Counting calories vs packaged food

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  • amandakay23
    amandakay23 Posts: 156
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    This is my experience with sodium...I don't eat the processed meals anymore, although I have lost weight eating them in the past. But....I lost 60 lbs this time around trying to eat cleaner, more fruits and veggies, less processed junk, whatever. So...I got down to a 'healthy' wieght range, but I don't want to stay here, I still need to lose some wieght. I was looking in my journals and found that my sodium intake was out of control! Way over 3000mg at times. So, I changed my goals to 1500mg and was very strict with this for a couple weeks, I lost 8lbs. I truely believe that sodium was causing a hinder in my weight loss. Another thing though, I thought I was eating pretty clean...OMGosh I cannot believe how much sodium is in EVERYTHING!!! It is so ridiculous, FF milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, english muffins....all of it. Horrible. So anyway..good luck, based on what you have to lose, sodium could very well make it harder. I personally react to sodium pretty badly...wake up feeling like if I poke my finger with a needle water will squirt out..... :flowerforyou:
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    Hi, Unfortunately, you need to try and step away from the prepackaged and frozen foods. The sodium is huge.
    Aren't healthy pre-prepared meals readily available in America?

    I know we used to get Lean Cuisine here, but I haven't seen them for maybe 20 years, I don't think they're that healthy, just low in calories!

    I do cook batches of food but being super-busy at the moment I also often eat Tesco meals, they do not contain ingredients you wouldn't find in your own kitchen, and in common with many British supermarkets, they are greatly reducing the sodium in processed foods - it's become a big health issue over here. Tesco do both a "Light Choices" and a "Healthy Living" range, both are low in sodium, fats and sugars.

    For instance, this is their "Healthy Living" Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Vegetables meal.
    Meal Per Serving Per 100g
    Energy 1281kJ (305kcal) 305kJ (73kcal)
    Protein 15.5g 3.7g
    Carbohydrate 31.5g 7.5g
    sugars 7.1g 1.7g
    Fat 13.0g 3.1g
    saturates 2.5g 0.6g
    mono unsaturates 6.7g 1.6g
    polyunsaturates 2.9g 0.7g
    Fibre 10.1g 2.4g
    Sodium* 0.3g 0.1g
    *Salt Equivalent 0.7g 0.2g

    Potato (30%), Chicken (20%), Carrot (16%), Green Bean (15%), Water, Roast Chicken Stock, Tomato Purée, Vegetable Oil, Cornflour, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Rice Bran Oil, Wheat Flour, Salt, Black Pepper.
    Roast Chicken Stock contains: Chicken, Chicken Fat, Water, Sugar, Salt, Cornflour, Onion Concentrate.

    Personally I'd be very happy to eat that, and it only has 300mg of sodium. :smile:
  • texakin20
    texakin20 Posts: 98 Member
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    I am listening to everyone!!! Thank you! Great advice and thoughts :)

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