jillian4

Hi Peter,

I know you already said you plan to do some of what I have to share, but here it is.

I encourage you to not waste money on low nutrient foods like cold cereal (no matter what their advertisements say). You need highly nutrient dense food, and that is more filling and less costly than a lot of cheap low nutrient food, as it is more satisfying, and keeps the energy level up longer. It also feeds muscle which is what you really need to build up, so your weight gain is muscle and not fat. So walk and work out as you gain.

Plan a week's worth of meals and make a menu, then shop for the ingredients. in a short time you will have the seasonings you need (salt, pepper, Garlic for a start) for simple dishes to make them taste great. If you search words like cheap menu or cheap recipes, or something like it you probably will find some recipes. Avoid crackers, breads and sweets as much as you can. A little is fine, but they don't have enough nutrition for the cost.

Don't shop at major food chains, not even Walmart. Watch for sale items and compare prices. Read the per ounce or per pound messages and get the most for your money.

There are discount food stores like Grocery Outlet, and there is one in San Diego. Maybe more than one. Make sure to read the Expiration dates even on canned food, and esp. on boxed dry food. But avoid pre-prepared food or mixes as much as possible. They are not nutritious and won't serve your purpose.

Eggs are good protein, and you want to eat the whole egg. After egg is cooked add a 1/2 teaspoon of cold pressed olive oil to it.

Oatmeal is fine only if it is rolled oats. Instead of adding milk, add a little honey and a 1/2 teaspoon of cold pressed olive oil. You need the healthy fat in order to absorb certain critical vitamins from your food.

Eat as much fresh food, vegetables and fruit as you can afford. Next best is frozen vegetables or fruit. Again, avoid packaged foods that have added sauces and seasonings. Add your own seasonings or real butter. Yes it costs a little more, but it's not so much at discount food stores, and it is good in moderation.

Beans are nutrient dense foods. Get a crock pot from a yard sale or a thrift store. call around and find one. Buy bagged dry beans and soak them over night, then rinse and season them and let cook in the crock pot while at work or school. You can mix different types of dry beans. You can also add rice to beans. Use Brown rice for a side dish. You can add drained cooked beans to salads, other vegetables or make soups, or roll them into a tortilla.

Hard cheese, such as cheddar, fish (not fish sticks) and poultry are good proteins to have at the very least once a day. Raw nuts and fresh veggies are good snacks.

This should get you started. Let us know how you are doing!