Title: Dieting on a budget
Headings: Dieting on a budget
Dieting on a budget
Plus the secrets of thin people, based on our survey of 21,000 readers
6 secrets of the slim for your diet plan
What didn't matter
Realistic expectations: A key to dieting success
What you can do
Price vs. nutrition: Making smart choices
Cooked black beans
Hard-boiled egg
Cooked noodles
Glazed doughnut
Cooked broccoli
Chicken breast
Stay-thin strategies
Lifetime weight history
Downturn diet

Content: Forty-nine percent of successful losers and the always thin said they ate that way at least five days a week, while 38 percent of failed dieters did so. Choose whole grains over refined. People with lower body weights consistently opted for whole-wheat breads, cereals, and other grains over refined (white) grains. Eat at home. As the number of days per week respondents ate restaurant or take-out meals for dinner increased, so did their weight. Eating at home can save a lot of money, too. See our tips for cooking healthful meals on a budget. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Regular vigorous exercise—the type that increases breathing and heart rate for 30 minutes or longer—was strongly linked to a lower BMI. Although only about one-quarter of respondents said they did strength training at least once a week, that practice was significantly more prevalent among successful losers (32 percent) and always-thin respondents (31 percent) than it was among failed dieters (23 percent).