Lean Cuisine

Monisfit4life

Has anyone made Lean Cuisine a part of their diet? I am thinking about it for lunch because I eat out way too much. Has anyone had any success with Lean Cuisine?

dirtbikegirl5

Any of the frozen meals will have a lot of sodium. Are you looking more for convenience of being able to grab it and go, or feel like the lower calories and fat will help you in your healthy program?

cardbucfan

I eat it occasionally but it has TONS of sodium in it so I try and limit it. It can work in moderation. How about bringing leftovers from your dinner the night before and a salad? If you are able to bring the lean cuisine, that means you can bring other stuff, it's just not as convenient. But, most convenient food has tons of sodium and additives. May not be an issue with you though but you'll get some folks responding who DO have an issue with those things.

bcattoes

I don't care for them (my cooking is much tastier) but there are several thin women in my office that eat these or the Healthy Choice cafe steamers daily to maintain their weight.

TeaBea

I usually pack a lunch sandwiches, salads, fruits and such. I do use Lean Cuisine, Weight Watcher's, etc. once in awhile. Many are lower fat and some have healthier whole grains. The sodium is high ..... just keep your breakfast & dinner lower sodium and you'll be OK. Most frozen meals have very few veggies .... I like to add extra.

carrie_eggo

I eat at least one or two weekly. They're not great...It's just convenient. Everyone mentions the sodium, but I have never went over my sodium "goal" due to a microwave dinner....I eat the Healthy Choice ones btw, not Lean Cuisine.

ElizabethRoad

I used to have those once in a while but I always seemed to feel hungry later. I prefer to have a sandwich or a cup of cereal.

Shweedog

I like them.

FriendsR4EverTreasures

love em! they don't support low sodium diets though, so in moderation if you are watching sodium levels!

BarbWhite09

I love love love lean cuisines. There's a little too much sodium in them, but if you watch your sodium in your other meals you'll be just fine.

JAllen32

Ill get one on occasion, if they are on sale or something looks good. Not just Lean Cuisine, but any of the low cal/fat frozen foods. But like PP said, they are not very filling, so I usually end up hungry again. I'd rather bring left overs or make a better meal for about the same cals or maybe a few more, and then not want to snack all afternoon. Plus, most of them don't really taste all that great anyway! :ohwell:

purseus

I don't care for them (my cooking is much tastier) but there are several thin women in my office that eat these or the Healthy Choice cafe steamers daily to maintain their weight.

yea i gotta agree with you on that i can cook the same stuff in a tv dinner tray but much better and healthier

jmruef

I like them in that they're controlled portions - so if I go out to a restaurant for pasta or something, I have a fairly good idea of what 1 serving looks like (at least to the Lean Cuisine folks.) Some of them are actually pretty yummy, IMHO.

mtncl1mb3r

If you want quick and easy but without all the sodium I'd suggest you try Amy's Kitchen. It's organic and they have lactose free, gluten free, light & lean, low sodium, vegetarian as well as non vegetarian entrees. They're a little more pricey than Lean Cuisine but they are totally worth it. Many of them you can heat up in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven. I like them best because they don't contain all the excess preservatives that many other frozen entrees do.

pereztech930

i eat them like every work day because of the convenience and I'm not that good of a cook. I'm experimenting with Smart ones now, a little lower sodium but it is still pretty high.

MaximalLife

I love them, and still prefer just my own whole food, home cooked meals, because the sodium content in them in through the roof!.

I personally, LOVE the Lean Cuisine Brick Oven Mushroom pizza. However, it's more of an indulgence than a staple in my diet.
Lean Cuisines are good for is keeping the calories down but are full of (tasty) chemicals and sodium.

One thing you CAN do it increase the healthiness of those meals...add to them.
Cut up fresh veggies and bring them to work and add them before you 'nuke the meal. Peppers and other veggies in sauces, or broccoli with chicken, etc.....
Or, if you have left over chicken, cube some, bring in a baggie, and add it to the main dish when you prepare your lunch.

AmyLRed

I like them, used to eat them all the time. I still do about 1-2x per week, but they do have high sodium. For me, the convenience is nice though.

shine82

I did eat Lean Cuisine earlier.. but i see that it was not very filling and it had way too much sodium..
If you eat out a lot, I would suggest try to eat at subway, or go to the cafe sort of places.. eat soup, no bread... or wherever you are comfortable and aware of the ingredients..

Or make a quick sandwich in the morning and pack it with you, nothing is better than your own home-made stuff, you know what you put in..

frugalmomsrock

Do you have an Aldi? They only have a couple varieties of their brand (Fit & Active) of meals, but they have the most amazing 5-cheese lasagna, and it has 540 mg sodium (which is still a lot, but not as much as some of the other meals). Plus they're only 1.19!! I like to keep it around for if I'm in a hurry or feeling a little too lazy to cook a meal for my lunch. I don't eat it often... just nice to have with steamed broccoli on occasion.

mindy14456

I like them, and they are really convenient on the days that I am working 3 jobs.

staceyseeger

I used them & WW Smart Ones as part of my initial Lifestyle Change on WW. They worked because it was convenient & portion-controlled. No guessing on the WW Points system - it figured it out for me. I made a deal with my PT that I would give them up and at least try to eat cleaner & healthier. I have to admit...he was right. I haven't had a frozen meal or can of soup in a month & I do feel better & am less hungry by making my own meals vs. eating pre-packaged ones. It does take a little more time & effort, but it is worth it in the long run. Good luck!

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Enigmatica

I lost a lot of weight while eating Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice Steamers almost every day for lunch. But I finally quit using them out of frustration with the amount of sodium in most of them and after taking a hard look at the potential dangers of heating your food in plastic, and the environmental impact of all those disposable trays.

Now my lunch is usually microwave steamable veggies that I heat in glassware instead of the plastic steamer bags, and either sliced chicken breast that I cook up, weigh into 3 oz portions, and pack into snack-size bags to freeze, or tuna, salmon, etc. It's an easy, healthy alternative that allows me much more control over the ingredients and portion sizes, and doesn't have me cringing about all the health hazards of ingesting heated plastic toxins or adding unnecessarily to the trashing of the planet.

LorinaLynn

One of my local grocery stores had a 6/$10 special on Healthy Choice, and I stocked up on them. Some are actually quite low in sodium... you just need to peek at the label before you buy them. My main issue with them is that I try to get over 100g of protein a day, and most of them have less than 15g per meal.

They're ok in a pinch, but you can do better if you cook from scratch on weekends and save portions in tupperware to take to work.

hannahbellelechter

I only bring them with me to work if I don't have any leftovers from the night before (i never have time to cook in the day - I work the night shift).

gigiangelique

I bring them when I am running late or to have them when I am lazy (i have one today) Its better than me grabbing a burger.

amybrauch

I usually eat at least 1 a week. I think the Healthy Choice Steamer Bowls taste the best. They are quite filling. I usually just get what is on sale, though. Lean Cuisines, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice - whatever I have a coupon for.

danigirl1011

I eat them a few times a week for dinner. they are high in sodium, but if you eat fresh and healthy other parts of the day it won't matter at all. I like the pepperoni pizza and chicken enchilada suiza the best if you're looking for suggestions

cgrout78

I do the healthy choice or the WW ones once or twice a week. I had one today. It was ok. It was good. I usually have a greek yogurt with them to up my protein at that meal and some extra veggies, but today I didn't have any of that stuff, so I'm hungry now.

CallieDerenthal

i LOVE lean cuisine!!! i have had great success so far because it ensures portion control. i'll be honest, i'm a little worried about what's gonna happen when i go into maintenance mode and start cooknig again. think i'm just gonna have to start using a scale. the frozen dinners are high in sodium so i make sure to drink a ton of water every day to flush my system since i eat about 2 frozen meals each day.

GinNouveau

I prefer Lean Cuisine meals to any of the other "diet" brands. They have a big selection and almost everything I've tried has had a lot of flavor. As a substitute for a less healthy option they are wonderful, especially the pizzas (and will save you a lot of calories vs pizza delivery or buffet). Picking any healthier option over fast food is going to be beneficial. If you are just now making the transition, even though the sodium is high, you may have better success with Lean Cuisines than the healthier organic/low sodium versions which can seem bland compared to fast food.

amaried621

YES YES YES! Lean Cuisine's and Smart Ones became a huge part of my diet once I decided to eat healthier. Of course you have to watch out for the sodium and sugars but it's great when you are watching your calories. I usually pick up a few things to have as a snack with them because they aren't huge but I love them. I used to eat out a lot and not only does this help you eat better but it also saves you so much money!!