Processed foods
tcm2003
Posts: 30 Member
Hi guys so my question is do any of yall eat frozen meals and what exactly do u feel about it? I ask cause I read they cause alot of weight gain but idk how to just give it up when I've been eating such things for years.for example the frozen pizza,etc
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I only eat frozen Jimmy Dean Sausage & Egg White w/ Cheese on an English muffin. Only 250 calories0
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I cook everyday but mostly for dinner and bfast it's those lunch days that I'm like let me pop a pizza in the oven or when the kids are home I'll due frozen nuggets or something and I'm just really trying to get away from all of it..very frustrating0
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The biggest things to be aware of with frozen meals, imo, are sodium and fillingess.
They tend to be very high in sodium compared to homemade food, since anything that's preserved against spoiling comes with some extra sodium. This can cause you to retain some water, which can affect scale weight, but won't cause you to pack on the pounds or anything. If you have a medical need to avoid sodium, then frozen processed foods may not be best for you. Otherwise, use your own judgement.
Fillingness is, obviously, a made up word. It's also going to vary wildly from person to person. I find frozen meals less filling than homemade foods most of the time. I still eat them from time to time, I just have to be aware of it and work to find other ways to keep myself full (more filling meal options, options with higher protein or fat (since those affect how full I feel), side salads, things like that).
If they work for you, fit into your calorie and nutrition needs, and you don't have any negative affects from eating them, then I don't see a problem with them. But learning to cook some of your favorites can help out in the long run.0 -
Consuming more calories than you burn is what causes weight gain. Eating food that has been frozen is fine.
I feel like freezing is a great method of food preservation and many frozen foods are a great time saver.0 -
Eating more calories than you burn causes weight gain.
I eat Amy's frozen meals about once a week for lunch. And they're delicious! And I stay within my calorie goals so I lose/maintain.0 -
Thank you all for the advice it has helped eating these meals maybe ok sometimes just not all the time especially with ne being overweight and making sure my kids don't follow in my footsteps0
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Most of my food comes out of the freezer. I'm a student, after all. I'm losing weight just fine
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I know how to cook, I just don't like cooking. At all. I grab "convenience" frozen foods all the time. My weight loss and health have suffered exactly zero.
You may want to estimate higher on the calories for those prepackaged foods though, if you cannot weigh them on a scale. There's more food in there than what the package says.0 -
I know how to cook, I just don't like cooking. At all. I grab "convenience" frozen foods all the time. My weight loss and health have suffered exactly zero.
You may want to estimate higher on the calories for those prepackaged foods though, if you cannot weigh them on a scale. There's more food in there than what the package says.
ETA - As already mentioned, these foods are usually high in sodium. That isn't something I've had to worry about, and my sodium intake is still fairly low-normal.0 -
So basically frozen meals haven't a use you to gain weight right?0
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Frozen meals are fine, but they are full of sodium and can be much more calorie dense then if you make it yourself. I would say using them when you're in a hurry is fine, but if you have time, you're better off making your own meals. You can make enough for leftovers, which will give you a couple extra meals, you can tailor it to your tastes, and they tend to be healthier for you. If you need to learn how to cook, check out a book called Help! My Apartment Has A Kitchen!. My husband has it, and it's rather amusing. It essentially gives you the basics of cooking and includes a lot of beginner recipes to get you started. Or, you can check out different recipe sites online, there are some that include help and tips for cooking.
Also, learning to cook can help teach your kids to cook as well, which will help them in the future.0 -
catscats222 wrote: »new answer since you know how to cook:
buy salad and keep it in the fridge.
eat one for lunch before you start going for the "kid foods".
the secret to the this place is that you plan your foods - plan your foods !
if you do not have a food scale get one
lunch sounds like a great time to eat what you want and make
I've actually never heard of a food scale that sounds like a good idea and I really live a good salad my thing is when u buy the mix out of the grocery store it will go bad within days0 -
I eat frozen vegetables and some frozen fruits. I do, however, read the labels to make sure the food is just the food, and not added salt, sugar or oil. Frozen veggies and fruit are just a notch below the real thing, nutritionally speaking. I rarely eat frozen meals as they are loaded with excess sodium, sugars and oil. I really want to know what's in my food before I eat it. I did learn to cook better, as catscats222 suggested, and I really use my crockpot almost daily now. You can cook an amazing amount of good food in a basic crockpot, without a lot of cooking skills (potatoes, beans, whole meals, even!). Personally, I can really taste the difference between processed foods, canned foods, packaged foods versus whole real foods now. Beans, for instance, are so much tastier cooked from scratch in a crockpot than canned or frozen beans. Also a rice steamer is another handy item. For those of us who aren't overly skilled in the kitchen, a rice steamer is great for more than just rice. I cook raw veggies in mine all the time: asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, etc! I highly recommend "Fix It and Forget It" cookbooks by Phyllis Pellman-Good for crockpot cooking.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »Consuming more calories than you burn is what causes weight gain. Eating food that has been frozen is fine.
I feel like freezing is a great method of food preservation and many frozen foods are a great time saver.
And that's my problem as well I use to work out 5 times a week and since I've been working nights at the hospital for the past year I've Gained 50 pounds and don't work out nearly at all like I use to so I don't burn the calories that I put in
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So basically frozen meals haven't a use you to gain weight right?
I lost 55 pounds. I ate frozen meals off and on throughout my weight loss. I just ate a frozen breakfast burrito for lunch. They absolutely have not caused me to gain weight as long as they fit in my calorie goals for the day.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »So basically frozen meals haven't a use you to gain weight right?
I lost 55 pounds. I ate frozen meals off and on throughout my weight loss. I just ate a frozen breakfast burrito for lunch. They absolutely have not caused me to gain weight as long as they fit in my calorie goals for the day.
Wow congrats I would love to loose 55 pounds or even 10 pounds to start off can u please give me any advice as to what to do and what type of exercise you do? I work nights and it's so hard to get to the gym like I used to do in the past0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »So basically frozen meals haven't a use you to gain weight right?
I lost 55 pounds. I ate frozen meals off and on throughout my weight loss. I just ate a frozen breakfast burrito for lunch. They absolutely have not caused me to gain weight as long as they fit in my calorie goals for the day.
Wow congrats I would love to loose 55 pounds or even 10 pounds to start off can u please give me any advice as to what to do and what type of exercise you do? I work nights and it's so hard to get to the gym like I used to do in the past
I walked. I did exercise DVDs (Walk Away the Pounds, 30 Day Shred, Sweatin' to the Oldies), and I stayed within my calorie goals. I set a goal to get 20 minutes of exercise a day. After a while I started to watch my macros as well (especially hitting my protein goals).
Don't overcomplicate things. Fit exercise in where you can. Make small changes to your diet as you go. You'll get there!0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »So basically frozen meals haven't a use you to gain weight right?
I lost 55 pounds. I ate frozen meals off and on throughout my weight loss. I just ate a frozen breakfast burrito for lunch. They absolutely have not caused me to gain weight as long as they fit in my calorie goals for the day.
Wow congrats I would love to loose 55 pounds or even 10 pounds to start off can u please give me any advice as to what to do and what type of exercise you do? I work nights and it's so hard to get to the gym like I used to do in the past
I walked. I did exercise DVDs (Walk Away the Pounds, 30 Day Shred, Sweatin' to the Oldies), and I stayed within my calorie goals. I set a goal to get 20 minutes of exercise a day. After a while I started to watch my macros as well (especially hitting my protein goals).
Don't overcomplicate things. Fit exercise in where you can. Make small changes to your diet as you go. You'll get there!
Thank you so much I think I struggle to cause some of the work out videos especially on YouTube is a little hard for me to do with all this weight carrying I guess it's about at least doing it even if right away I can't keep up with others0 -
Ok thank you0 -
OP why do you think that frozen foods would make you gain weight? What matters for weight loss is eating less calories than you burn. This can be done eating frozen foods, or any other kind of food for that matter. A lot of people like frozen foods because they have built in portion control (assuming you are talking about individually packaged frozen meals like Lean Cuisine or something but maybe not). As others have said, some of them are a bit higher in sodium and if sodium is a concern for you medically, you may want to keep an eye on that, but most people don't have a medical reason to restrict sodium.
Personally I find frozen meals to be very convenient, but not always the most filling things that I can eat. What I do is add something to them - either extra chicken, or a salad, or some extra veggies, or eat a yogurt with them. Today I had a Weight Watchers pasta meal, I added about 3 oz of pre-cooked chicken breast strips, and I will have a yogurt here in a bit for a snack. That's about 600 cals total, very filling, good macros.
I've lost ~30 lbs, and since you asked about exercise too, I mostly walked, although I did some light weight training/circuit training DVDs. I'm currently maintaining.
If you haven't read the stickied posts at the top of the forum sections, you really should, and start with this one:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p10 -
Plug your numbers into MFP, set a reasonable calorie deficit, and log accurately. You'll lose weight without exercise. Add exercise when you can (this will give you more calories to eat while still keeping you in deficit). Just to be clear, I'm not advocating no exercise, just that you don't have to rely on it to lose weight. Adding it will give you more energy and of course, it has a variety of physical and mental health benefits.
Best of luck to you
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Plug your numbers into MFP, set a reasonable calorie deficit, and log accurately. You'll lose weight without exercise. Add exercise when you can (this will give you more calories to eat while still keeping you in deficit). Just to be clear, I'm not advocating no exercise, just that you don't have to rely on it to lose weight. Adding it will give you more energy and of course, it has a variety of physical and mental health benefits.
Best of luck to you
Thank you so much now if I can just learn to log things in correctly as far as the servings and stuff!!!0 -
i don't eat frozen meals largely because i find them unpalatable and generally unsatisfying for the calories.diannethegeek wrote: »So basically frozen meals haven't a use you to gain weight right?
I lost 55 pounds. I ate frozen meals off and on throughout my weight loss. I just ate a frozen breakfast burrito for lunch. They absolutely have not caused me to gain weight as long as they fit in my calorie goals for the day.
Wow congrats I would love to loose 55 pounds or even 10 pounds to start off can u please give me any advice as to what to do and what type of exercise you do? I work nights and it's so hard to get to the gym like I used to do in the past
I lost between 40-50 Lbs a few years ago. when i started out, i did nothing but walk regularly and watch my diet. the idea that you have to be doing all kinds of craziness and jumping around your living room all day long to some DVD is just ridiculous.
after i had spent some time just walking, i really started to evaluate actual fitness goals and things that i wanted to accomplish with my fitness (independent of burning calories or weight management) which is when things really opened up for me and it helped me plan my workouts. i eventually incorporated some running with a C25K plan and then started lifting weights a few months later. ultimately, running wasn't for me, but in the process of starting to train for a sprint triathlon (about 9 months after I started out) i fell in love with my bike and i've been cycling ever since.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »OP why do you think that frozen foods would make you gain weight? What matters for weight loss is eating less calories than you burn. This can be done eating frozen foods, or any other kind of food for that matter. A lot of people like frozen foods because they have built in portion control (assuming you are talking about individually packaged frozen meals like Lean Cuisine or something but maybe not). As others have said, some of them are a bit higher in sodium and if sodium is a concern for you medically, you may want to keep an eye on that, but most people don't have a medical reason to restrict sodium.
Personally I find frozen meals to be very convenient, but not always the most filling things that I can eat. What I do is add something to them - either extra chicken, or a salad, or some extra veggies, or eat a yogurt with them. Today I had a Weight Watchers pasta meal, I added about 3 oz of pre-cooked chicken breast strips, and I will have a yogurt here in a bit for a snack. That's about 600 cals total, very filling, good macros.
I've lost ~30 lbs, and since you asked about exercise too, I mostly walked, although I did some light weight training/circuit training DVDs. I'm currently maintaining.
If you haven't read the stickied posts at the top of the forum sections, you really should, and start with this one:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
Thank you so much this really helps I like the idea of adding a little something to the frozen meals as well.0 -
Plug your numbers into MFP, set a reasonable calorie deficit, and log accurately. You'll lose weight without exercise. Add exercise when you can (this will give you more calories to eat while still keeping you in deficit). Just to be clear, I'm not advocating no exercise, just that you don't have to rely on it to lose weight. Adding it will give you more energy and of course, it has a variety of physical and mental health benefits.
Best of luck to you
Thank you so much now if I can just learn to log things in correctly as far as the servings and stuff!!!
Get a food scale (by far the best tool I have ever purchased)
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p10 -
A lot of processed foods, whether frozen, boxed or bagged, contain many extra ingredients to help preserve them long term. While it is very true that you can lose weight eating just about anything at a calorie deficit (including processed items), I think it's important to read the labels and know what you're eating. A lot of these meals have an ingredient list of 50-60 or more items. Is it really food, or just an "approved" food additive? I pretty much figure if I can't pronounce it and don't know what it is, I really don't want to put that into my body.
As other posters have mentioned, you can make a lot of great food in the crock pot and freeze it for later consumption. I freeze meats, veggies, pasta and rice in portion sized containers (like my own TV dinners). I do this a couple times a month, so it's not terribly time consuming and I know exactly what's in the food.0 -
I've lost 60 pounds eating various frozen foods, as long as it's within my calories and macros.
Honestly, I think trying to go by what worked for someone else is what causes people to fail. I tried the whole clean eating thing, didn't work for me and wasn't realistic for my lifestyle. I tried the 6 small meals a day, didn't work for me. I've finally found what worked best for me (which is a light breakfast, a small lunch, a big dinner, and a snack if my calories allow for it) and I've been losing at very steady pace.0 -
RaeBeeBaby wrote: »A lot of processed foods, whether frozen, boxed or bagged, contain many extra ingredients to help preserve them long term. While it is very true that you can lose weight eating just about anything at a calorie deficit (including processed items), I think it's important to read the labels and know what you're eating. A lot of these meals have an ingredient list of 50-60 or more items. Is it really food, or just an "approved" food additive? I pretty much figure if I can't pronounce it and don't know what it is, I really don't want to put that into my body.
As other posters have mentioned, you can make a lot of great food in the crock pot and freeze it for later consumption. I freeze meats, veggies, pasta and rice in portion sized containers (like my own TV dinners). I do this a couple times a month, so it's not terribly time consuming and I know exactly what's in the food.
Many of the food additives in frozen meals are no scarier or difficult to pronounce than the chemical components of an apple, banana, or blueberry. Basing your food choices on whether or not one can pronounce something means I would never eat quinoa. For the life of me, I just can't get that one right.
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