Weight Watchers Frozen Meals

txbride15
txbride15 Posts: 14
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everyone,

I'm looking at starting to eat the frozen weight watchers meals and I just wanna know if anyone knows if there good for you or if I should stay away from them. I'm looking to start a new diet come the 1st of the year and I'm also going to try and stay away from sweets and go down to 2 soda's a day. I'm also looking for other ways I can eat vegetables right now I like corn and broccoli and cheese I need to think of ways to get more vegetable in my meals. I love all kinds of fruit my biggest problem is gonna be staying away from cakes, cookies, and etc. Please feel free to add me as a friend and help me achieve the goals I have set for myself for the new year

Replies

  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,371 Member
    If they are like the weight watchers meals in Australia, they are small meals with little protein and the quality of the ingredients in dubious. They are also high in salt. I'd be giving them a miss.

    You'd be better off with a slow cooker and doing your own casseroles with quality meat/protein and a variety of veges. Freeze in individual serves for convenience.
  • Nicola0000
    Nicola0000 Posts: 531 Member
    What's the reason behind wanting to eat them???
  • havalynd
    havalynd Posts: 54 Member
    Honestly, fat loss is not about points or frozen meal brands - it's about calories. If you watch your calories, you'll lose weight without having to go on a 'diet' of frozen meals. If they help you organize your intake, that's fine, but don't feel like you have to buy into some meal plan for success. Because if you rely on a plan like that indefinitely rather than change your relationships with food, once you deviate from the plan it'll have a negative effect. You don't have to forsake cookies forever, just eat them in moderation! Introduce healthy changes slowly so that you have the foundation to move forward in weight loss versus quick fixes and 'diets'.

    Dieting isn't a good thing, it's a temporary thing. Changing your diet, however, can be a long term and positive change that makes a difference.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    I eat them a lot while I am at work. I ate them all through my weight loss (I am now maintaining) I prefer the lean cuisine though as far as flavor. Are they the healthiest option? Probably not. Are they high in sodium? Yup. I hate to cook though, and when I started to try and lose weight for the millionth time, I wanted to do it in a way I felt I could succeed. Cooking a lot of meals wasnt going to do it for me.
  • blueboxgeek
    blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
    I'm in the UK, and ok.... they are a ready micro meal so they aren't going to be brilliant. They will contain more sodium than if you made yourself the same meal from scratch.

    However, I do have them now and again. I particularly like the chicken hotpot. It's around 260 cals and if I remember rightly has about 20g of protein in it. I will generally get them from a local frozen food store to take to work for a quick and easy lunch (they are cheap too at £1 each!).

    I have had them as a dinner in the past too, I usually do some extra vegetables to add to it to make it more filling.

    I wouldn't recommend just eating them all the time (although they are pretty low calorie so you would still lose weight if eating below maintenance) but they can be pretty handy to have in the freezer. I would sometimes end up ordering a take away or eating junk food if I was too tired to cook, so having something like that in was helpful.
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
    Why do you want to eat them? What's your definition of "good for you" (it means different things to different people)?
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Too small - not filling, not that flavorful and a truckload of sodium. Not worth it to me to eat as a regular thing. I think they're fine as an occasional I didn't plan anything else emergency meal.
  • MaryCS62
    MaryCS62 Posts: 266 Member
    I also keep them for emergency lunches, but I usually add some veggies or a large salad. If you get them, try for the higher protein ones.
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
    I'm in the UK, and ok.... they are a ready micro meal so they aren't going to be brilliant. They will contain more sodium than if you made yourself the same meal from scratch.

    However, I do have them now and again. I particularly like the chicken hotpot. It's around 260 cals and if I remember rightly has about 20g of protein in it. I will generally get them from a local frozen food store to take to work for a quick and easy lunch (they are cheap too at £1 each!).

    I have had them as a dinner in the past too, I usually do some extra vegetables to add to it to make it more filling.

    I wouldn't recommend just eating them all the time (although they are pretty low calorie so you would still lose weight if eating below maintenance) but they can be pretty handy to have in the freezer. I would sometimes end up ordering a take away or eating junk food if I was too tired to cook, so having something like that in was helpful.

    I also like the Cottage Pie one and Ocean Pie.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    They are good for you if they help you lower your overall daily calories. When you start cooking more you might want to have them less frequently.
    For foods with broccoli, google "Weight Watchers Broccoli Cheese Soup." Also "Skinny Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry."
  • RodaRose wrote: »
    They are good for you if they help you lower your overall daily calories."

    Umm, no. Following that theory you could live on Diet Coke and pretzels. That would hardly be good for you though you'd lose weight.

    As others have said, Weight Watchers frozen meals are great on occasion but it's not like NutriSystem where you eat the meals three times per day. They're high in sodium and not particularly filling. The same problems exist Lean Cuisine but I find they taste better.
  • They're not the best ones. Others have mentioned Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones. Though, the idea is right: Don't just eat the meals. But, if you're like me and don't have a lot of time everyday to prepare meals for a workday, they're great for quick meals without giving into buying fast food or snack on junk all day. I agree with everyone else that they're not a replacement for home-cooked meals, but they're better than eating too much junk.
  • smithersad
    smithersad Posts: 7 Member
    Eat them in moderation. I tend to keep a few in the freezer for when I forget to pack a lunch the night before and just need something quick to grab. I may eat 2-3 a week for lunch. Just watch out because these things are packed with sodium...they're better than some fast food joints but not by much....if possible, plan to cook your own meals more...
  • tannadine
    tannadine Posts: 115 Member
    I like Asda's own Good For You range of ready meals, but nothing really compares to cooking from scratch. Unfortunately! (I hate cooking :P) x
  • mallory_2014
    mallory_2014 Posts: 173 Member
    I wouldn't eat them. I find them too high in sodium, way too processed, and the ingredients are not of the best quality. Make your own! That way you know what is in them and you can tailor them how you prefer. It is easy to make your own frozen meals. Grab some containers and cook twice as much for dinner. Pack away half and freeze for lunches or quick meals.
  • pscarolina
    pscarolina Posts: 133 Member
    WW broccoli & cheese soup is really good (recipe - not sure they make it to sell)

    Not a fan of frozen meals in general (too small, meat is "suspect", sodium as everyone else has mentioned). I like the Santa Fe Beans & Rice, but you'll want to put it on some reduced fat tortilla chips or in a tortilla to make like a burrito. Not filling enough for me for a regular meal. I think I ate the pasta alfredo poured over a package of sugar snap peas. I rarely eat them now though. I spend Sunday night on food prep so I (hopefully) don't get that desperate. haha
  • goddessofawesome
    goddessofawesome Posts: 563 Member
    They're not that bad. I have some in my freezer for when I'm lazy and I don't want to make lunch. I wouldn't eat them for every meal though.

    If you're really looking to cut back on your food consumption then get a kitchen scale (digital is my preference) and weigh/measure everything you put on your plate. Make sure you log the food you're eating as well. Make a bunch of meals on the weekend and pre-package them up into individual serving sizes for the week so you can have grab-and-go meals and make some to throw in the freezer.

    Keep in mind too that you're just starting out. Don't jump in with both feet. Take baby steps and change one habit at a time otherwise you'll get frustrated and stop.
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    I would stay away from them. Most frozen meals are highly processed and contain more sodium than is needed in one meal. You would be better off making your own meals and just measure your foods.
  • Bunny81s
    Bunny81s Posts: 17 Member
    edited June 2015
    Love this question...
  • Bunny81s
    Bunny81s Posts: 17 Member
    Appreciate the honesty! Do what works for you. Everyone can't meal prep. You will be fine as long as you stay within your allotted calorie allowance. Don't overthink this. Ive been eating one to two meals per day and it works well for me. Lost 26 pounds so far and am losing an average of 2-3 pounds per week at 1460 calories. SW: 215, CW: 189.
  • slucki01
    slucki01 Posts: 284 Member
    I use frozen meals like Healthy Choice or some Trader Joe frozen meals occasionally -- when I'm in a hurry or haven't planned well. They're ok but, as previous people have mentioned, not a lot of food and high in sodium. I tend to stay away from processed foods but they're handy occasionally.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    I tried to get them for convenience, but honestly, the biggest difference between them and other brands is....serving size. It's still the same ratio of stuff, so it's pretty calorically dense. I'd have to eat 2 not to be hungry because of volume. So they're a fail for me.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    And there is NOTHING wrong with sodium unless you have diagnosed high blood pressure or a disease that causes edema. Then if you have high BP, only a small minority of people have BP responsive to sodium--which is pretty freaking easy to test if you have a few days.
  • 1crazycatslady
    1crazycatslady Posts: 4 Member
    There are many acknowledged reasons why a diet high in sodium is unhealthy even for people without health issues. I eat frozen meals 1-3 times a week, I choose low sodium and organic. Most of the major brands are high in sodium, not enough to feed a child, and taste like a drink of water. Do a search for quick alternatives to frozen/processed meals, now that it's summer where I am salad with a protein tossed in is my fav.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    It's troubling that so many people avoid cooking. Honestly, the best thing I have ever done for my health was to get over my aversion to the kitchen and learn to make a few basic meals, batch cook once every few weeks and keep a freezer full of single serve meals. It actually doesn't take that much time. I get so much more food, both for my money and for my calories, by making it myself.
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