Lean Cuisines

Whatever you find helps you get your calories in check....

In my opinion, prepating my own meals and weighing ingredients has proven helpful for me in determining proper portion sizes and calorie estimates for when I get to maintenance weight. Cooking low-cal is definitely a learning experience.

I think they are fine if you don't have time to cook. It might be cheaper in the long run to make sandwiches or some soup for lunch. I have lean cuisines on occasion if I forgot my lunch and it never killed me!

When I started losing weight I was 289 and 5'10". I needed the convenience foods to be able to stay on track with the time and budget and habits I had. I ate a lean cuisine almost every day and loved them. By using lean cuisines, oatmeal, and protein bar as meal staples with healthy snacks and balanced meals when I had time to make fresh stuff and knew what I was preparing, I was able to lose 100 lbs without seemingly much effort!!

I say do what you need. I would watch the sodium intake though on some of your other foods as you go.

And some people say the Lean Cuisines aren't enough food. I haven't had this problem but also find the ones I feel are a little heartier - like the pizzas. If you want, you can always add your own veggies to bulk it up!!

Good luck

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. But I would suggest taking some time on the weekends and prepearing meals that are easy for you to grab and go during the week.

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'.

Just ate a Lean Cuisine for lunch! My favorite- Thai style noodles with chicken, plus Sriracha.

Do whatever works for you!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone is different. I think having one each day is okay. Mine had 550mg sodium. Just watch your sodium intake throughout the day if you have any concerns.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I eat frozen meals for lunch almost every day! Have done it since I start losing weight and I've lost 65 lbs so far. I know they aren't the healthiest, but they are convenient, portion controled and I don't have the time to make lunch daily for myself. Feel free to friend me if you wanna see my food diary. Good luck!!

For me, it's not enough food and it doesn't taste good. I prefer preparing my own meals.

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'.

:huh:

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'.

That wasn't because you just stopped eating Lean Cuisines. Just sayin'.

I eat them for lunch about 3 times per week. I love them & I think they are great, I get whichever one's are on sale at my grocery store! I like to put them on top of a bed of lettuce or baby spinach & add some hot sauce or sometimes extra veggies, this helps me feel like I'm eating more & definitely fills me up!

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).

nothing wrong with eating them as long as you add some fresh ingredients too like a nice salad or additional veggies. i would not eat them all the time though but that's just me. eating them doesn't really teach you anything other than toss in microwave and eat. you learn nothing about portion sizes which is extremely important. make sure you watch the sodium and also the portion size like those spring rolls - the package contains 2 servings.

Most of the "diet" meals don't have enough calories & are really short on protein. I'm a 50-something, 5-8 female who weighs 156 pounds & take in >1850 calories/day. I also shoot for a minimum of 120-140 grams of protein/day. That's pretty hard to achieve with a small diet meal containing 150-250 cal/meal & only 14 grams of protein. If I eat a pre-made meal, which I do when I'm on-call at the hospital, I usually stick to something like Stouffer's Baked Chicken & add in an extra 2-4 oz of chicken breast, plus a side salad. (FYI, my Kroger now has rotisserie chicken breast pulled from the bone & package in 1/2 pound deli container--very easy to add to a meal!!!) That puts me at 400-450 cal/meal & 40+ grams of protein. Another option is something like a Home Run Inn individual thin crust cheese pizza--the calorie counts are low, and you can add turkey sausage, mushrooms, veggies & some extra mozzarella cheese. Also, do yourself a favorite & add some Italian Seasoning & Roasted Garlic spices on top the frozen pizza, before adding meat, veggie & cheese. By the time you're done, the pizza is really very good & filling. Again, that will give me around 400 calories & 35+ grams of protein. Too many people get stuck on the "diet" meals & then complain they're too full to eat all their calories, plus they never hit a reasonable protein goal!

Oh, another good one is Smart Ones Chicken Fettuccine, but again, add in an extra 2-4 oz of chicken breast & pair with a side salad or veggie.

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.

I eat lean cuisines once a day for lunch at work. I don't think it's that big of a deal, especially if your blood pressure is okay. If you're really worried about the sodium content, maybe just watch it with the rest of your meals and keep the total under 2000 mg. I think they've actually lowered the sodium content in Lean Cuisines in recent years anyway due to consumer concern.