Nutrisystem vs Lean Cuisine?
Lisa2117
Posts: 17 Member
I was looking into Nutrisystem. Is there any difference in using that or just buying Lean Cuisine or even weight watchers TV dinners? The Nutrisystem food comes frozen from what I read but seems like buying a bunch of lean cuisines meals would be cheaper?
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Replies
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Yes, buying pre-made meals from the grocery is cheaper. And there is more variety.8
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They left me hungry. I hated that feeling.
If you start cooking your own foods, you learn a skill for life.
One quick dinner idea:
Buy canned soup that does not have too many calories/fat.
Add beans, tomato can and make brown rice.
If you live alone, you may have enough meals for 3 days.
Learn how to cook chicken breasts and have a side of frozen veggies.
You can even buy those quick cook rice side dishes, add an extra can of beans or peas.
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Lean Cuisines are making my life so easy. The macros are pretty good on some of them (find ones with 19+ grams of protein and they won't leave you hungry) and this week they were $1.29 each if you bought 6 or more so I stocked up. I hate cooking and I do not want to be talked at about how easy it is to "meal prep." NutriSystem is just a money pit scam.6
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versusveritas wrote: »Lean Cuisines are making my life so easy. The macros are pretty good on some of them (find ones with 19+ grams of protein and they won't leave you hungry) and this week they were $1.29 each if you bought 6 or more so I stocked up. I hate cooking and I do not want to be talked at about how easy it is to "meal prep." NutriSystem is just a money pit scam.
I'm 3 years into maintenance and I still eat an occasional Lean Cuisine, I really enjoy the taste of some of them
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I know how to cook but it's harder to count the calories so I was looking for a way to have be exact calories and try that for a while and see if it helps me more with losing weight. Plus I like that they have low calories so if I have one for lunch and I make a bigger dinner the calories even out.2
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I like to have Lean Cuisine on hand so that when I'm running late I don't just grab anything. They are inexpensive and convenient. Home cooked food is better but these are good in a crunch.1
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I liked the Lean Cuisine style frozen meals from the supermarket but here in Australia they were just way, way too expensive (for me anyway) at $5-12 each. They are fantastic for calorie counting, easy for lunchtimes and are generally pretty balanced macro-wise.1
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I have a Lean Cuisine for lunch almost every day M-F at the office. The calories are easy and I have a handful that I actually really enjoy. Some also have good amounts of protein. I don't watch sodium, but some people do so if you do, make sure to check the sodium content. I also agree with someone above - you can often get them on sale. I stock up when Publix has them 5 for $10. Assuming you'd eat them for 2 meals a day every day, if you got them on sale you could get your entire week for about $30. My understanding is the Nutrisystem is closer to like $10/day (don't quote me on that though).
I'd rather have Lean Cuisine and have the flexibility of eating my own homemade meals for other meals. It also doesn't hinder my learning how to do my own portion control because my other meals are still made by me where I have to weigh my food and calculate the calories.3 -
I use nutrisystem. I like the food, it's $12/day for three meals and a snack and they deliver. With the things I add in like produce and dairy i spend between $15-17/day totaI.I know how to cook but cooking for one is a pain and cooking a bunch of food and freezing it is the same as nutrisystem but takes more of my time. I still have to cook it first then reheat it so where is the advantage?
ETA: I have flex days when I don't eat nutrisystem food. If another delivery is scheduled and I still have a lot on hand I can always postpone the order.0 -
I liked the Lean Cuisine style frozen meals from the supermarket but here in Australia they were just way, way too expensive (for me anyway) at $5-12 each. They are fantastic for calorie counting, easy for lunchtimes and are generally pretty balanced macro-wise.
Whaaaaaat??? Dang I thought 2.30 was too much! I only buy them when on sale for $2 or less but I do enjoy them. I couldn't and wouldn't eat them every single day as a means to lose weight. What I enjoy is the portion of a food I'm really craving at a calorie count that fits my day.
Last night we had planned to have roasted potatoes but I was craving macaroni and cheese. I'm supposed to be working on cutting dairy for my digestion but I have a few LCs left and decided to have what I really wanted. It was great, and potentially a few less calories since my husband was making the potatoes and Lord knows he doesn't measure the oil.0 -
Same premise - when my mom wanted to try Nutrisystem, I suggested she just stock up on Lean Cuisine instead. 1
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i remember buying the nutrisystem and as soon as it arrived, i tried the mushroom risotto. I have never gagged so much in my life. it honestly not only looked like vomit, it tasted like it. returned that garbage as fast as i received it. YUCK!
on the other hand, some of lean cuisine's meals are so so so good...esp the french bread pizza. <33331 -
I would go with freezer meals, so many choices out there: Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice. Even a few Marie Callender's & Stouffer's red box will be in the right calorie range. I look for sales and stock up.
Look for higher protein and plan to add some of your own veggies, this will help stretch the size of your meal.2 -
I know how to cook but it's harder to count the calories so I was looking for a way to have be exact calories and try that for a while and see if it helps me more with losing weight. Plus I like that they have low calories so if I have one for lunch and I make a bigger dinner the calories even out.
Probably a dumb question, but are you using the recipe builder?1 -
If they're not enough to satisfy you, you can always add a steamed veggie to bulk up for very little calories:)0
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I stopped buying Lean Cuisine because the portions are so small, felt like I was getting ripped off. There are 2 or 3 of Marie Callender frozen dinners I do buy occasionally, ones that aren't too terribly unhealthy. Calories are usually 400-500.0
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i know someone that did Nutrisystem and they said some of the food was good but cost was not worth it and when they quit they gained wt back plus extra0
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It really depends upon which ones you get.85Cardinals wrote: »I stopped buying Lean Cuisine because the portions are so small, felt like I was getting ripped off. There are 2 or 3 of Marie Callender frozen dinners I do buy occasionally, ones that aren't too terribly unhealthy. Calories are usually 400-500.
As stated above, you might want to add a veggie or two. Depending upon how hungry I am, I either have just a Lean Cuisine or a Lean Cuisine plus a microwave steam-in-bag veggie.
Frozen dinners in general (not just Lean Cuisine brand) can be quite helpful for convenient and flexible portion control. Nutrition and calories can be all over the map but today's nutrition labels allow us to be more mindful about the ones we choose.2 -
Didn't they have a recall for finding glass in the food
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Michaelxo444 wrote: »Didn't they have a recall for finding glass in the food
Nestle USA did do a voluntary recall of certain DiGiorno, Stouffer's, and Lean Cuisine products due to the potential presence of glass in the food (which they thought was in the spinach used in the meals). Five different Lean Cuisine meals were impacted.
That said, if you avoid foods that have been involved in recalls, you will end up cutting a lot of stuff from your diet.3 -
PosterPens wrote: »i remember buying the nutrisystem and as soon as it arrived, i tried the mushroom risotto. I have never gagged so much in my life. it honestly not only looked like vomit, it tasted like it. returned that garbage as fast as i received it. YUCK!
on the other hand, some of lean cuisine's meals are so so so good...esp the french bread pizza. <3333
LOL the Lean Cuisine mushroom risotto is exactly the same!!!! It was absolutely awful.0 -
Try and see what works for you. I started with Nutrisystem and still use it for the most part. It worked for me because I was obviously clueless about how much to eat. I helped teach me discipline. As I do not plan to eat Nutrisytem the rest of my life, I am learning how to eat on my own and get the results I want. If you can afford it, I say give it a try.0
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The Lean Cuisines with a salad or a steamed vegetable work perfecly well in a pinch. I'm a fan of all of the pizzas, and the butternut squash ravioli..good stuff!1
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they work... i lost 120lbs a few years ago using exclusively LC... id have a lean pocket or LC for lunch, and a LC with a steamer bag of veggies for dinner. much cheaper than Nutrisystem1
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Nutrisystem (and similar) are terrible ways to lose weight. The people who use them learn little to nothing about how to eat for the rest of their life and put the weight right back on...2
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I lost 20 fast pounds on nutri system then gained 30 right back1
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Those of you that have found Lean Cuisines or other frozen dinners that you like, specific recommendations? I know everyone is different but I'm looking for some ideas as well. My waist is getting fat and my wallet thin from too much takeout at lunch, so I'm gonna do the frozen meal thing for awhile ...0
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@geministyle67 I like Santee Fe Rice and beans, French bread pizza, vegetable lasagna and black bean burgers.0
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geministyle67 wrote: »Those of you that have found Lean Cuisines or other frozen dinners that you like, specific recommendations? I know everyone is different but I'm looking for some ideas as well. My waist is getting fat and my wallet thin from too much takeout at lunch, so I'm gonna do the frozen meal thing for awhile ...
I'm enjoying the Cafe Steamers, especially chicken margarhita. The way they package them allows for actual texture to remain in the food.
Since I'm on bed rest after a surgical procedure these have been my go to food. Lean Cuisine, WW, Michelina's Light Gourmet is typically a buck. You'll want to add veggies but the light Salisbury steak and potatoes is 160 cals.1 -
I know how to cook but it's harder to count the calories so I was looking for a way to have be exact calories and try that for a while and see if it helps me more with losing weight. Plus I like that they have low calories so if I have one for lunch and I make a bigger dinner the calories even out.
I think its all about preparation
I buy beef, lamb, salmon, skinless chicken thighs and cod
(Sometimes breaded)
i then weigh out 1 kg of which ever meat I'm cooking and once its grilled (I use spray oil) I divide into 5 and freeze. usually eat it with 100 grams of potatoes, sweet potatoes or yam .and 100 grams of broccoli or mixed veg and a little butter (I have tried weighting out yam and freezing till I want to cook but haven't tried sweet potatoes yet.)... I just make sure I don't over cook it first time round and when I want to eat it I defrost it for about 4 minutes and then put it back under grill for a few minutes
sometime I use it for a stir-fry using the same recipe every single time and pack each serving individually in a freezer bag .. i just make sure i weight the each ingrideint before and once its done cooking i weight the whole dish and weight it into 5 portions and freeze. you can never get the same amount of meat in the same bag but at the end of the day it all levels out .. usually goes with rice or pasta
i even cook 3 servings worth of rice or pasta, ,making sure i weight before cooking .. once its cooked i weigh again and i know each time i want to eat a portion of rice i just weight out what i want
i have done 3 weeks worth of cooking in a week end once and since i have saved all the recipes i know exactly what calories I'm eating when i pull a bag out of the freezer only thing i don't cooking bulk is beef because it doesn't taste the same when you defrost it
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