Today's Budget Friendly Product - By Busy Baker

I hear all too often "I can't afford to eat healthy" and, to be honest, I used to think the same. But believe me when I say, not only can you afford to eat healthy... you CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO!

You have one body. The longer you abuse it with unhealthy eating, inactivity and poor life choices the more apt you are to have less time to utilize that body fully & happily. I am NOT a preacher of "the ways" when it comes to healthy living. I am, however, an example of how you can become a healthy person and not go broke doing it.

I live on a limited, fixed, income. Disabled from the side affects of cancer & "curing" it, I am faced with chronic pain & a deteriorating spine. I have every reason in the world to sit back and tell the world "It's okay that I'm fat... I have a reason... I CAN'T exercise, I CAN'T afford healthy foods, I CAN'T, I CAN'T, I CAN'T!" But the truth is... I CAN and I WILL and I AM! At 80+ pounds lighter in under a year's time, I am living proof that you are the only thing limiting your abilities! Finances, age, body type, and any other excuse you can come up with are just that... and excuse! Let's change those to REASONS to make changes & do it together!

You cannot imagine my surprise & happiness when I took the "infamous" National Health Test shown on TV during the long infomercial type ad for voting for health care reform. The test asks some very simple questions that I guarantee a year ago I would have come in at a grade of D- if I were lucky! Sunday, I took the test and came in at a high B+ (88)! How? Easy, I made the decision not to "lose weight" but to "change my lifestyle". I eat junk food, I dine out, I misbehave when I eat. The only difference between NOW and THEN is that when I do misbehave or eat foods that aren't exactly what one would think of as "diet" foods, I do so knowingly, sparingly and often "legally" by replacing many of my comfort foods with healthier versions. A perfect example of this is cheese. I am a cheese freak and I almost always refuse to change my habits over to completely fat free versions of cheese. I'm sorry, that's just not cheese to me.. it's more like plastic! Instead I lower my intake, I choose 2% & Low Fat versions. Add to that fact that I no longer pair it up with high fat, low fiber cracker & bread choices but, instead, use high fiber, baked crackers & breads that come in low in fat, high in fiber & lower in calories! I also am realistic with my expectations. I know that big holidays are not going to come without some over indulging & perhaps even with some weight gain but I also know that this means extra times at the gym, jumping back on the "band wagon" of healthy living & eating again as soon as the holidays are over and having setbacks when I do so. I also know I'm never going to not touch a piece of candy or cookies or french fries the rest of my life. It's not realistic! So I have to know when & how to say enough or no & utilize that ability. When I "fail", I simply move on and know that the next time I cannot fail or will avoid the situation unless I make a comprehensive decision to allow myself the indulgence.

Today's "FIND" for the day are crackers made by Busy Baker. These Baked Wheat Crackers come in at 130 Calories, 4.5g of fat ( a little high but still ok if you stick to a single portion), and 1g of Fiber (a little low but, again, if you stick to one serving you're doing good). Those numbers, on the Weight Watchers® Point Scale, come in at about 3 points®. What's impressive is the serving size of 16 crackers! That's enough cracker to accompany a 1oz. portion of 2% cheese and leave you some extra crunchy treats to continue snacking on after your cheese is gone. Giving you the feeling of a little "extra" snacking when, in reality, you're staying right with portion control & enjoying a tasty treat.

Now comes the greatest part.... where you think "I can't afford to eat healthy" and I tell you why you can. These crackers were purchased from Dollar Tree for $1 a box! Yes, 7 ounces of this delicious treat comes in at a whopping dollar! Now, I don't know about you but I can definitely afford a snack item that comes in at a fairly large portion for 3 points and serves me 6 snack times for only ONE dollar!

The key to affording healthy eating techniques is to make sure you take the time to read the labels, look for dollar stores and discount stores such as Big Lots or Ollies, to purchase foods. Don't fall into the trap of looking at just the calories... compare portion sizes, fiber, fat & calories all together! In this case a portion of 16 crackers definitely fills one up fairly well. In some cases 3 points would be considered a little "high", but for me it seems to be acceptable when I can have such a large portion. Better yet, cut the portion in half at 8 crackers and use only 1.5 points! Still a great snack, half the points/calories & fat and now you're getting 12 portions for a dollar!

So don't forget to hit up the discount stores, dollar stores & inexpensive places for discounted items that are healthy & delicious!

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Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

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Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.