Weight watchers meals

martini83

So lately i have been having a lot of weight watchers meals as i find it a real pain making two different dinners, where as it is easier to make dinner for the rest of the house and then just microwave mine (around about 3 times a week) but ive found all of their meals are make with pasta or rice, since you are trying to loose weight are the carbs good?

Salpica

Not the dreaded carb questions!

Some will say they are the devil, some will say the people who call them the devil are retarded.......

Best to just keep track of your calorie count IMO. You WILL lose weight irregardless of what you eat as long as you stay within your calorie limit. Just remember, eating healthier means you get to eat more......

killagb

Salpica

In that order?

killagb

More info:

KatieCuth

Oh occasionally one of those meals are good but why punish yourself with a frozen meal... Why not cook everyone a healthy meal to eat... What is it that you are cooking them that you can not eat? Portion size....

Elleinnz

I did 6 months of Jenny Craig when I first started - as with the Weight Watchers food very high Carb, Low Protein - I lost 31kg (68lbs) in that time - so there is nothing that should stop you from losing weight....

Having said that I found that I was always hungry, and it was only when I added extra protein (and took away some of the carbs) that I actually felt satiated and did not get the dreaded afternoon, late night munchies....

The other thing with these meals are how high they are in sodium, but again - that did not stop me from losing weight at that point.....now that I am regularly eating lower sodium a high sodium day seems to have a much bigger impact on my body....

[edit] - One thing though - I am so glad I found MFP - and a way to eat normal good food - never want to eat another meal out of a small plastic black container!!

KatieCuth

BALANCE...

Yes if you cut carbs out all together and send your body into ketosis yes you loose weight but you can also loose weight by having a balanced meal.

Salpica

Check out this part of the forum and look at the recipes posted. A lot of these recipes are great not only for people on a diet but for the rest of your family. Nothing should say that you have to eat different meals than your family and vice versa. Chicken is a great example! Very healthy and low in calories. Plus it's a ton of protien.

I saw in your profile that you have kids. Not saying I know anything about parenting, as I don't have any kids that I know of, but now would the best time to get them eating healthy, along with you, to help set them up for life long food choices they will make.

neuro316

I tried a few of the WW meals earlier this year when I was doing WW online, but I quickly learned that the devil is in the details - some of those meals may be low calorie (200-300 cals), but the sodium is sky high!! Really way too high in relation to the amount of calories/food that you get.

I recommend Amy's Organic or Trader Joe's frozen meals instead. They still have some sodium, but nowhere near where the level of the WW Smart Ones meals. The organic ones are slightly more expensive, but I think it's worth it for the health factor.

Just check the calorie level - I try to get the ones between 300-400 cals, but some can be near 500.

martini83

Oh occasionally one of those meals are good but why punish yourself with a frozen meal... Why not cook everyone a healthy meal to eat... What is it that you are cooking them that you can not eat? Portion size....

Well for starters, they eat red meat, ive given it up, because their is four children, their is a lot of potato, pasta, they always have veges, but are not fond of salad, where as i will have salad when i do cook for myself. i eat a lot of fish and seafood, where as i cant cook that for them as one is allergic.

martini83

There is so much to learn, how do you know what foods have lots of sodium? How do you know what foods have high carbs and what doesn't. i need to read some more info me thinks.

Eleanorjanethinner

I agree - eat real food with your family, just eat less of it than they do and chose lower fat recipies and lean protein. It'll be better for all of you to eat healthy dinners!

For example:

* chicken stirfry with noodles or rice
* pasta and tomato sauce with a low cal meat like a bit of ham, turkey or chicken breast (and no cheese on top for you)
* lean steak, baked potato n veges (or baked chicken breast, or baked salmon fillet, or other fish fried in a small spritz of oil with a little flour and seasoning to coat it)
* lower fat oven bake fish and chips (an easy dinner and can be lower calorie if you just read the labels at the supermarket).
* turkey mince and plenty of veges can make all sorts of good stuff - tacos, spagetti bolognaise etc.
* Low fat sausages in a cassarole i.e. devilled sausages on mashed potatoes.

Add red kidney beans to bulk out mince dishes.
Add as many veges as you can squeeze in (preferably into the dish, not on the side. People will eat grated carrot in spag. bol. and not even notice).
Potatoes are great carbs as they're filling and low calorie.

Just a few ideas... I'm sure there are plenty of 'low fat dishes for the family' recipe books.

KatieCuth

There is so much to learn, how do you know what foods have lots of sodium? How do you know what foods have high carbs and what doesn't. i need to read some more info me thinks.

There are good carbs and bad carbs, obviously rice and pasta you can eat but watch the portion size. Anything from a packet usually is high in sodium. Have a look at the back of the can or packet it will show you and also lists in your diary on MFP... I had lean cuisine meal today for lunch (ummmMMMA) and I feel bloated from it.

Yes it does make it hard when the family eats differently... maybe make a big salad and dont dress it and you can keep it for the next night and just add your protein... Start offering the salad to the children, one day they may actually love it. My 9 year old loves salad now. And nearly likes mushrooms.