Anyone lost weight eating lean cuisine,Smart ones etc daily?

There was a guy on MFP who ate exclusively chef boyardee (sp?) for three meals daily for several months, which was reasonably balanced if he took a multi vitamin. It was a 1500 cal per day regime. He wanted to drop some weight before running a half marathon I think, I he was really successful. Search the forums for Chef Boyardee (sp?) to find his thread.

I'm sure there are as many answers as there are MFP members, but I feel very strongly about these types of products and have to share my insight.

I ate them for a time. Same reason everyone does. They're fast, easy and you know how many calories are in each one. Some are pretty good. Some are even affordable. But I noticed I was always still hungry! At first I thought I needed the "Hungry Man" portion, that I just eat more than the average person. So I tried having one and a half, just to experiment with the portions. I was "full" - more like nauseated, but I was still craving something. Still hungry for something and ended up snacking up a storm. Then it finally hit me. THERE IS NOTHING IN THOSE FROZEN BOXES MY BODY WANTS.

Yes, the sodium content is high, and there is a bunch of artificial stuff I can't pronounce. That wouldn't be bad if it was coming with a good nutritional value as well. But in my humble opinion, my body craves real food. I don’t' think there is anything inside those cardboard boxes that is going to satisfy my body's hunger.

Try an experiment. One day for lunch have a Lean Cuisine. Select a good one, with veggies and lean protein and not too much sauce. Think about how you feel after you eat. Are you satisfied? Do you still want "more" of something? Are you thirsty from so much sodium? How is your energy level?

Then the next day, have a big spinach salad. One that doesn't come in a box with pre-packaged toppings. Put some lean protein on it and at least 3 other vegetable or fruit toppings (not fried, crispy, flavored - real). Even splurge a little on some good salad dressing. When you're finished, think about how you feel. Is your body satisfied? Do you feel full but not nauseated? Are you still wanting another portion? I have found I'm the most satisfied, even with fewer calories, when I feed my body unprocessed, fresh, natural foods. You can generally eat a lot of veggies & fruit for a surprisingly few amount of calories.

There is nothing like the feeling of finishing a reasonable portion of good, fresh, unprocessed food and knowing you just gave your body what it was craving. Yum. That. Was. Good.

Now don't get all freaked out on me, I'm sure there is a place for convenience foods. There wouldn't be so many choices if there wasn't. There are probably many people who eat them every day and swear by them. Or swear they wouldn't eat at all, or eat a ton of junk, if they weren't around. I just think you can get more bang for your calorie buck, and feel better, if you stick to foods that aren't covered in salty sauce and the ingredient list that reads like a chemistry lesson.

Artificial is not a flavor.

I think you can lose weight by reducing calories, which these small-portioned things do, but in a bigger picture, they are not real food, but processed chemical-laden items. It would be better to cook up equivalent items and make them a similar size instead of eating the processed product. But for emergencies ......

The Healthy Choice steamers are the best.. I have lost 2 lbs. in a week. I eat a lot of fruit mainly berries and cantaloupe .

I have lost/am losing by eating Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, etc., frozen meals. They are quick for lunch or when you run out of time at the end of the day and they really helped me learn portion control. I usually steam about 4 cups of veggies, nuke one of these meals and mix it in with the steamed veggies. VERY TASTY!!! Yeah, the sodium can be a bit on the high side, but if you're not too concerned with that, I'd say give it a try. I usually stick to the ones that are 300 calories and under and with the lowest fat and sodium possible. Plus, for a calorie fanatic like myself, I love knowing exactly how many calories I am eating! But, nothing beats a good, healthy, homemade meal!

Bump

how can white flour pasta be good for you? especially every day? how about some real food?

If you have kids, you should all eat healthy together. That way you can teach healthy eating while losing weight yourself.

That being said, I eat a lot of microwave food as a university student. It's easier to control portions and I don't have a ton of time to cook. I'm also on a low calorie diet, so it helps.

If you want to eat clean, should avoid it.
If you care more about portion size and convenience, go for it.

Try to eat fresh food and stuff too and be careful about eating them too often in front of your kids.

I never really found them very satisfying. They are not filling and most don't taste very good. I guess because they are so heavily processed. To me, if you have to add something to them, they become more expensive and the calories go up (unless you just add veg). I'd prefer a rotisserie chicken with salad and nice bread any day, and the leftovers are GREAT (even cold).