3 or 4 is the best time. Just ask someone in the meat department and they'll tell you.

[orzonus]

Thanks everyone.

[GeorgeM]

Just the topic I was looking for.

Now about the bags of chicken? I am in NS, Canada and I can buy 5 boneless skinless breasts (approx. 1 kg for $17.00) now for me to get my proper protein diet, I would have to spend this every two days on top of other protein sources like eggs.

If bags of chicken are $8.00 for 12, sign me up!! Where can I find this?

[Chuckdiesel99]

3lb bags of chicken (about 5 pieces) are around $6 USD in my area.

[john#21]

Yeah Walmart has th 3lb bags for 6 bucks. 8 bucks for aprox 3 lbs for the fresh stuff.

[Goofxta]

Eggs will save you my friend. So cheap, yet so good. Mix up 4 or 5 eggs in a bow with a bit of milk, and fry them, and eat away. I'm on a TIGHT budget and eggs and milk being so cheap has easily been one of the biggest helps for my poor bank account.

EDIT: wow, like 5 replies in the time that I click post reply and write mine out.

[UltimateWarrior]

Eggs, Tuna, Oats, Whole Wheat Pasta, Salsa, Chicken Breasts, Ground Turkey, Sweet Potatoes

Those are all inexpensive great bb foods for starters.

[edacsac]

Wow, I just spent $9 for 2 lbs of chicken breasts on my first diet shopping trip. of course I got boneless/skinless, so maybe that makes it more expensive.

[Skibird93]

Here it is man, I'm in college too (senior in exercise science), so I have a very limited budget too. Go to Sam's Club for your chicken breast. $12 will get you a 6.5 lb bag which is a great price. It ends up being 26 4oz serving of boneless skinless chicken breasts ( each serving has 23g of protein). That is my biggest expense. They also have 7 dozen egss for like $4. Yeah, im serious. Fat free skim milk will run you about $1.95 at Aldi's if you have one near you. They also have tuna for like .35 cents a can (in water). Next banabas, (you cacn usually find them for about $.25 lb (8 lbs for $2)!! Then get some olf fashioned oats for like $2 for a huge container at Aldi's. Cottage cheese is $1.59 or so at Aldi's for like 8 servings (get low-fat). They also have 12 grain bread for $. 98 cents a loaf (usually costs like $2.49 in the grocery store). There are you basics. For a treat they have some awesome products at Aldi's called Fit and Active. Makes a great cheap because most of it is healthy. Hope this helps man. Any other questions just holla and i'll try and answer them.

[matt siley]

Oats
Brown Rice

Get your meat on sale and stock up when it does go on sale. Do you have access to a freezer? (maybe your parents?) I buy about 40lbs of stuff when it's on sale. It goes faster than you'd think. Got some round steak $1.79, ground lean sirloin $1.99, boneless skinless chicken breast $1.59lb. I stock up on this stuff. Good luck.

[Wtf?]

Originally Posted by edacsac

Wow, I just spent $9 for 2 lbs of chicken breasts on my first diet shopping trip. of course I got boneless/skinless, so maybe that makes it more expensive.

lol. Your mistake is buying it at regular price and not sale price. THe average sale price for boneless/skinless breasts is like $2-3 a pound.

Like I said in my other post..got to know how and where to shop.

Find your local grocery store's website and view the ads online. Some even email you the advertisments weekly.

[amitlele]

shrimp has 70% protein 0% fat, it's perfect for budget body building.

[etech]

Small red beans- dry in bag, one onion, jar of salsa.

1 cup of beans, soak in water for about 6-8 hours, change water twice

mince entire onion, add one cup salsa simmer for 2 hours or until there is still some liquid left.

Store in refigerator, add to some brown rice.

Cheap, has some good protein. Quick to reheat once you have a batch made.

[johnnyironboard]

Have the butcher show you how to cut up a chicken- whole chickens are less than $1 per pound. Eggs are cheap as well.

[5Six]

Originally Posted by GimpyPaw

Make checking the discount meat bin at the grocery store a habit.

This is damn good advice. Once I found ground turkey breast for $1 a package. I bought all four of 'em