Changing the way I grocery shop?

Hi all and happy Saturday! Did you find the way you shopped for groceries changed after vsg? I mean other than picking out more healthy foods. So I used to shop every two weeks or once a month (depending on finances)  when I got paid and I would go to Costco and get a ton of things in bulk for the house (paper towels etc) and then canned/prepacked/frozen meals and dry goods and live on that stuff until the next grocery shopping trip I would rarely go to a non bulk store like Safeway/Winco to get a few things Costco doesn't carry that I wanted.

Now I go to the store multiple times a week to pick up smaller amounts of protein, I feel like I am spending a tad move on groceries but I feel so much better, am losing weight, and feel like I can keep my cals/carbs/protein where I need to be.

Luckily I am single so no husband/kids to feed and that makes it easier. I really cannot bulk shop for food anymore (even non perishables) except for for a few things (mostly home goods/pet needs/my delicious canned salmon) and it's so weird. I guess the mind change is still happening slowly. That being said I do need to go to Costco on my day off tomorrow for protein (doing rotisserie chicken this week for protein) and because I need cat food and surprisingly  my cats like to eat every day haha.

I will say my eating out habits have significantly changed. I won't say I never eat out (because I'd be lying) but when I do I make much healthier choices (a salad with grilled chicken where I just eat the chicken and maybe two bites of the salad greens) and it's maybe 2 times a month to see friends vs sometimes 3 times in a drive thru a day before surgery.

How did your habits change? If you have kids or a partner/husband or wife/significant other how do you deal with shopping and having things for them that maybe you can't have? I'd love to hear stories about how you shop what your staples are or anything you would like to share.  

I find myself shopping more often, because I buy more fresh foods - I stay away from processed foods as much as possible.  But I'm trying to cut back on the trips to twice a month.  I went shopping just today, and bought enough meat, veggies, and dairy to last two weeks.  The salad fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers) will be for the first week, and the root veggies (spaghetti squash, turnip, carrots and cauliflower will be for the second week.  Meat I freeze.  I check the dates on dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese and eggs).  I get sugar-free jello, hot chocolate and ice pops for snacks.

While I may spend more money on groceries now, I'm still saving money by not going to drive-thrus or ordering pizza or Chinese food.

You're so right Mary I was spending thousands of dollars a year on fast food or eating out. I could never figure out why I was so broke. I think my generation probably needs to learn to cook/eat at home more if not for physical health for financial health. I have friends who tell me they are broke but then will go out for a $45 steak dinner, uh that's why you're broke man. Also I want to get to a place again where I shop 2 times a week, it's a learning process for me.

Sounds to me like the major difference, pre- and post-, are the trips to the fast food drive-thru.  Eating at the drive-thru up to three times a day means you don't have to go to the grocery store as often, LOL!  All-in, I betcha you're spending less on food when you add up eating out and grocery shopping together.

Like you, I now cook most of my meals at home.  I love to shop at Costco, but I do have to run to the grocery store once or twice a week - both for things Costco doesn't carry, and because I'm a twit, and I forget to pick up stuff.  At Costco, food-wise I love their cheese, fresh salmon (even though it's farm raised), shrimp, macadamia nuts, cashews, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, organic baby spinach, eggs, and some produce. They used to have this wonderful big bag of sliced almonds, but it's been discontinued.  :-(  

I spend at least one weekend day cooking things and putting them up in the fridge for quick meals.  My version of "fast food" I guess.  (Thankfully I like to cook, I'm forever reading and saving recipes.)  I'm single also, and I don't keep off plan foods in the house, but I do have nuts and seeds for snacks. If I get too hungry I start in on those - and they can add up!

Thanks for a great post - sounds like you've got this thing!  :-)

Kathy I know I'm saving money for sure! Even a $40 grocery store trip once a week doesn't come close to touching $8-12 a meal in a drive through 2-3 times a day.  If you took the average between $8-$12 which is $10 multiply it by 3 times a day that's $30 a day holy cow. Multiply that by 30 days a month and holy moly $900 a month on food vs $40 a week equaling $160 a month. Um I can do so much more with the saved $740 a month like start saving to buy my first house and paying off my college loan debt. I'm still learning but I am glad I am a quick study when it comes to come things.

My shopping didn't change much because I was never a fast food eater since we live out in the country. I used to try to grow a lot of my own veggies but once it was just hubby and I we ended up with too much. So I've always gone to the local grocery a couple of times a week to have fresh veggies and protein. When I had kids around I just made sure I had plenty of meat and veggies. Maybe a few times a week I'd fix a healthy starchy food. Mostly tho they just ate what I did only more of it. Friday was usually pizza night so I just changed from store bought to home made and made the crust out of ground meat. That way with a meat crust and veggies on top and a little sauce and cheese it was still ok for me to eat it! So all in all I just had to make a few minor adjustments.

Hislady sounds like you had pretty healthy habits before, kudos to growing your own vegetables that's awesome, so you just had to make some minor changes to get in line with sleeved eating. I have never tried meat crust pizza but I have had cauliflower crust pizza when my mom was on low carb diet in the past and I liked it so much that I plan on making it myself. I just love anything with melty gooey cheese. :)

I'm sure that my food bills are a lot less. We don't go out for dinner or order take-out as often. And when we do, I usually have a protein type appetizer or if I order an entree, I have leftovers for another meal(s). I'd love to share an entree with my husband, but we like different things. I also bring my lunch everyday instead of ordering delivery or going to a fast food place and that certainly is a savings.

My food shopping, since surgery, has changed primarily in the amount of fresh food I buy. Now, I actually buy more frozen fruits & vegetables because the fresh, with the exception of things like apples, cabbage or root veggies, rot before we eat them all. I find that I am buying more dairy products (eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese) than before but am still buying the same amount of meats, poultry & fish because I can package & freeze them. I also buy very little pasta or bread-products. My daughter is at college, so I don't worry about shopping for her too often & my husband is on-board with eating less carbs & processed foods. Every once in a while, he wants spaghetti (he gets Dreamfields when he does) & we keep his bread in the freezer (again so it doesn't go bad.) I will on occasion have a low carb wrap, a slice of light wheat toast or a Healthy Life English muffin (all low carb w/protein).

Oneillch I definitely agree on the buying more dairy thing. I was never a huge dairy person before other than cheese because I am slightly lactose intolerant (milk drank straight makes me ill as does ice cream but milk as an ingredient in things is okay) I am also on board with the frozen vs fresh produce thing. The only produce I buy fresh is avocados (my mayo substitute because I hate mayo) everything else I buy frozen. Trader Joe's even makes a bagged frozen pre-riced cauliflower which is great to have on hand for recipes and makes my life so much easier. It's cool that your hubby is on board with you on healthier eating that makes it so much easier! 

Trust me, he still eats plenty of c*a#, but he knows that if I'm taking the time to cook, he's eating it. And he's not suffering. Last night we had some friends over and I made pot roast, gravy, broccoli, and quinoa with onions & mushrooms. I may not eat as much or the same things I did before surgery, but I am enjoying what I do have.