Frozen Diet Meals

Nothing wrong with Lean Cuisine or similar meals really. They are convenient and easy. My main issue is that they do not fill me up, so I have to add more veggies or protein. They're also expensive.

There is nothing wrong with a turkey sandwich, either. There are ways to lighten it up. I eat a turkey sandwich with good ol' processed white bread, processed cheese product, and light mayo on the regular. I like to pile on the turkey and add a half serving of potato chips on the side with raw veggies like cucumbers and carrots.

Not too bad calorie wise and keeps me full.

It depends on what works for you.

If you like sandwiches and they're easy, look for ways to cut the calories without losing flavor/filling. Lighter bread for example. Or switch to light mayo or even mustard. Less cheese/more lean meat. Or keep your original ingredients and have 1/2 a sandwich with a salad. To keep salads lower cal, be careful of your dressing/cheese quantities.

I do eat the frozen meals also. I like some better than others.

I don't tend to eat these because they are very high in sodium...that said: actual calorie counts can differ from package to package..so I would imagine it's pretty hard to actually calculate calorie counts of what you are eating in these frozen pre-packaged meals. For example it can say 1 serving = 1 package (320 g) = 400 calories...and the package might actually weight 410 g. This one simple example if added up through tiny decisions throughout the day...adds up. For me, I just make my own food, but I understand the simplicity of grab and go.

The answer is: do what works for you. If you like them, they fill you up, worth the extra cost, and keep you in a deficit..I say do it!

I love Healthy Choice Simply Cafe Steamers, for between 190-300 calories, as a foundation for my lunch. I have been known to add basil, green onions, other sauteed veggies, slices of chicken breast, and/or balsamic vinegar or lemon juice to improve the flavor. I keep sea salt and black pepper grinders at my desk for them as well. The packaging says "nothing artificial," whatever that means, and for what it is worth. With some fruits and veggies and some cheese etc. alongside, they are very helpful for keeping you disciplined if you are aiming for a 500-calorie lunch.

ETA: obviously I am not tracking sodium!

When i started 77 days ago... to keep on track.. i ate Lean Cuisines. I had my favorites. .i would put a handful of frozen broccoli or other green vegetable on top ...add a salad and eat those twice a day. It helped to keep me on track... it was hard enough to start a diet and exercise program without thinking of weighing and measuring every single thing.


However.. I no longer eat them. I had a gut instinct that the high carb content and processed food element to the meals were hardly the best thing for me. Since then.. I've been eating whole foods that I prepare..and i think I lose better. I keep a few in the freezer for emergency times...but I'm glad I grew out of using them.

Some of the Fit Kitchen stuff from Stouffers tastes great but the sodium content is almost inexcusable. Sugars/carbs can be high too. That being said, those WOULD fill me up. Depends on the rest of your day...

Personally, I'd find a way to tweak my sandwiches to be less calorie dense...IMO, these frozen meals are garbage...they don't taste good IMO, they're loaded with sodium, and they're so tiny...I'd have to eat like 3 of them to be remotely satisfied.

For myself, highly processed stuff like this also gets my gout going.

I sometimes use them, but I can't stand the texture of meat in those meals so I go for vegetarian options. I ate one last month but I don't use them regularly as I don't have the sort of job where I can be guaranteed access to a microwave.

I eat roasted chicken lunchmeat with provolone cheese on a flatbread a lot. I like to add cucumbers to my sandwiches. I find that I'm pretty satisfied and my lunch is around 300 calories.

I have a frozen meal about once or twice a week at work when I don't have leftovers from meals prepped or dinners the night before. I like Lean Cuisine, the Healthy Choice Steamers, and the EVOL brands the best. They aren't totally filling, so I often add some extra protein (store bought grilled chicken strips) or veggies, or grab a salad from my work cafeteria. I think they are good in a pinch and those saying they think they taste terrible - wondering if you've tried them lately because I think they have a lot more choices and the quality has definitely improved from when I used to eat them daily years ago.

That said, I also eat turkey sandwiches fairly often, I use Sara Lee 45 Cal Delightful Wheat Bread, turkey, and a piece of cheese, this tends to be about 200-225 cals. I'm not a mayo fan - but if you enjoy it I'm sure there are lower calorie options available. I've tried sandwiches with hummus or guacamole - both are tasty but I prefer just eating those with chips or veggies instead of on my sandwich.

I like the Lean Cuisines and such for something fast and easy, especially right now when we are in the middle of moving and the kitchen is a disaster, and the kinds I get usually aren't horrible about the sodium (and I don't track sodium anyway so I'm not too concerned but I do tend to pick those that are somewhat lower). I can see how they wouldn't be filling enough for some people, I know they would for me if I didn't have snacks as well that I can eat during the day at work but I find with a decent breakfast and a couple of snacks, a Lean Cuisine is just the right amount of food for me to feel satiated and I'm not killing my calories for the day. That said, sometimes I will have some veggies with it or something as well to help bulk up the meal a bit if I'm feeling extra hungry. I like the Healthy Choice sometimes too but for me, those really depend on which one you get, some are not very good and others are actually quite tasty.

That said, I do like turkey sandwiches too but I have a longer commute and they tend not to stay very fresh and yummy (more like squished and mushy, bleh). That, and I tend to make sandwiches that are a lot higher in calorie than I should be eating for lunch! But if you like turkey sandwiches better, I agree with the above, there are ways to make it work for lower calories if you don't want to do frozen meals.