Lazy grad student: how bad are frozen meals and protein shakes?

puga2
puga2 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi fitness pals,

I've gained about 20 lbs since starting a PhD program. I could make time to cook, but I feel like I just don't have it in me by the time I get home. This has led to me eating a lot of takeout! I've been feeling very lethargic lately and I'm sure it's this takeaway diet that's got me down.

I've made some changes this week, please tell me what you think about it! I'm worried about the sodium levels, preservatives, etc. Is this ok for long term meal planning, or should this only be a short term solution?

today's example
Breakfast: 1 banana, vitamin gummies, tea
Lunch: lean cusine, 2 cups of peas, clementine
Snack: red pepper slices, hummus
Dinner: 1 bottle of soylent

Ideally, I am looking for a meal-planning solution that affords the convenience of not having to cook often... I tried making a big batch of chicken breasts on Sundays for lunches/dinner... but I always seem to eat up the batch before the work week is over. ;) Any meal-prep tips would be super appreciated :-)

I do martial arts and/or volleyball everyday, so I think I'm ok on the exercise :-)

Replies

  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    What does your macros tell you about your diet?

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,175 Member
    If on most days you're hitting reasonable macronutrient levels within reasonable calories, and getting 5+ servings of varied, colorful veggies/fruits for micronutrients, I think you're in an OK spot nutritionally. (Fruit/veg could be part of the frozen meals or separate add-ons.)

    You're not going to eat this way forever, right? :)

    If you're worried about preservatives or whatever, pick the frozen foods that are "best" in that way. If your blood pressure's good & you don't have other sodium contraindications, I wouldn't worry too much about the sodium, either. Drink adequate (not excessive) water.

    Everyone will have a different idea about defining good macronutrient levels. Personally, for an active person losing weight, I target:

    - Minimum 0.6-0.8g protein daily per pound of healthy goal weight (which should be ballpark similar to 0.8-1.0g per pound of lean body mass, but few people know their LBM ;) ). This is much more than the USDA/WHO minimums - around double.
    - Minimum 0.35-0.45g of fat per pound of healthy goal weight, as much as practical from healthy sources like olive oil, nuts, avocados, etc.
    - Carbs at whatever level they fall.

    Use any wiggle room to improve satiation or pleasure or practicality.

    Just my opinion, obviously.
  • nic_27_grassisgreener
    nic_27_grassisgreener Posts: 193 Member
    I think it looks good to me. You probably don't need to worry about salt, unless you have a medical reason. The most important thing is that you don't eat too many or too few calories.

    Fellow PhD student here, welcome! :)
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    All food is “processed” in some way. There’s nothing inherently bad about it unless you aren’t reaching your calorie and/or macro goals, or unless it doesn’t work with your specific medical conditions.

    Also: Ph.D. here, and now in maintenance after losing 100 pounds during my postdoc. Always happy to chat about weight loss and academia.
  • AlyssaPetsDogs
    AlyssaPetsDogs Posts: 421 Member
    I’m in law school and I feel you. I get so tired that I don’t feel like cooking!
    I do usually cook on a Sunday, but I tend to make things in large batches which I can freeze. My current obsession is green smoothies (I posted about them earlier since I’m still perfecting how to make them work for me) but I spent a good hour portioning out various fruits in different bags with spinach and kale. Now I just pull a baggie out of the freezer, log the weights of the ingredients that I wrote on the bag, and blend! It’s so easy!

    I find that freezing things make it easier for me to just reheat quickly. You can probably freeze individual servings as well!

    Sorry I don’t have more specific instructions, but I’m also going to follow this post :)
  • Falklang
    Falklang Posts: 220 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    There's a dynamic here - not eating optimally making you lethargic, fear or no enthusiasm for your food making you not want to cook, boring food making you not interested in food, little experience means few opportunities to learn new skills, rinse and repeat.

    I would be less worried about sodium and preservatives, and more worried about my relationship with food. Aim for more substantial, balanced and varied meals.

    Instead of big portions and supplements and the same every day, think components, for instance:
    Breakfast: Fruit/veg, sandwich, milk.
    Lunch: Frozen readymeal, veg, fruit.
    Snack: Veg+dip, or fruit+nuts, or cheese+crackers/nuts, or tuna+crackers.
    Dinner: Protein, fat, starch, veg.

    Meal prep can be reduced to taking out things to thaw/soak in the fridge overnight. Many foods only need 15-30 minutes of cooking.

    Exactly this what Kommo said, try splitting your food up more especially if you are doing Martial Arts/Volleyball each day as you need an energy source for that. Try and start looking at food as fuel instead of food.

    Forget about sodium and etc until you have nailed your relationship with food.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I wouldn't trust chicken breast that's been sitting in my fridge for 5 days anyway.

    I'd be starving on your diet. You can make mini egg muffins and just microwave those in the morning (with eggs, veggies, meat). Better start of the day than just a banana (I can't do just carbs for breakfast).

    Look into making big batches of food and freeze them individually so it's easy to reheat in 5 minutes at night (think healthier casserole types - you can easily make one and divide in 6/8 portions). You can make meatballs or meatloaf and freeze individual portions too.

    That being said, my only issue with frozen meals is that I've often found them not satisfying.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    IMHO i would try to set aside a couple of hours on Sat/Sun to meal prep for the week; things like chicken I cook daily (I throw it in the pan and cook while in the shower in the am for lunch)

    i wouldn't find your meal plan very satisfying
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
    It looks like you're bumping up your convenience foods with a few servings of fresh fruit and veggies, so I personally wouldn't worry too much if you feel satisfied and you're getting enough calories.

    Some other convenience/fast cooking foods if you get tired of Soylent for dinner or continue to feel lethargic -
    Bagged salad mix + rotisserie chicken (two dinners, maybe 3)
    Hard boiled eggs
    Peanut butter or deli sandwiches, grilled cheese and soup
    Instant hot cereals/oats - you can make them savory as well
    Omelettes
    Ramen/instant noodles + rotisserie chicken, fresh spinach/cabbage/mushrooms/frozen veggies, swirl an egg or two into it while boiling (5 minute dinner)
    Triscuits or toast, canned tuna or salmon mixed with avocado, cheese & fruit

    IF or switching meals - this could reduce the time you're worried about cooking, or switch your larger meal to early in the day while you still have the willpower to cook (like a reverse slim-fast shake plan). Also, throw some food in a small crockpot in the morning (or overnight while you sleep) and have a whole day of food.

    Meal box delivery service - does require some cooking, say 20-30 minutes, but services like Hello Fresh with give you nutritionally complete meals with minimal prep. And if you live alone, cooking one night will give you leftovers for the next day. Pretty popular among friends still in school and who work long hours. Reduces grocery store time as well.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Not horrible....but have you considered or have available:

    Boiled eggs? Cheap protein

    Veggie, high protein, high fiber pasta? Pretty cheap quick easy nutrition and easy to dump leftovers in.

    Baked potatoes? Easy to make, quick, long shelf life.
  • bellaesprita000
    bellaesprita000 Posts: 384 Member
    Fellow PhD student here and I'm 100% sure you could make time for meal prep and planning if you worked it into your schedule. I do. My diary is open to friends if you would like to take a peek. I lost 30 lbs during my busiest semester yet where I was also: working as a TA ~15 hours a week, preparing for my proposal defense, and submitting 2 grants and 2 fellowship applications. I'm back from a diet break over winter break and hope to lose another 20 by summertime.

    Here's what I do:
    - I workout 4 days a week so I usually have a protein shake those days with ready-to-go ingredients. Other days I alternate between cereal and a egg dish.
    - For lunch, I do frozen meals, sandwiches, or a salad. Always adding a fruit and something sweet.
    - For snacks, I keep protein and fiber bars on hand both at home and the lab.
    - For dinner, this semester I'll expand my current repertoire. Last semester it was a protein, starch, and 2 veggies. Occasionally frozen meals on long days. Followed by dessert - yogurt, ice cream, granola bars, etc. I only cooked dinner twice a week once during the weekend and again in the middle of the week making full use of my oven. Baked proteins, roasted veggies and starches, minimal effort.

    This semester I hope to get an instant pot which will also help me regularly prepare healthy and balanced meals.

    Good luck to you!
  • koslowkj
    koslowkj Posts: 188 Member
    Do you have any days you know you'll get home earlier? I'm in optometry school and right now I'm only in clinic three days a week. So I plan to cook the two days I have off and plan on leftovers the days I know I'll be in clinic late. (We'll see how that changes next semester when I go to five days a week in clinic.)

    Planning out my meals for the week in advance has really helped. Cook ahead as much as possible. For example, if you're making a casserole, double the recipe and freeze half for later. Take it out of the freezer in the morning and put it in the oven when you get home. If you have a crock pot, it is your friend. You can turn it on when you leave and have a hot meal ready when you get home (I know some of the models have timers on them so you don't have to worry about overcooking something if you habe to stay on campus late.) You don't have to rely on frozen meals, but it is going to take plenty of planning ahead!
  • tmaths
    tmaths Posts: 58 Member
    Someone suggested buying a slow cooker.Cause then you prep Sunday evening, throw it in cooker Monday morning and evening you're good to go.

    If you make a large batch, you can easily make ejlnough for 3 dinners worth
  • puga2
    puga2 Posts: 3 Member
    Wow, thank you so much everyone!! These are great some ideas, and it's so nice to hear from other grad/professional students -- y'all are inspiring me to be better :blush:

    I usually get home around 9:30pm everyday, and I did manage to make a chicken and veggie dish the other night (despite my desire to just shove a pile of snacks into my face). I do have a Shuttle Chef (it's like a slow cooker you don't plug in) that has been gathering dust. Time to make a nice curry with it instead :wink:


    Thank you all again for the support, I've never posted before and I'm glad I did now! I appreciate the community <3


  • Sambo_fitness
    Sambo_fitness Posts: 137 Member
    Protein shakes are okay if you know what is in them!
    As for frozen meals - just be aware of what is in it! There's also the option to purchase frozen microwavable veggies. Soups in a can - I like Progresso (low sodium)

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