Lean cuisine, smart ones, atkins.....etc

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CassieJones104
CassieJones104 Posts: 76 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm hearing different opinions on these meals. Are these good for weight loss bc of low calories and portion control or bad bc of sodium etc? also in your opinion which are the best/worst dinners?
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Replies

  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Sodium doesn't have much to do with weight (except a little water retention, or a lot if you're very sensitive). They're ok for calorie control IF you can handle smaller volumes of food and/or can be bothered to bulk up the meal with veggies.

    My favorite frozen dinners are Marie Callender's (not very calorie friendly). I've never been a fan of Smart Ones. Lean Cuisine ans Stouffer's have a lot of decent-tasting options, but again, very little volume. Stouffer's Fit Kitchen is a pretty good line.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    My evening meal most days is a Lean Cuisine supplemented with plain (no sauce) steam-in-bag veggies. It's fast, convenient, and I can get a filling meal for about 400 calories. I keep the freezer full with a variety of flavors and just grab what I'm in the mood to eat.

    I like most Lean Cuisine meals and they are compact enough to fit nicely in my freezer. My favs are Orange Chicken, Glazed Turkey Tenderloins, and Salisbury Steak with Mac & Cheese.

    I balance out the sodium over the course of the day by using low or no salt versions of other things, such as unsalted butter.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Home made is best made.
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
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    I rely on Lean Cuisines for one or two dinners a week. The nights when I work late and I'm just exhausted. My favorite is the four cheese pizza one (by itself) or the Vermont white cheddar one with a sandwich. I stock up on them when they are on sale. I also always keep one at work just in case.
    I feel like the Smart Ones are much smaller.
    Healthy Choice-not a lot of taste but seems like a lot of salt (to me.)
    Atkins-never tried.

    I recently tried an "Eating Well" meal (had a coupon) it was horrible! It looked horrible, smelled horrible and was just pure salt. I couldn't finish it.

    I use these meals as a last resort. I couldn't imagine eating them more often than twice a week. I think they serve their purpose.
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
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    They are just food, if you like them and you want to have portion controlled meals without having to do it yourself, then go for it. If you don't have medical issues that cause you to limit sodium then that's probably not a big issue, though it does depend what else you are eating across your day.

    I'm not a fan of frozen meals generally though, I can cook much better meals myself (better taste, better quality) and portion control isn't hard if I pay attention to how much I cook in the first place, and how much I put on my plate. I eat them very occasionally if I'm super busy or super lazy but I can't think of anything worse that eating these every day.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Lean Cuisine has no taste. I like some Smart ones varieties though. But I'd rather get regular Stouffers.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Good for perceived convenience.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Try it and see if it works for you. I like the idea above of cutting salt intake the rest of the day so it'll work out. The important thing is to lose and not be hungry.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    Love them and have used them on and off throughout my weight loss phase and still occasionally now in my maintenance phase. I always add stuff like frozen veggies and canned chicken to them, to make them more filling. Actually going to have a Boston Market one today for lunch :)
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
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    They don't fill me up at all and never heat properly.

    My sister really liked Healthy Choice meals
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
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    i like cooking foods fresh and not much on premade foods. however the lean cuisine butternut squash ravioli is amazing .. i never buy it though unless its on sale and i only use it if im in a rush
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,994 Member
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    I like the healthy choice steamer bowls. I eat them occasionally because they are convenient. I don't have issues with sodium so I don't really worry about the sodium content. Like anything they can be good or bad.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Convenience and portion control, yes.

    Personally, and I am NO food snob (generally), but just the smell of those things makes my stomach turn nowadays. (Why is it that they all smell the same? To me, anyway.) I like eating in bulk so I put plenty of veggies and some protein onto my plate and I eat eat eat...I would never go back to frozen meals if I weren't absolutely forced to. To bring food to work, it literally takes minutes to chop up a salad and some chicken. Minutes. Less time than to start a thread on here, anyway. :) Toss in a granola bar or a few chips or whatever and, voila. Night-before lunch prep done. o:)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I eat these occasionally. I look for ones with the most protein, and typically add some veggies. These are great to keep me on track when I'm in a rush, or when I'm in a rut.

    Healthy Choice steamer bowls for me too. Although Lean Cuisine Chicken Alfredo is great with broccoli.
  • qpmomma1
    qpmomma1 Posts: 221 Member
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    My go to quick lunches are leas cuisines lol
  • Mary_Anastasia
    Mary_Anastasia Posts: 267 Member
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    I like Stouffers best. I also often will heat up other frozen goods like a veggie burger and have it with steamed veggies or a lettuce bed (ala burger salad). There are also great veggie medley bags in the frozen veggies section, including protein blends by Birds Eye- they're not frozen meals, but I love them as one :p

    https://www.birdseye.com/
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    I eat quite a few of these, because they are convenient and portion controlled. I tend to stick to Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, and Weight Watchers...no particular leaders on those brands. But Kashi makes fabulous ones.

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