Losing Weight using Ready Meals?

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Focus83
Focus83 Posts: 20 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey All,

I'm sure this has probably been asked many times before but anyone else out there lost weight by using ready meals regularly? I'm only on day 3 and so far i feel like I am going to reply on ready meals at least 5 days a week as its easier for me to count the cals. I know its not the best thing to do but to start me off on the right track maybe.
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Replies

  • karahunts
    karahunts Posts: 64 Member
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    Although I try not to consume them too often, I'm pretty sure that you will see weight loss with these simply because they are low calorie and they take the guess work out of counting calories. They might cause bloating from all of the sodium but if you're drinking plenty of water it won't be that bad. I'm no nutritionist so I can't say for sure but at the end of the day regardless of what type of meal you eat, consuming less calories and exercising more should bring about results.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I used Lean Cuisines quite a bit during my weight loss phase. Add a bag of steamer veggies to give them more bulk. I also frequently added a can of chicken as well -even with the add-ins it came in around 500 calories or less for a very filling meal!
  • court_alacarte
    court_alacarte Posts: 219 Member
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    A couple of years ago, I lost ~20 pounds consistently eating mainly processed foods; over 90% of what I ate was boxed, bagged, or canned since everything was easy to track and, IMO, delicious. I even remember being able to fit Pop-Tarts into my day. I was single at the time and since I don't enjoy cooking for only myself, that was what I lived off of for the time being.

    I'm not a vegetarian, but I love Amy's frozen meals; Stouffer's and personal pizzas are also a staple in my freezer as well. I tend to stay away from the "diet" frozen meals because they're not as tasty to me, a.k.a. not as much sodium. I still have a guilty pleasure for Campbell's canned soups.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I love to cook so I didn't eat them, but there is nothing wrong with the frozen meals if you like them.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    I use convenience foods like Yves and Gardein. I don't generally buy the 'TV dinner' type meals, though I used to buy 'Mon cuisine'. (I'm kosher, in addition to being vegetarian. There are kosher ready meals, but nowhere near as many options as the non-kosher. And most of what there is tends to revolve around meat, chicken, or fish. Vegetarian options are often drowned in sauce. So not exactly something I'm in a hurry to ingest by choice).
  • boulank
    boulank Posts: 51 Member
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    I make my own ready meals. I even label them with the calorie count and how many grams of each item that is in it.

    When I do buy them from the store I like the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers they seem to be not too bad.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I think the main thing is to make sure that you're eating ones that you like or have a plan on how to replace them, because if you rely on them for weight loss and then stop eating them when you've reached your target weight, you're setting yourself up for re-gain.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,576 Member
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    You can lose weight on ANY DIET. Where failure happens is when one DOESN'T CONTINUE TO EAT THAT WAY. So if you intend to just eat ready made meals the rest of your life, then fine. If you're thinking you can just reach weight then go back to regular eating and NOT GAIN because you don't know how to count calories and prepare food on your own, you might get a wake up call.

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  • NR81206
    NR81206 Posts: 54 Member
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    Once a week I usually eat a lean cuisine meal at work with a side of vegetable. It's easy enough to just pop in the microwave and scan the barcode, the carb count is on the higher end with lean cuisine meal and usually has little to no fiber so I usually eat it with broccoli or some sort of other frozen vegetable. The sodium level is high, but like everyone else said, drink plenty of water. I work nights, and usually have time to make dinner before work but for the nights I don't it does come in handy.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
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    You certainly can. And there are a wider range of nicer tasting, lower calorie ready meals available nowa days so hopefully it doesn't have to be bland, wet, gnarly low fat diet no fun lasagne or whatever.

    The good thing about them is that they have the nutritional values on them and you don't have to mess around inputting ingredients into MFP to work out how much you can eat. I usually have at least a couple in the fridge for days when I just can't be bothered to cook, or if I've been too busy or eaten an unexpectedly large lunch.

    You can always improvise depending on why you need to use them, like if it's because you don't have time to cook but eat at home then you will find there are lots of things you can throw together to make a sort of tailor made ready meal.

  • tsaun22
    tsaun22 Posts: 5 Member
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    I have lost 30 lbs in 4 months by just snacking healthy food for the morning and lunch, and having a lean cuisine for dinner with a fruit or salad. :)
  • narspips
    narspips Posts: 48 Member
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    I eat a packaged breakfast 5 days a week and some sort of prepackaged/calorie-counted meal for lunch probably 2-3 days a week. So not entirely, but quite a big chunk. Down 8lbs since late June.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Having a Healthy Choice steamer (with extra carrots) for lunch today. Certainly an improvement over a cheeseburger & fries.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
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    kimcalica wrote: »
    Having lost 100+ lbs, there isn't a method I haven't tried, (within certain limitations) I did the microwave dinners for several months in the very beginning, before I had the education mfp gave me to be able to easily throw together fresh, healthy, clean 15-30 minute meals for me and my family. I did lose weight during this time, but not comfortably. The extra preservatives and sodium in them left me feeling hungrier and less energetic. One of the secrets along my journey that I learned, is that the fuel that I put in my body runs my engine, and my engine is the thing that pushes me forward each day. The more I was able to do in a day, every day, the more I was able to do the days and weeks after. This included house work, and yard work, being present for family just as much as getting in the gym, dancing, yoga, and every other physical opportunity I could get. More=more! So I needed good fuel.. those micro meals stopped cutting it! But if you don't do much, I think they may be ok. If you are in early stages, but ideally, learning about clean eating and less preservatives, sugars, sodium.. that'll get your engine going!!! Good luck!

    'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Yep, several times a week I have a Lean Cuisine or a Healthy Choice steamer with some additional frozen veggies mixed in. I have 3 or 4 that I like that I always keep stocked in my freezer. The stereotype that they are full of chemicals and loaded with sodium is just that. Many are pretty reasonable sodium-wise. And while preservatives are nothing to be scared of, reading the labels of the ones I like I don't find many (if any) ingredients I wouldn't be using if I was cooking from scratch.

    I wouldn't rely on them entirely because learning to cook can be really advantageous in maintaining a healthy weight (and just as a super-cool life skill). So poke around on the internet for "quick and healthy" recipes plus read the Food & Nutrition and Recipes forums here for some great ideas. But yeah, ready meals are perfectly fine :)
  • Ainadan
    Ainadan Posts: 158 Member
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    OliveGirl128 wrote: »
    kimcalica wrote: »
    Having lost 100+ lbs, there isn't a method I haven't tried, (within certain limitations) I did the microwave dinners for several months in the very beginning, before I had the education mfp gave me to be able to easily throw together fresh, healthy, clean 15-30 minute meals for me and my family. I did lose weight during this time, but not comfortably. The extra preservatives and sodium in them left me feeling hungrier and less energetic. One of the secrets along my journey that I learned, is that the fuel that I put in my body runs my engine, and my engine is the thing that pushes me forward each day. The more I was able to do in a day, every day, the more I was able to do the days and weeks after. This included house work, and yard work, being present for family just as much as getting in the gym, dancing, yoga, and every other physical opportunity I could get. More=more! So I needed good fuel.. those micro meals stopped cutting it! But if you don't do much, I think they may be ok. If you are in early stages, but ideally, learning about clean eating and less preservatives, sugars, sodium.. that'll get your engine going!!! Good luck!

    'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.

    Not absolutely nothing, because it may affect your energy and/or your on/off button. Energy affects calories burnt, and your on/off button affects calories consumed. You are right that it doesn't have a direct effect, but it can have an indirect effect.

    But to the OP, it is a way to lose weight. Do what is best for you.
  • kimcalica
    kimcalica Posts: 525 Member
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    [/quote] 'Clean' eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term that has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss.[/quote]

    Is this spoken from personal experience or what you've picked up from the internet?
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I lost 118 pounds and ate packaged meals (mostly Lean Cuisine) at work all the time. I still do and I've been maintaining for a few years now. I don't like to cook and really don't feel like it right before work. My husband cooks on my days off. :)
    When I decided to try to lose weight for what seemed the millionth time, I tried to do it in a way that worked for me. Anything that was going to require a lot of prepping, cooking etc, would never work. As long as you are eating the correct amount of calories, do whatever works best for you and is sustainable.

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