Mine has increaded. I hardly ever bought meat before lc'ing. Pasta, rice, etc is cheap. But then again I don't eat out for lunch anymore so it helps a little bit.

Deana

Initially the costs seemed higher for us, but I think that was mostly du to trying out all the new LC items we coudl find, like lo carb bread, etc. But I think things have evened out since the first few months. Lots of the specialty LC foods aren't even appealing to me anymore. We only have LC pasta maybe once every 2 months now, adn no LC bread- YUK! I use the LC tortillas (which are pretty inexpensive) Overall, I think we spend less by not eating out as often too-but honestly, this WOE works out well for us so it would be worth it even if it was an additional cost.

At first it was very expensive for me. I was bigger and it took more food to fill me up. I was trying to buy a lot of different foods at once along with the "other" food for my family. Now my appetite has decreased greatly. And most of the meals for my family are focused around meat and lots of vegetables (occasional rolls or bread, ect for the kids) (luckily my family really does not like pasta very much) now. My family seems much more satisfied with the meals, and the added bonus is they are eating healthier. We no longer buy so much processed or prepackaged foods. So our grocery bill is less now!!!

It's stayed about the same. We're buying more vegetables, which are cheap, and eating more meat, which is a bit expensive, but we're not buying any junk, so it evens out.

Our food bill has gone up $30 per week since we started in June. But this is merely an observation, NOT a complaint DH and I are supremely happy with this WOE, and we are eating MUCH healthier foods than we were before. My DH's diet used to consist of mostly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cold cereal -- so it's been QUITE an adjustment for him. But he's literally falling out of his pants, so like I said, we aren't complaining at all. The extra $$$ is well-spent.

Jeannie

Went up SIGNIFICANTLY. I used to be able to eat for weeks on $20...Of course, what I was eating was:

Pasta ($0.50/lb)
Bread ($0.69/loaf)
Rice ($0.10/lb)
Bananas ($0.39/lb)
Skim Cheese (a few bucks a pound...only expensive item I bought)
Potatoes (also dirt cheap)
Pepsi ($0.47/liter)

I now eat:

Meats ($1.19-2.99/lb)
Vegetables ($1.29/head)
Whole Cheese ($3.00/lb)
Olive Oil ($2.84/bottle)
Diet Rite ($0.59/liter)
Berries ($3.00/lb)
Unsalted Butter ($1.77/lb)
Soft Baking Butter ($2.77/lb)

Our grocery bill has faced very little change. If anything it has gone down because I no longer consider a bowl of oreo cookies and a bowl of lays potato chips as major food groups. I am the big eater in our home, honestly. By my ability to not eat junkie, high carb goodies has probably been a savings. Also I, no longer, have second helpings of food. I don't keep a supply of specialty foods such as lc cookies or Crunchers so these things do not increase my bill.

This woe is probably cheaper, however, I do not do the household shopping, my husband does.

Black

Sooo much. Or at least it feels like it. I made a lot of pasta before... and made my own sauces. Dinner for 2 nights could cost me as little as $2-3/meal.

I think what's gotten expensive is keeping up with my meat and produce! Sometimes I forget I have things or don't schedule to use them in time... they go bad... and then i've thrown out expensive, spoiled groceries.

It's definitely gone up, especially since DH joined me on the low-carb WOE. I used to be able to buy all the groceries I needed for an entire month for $250. Now it's more like $400 or so, because of all the meat and veggies. I never bought junk food before (low-fat diet, you know) so I didn't have that cost to trade out.

I haven't seen too much of an increase. Our family eats whole foods, with VERY little processed food. We have always eaten chicken, fish and finer cuts of beef. That hasn't changed nor has it really increased.

The unfortunate thing about the 'low-carb' craze is everyone is jumping on the bandwagon because it has grown popular. What people will find is the processed, low carb food items will be more readily available. This doesn't mean they are extremely healthy. If one sticks to the basics, the whole foods rather than the quick, convenient, they will be so much better off. This isn't to say that I'm not thrilled that Subway and Blimpie sandwich establishments are incorporating the low-carb menu items. I think this is great for those of us that have chosen this as a lifestyle.


--Michele

Mine has inceased by 20.00 to 30.00 weekly. When I first started this woe it was even more than that. Mostly because I felt I had to try/order every lc food available. I still do order a few things. Like ketchup and syrup, but other than that I found I can make it and/or just don't need it. Now it is what it is because I buy more meats, butter and cheese plus my dh and kids do not lc with me. They do eat the same meats and vegys I do but I still purchase some of the junk foods they like. So, Yes I would say this woe is a little more expensive, but it is so worth it.

Well, after an initial adjustment which involved stocking up on some cupboard staples, I'd have to say that my grocery bill has gone down overall (though I have to "double shop" since my partner doesn't eat LC). However, he's not a big eater anyways, so I believe our overall grocery costs are down. I am doing a lot more shopping around - it usually requires 2, 3 or even 4 stops to get everything at a reasonable price. So more time, less money....

Wynter

I think my food money has stayed about the same, maybe even a little less. I'm buying more cheese, vegetables and macadamia nuts, but no more chips cookikies etc. and alot less eating out at fast food places.

My bill has increased a little bit, but I want to switch to organic meat which I know would raise my food bill considerably.