Losing Weight using Ready Meals?

Focus83

Hey All,

I'm sure this has probably been asked many times before but anyone else out there lost weight by using ready meals regularly? I'm only on day 3 and so far i feel like I am going to reply on ready meals at least 5 days a week as its easier for me to count the cals. I know its not the best thing to do but to start me off on the right track maybe.

karahunts

Although I try not to consume them too often, I'm pretty sure that you will see weight loss with these simply because they are low calorie and they take the guess work out of counting calories. They might cause bloating from all of the sodium but if you're drinking plenty of water it won't be that bad. I'm no nutritionist so I can't say for sure but at the end of the day regardless of what type of meal you eat, consuming less calories and exercising more should bring about results.

OliveGirl128

I used Lean Cuisines quite a bit during my weight loss phase. Add a bag of steamer veggies to give them more bulk. I also frequently added a can of chicken as well -even with the add-ins it came in around 500 calories or less for a very filling meal!

MrsLannister

I primarily eat Lean Cuisine and have lost over 100 pounds. It's just like anything else, count the calories and stay in a deficit. People will come in whinging about processed foods and sodium, but a) I'm not at all worried about processed foods and b) Lean Cuisine doesn't have a lot of sodium (typically between 500 - 600 mg per serving).

I wait until they are on sale and then stock up. I can get them for about 1.60 - 1.80 a piece. I can't make a meal that cheap, nor do I want to. I hate cooking.

Lean Cuisine has a ton of different varieties and flavors. Sometimes I get the Marie Calendar if they are cheaper, but they do have a lot of sodium and more calories. I'm not a fan of Weight Watchers, they are expensive and taste like garbage. The healthy choice is okay, but the steamers are really bland.

court_alacarte

A couple of years ago, I lost ~20 pounds consistently eating mainly processed foods; over 90% of what I ate was boxed, bagged, or canned since everything was easy to track and, IMO, delicious. I even remember being able to fit Pop-Tarts into my day. I was single at the time and since I don't enjoy cooking for only myself, that was what I lived off of for the time being.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I love Amy's frozen meals; Stouffer's and personal pizzas are also a staple in my freezer as well. I tend to stay away from the "diet" frozen meals because they're not as tasty to me, a.k.a. not as much sodium. I still have a guilty pleasure for Campbell's canned soups.

Need2Exerc1se

I love to cook so I didn't eat them, but there is nothing wrong with the frozen meals if you like them.

estherdragonbat

I use convenience foods like Yves and Gardein. I don't generally buy the 'TV dinner' type meals, though I used to buy 'Mon cuisine'. (I'm kosher, in addition to being vegetarian. There are kosher ready meals, but nowhere near as many options as the non-kosher. And most of what there is tends to revolve around meat, chicken, or fish. Vegetarian options are often drowned in sauce. So not exactly something I'm in a hurry to ingest by choice).

boulank

I make my own ready meals. I even label them with the calorie count and how many grams of each item that is in it.

When I do buy them from the store I like the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers they seem to be not too bad.

MegaMooseEsq

I think the main thing is to make sure that you're eating ones that you like or have a plan on how to replace them, because if you rely on them for weight loss and then stop eating them when you've reached your target weight, you're setting yourself up for re-gain.

ninerbuff

You can lose weight on ANY DIET. Where failure happens is when one DOESN'T CONTINUE TO EAT THAT WAY. So if you intend to just eat ready made meals the rest of your life, then fine. If you're thinking you can just reach weight then go back to regular eating and NOT GAIN because you don't know how to count calories and prepare food on your own, you might get a wake up call.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NR81206

Once a week I usually eat a lean cuisine meal at work with a side of vegetable. It's easy enough to just pop in the microwave and scan the barcode, the carb count is on the higher end with lean cuisine meal and usually has little to no fiber so I usually eat it with broccoli or some sort of other frozen vegetable. The sodium level is high, but like everyone else said, drink plenty of water. I work nights, and usually have time to make dinner before work but for the nights I don't it does come in handy.

scarlett_k

You certainly can. And there are a wider range of nicer tasting, lower calorie ready meals available nowa days so hopefully it doesn't have to be bland, wet, gnarly low fat diet no fun lasagne or whatever.

The good thing about them is that they have the nutritional values on them and you don't have to mess around inputting ingredients into MFP to work out how much you can eat. I usually have at least a couple in the fridge for days when I just can't be bothered to cook, or if I've been too busy or eaten an unexpectedly large lunch.

You can always improvise depending on why you need to use them, like if it's because you don't have time to cook but eat at home then you will find there are lots of things you can throw together to make a sort of tailor made ready meal.

tsaun22

I have lost 30 lbs in 4 months by just snacking healthy food for the morning and lunch, and having a lean cuisine for dinner with a fruit or salad.

narspips

I eat a packaged breakfast 5 days a week and some sort of prepackaged/calorie-counted meal for lunch probably 2-3 days a week. So not entirely, but quite a big chunk. Down 8lbs since late June.

TeaBea

Having a Healthy Choice steamer (with extra carrots) for lunch today. Certainly an improvement over a cheeseburger & fries.

kimcalica

Having lost 100+ lbs, there isn't a method I haven't tried, (within certain limitations) I did the microwave dinners for several months in the very beginning, before I had the education mfp gave me to be able to easily throw together fresh, healthy, clean 15-30 minute meals for me and my family. I did lose weight during this time, but not comfortably. The extra preservatives and sodium in them left me feeling hungrier and less energetic. One of the secrets along my journey that I learned, is that the fuel that I put in my body runs my engine, and my engine is the thing that pushes me forward each day. The more I was able to do in a day, every day, the more I was able to do the days and weeks after. This included house work, and yard work, being present for family just as much as getting in the gym, dancing, yoga, and every other physical opportunity I could get. More=more! So I needed good fuel.. those micro meals stopped cutting it! But if you don't do much, I think they may be ok. If you are in early stages, but ideally, learning about clean eating and less preservatives, sugars, sodium.. that'll get your engine going!!! Good luck!

OliveGirl128

kimcalica wrote: »

Having lost 100+ lbs, there isn't a method I haven't tried, (within certain limitations) I did the microwave dinners for several months in the very beginning, before I had the education mfp gave me to be able to easily throw together fresh, healthy, clean 15-30 minute meals for me and my family. I did lose weight during this time, but not comfortably. The extra preservatives and sodium in them left me feeling hungrier and less energetic. One of the secrets along my journey that I learned, is that the fuel that I put in my body runs my engine, and my engine is the thing that pushes me forward each day. The more I was able to do in a day, every day, the more I was able to do the days and weeks after. This included house work, and yard work, being present for family just as much as getting in the gym, dancing, yoga, and every other physical opportunity I could get. More=more! So I needed good fuel.. those micro meals stopped cutting it! But if you don't do much, I think they may be ok. If you are in early stages, but ideally, learning about clean eating and less preservatives, sugars, sodium.. that'll get your engine going!!! Good luck!

'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

kimny72

Yep, several times a week I have a Lean Cuisine or a Healthy Choice steamer with some additional frozen veggies mixed in. I have 3 or 4 that I like that I always keep stocked in my freezer. The stereotype that they are full of chemicals and loaded with sodium is just that. Many are pretty reasonable sodium-wise. And while preservatives are nothing to be scared of, reading the labels of the ones I like I don't find many (if any) ingredients I wouldn't be using if I was cooking from scratch.

I wouldn't rely on them entirely because learning to cook can be really advantageous in maintaining a healthy weight (and just as a super-cool life skill). So poke around on the internet for "quick and healthy" recipes plus read the Food & Nutrition and Recipes forums here for some great ideas. But yeah, ready meals are perfectly fine

Ainadan

OliveGirl128 wrote: »

kimcalica wrote: »

Having lost 100+ lbs, there isn't a method I haven't tried, (within certain limitations) I did the microwave dinners for several months in the very beginning, before I had the education mfp gave me to be able to easily throw together fresh, healthy, clean 15-30 minute meals for me and my family. I did lose weight during this time, but not comfortably. The extra preservatives and sodium in them left me feeling hungrier and less energetic. One of the secrets along my journey that I learned, is that the fuel that I put in my body runs my engine, and my engine is the thing that pushes me forward each day. The more I was able to do in a day, every day, the more I was able to do the days and weeks after. This included house work, and yard work, being present for family just as much as getting in the gym, dancing, yoga, and every other physical opportunity I could get. More=more! So I needed good fuel.. those micro meals stopped cutting it! But if you don't do much, I think they may be ok. If you are in early stages, but ideally, learning about clean eating and less preservatives, sugars, sodium.. that'll get your engine going!!! Good luck!

'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

Not absolutely nothing, because it may affect your energy and/or your on/off button. Energy affects calories burnt, and your on/off button affects calories consumed. You are right that it doesn't have a direct effect, but it can have an indirect effect.

But to the OP, it is a way to lose weight. Do what is best for you.

kimcalica

[/quote] 'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.[/quote]

Is this spoken from personal experience or what you've picked up from the internet?

mamadon

I lost 118 pounds and ate packaged meals (mostly Lean Cuisine) at work all the time. I still do and I've been maintaining for a few years now. I don't like to cook and really don't feel like it right before work. My husband cooks on my days off.
When I decided to try to lose weight for what seemed the millionth time, I tried to do it in a way that worked for me. Anything that was going to require a lot of prepping, cooking etc, would never work. As long as you are eating the correct amount of calories, do whatever works best for you and is sustainable.

OliveGirl128

kimcalica wrote: »

'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

Is this spoken from personal experience or what you've picked up from the internet?

My frustration is that the term doesn't have a set definition ie. it doesn't actually mean anything. Even the Clean Eating group here on MFP can't agree on one definition. So how does telling the op that eating 'clean' is going to help her achieve her weight loss goals, actually going to help her?

Here's the various clean eating definitions that have been compiled from the various threads on MFP, these are what different people have claimed 'clean' eating is-

Nothing but minimally processed foods.
Absolutely no processed foods.
Shop only the outside of the grocery store.
Nothing out of a box, jar, or can.
Only food that's not in a box or hermetically sealed bag, or from e.g. McDonald's.
No take-out or junk food at all.
Nothing at all with a barcode.
Nothing with more than 5 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 4 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 3 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 1 ingredient.
No added preservatives.
No added chemicals.
No chemicals, preservatives, etc. at all.
No ingredients that you can't pronounce.
No ingredients that sound like they came out of a chemistry book.
Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
If it grows or had a mother, it is ok to eat it.
Don't eat products that have a longer shelf life than you do.
Eat "food" and not "food-like substances."
No added sugar.
No added refined sugar.
Swap white sugar for brown.
No "white" foods.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
A plant-based whole food diet.
Eat foods as close to their natural state as POSSIBLE, and little to no processed food.
Only meat from grass-fed animals and free-range chickens.
Only pesticide-free foods.
Nothing that causes your body bloat or inflammation.
No trigger foods, nothing from fast food chains, nothing in the junk food aisles, and no high gmo foods.
]No red meat, no sweets, no pasta, no alcohol, no bread, no soda, nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins.
Eat a plant based diet consisting of whole plant foods.
No bad carbs and processed foods.
Anything that makes a better choice.
Not cheating on whatever diet you are on.
Any food that doesn't make it difficult to hit your macro/micro targets.

See how many of these completely contradict each other? And then there's some of them that don't even make sense, (my local grocery store's produce dept. is in the inside of the store, however the beer cave and chip section is on the outside parameter....)

Sorry op, got off track here, but the term 'clean eating' drives me batty

kimcalica

OliveGirl128 wrote: »

kimcalica wrote: »

'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

Is this spoken from personal experience or what you've picked up from the internet?

My frustration is that the term doesn't have a set definition ie. it doesn't actually mean anything. Even the Clean Eating group here on MFP can't agree on one definition. So how does telling the op that eating 'clean' is going to help her achieve her weight loss goals, actually going to help her?

Here's the various clean eating definitions that have been compiled from the various threads on MFP, these are what different people have claimed 'clean' eating is-

Nothing but minimally processed foods.
Absolutely no processed foods.
Shop only the outside of the grocery store.
Nothing out of a box, jar, or can.
Only food that's not in a box or hermetically sealed bag, or from e.g. McDonald's.
No take-out or junk food at all.
Nothing at all with a barcode.
Nothing with more than 5 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 4 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 3 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 1 ingredient.
No added preservatives.
No added chemicals.
No chemicals, preservatives, etc. at all.
No ingredients that you can't pronounce.
No ingredients that sound like they came out of a chemistry book.
Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
If it grows or had a mother, it is ok to eat it.
Don't eat products that have a longer shelf life than you do.
Eat "food" and not "food-like substances."
No added sugar.
No added refined sugar.
Swap white sugar for brown.
No "white" foods.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
A plant-based whole food diet.
Eat foods as close to their natural state as POSSIBLE, and little to no processed food.
Only meat from grass-fed animals and free-range chickens.
Only pesticide-free foods.
Nothing that causes your body bloat or inflammation.
No trigger foods, nothing from fast food chains, nothing in the junk food aisles, and no high gmo foods.
]No red meat, no sweets, no pasta, no alcohol, no bread, no soda, nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins.
Eat a plant based diet consisting of whole plant foods.
No bad carbs and processed foods.
Anything that makes a better choice.
Not cheating on whatever diet you are on.
Any food that doesn't make it difficult to hit your macro/micro targets.

See how many of these completely contradict each other? And then there's some of them that don't even make sense, (my local grocery store's produce dept. is in the inside of the store, however the beer cave and chip section is on the outside parameter....)

Sorry op, got off track here, but the term 'clean eating' drives me batty

My apologies for driving you batty, but in my personal experience, in order to manage energy and mood, I've whittled my diet down to cooking my own meals and using fresh healthy ingredients..

It's not as complicated as the rules described above, there is always room for treats.

Not to mention when I use the term clean, it's not restrictive, but balanced. And that's what mfp has taught me. Our bodies are built to have and use all macros and ideally, we balance them. We are at our best when we aren't bogged down with extra things our bodies have to process.

It's not a fad, it's common sense. It's nothing I read, it's simply what I've learned in my weight loss experience.

OliveGirl128

double post

OliveGirl128

kimcalica wrote: »

OliveGirl128 wrote: »

kimcalica wrote: »

'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

Is this spoken from personal experience or what you've picked up from the internet?

My frustration is that the term doesn't have a set definition ie. it doesn't actually mean anything. Even the Clean Eating group here on MFP can't agree on one definition. So how does telling the op that eating 'clean' is going to help her achieve her weight loss goals, actually going to help her?

Here's the various clean eating definitions that have been compiled from the various threads on MFP, these are what different people have claimed 'clean' eating is-

Nothing but minimally processed foods.
Absolutely no processed foods.
Shop only the outside of the grocery store.
Nothing out of a box, jar, or can.
Only food that's not in a box or hermetically sealed bag, or from e.g. McDonald's.
No take-out or junk food at all.
Nothing at all with a barcode.
Nothing with more than 5 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 4 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 3 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 1 ingredient.
No added preservatives.
No added chemicals.
No chemicals, preservatives, etc. at all.
No ingredients that you can't pronounce.
No ingredients that sound like they came out of a chemistry book.
Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
If it grows or had a mother, it is ok to eat it.
Don't eat products that have a longer shelf life than you do.
Eat "food" and not "food-like substances."
No added sugar.
No added refined sugar.
Swap white sugar for brown.
No "white" foods.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
A plant-based whole food diet.
Eat foods as close to their natural state as POSSIBLE, and little to no processed food.
Only meat from grass-fed animals and free-range chickens.
Only pesticide-free foods.
Nothing that causes your body bloat or inflammation.
No trigger foods, nothing from fast food chains, nothing in the junk food aisles, and no high gmo foods.
]No red meat, no sweets, no pasta, no alcohol, no bread, no soda, nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins.
Eat a plant based diet consisting of whole plant foods.
No bad carbs and processed foods.
Anything that makes a better choice.
Not cheating on whatever diet you are on.
Any food that doesn't make it difficult to hit your macro/micro targets.

See how many of these completely contradict each other? And then there's some of them that don't even make sense, (my local grocery store's produce dept. is in the inside of the store, however the beer cave and chip section is on the outside parameter....)

Sorry op, got off track here, but the term 'clean eating' drives me batty

My apologies for driving you batty, but in my personal experience, in order to manage energy and mood, I've whittled my diet down to cooking my own meals and using fresh healthy ingredients..

It's not as complicated as the rules described above, there is always room for treats.

Not to mention when I use the term clean, it's not restrictive, but balanced. And that's what mfp has taught me. Our bodies are built to have and use all macros and ideally, we balance them. We are at our best when we aren't bogged down with extra things our bodies have to process.

It's not a fad, it's common sense. It's nothing I read, it's simply what I've learned in my weight loss experience.

If you had posted-'hey, for me cooking my own meals and using fresh ingredients helps me feel better and makes it easier to manage my calorie intake' I'd have been like 'yep, that's what I do too!' It's just that the term 'clean eating' is so ambiguous and subjective, that makes me cringe every time it comes up/knee jerk response post ensues lol.

It's all good, thanks for clarifying and I'm glad you found something that's working for you-I took a peek at your profile area and your success is truly amazing

kimcalica

OliveGirl128 wrote: »

kimcalica wrote: »

OliveGirl128 wrote: »

kimcalica wrote: »

'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

Is this spoken from personal experience or what you've picked up from the internet?

My frustration is that the term doesn't have a set definition ie. it doesn't actually mean anything. Even the Clean Eating group here on MFP can't agree on one definition. So how does telling the op that eating 'clean' is going to help her achieve her weight loss goals, actually going to help her?

Here's the various clean eating definitions that have been compiled from the various threads on MFP, these are what different people have claimed 'clean' eating is-

Nothing but minimally processed foods.
Absolutely no processed foods.
Shop only the outside of the grocery store.
Nothing out of a box, jar, or can.
Only food that's not in a box or hermetically sealed bag, or from e.g. McDonald's.
No take-out or junk food at all.
Nothing at all with a barcode.
Nothing with more than 5 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 4 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 3 ingredients.
Nothing with more than 1 ingredient.
No added preservatives.
No added chemicals.
No chemicals, preservatives, etc. at all.
No ingredients that you can't pronounce.
No ingredients that sound like they came out of a chemistry book.
Nothing that is processed and comes in a package or wrapper, or has any ingredient that sounds scientific.
Don't eat products that have a TV commercial.
Don't eat foods that have a mascot.
If it grows or had a mother, it is ok to eat it.
Don't eat products that have a longer shelf life than you do.
Eat "food" and not "food-like substances."
No added sugar.
No added refined sugar.
Swap white sugar for brown.
No "white" foods.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.
Nothing but lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
A plant-based whole food diet.
Eat foods as close to their natural state as POSSIBLE, and little to no processed food.
Only meat from grass-fed animals and free-range chickens.
Only pesticide-free foods.
Nothing that causes your body bloat or inflammation.
No trigger foods, nothing from fast food chains, nothing in the junk food aisles, and no high gmo foods.
]No red meat, no sweets, no pasta, no alcohol, no bread, no soda, nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins.
Eat a plant based diet consisting of whole plant foods.
No bad carbs and processed foods.
Anything that makes a better choice.
Not cheating on whatever diet you are on.
Any food that doesn't make it difficult to hit your macro/micro targets.

See how many of these completely contradict each other? And then there's some of them that don't even make sense, (my local grocery store's produce dept. is in the inside of the store, however the beer cave and chip section is on the outside parameter....)

Sorry op, got off track here, but the term 'clean eating' drives me batty

My apologies for driving you batty, but in my personal experience, in order to manage energy and mood, I've whittled my diet down to cooking my own meals and using fresh healthy ingredients..

It's not as complicated as the rules described above, there is always room for treats.

Not to mention when I use the term clean, it's not restrictive, but balanced. And that's what mfp has taught me. Our bodies are built to have and use all macros and ideally, we balance them. We are at our best when we aren't bogged down with extra things our bodies have to process.

It's not a fad, it's common sense. It's nothing I read, it's simply what I've learned in my weight loss experience.

If you had posted-'hey, for me cooking my own meals and using fresh ingredients helps me feel better and makes it easier to manage my calorie intake' I'd have been like 'yep, that's what I do too!' It's just that the term 'clean eating' is so ambiguous and subjective, that makes me cringe every time it comes up/knee jerk response post ensues lol.

It's all good, thanks for clarifying and I'm glad you found something that's working for you-I took a peek at your profile area and your success is truly amazing

I need to update that, I just had skin removal surgery and got through that, (barely)

Sorry I used the term clean, That's just how I find my recipes, so I figured that's what I'm doing.. it's all a lot of bs unless you do real work and educate yourself anyway. Those buzz words are meaningless.

Weight loss isn't a fad or a plan, it's a psychological mind frame. Always learning, always getting better. It's more about mental wellness than just being fat.

You remind me of my husband lol.. always nitpicking me for being too ambiguous..

Grateful.. it happens a lot