Lean Cuisines

TeaBea

Nothing wrong with frozen meals, but I wouldn't recommend lean cuisines for one reason: BLEH.

I'd go for Amy's, stouffer's, or any other frozen meal. ( I avoid healthy choice; it's pretty bad.) The calories are really no different with regular, non-diet meals. For instance, I think the lean cuisine lasagna is around 320 calories and the stouffer's is 350. Plus I always supplement frozen meals with extra veggies.

If you happen to actually like lean cuisines though, go for it. :P

You have to be careful with Stouffer's red box meals........... the calories can be VERY different.

A "serving" of Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese is fairly comparable a "serving" of Stouffer's Mac & Cheese HOWEVER ......the Stouffer's (red box) contains 2 servings......granted the red box is 1 or 2 oz bigger......but half makes it a much smaller portion than the Lean Cuisine.

Lean Cusine is also part of the Stouffer's brand.

jonnythan

I see a lot of supporters on here but I have to say get away from this habit while you can. Prepared meals, especially frozen dinners are terrible for you, the nutritional value leaves a lot to be desired! I wouldn't make this a habit, maybe when you are super busy you could grab one, but I wouldn't eat it every day. Eating these meals isn't going to teach you anything about healthy choices, you have no idea what's in them! You need to make sandwiches, soup, salads for lunch and learn about the nutritional value in your foods and what to eat. Pay attention to those other trackers in your diary as well as the calories!

You don't have to cook a lot to make this happen by any means. You could do sandwiches, heck I'd even suggest canned soup over frozen meals (if you get the right brand), and salads are SUPER easy and quick to throw together. You could chop all your veggies on the weekend and put them into individual containers for the week. bam, done, and healthful AND nutritious.

The most important part of weight loss is making lifestyle changes that will become your routine and learning about your body and nutrition. If you aren't learning or adopting healthy habits you won't succeed long term.

What on earth.

kgeyser

There's nothing wrong with eating pre-portioned meals like LC, it's certainly not going to kill you. The one thing I dislike about them is that you get used to seeing everything in this neat little package, and it doesn't help you in recognizing portion sizes when you are faced with non-portioned food. I've found making my own food and weighing it to be much more helpful in my decision making and calorie estimation when dealing with restaurant food or food at parties.

Docpremie

You have to be careful with Stouffer's red box meals........... the calories can be VERY different.

A "serving" of Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese is fairly comparable a "serving" of Stouffer's Mac & Cheese HOWEVER ......the Stouffer's (red box) contains 2 servings......granted the red box is 1 or 2 oz bigger......but half makes it a much smaller portion than the Lean Cuisine.

Lean Cusine is also part of the Stouffer's brand.

That's why you have to be really carefully which Stouffer's meals you chose. I agree with the other poster that most of the Lean Cuisine meals are terrible! Smart Ones are only marginally better. I guess it doesn't help that I'm a gourmet cook, who grew up with a mother who was a fabulous cook. I never could stand most frozen meals. That said, a few of them aren't bad like I mentioned above: Stouffer's Baked Chicken, Stouffer's Meat Lasagna, Smart Ones Chicken Fettuccine. Stick to the ones with more lean eats (chicken & turkey mainly) and add additional lean meats, veggies & a low fat cheese, like mozzarella to increase the protein levels. I'd never meet my goal, if I only ate a frozen meals with 12-14 grams of protein!

MrsLannister

Is there a Trader Joe's near you? They have frozen meals that don't have all the artificial junk in them.

ItsCasey

One time I lost 80 lbs by eating a Lean Cuisine for dinner every night for 4 months. I gained it all back when I stopped eating Lean Cuisines. Just sayin'.

Well, I lost a few pounds myself eating Lean Cuisines every night (sometimes twice a day) for about a year. I didn't gain any of it back. I guess one of us did it wrong.

ETA, for the OP: The main reasons I stopped eating them were because I got tired of eating the same things over and over, and there were so few calories in them, relative to what I needed, that I had to make other things to go with them, anyway. And I got a lot more interested in cooking, so I make everything myself now. But for people who are just starting out, don't know how to cook, or for some other reason need the convenience of frozen meals, they're fine. Some brands are probably better than others, in terms of quality, but seriously, they're fine.

lwright311

Because of your post I read one of the boxes of my lean cuisines (Santa Fe Beans and Rice. It actually reads like a recipe. The only odd ingredients is potassium cloride which is a natural preservative. As far as soup is concerned it is much less convenient and depending of what kind may contain lots of sodium. Any processed meat like sandwich meat is terrible for you because they contain nitrate.
As for the original post, I eat Lean Cuisines and usually an apple or some baby carrots or cucumber salad for lunch about once a week. It is always good to add a fresh fruit or vegetable with them because they do lack in that department.

cwolfman13

Any advise or success stories by eating prepared meals? I know they're high in sodium, but I drink PLENTY of water and unsweet tea (black and green) all day long. I usually eat only one for lunch each day. Is this okay? I'm starting out, and they're very easy to put in the microwave and eat. I have very little time during the week to cook (I work 2 jobs and go to school). So this is very simple process..

I usually stay in about 1650 calories a day. (5'10, 255lbs, 28 years old, no health issues).

You'll be fine...my only beef with stuff like this is the sodium and also the fact that you don't get a whole lot of bang for your caloric buck...but they are convenient and I've had more than my fair share of stuff like this when I need convenience. I would also add that it is a good idea to learn to eat "real" food during this process though. I've been maintaining now for 7 months or so without logging and I credit the fact that I really payed attention to what servings of various foods looked like on my plate. If I had largely been eating pre-made meals, I likely would be struggling right now...but I do understand the need for convenience.

The only thing required to lose weight is a calorie deficit.

Francl27

The problem IMO isn't the meals. It's that you're not learning proper nutrition by eating them so much. But as long as you keep logging your meals even if you stop eating them, you should be fine.

That being said, for your age, weight and height, you can probably eat way more than that and still lose weight. I started at 1700 and I'm a 5'5" 35yo female (and weighed 213 lbs when I started).

ckspores1018

I don't think there is anything wrong with frozen meals.

With that said, I do think it is important for people needing to or in the process of losing weight to learn how to prepare their own meals. It teaches you something about portion and calorie control. You don't learn anything with frozen meals so it is easy to return to old habits as soon as you stop eating them.

drewie85

That's awesome! I really like the idea of adding veggies to my LC's because I have noticed... They have very little greens and I do love me some veggies!!

As for my calorie intake.. Well MFP says to eat only 1650 calories a day in order to lose 2lb a week - That's with no exercise. Of course I use an application called "Runtastic" that syncs perfectly with MFP so when I actually do go for walks, etc - it automatically uploads the calories I've burned (based on height, weight, gender, age and average speed) and MFP will bump up my calories by how many I've burned, so overall it's great.

As for the poster who gained weight after eating LC's... Hmm, did you go back to eating a very unhealthy diet every day? Or was it just because you completely stopped eating LC's?

The poster who said eat them with chop sticks is another good idea, I heard it takes something like 20 minutes for your body to realize that it's full. So that's a good way to slow it down.

LC's don't have much food (from what I'm used to eating) so what I'm trying to do is half-way through the meal, I'll drink an entire 20 oz bottle water before I finish the second half - this usually makes it easier to get full.

Thanks y'all!

PeaceLoveTrees

I see a lot of supporters on here but I have to say get away from this habit while you can. Prepared meals, especially frozen dinners are terrible for you, the nutritional value leaves a lot to be desired! I wouldn't make this a habit, maybe when you are super busy you could grab one, but I wouldn't eat it every day. Eating these meals isn't going to teach you anything about healthy choices, you have no idea what's in them! You need to make sandwiches, soup, salads for lunch and learn about the nutritional value in your foods and what to eat. Pay attention to those other trackers in your diary as well as the calories!

:huh:

The nutritional values, on many of these prepared dinners, are just fine. And if you can figure out how to fit them into your overall diet, there's no issue.

As far as having no idea what's in them, you do realize the ingredients are listed on the package, right?

One can make all the soups and sandwiches and whatever (s)he wants. But if you don't properly measure the ingredients, you'll actually have less information about the nutritional makeup of your soup/sandwich/whatever than you will by reading the package.

Because all of those ingredients are in the general public's vocabulary? No way, it's chock full of preservatives and sodium. I don't think that's healthy for you at all.

And of course I'm assuming that since we are on MFP people are watching their portions and logging it. No one makes progress eating whatever they want without tracking it, that's why we're here.

drewie85

Well, as for the portion control - that's why I buy them to limit my food intake, but I can see how it's not teaching myself how to portion food on my own. However I'm a visual learner and while it's probably not the best way to do it - I will try to properly portion my foods based on LC's when in a non portion controlled environment.

drewie85

I see a lot of supporters on here but I have to say get away from this habit while you can. Prepared meals, especially frozen dinners are terrible for you, the nutritional value leaves a lot to be desired! I wouldn't make this a habit, maybe when you are super busy you could grab one, but I wouldn't eat it every day. Eating these meals isn't going to teach you anything about healthy choices, you have no idea what's in them! You need to make sandwiches, soup, salads for lunch and learn about the nutritional value in your foods and what to eat. Pay attention to those other trackers in your diary as well as the calories!

:huh:

The nutritional values, on many of these prepared dinners, are just fine. And if you can figure out how to fit them into your overall diet, there's no issue.

As far as having no idea what's in them, you do realize the ingredients are listed on the package, right?

One can make all the soups and sandwiches and whatever (s)he wants. But if you don't properly measure the ingredients, you'll actually have less information about the nutritional makeup of your soup/sandwich/whatever than you will by reading the package.

Because all of those ingredients are in the general public's vocabulary? No way, it's chock full of preservatives and sodium. I don't think that's healthy for you at all.

And of course I'm assuming that since we are on MFP people are watching their portions and logging it. No one makes progress eating whatever they want without tracking it, that's why we're here.

I get where you're coming from - I read the ingredient list and got very confused, but I'm just starting out and I think this is not only a great way to eat a portioned amount of food, but I feel it's a lot better than what I used to eat (fast food and drive thrus almost 3x a day). Also I've noticed a lot of posters saying to wing myself away from them after a little while - not promoting them indefinitely.

I know LC's aren't the best or healthiest option, I just want to know I'm not doing something wrong. Thank you for your post though!

Mcgrawhaha

Any advise or success stories by eating prepared meals? I know they're high in sodium, but I drink PLENTY of water and unsweet tea (black and green) all day long. I usually eat only one for lunch each day. Is this okay? I'm starting out, and they're very easy to put in the microwave and eat. I have very little time during the week to cook (I work 2 jobs and go to school). So this is very simple process..

I usually stay in about 1650 calories a day. (5'10, 255lbs, 28 years old, no health issues).

i lost all of my weight in 1 year, eating premade frozen diet meals! i love them, and even in maintenance, choose to eat them because they are easy, and i really, really enjoy some of the meals!!! unless you have an underlying medical condition, sodium is not really much of a concern. cant be much worse than the 5000 calories a day i used to eat of flaming hot cheetos, beer, burger king, and rolos... i say go for it, if thats what it will take for you to succeed!!! btw, the lean cuisine seasame chicken served over a bed of 2 cups fresh chopped spinach leaves, topped with tapatio is to die for!

i have all my favorite diet meals listed on my facebook if you want ideas, i make little additions to them, adding stuff in, here and there...

Mcgrawhaha

One time I lost 80 lbs by eating a Lean Cuisine for dinner every night for 4 months. I gained it all back when I stopped eating Lean Cuisines. Just sayin'.

Well, I lost a few pounds myself eating Lean Cuisines every night (sometimes twice a day) for about a year. I didn't gain any of it back. I guess one of us did it wrong.

ETA, for the OP: The main reasons I stopped eating them were because I got tired of eating the same things over and over, and there were so few calories in them, relative to what I needed, that I had to make other things to go with them, anyway. And I got a lot more interested in cooking, so I make everything myself now. But for people who are just starting out, don't know how to cook, or for some other reason need the convenience of frozen meals, they're fine. Some brands are probably better than others, in terms of quality, but seriously, they're fine.

lmao, it wasnt the magical lean cuisines keeping the weight off, it was the low calories you were eating each day since the lean cuisines are low in calories... you stopped eating lean cuisines and started over eating again... thats not the lean cuisines fault, thats yours!

starrylioness

I eat Lean Cuisines a few times a week and I've lost weight really nicely. As a former pasta binge eater, I allow myself pasta now only in Lean Cuisines, that way they're portioned and I can't overeat. I really find Lean Cuisines to be helpful to me as far as portions go. I'll make one with a salad and that usually fills me up. But mostly for me, it helps with the cravings for things like macaroni and cheese and other pasta dishes that I want but don't want to make a whole box of.

kingscrown

I'd say if you're eating one a day you'll be fine. They are convenient and preportioned. BUT for a guy I don't think they're enough food. My husband use to eat the rice and beans one (sorry can't remember the name) and he'd bring some lettuce and salsa and make a big salad at work. Sometimes he'd bring a serving of tortilla chips and crumble them over. I bet a lot of the lean cuisines would be good over a bed of lettuce and it would sneak a veggie into your day.

NRSPAM

I love them! I don't eat them all the time or anything, but sometimes I'll have one for lunch. I'll usually take one for work, 'cuz I'm always running late, n I can just throw it in a bag with some snacks n go. They are high in sodium, but if you have one a day, I find that I actually have an easier time staying under than when I eat other stuff. One thing though, is the portion size. Especially for a guy. I would recommend eating some fruit or a side salad with some reduced calorie dressing or something. Some of them are really yummy though! Smart ones makes a breakfast sandwich that's like an Egg Mcmuffin, that I love!

cardsfanlv

If I am short on time, it can be an OK option. I try to avoid processed foods if possible but sometimes life gets in the way. You could certainly do much worse than Lean Cuisine.

NRSPAM

I just saw someone said that the LC's are terrible. Let me give you some of my fav's. Glazed chicken, enchilada suiza, parmesan crusted tilapia, sesame chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes are ok, any of the pita or panini sandwiches are awesome, the pizzas are usually good, and I already mentioned the breakfast sandwiches from Smart Ones. ...I think that about covers it! Lol. Good luck!

Mcgrawhaha

I just saw someone said that the LC's are terrible. Let me give you some of my fav's. Glazed chicken, enchilada suiza, parmesan crusted tilapia, sesame chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes are ok, any of the pita or panini sandwiches are awesome, the pizzas are usually good, and I already mentioned the breakfast sandwiches from Smart Ones. ...I think that about covers it! Lol. Good luck!

the chicken ranch melt!!! before i cook it, i put a handfull of nacho sliced jalepenos, and another handful of fresh spinach leaves on top... cook, fold, cool, EAT... OMG!!! my 5 kids beg me for a bite... i tell them, "get fat, then i might share my diet meals with you..."