Problem with frozen, packaged meals?

pandalady8
pandalady8 Posts: 34 Member
edited October 11 in Food and Nutrition
I was wondering if anyone has noticed something similar during their calorie monitoring. For years I've been eating the frozen meals for lunches during the week at work (Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, etc, whichever was on sale). Recently I got sick of eating them, so I decided to try making my own lunch just for a change of tastes. I've been making a cold pasta salad with just roasted peppers, a little oil and cheese, and some spinach, and of course whole grain pasta and sometimes a little chicken for protein. It's hard for me to figured out the exact calories, but I'm sure it's more than the little meals used to be. Anyhow, after two weeks of this change, my 6 month plateau finally broke. Has anyone else had a similar experience? It doesn't make sense to me that more but "fresher" calories drops the weight but fewer, "processed" calories don't.

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    The frozen ones just don't feel me up like real food. That's why I stopped eating them. Have you noticed decreases in snacking?
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
    I was wondering if anyone has noticed something similar during their calorie monitoring. For years I've been eating the frozen meals for lunches during the week at work (Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, etc, whichever was on sale). Recently I got sick of eating them, so I decided to try making my own lunch just for a change of tastes. I've been making a cold pasta salad with just roasted peppers, a little oil and cheese, and some spinach, and of course whole grain pasta and sometimes a little chicken for protein. It's hard for me to figured out the exact calories, but I'm sure it's more than the little meals used to be. Anyhow, after two weeks of this change, my 6 month plateau finally broke. Has anyone else had a similar experience? It doesn't make sense to me that more but "fresher" calories drops the weight but fewer, "processed" calories don't.

    Check out the sodium content in those processed meals sometime. It's eye-popping!!! It's no wonder they really don't help anyone lose weight. Congrats on breaking your plateau!!! You are well on your way to making a lifestyle change. :)
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    I bet one reason is sodium. Do you track your sodium? Most processed foods have a high level of sodium, but your homemade food doesn't have much.
  • Marig0ld
    Marig0ld Posts: 671 Member
    Yeah, I've noticed that too. The Lean Cuisines are really convenient, but the sodium levels are OFF the charts! I think it caused me to retain a lot water.
  • lisabernard
    lisabernard Posts: 59 Member
    Those frozen meals are not the best option, thats for sure!!!! They are full of sodium and preservatives. They never helped me in my weight loss. Better to stick with "clean foods".

    Congrats on breaking the plateau!! What a great feeling!!!

    - Lisa
  • aklindsay
    aklindsay Posts: 27 Member
    you can figure up the exact calories in each serving of your homemade pasta salad if you enter all your ingredients in the recipe tool under the food tab!
  • Uk_Yogini
    Uk_Yogini Posts: 167
    Congratulations on breaking your plateau ! Fresh food is always the better option in my opinion. Frozen meals are full of unwanted additives, the sodium is sometimes off the chart and they are something like Lean Cuisine are typically low in calories and fiber. Stick with the fresh food and you will see results. Good luck :)
  • TTHdred
    TTHdred Posts: 380 Member
    That “fresher” is way less preservatives. Most frozen meals are filled with sodium, in it’s basic form salt. While the body does need sodium, many of us take in way more than we actually need. That (in some cases) may causes water retention, dehydration which can affect performance in workouts, and your kidney’s performance (filtering salt versus converting fat to energy). This is one of many reasons why fresher or home cooked is usually always much better!

    The good thing, is that often when someone hits a plateau the recommendation is to change things up. This is exactly why. It’s a great example, of where simple changes can help get us back on track. Congrats on breaking your plateau.
  • TTHdred
    TTHdred Posts: 380 Member
    you can figure up the exact calories in each serving of your homemade pasta salad if you enter all your ingredients in the recipe tool under the food tab!

    Forgot to mention this as well. But excellent advice. Under My Recipes you can create your own meals and add your specific ingredients. Just be sure to guess the right serving size.
  • psb13
    psb13 Posts: 629
    those packaged meals usually have loads of sodium that can lead to fluid retention.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    Use: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

    You chunk in your food & it calculates the nutritional info for you. How cool is that? (IT'S FREE TOO!!)
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    Use: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

    You chunk in your food & it calculates the nutritional info for you. How cool is that? (IT'S FREE TOO!!)

    MFP has the same tool. Go to the food tab and recipes and enter everything.
  • lariecma
    lariecma Posts: 2
    WHAT KIND OF OIL AND CHEESE? I EAT ALOT OF THOSE FROZEN ONES SIMPLY BECAUSE I AM NEW TO THIS AND DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY MEALS AT HOME. ANY RECIPIES OUT THERE?:ohwell:
  • deadmittens
    deadmittens Posts: 536 Member
    I've noticed I get stuck on plateau's when I keep eating the same thing over and over. All those frozen meals are essentially the same thing, so just changing it up a bit is probably what broke your plateau.
  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
    Many others said the same thing: sodium, additives & preservatives: all the junk your body does not need.

    Fresh is always best, and while it may be a little time consuming, buying a food scale & measuring out your portions as you make breakfast, pack lunches & snax & prepare dinner really does make a difference. I've been measuring for well over a year & I don't eat as much as I used to (can't eat as much as I used to!), I can usually eyeball measure now if I'm at my Mum's house or my in-laws for meals & everyone is used to it, they know why I'm doing this & they know it's helped keep me on track.

    Congrats on breaking the plateau & finding fresh foods :flowerforyou:
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    no...it just a change..like all we do with our bodies..they adapt. so doing anything differently can help break a stall.
  • Whatnow50
    Whatnow50 Posts: 93
    Well good and crap!
    Was going to be using those forzen meals when going back to work later this month but.... so not worth the negative results! I will have to prepare ahead and make my own food to take with me.
    Thanks all for the reminders of what I should have known in the first place!
    Success to us all!:heart:
  • ApproachingDusk
    ApproachingDusk Posts: 70
    I can honestly say its been over a decade since I've eaten a store bought freezer meal. Yuck!

    Here's an idea for you. I bought a whole ton of tupperware containers and make my own frozen meals. I might spend a weekend making food specifically for eating at work, maybe 5-6 recipes, and just portion them out and stick them in the freezer. The night before I pick what I want and put it in the fridge to thaw for the next day.

    It has made my life so much easier AND I can control the sodium/fat/calories in my food.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    Well good and crap!
    Was going to be using those forzen meals when going back to work later this month but.... so not worth the negative results! I will have to prepare ahead and make my own food to take with me.
    Thanks all for the reminders of what I should have known in the first place!
    Success to us all!:heart:

    I do eat frozen meals for my work lunches a lot due to the way my job works. I eat Amy's Organic meals. The sodium level is usually better (not great, though they have some reduced sodium versions), and the big thing...it's the only high sodium item I eat that day. So, they can be part of a healthy diet. Try to have the "healthiest" version of a frozen meal you can find and don't make them the main type of meal you eat.
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Use: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

    You chunk in your food & it calculates the nutritional info for you. How cool is that? (IT'S FREE TOO!!)

    Doesn't MFP do the exact same thing?
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    I was wondering if anyone has noticed something similar during their calorie monitoring. For years I've been eating the frozen meals for lunches during the week at work (Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, etc, whichever was on sale). Recently I got sick of eating them, so I decided to try making my own lunch just for a change of tastes. I've been making a cold pasta salad with just roasted peppers, a little oil and cheese, and some spinach, and of course whole grain pasta and sometimes a little chicken for protein. It's hard for me to figured out the exact calories, but I'm sure it's more than the little meals used to be. Anyhow, after two weeks of this change, my 6 month plateau finally broke. Has anyone else had a similar experience? It doesn't make sense to me that more but "fresher" calories drops the weight but fewer, "processed" calories don't.

    Are you measuring / weighing ingredients before tossing everything together? I think it shouldn't be too hard to get a good calorie count on your new, better, healthier, tastier lunches. :)
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    The frozen ones just don't feel me up like real food. That's why I stopped eating them. Have you noticed decreases in snacking?

    That's some FRESH food. Really. If my food felt me up, I might just fist it.

    Fist it, or punch it? ;)
  • reepobob
    reepobob Posts: 1,172 Member
    The frozen ones just don't feel me up like real food. That's why I stopped eating them. Have you noticed decreases in snacking?

    That's some FRESH food. Really. If my food felt me up, I might just fist it.

    Dude, you could steal my car, set my house on fire, and rob my 401(k) and I wouldn't delete you from my friends list...CLASSIC!! Fist it? Is this a thawed turkey we are speaking of?
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    Very true about the pre-packaged, frozen meals and sodium. However, I do think if you're eating less animal protein and processed foods in general, a frozen meal isn't so bad sometimes. There are some higher quality brands out there. Amy's Kitchen is one of my favorites (http://www.amys.com/), and they have tons of vegetarian and vegan options, and they are so delicious. The brown rice, black-eyed peas, and veggies bowl is probably my favorite (http://www.amys.com/products/product-detail/detail/000164). These frozen meals also always fill me up. The thing about the other ones, like Lean Cuisines, is they are barely real food, and mostly highly processed pastas and meat, which will not fill you up.
  • groovyfirechick
    groovyfirechick Posts: 188
    I will sometimes take frozen meals to work with me (I work nites and eat dinner at 10pm) just because they are more convenient. (i work 1/2 hr-45 min from home) I've actually been losing weight! I totally attribute this to NOT stopping for fast food because I am prepared! I eat more fresh food than frozen but sometimes frozen is just easier!
  • vschwgrt1
    vschwgrt1 Posts: 86 Member
    groovyfirechick wrote: »
    I will sometimes take frozen meals to work with me (I work nites and eat dinner at 10pm) just because they are more convenient. (i work 1/2 hr-45 min from home) I've actually been losing weight! I totally attribute this to NOT stopping for fast food because I am prepared! I eat more fresh food than frozen but sometimes frozen is just easier!
    I agree, I know I know, loaded with sodium, but with them I eat lots of fresh vegs steamed, fresh fruit etc. I am a serious binge person, and the prepared meals give me portion control.. I also fix myself meals from scratch that I can weigh out, like chicken breast, fish, etc. But if I am hungry or in a hurry, I can grab something out of the freezer. There are tons of options, like someone said, Amy's, and low carb, and some are definitely better than others taste wise. But they are easy
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited April 2015
    Living on a budget, frozen works. Especially if you do not cook or know how or it is for one person...

    Buying frozen sometimes is the only choice... I am glad I have a crockpot and the MFP RECIPE tool.

  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    I ate those occasionally during my weight loss phase and I didn't have any problems with them? I actually still buy them once in a while even though I'm in maintenance now, for busy days when I don't have time to make something. Some of the Lean Cuisines are pretty good tasting, and I've found a few non-diet ones that taste good and are pretty decent on calories yet (Boston Market brand).
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
    When I am extremely tired and having what I call a "bad eating day," I eat a Banquet frozen meal. They generally run about 300 calories. Yes, the sodium content is high, but the portion control they represent have taught me a lot about eating less than I used to eat. I've lost over 60 pounds eating these meals, as well as by learning to make my own meals that have smaller portions and lower calorie and sodium levels.
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