Smart Ones and Lean Cuisines

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2

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  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Just to elaborate a little more on my experience... when I was eating these, I developed dieter's edema. It was dangerously close to being a pitted edema which is life-threatening. If you plan on eating them, please track your potassium and be sure that you are getting a sufficient amount. Otherwise, you may cause yourself some problems.
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
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    I dont do it on a daily basis because the sodium mates me retain water weight and they aren't filling enough to keep me from snacking. But they are good a couple times a wk for a quick dinner or work lunch. I find that if I eat it with a salad or a can of veggies it is more filling. But drink extra water that day.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I lost a ton of weight with them. They are great if you are trying to get used to portion control and have a busy lifestyle. The sodium levels didn't bother me because I typically never use salt in any of the other meals I prepare. I don't even know if I have salt in my house, come to think of it, so the 'excess sodium' in the lean cuisine/smart ones wasn't 'excess' for me personally, since I never really use it. And even still, if you are also exercising frequently, you sweat out alot of salts, so unless your doctor has told you to monitor your salt, I wouldn't get anal about it.

    I never salted anything either. I still ended up with a potassium deficiency that led to edema.
  • barbaramitchell101
    barbaramitchell101 Posts: 360 Member
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    I used to eat these in the beginning of my weight loss journey...first I used Lean Cuisine but I really didn't like it that well, the meat always cme out tough and hard to cut and the veggies were'nt that good either...then I switched to Smart Ones and that one has less sodium, the veggies and meat are tasty...but with both of them, I needed more food...so I always brought a V-8, one or two bananas, a 6-oz pkg of raw berries, and anything else I felt I would enjoy...actually with my program, I also had a diet protein shake in the morning, (2 per day was recommended, I had only one per day) I was able to slowly lose 29 lbs which took about 2 years...I did not exercise, either..I am not eating them now, because for some reason, this year I started having sensitivty issues...first my medications, and now food....gluten seems to be the culpret...I just wanted to say that both are free of preservatives, and both are lower in cals than other frozen dinners...

    If you go with Lean Cuisine, you can get remiums by entering you codes in their website....don't throw out the boxes till you enter them, they are located inside the boxes...

    OH, and I do take suppliments just in case I miss some nutrients...
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
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    I eat them frequently for lunch at work. They're easy to grab, pre portioned, and some are pretty tasty. They are better than getting takeout at the mall every day (both on the pocketbook and the waist!).
  • jcjsjones
    jcjsjones Posts: 571 Member
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    I use them if I'm short on time. They are easy to grab and portion controlled. I agree with others though about the nutritional value and the sodium. I wouldn't eat them reguarly.
  • 20shan08
    20shan08 Posts: 219 Member
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    I used to eat the weight watchers and michalinas for lunch daily up until about a month ago... I've lost 83 pounds... Just try to choose the ones with the lowest sodium.
  • addiepray80
    addiepray80 Posts: 46 Member
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    I eat these once or twice a week when I don't have time to prepare dinner. I almost always add a cup or so of extra veggies (boiled, no salt or butter) to help fill me up and make my plate fuller. There is always plenty of sauce to go around on the extra veggies and they add nutrition as well.

    I highly recommend the Healthy Choice options; they seem to have better quality meats and vegetables in my opinion. Plus, I recently had half a wishbone in my Lean Cuisine and have not touched them since!
  • LetsMakeupXtina
    LetsMakeupXtina Posts: 627 Member
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    I used to survive off the few that are GF... I would have one every day for lunch.. and I would ALWAYS feel hungry 30 mins later.. just were never satisfying to me.. haven't bought one in a really long time.. but they do help you lose weight!!
  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
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    cook your own food and learn about nutrition unless you want to gain it all back. That stuff is poison.
  • robertdte1
    robertdte1 Posts: 3
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    I eat them frequently for lunch at work. They're easy to grab, pre portioned, and some are pretty tasty. They are better than getting takeout at the mall every day (both on the pocketbook and the waist!).

    You must eat very small amounts!! I cannot eat these tiny meals because if you look at the calories per gram it is actually very high on the calorie scale! I have to eat more food due to the workouts (weight lifting) and I get so hungry. I opt for fish, chicken breast, turkey chili, greek yogurt, etc. Veggies are great also! I found I can eat much more food for a lower calorie content. My rule of thumb is to not eat more than 100 calories per hour. I burn approx 2500 per day so with workouts it is perfect. My typical day I consume about 1700-1800 calories per day but as I get even more toned I will up it to 2000-2200 per day!
  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
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    I used them and lost 108 pounds!
    They work, along with Myfittness pal
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    I have used them in the past with great success, yes. They have a lot of sodium, so if that's a concern - you will want to know that. They are processed foods for sure, but if that's not a big deal... they work great for portion control and are relatively satisfying.
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    No one should be eating these "meals." Period.

    Read the nutrtion label on the back. Disgusting.
  • robertdte1
    robertdte1 Posts: 3
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    Agreed!
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    once a month at most and only IF you can't find any real food anywhere

    this crap is crap and does not belong in the human body

    I wouldnt let my dog eat this junk
  • sarbar71
    sarbar71 Posts: 191 Member
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    I used to eat these every day - for quite a few years, actually. They certainly are convenient, but aside from that, they really don't have much going for them. They are expensive, the meat has the consistency of rubber, they don't taste very good (compared to "real" food, that is), and as others have pointed out - they are loaded with sodium and fillers (chemicals, soy, dyes, and other things that I can't even pronounce)..

    I switched to a Whole Foods diet 3 months ago and the first week I lose about 5 pounds in sodium weight I was carrying around. Within a week or two I saw real changes in my weight, the way my clothes fit, and how I felt both physically and mentally. Yep - eating whole foods is more work - but it is worth it in so many ways. I work 60 hours a week, have two young children, and go to night school - SO - I totally get that cooking takes time. I do a lot of weekend, evening, and crockpot cooking and then I freeze individual serving sizes that I can just reheat during the week. It's just as convenient as pulling out a lean cuisine, but the taste and quality is WAY better. Maybe give it a try for a few weeks!
  • lorcart
    lorcart Posts: 406 Member
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    I eat them frequently for lunch. One of my biggest "issues" is portion control and while yes, they are very high in sodium, it's helping tremendously with portion control. I eat one with a small salad and it's a great lunch. Just beware, they are very high in sodium.
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
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    I eat frozen meals for lunch most days at work, but not these brands. When I started my weight loss program, I ate Banquet and Michellinas. I wouldn't recommend Banquet - they truly taste bad. Michellinas was OK for frozen food, not great. This time around, I'm finding the lower-calorie meals from Marie Callenders and Hungry Man. Same price as Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine, but more food (by weight), so I'm more satiated after lunch. And they taste pretty good, considering.
  • Frigs
    Frigs Posts: 745 Member
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    I have a few in the freezer but when I do use them I am always hungry after and never really enjoy the taste. In a pinch on extremely busy days they kind of work...but....much prefer a V8 low sodium and yogurt and fruit and light oatmeal bread than the frozen meal.
    Good luck with your journey. Note when I did use them more frequently I hit a lot more plateaus...probably the salt and not drinking enough water.

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