Starting my own "DIY Jenny Craig" today

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geministyle67
geministyle67 Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Follow me if you are interested in mini-reviews about the frozen entrees I eat.

Why am I doing this? I'm super busy and have been relying too much on takeout the past couple of years and my weight has crept up 18 pounds! I've been very successful with Jenny Craig in the past but current finances do not allow me to sign up for that. So I am doing a "DIY" version and relying on frozen meals for the base of my meals, and rounding out with fruits, veggies, and yogurt.

I'm on day 3 and it's going well so far, but I'm a bit lonely over on my feed. Would love to have some friends, particularly those who may be doing something similar.

Thanks!

Replies

  • glitterrainn
    glitterrainn Posts: 73 Member
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    Have you thought about just preparing meals over the weekend for the rest of the week? It would be cheaper and probably more tasty.
  • geministyle67
    geministyle67 Posts: 22 Member
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    Glitterrain, I have done that in the past and may again in the future, but I haven't been able to commit to it recently. I'm not looking at this as a forever choice, just something to get me over the hump. ;)
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    I'm sort of doing the same with a company called Kitchfix that prepares meals, although definitely NOT cheap! I'm halving their largest size and supplementing fruit, rice, etc to get to my 600 kcal/meal goal. For financial reasons, I plan to get back into batch cooking, and cut back on the meals I purchase, but for the time being this is working for me.
  • geministyle67
    geministyle67 Posts: 22 Member
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    I did that for a couple of weeks with a local meal delivery service, but it was breaking the bank. The quality was WAY better than Lean Cuisine, though, admittedly.

    There are some entrees by Saffron Road and Ethnic Gourmet that I like that seem to be a step above. And the cost isn't bad - around $4 US.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    I would say give it a shot. I have done the same with frozen meals before. However, I notice having more difficulty sticking to my diet when I'm eating a lot of these frozen meals, I think the quality is a real problem. The local kitchen or home cooked meals seem to *work* better, even though I make sure the calories are the same. However, your experience may be different :)
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i would no sooner eat a frozen meal than lick a cactus.

    but thats just me.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    I used them quite a lot the past few weeks for easy lunches, but can only buy when on sale and I always eat them with lots of veggies too. This week I couldn't afford it so I made two "batches", one egg dish to be split into two, and slow cooked tandoori chicken with veggies for the other days. It took less time than I thought and im already happier. But to each their own!
  • geministyle67
    geministyle67 Posts: 22 Member
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    I think once I get my portions back under control and work slows down to a manageable level, I'll get back to cooking again. I'm a really good cook and enjoy it, but work is going to be crazy busy until mid-March.

    I'm not a huge fan of frozen meals but they ARE good for where I'm at right now. I've been overly reliant on takeout which costs $7-$9 per meal on average, is more food than I should eat, and has god-knows-what ingredients in it.

    This weekend I am going to make some chicken in the crockpot though, just to break things up a little.

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