Can I live off frozen meals?

SunshineMom9598
SunshineMom9598 Posts: 4
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
Ok, I am the only one in my family on a diet. I fix them their meals and I eat frozen Lean meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I usually add something to them like veggies, yogurt or fruit. Can I live off them without doing more harm than good? It is just so much easier and faster and I am not tempted to go off track with my safe meals. Your thoughts?

Replies

  • hey
    I'm doing the same as you and I feel really good just eating my frozen food just knowing that i'm not going over my intake
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I mean technically you probably could, but man that's rough. Also, all those meals have very high amounts of sodium, so be careful, I think Healthy Choice usually is the best of the worst as far as sodium is concerned. Supplimenting those meals with fresh foods would be a good idea. Plus, those meals are pretty expensive, for the cost of 10 meals you could make up a whole week's worth of meals from scratch, freeze em, and be eating healthy and fresh (well, fresh frozen at least).
  • abatres7
    abatres7 Posts: 146
    You could and probably better then eating out and risking eating the wrong foods. They are processed foods and have stuff in them that wouldn't be there if you made it yourself.
  • joilet
    joilet Posts: 99
    why not modify your family's meals so that they fit your diet?

    you don't have to eat everything you serve them, but let's say you serve them chicken and rice

    you eat they chicken, they eat the rice, and you make up a side salad for yourself
    that way you can all eat together, and you only have to cook once

    also, i'm a big fan of making large meals, and freezing small portions for my lunches

    i just triple or quadruple a recipe that i'm making for dinner, then freeze the leftovers individually portioned

    take it to work, thaw and microwave
  • Can't you try to incorporate healthy meals that you can eat as well as the family, that will be healthy and tasty? Eating frozen meals can guarantee you a certain calorie intake, but what about the sodium levels? I also find that they look so sad and not very appetizing. Also, eating processed foods only is not a good idea for your health. Do you like to cook? Can you cook? If you can't, maybe enroll in an evening class. As a trained chef, I'd be happy to send you a few ideas/recipes that you can cook for your family that I'm sure they would all love.
  • Hannah_Banana
    Hannah_Banana Posts: 1,242 Member
    It is of course, not the best thing to do - but you already knew that or you wouldn't have asked. :wink:

    Is it better than eating unhealthy food and going way over your calories? Absolutely!

    I agree with previous suggestions, if its possible to make homemade meals and freeze them, or try cooking healthier meals for your whole family and just watching your portions? This is what I had to do. I have a picky husband who hates vegetables and a 2 year old, so I was making 3 different meals every night and it was wearing me out. So what I decided to so instead was to make myself healthy alternatives.

    For instance, we have baked chicken night and instead of the tater tots or baked potato I make for hubby, I have fresh green beans. Or when we have hamburger night, instead of using two pieces of bread, I just use one and substitute homemade mac & cheese for a piece of string cheese.

    I know its rough when you feel like you're having to eat differently from your family. But really, your whole family SHOULD be eating like you (healthy) and just having the appropriate portions. :smile:
  • nolachick
    nolachick Posts: 3,278 Member
    hmm I am in a similar situation like you. I don't really have time to cook so I live on healthy choice cafe steamers for lunch ( they have a good variety and taste really good). I definately watch my sodium tho (you can track ur sodium on ur diet by changing the settings) so now I'm very careful about that.

    To make up for this I cook breakfast and dinner.

    Breakfast idea - I eat quaker instant oatmeal (high fiber in maple and sugar) its yum and takes a minute to throw in the microwave and cook.
    or an omelette with cheese and veggies - takes about 5 mins to cook. (just stir everything together ina bowl and throw it on the pan)

    So try to watch ur sodium if u stick to these meals, if u can try to incorporate healthy meals for u and ur family, then even better!
  • BossyGirl
    BossyGirl Posts: 173 Member
    Every one if different. If it works for you, and you see progress then stick to it!
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    Could you do something like a mix of the two?

    My gang likes big towering piles o' fried crap - but I can also feed them veggies and good stuff as side dishes. So I might make fried chicken for them, toss a chix breast under the broiler for me, and we all feast on the salad (tons of dressing for them, a little free italian on the side for me), broccoli (w/cheese sauce for them, none for me), baby taters (1 lb. each for them, 100 grams for me), stuff like that.

    So maybe you could nuke yourself a Lean Cuisine salisbury steak for your main course and share in the salad & veggies with the rest of the gang. :wink:

    Make sense?
  • bethany_jurries
    bethany_jurries Posts: 169 Member
    I agree with the idea of preparing healthy meals and freezing them or making a healthier choice for your family. Just because you are on a "diet" doen't mean you cannot make it a whole family change. Try out some tasty healthy meals and be a good example for your family. They will thank you in the end! :heart:
  • mamaturner
    mamaturner Posts: 2,447 Member
    I mean technically you probably could, but man that's rough. Also, all those meals have very high amounts of sodium, so be careful, I think Healthy Choice usually is the best of the worst as far as sodium is concerned. Supplimenting those meals with fresh foods would be a good idea. Plus, those meals are pretty expensive, for the cost of 10 meals you could make up a whole week's worth of meals from scratch, freeze em, and be eating healthy and fresh (well, fresh frozen at least).

    I agree, when I first started committing to this website and myself that's what I did. But it is expensive plus very saddening to myself (I'm a chef, just currently not in practice professionally) So I figured it's just myself and my husband eating solids right now (hehe, we have an 8 month old) so if I'm making the meals he can either eat it or make something for himself. However typically I make things like I used to before the diet, I just supplement certain foods for others and eat smaller portions, or should I say correct portion sizes. Fresh foods are always better than those! Good luck!
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
    You could if you like the idea of hypertension and a number of heart issues - all while spending a bunch of money on food that tastes like moist cardboard :laugh: . That much sodium is extremely bad juju.

    I'm going to parrot what everyone else has said, why not make your family's meals healthier? You're going to be doing them a favor if they're eating healthy, and the idea that healthy cooking is a) expensive and b) bland is so far from the truth its unreal. Just check out the recipe section for ideas! :heart:
  • loren
    loren Posts: 111
    I think that's the best way! It's already portioned out for you and the first time I dieted I used e-diets where they had an option to do all frozen food. They just add in green beans, salad, fruit, etc to them. I lost 15 lbs fast that way!
  • Zara11
    Zara11 Posts: 1,247 Member
    Are you really going to eat that for the rest of your life? It's less time, but also more money.

    Fix up the family's diet, or have enough cooked options that everyone's semi-happy. If they don't like it, tough. They can fix their own crap.
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
    For me, what I'm doing is not a 'diet' it's a change of lifestyle. I have to eat now the way I'll eat for the rest of my life. And to be perfectly honest I'm eating better more healthy AND tastier meals now than I ever have before. Because of this my daughter is too - and she's happy with the home cooked healthy meals.

    Low calorie does not have to mean bland or awful.

    Many nights I throw some cut up chicken breast in a pan with EVOO and brown it with onions and garlic, then add fresh veggies that I have on hand: Zucchini, bell peppers, egg plant, tomatoes, carrots... actually whatever vegetable I have on hand to the pan and cook it up. It's super low calorie, and very good - and this exact same combination can taste very different depending on what kind of herbs I use in it. Have fun by going to the grocery store and investing in some nice herbs, even the dried ones for cooking. Lemon is also wonderful to sprinkle on your food as you cook, or lime.

    I never really cooked before in my life. Now I really enjoy doing it.

    I also prepare lots of meals on Sunday - yesterday I made a big pot of healthy chili that I freeze in small ziplock containers and take with me for lunch - I can also use these to eat for dinner if there is no time to cook.

    Cooking healthy can please your family and it will be a lot better for them as well!!!

    Check out healthy recipes on the web - there are plenty of sites out there just google. If you're going to make this weight loss stick, you're going to have to make changes - and these positive changes don't have to be bad - they can be good for everyone.
  • I lost alot of weight when I was in college by eating lean cuisines at every meal. It seems so blah to me now otherwise I would do the same now. If it works for you, and your doctor doesn't have you on a special diet, than I say go for it and good luck!
  • ilike2moveit
    ilike2moveit Posts: 776 Member
    Think lifestyle change. Is this one you could, would, or should incorporate into your life forever? I would suggest that the whole family start eating healthy dishes that would benefit all of you. Lean meats, vegies, fruits, salads, etc. Best wishes to you.
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Think lifestyle change. Is this one you could, would, or should incorporate into your life forever? I would suggest that the whole family start eating healthy dishes that would benefit all of you. Lean meats, vegies, fruits, salads, etc. Best wishes to you.

    I second this. In order for you to lose the weight, and keep it off - it's going to have to be a lifestyle change. This is not a diet, it's a change of everything. It would be good for the family to be eating better also and you can just take smaller portions than the rest of the family.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    If you're not already, go to: My Home/ Settings/ Diary Settings, and make sure you're monitoring your sodium. Chances are, with 3 frozen meals, you're probably over your sodium which is not good for your health or your weight loss as it will make you retain fluid.

    Secondly, check out the chemicals used in those meals. If there are a lot of big words you don't recognize, it's probably not something you want to be putting a lot of into your body on a 3 times/ day basis.
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    Part of this is going to depend on what the "Rest of the family" looks like. I have 3 young men in the house, all 19-20 years old. they work on a potato farm. They're not fat - they work hard, and these guys legitimately need 3000 calories a day or more.

    I cook pretty healthy for the gang of us and what happens is that they eat enormous amounts to meet their caloric needs. I do nice healthy chicken breast and cabbage and they wipe out the whole pot - they have to. So now lotsa times I do the nice healthy main course for all of us and a big filling starchy side to fill those empty tanks. They're young, they like Kraft Mac&Cheese,,, (1 box per kid) :smile:

    If you want to put people like that on lite foods you should be prepared to start making soup in the bathtub - they'll eat tons, they gotta. So maybe you can do what I do, prepare 4 dishes for dinner, and you only eat 3 of them, (or maybe just a taste :blushing: ).
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    creating a new lifestyle means making changes in steps for many people. IF this is how you plan on starting and it is working for you then go for it, I don't know how you can stand to eat them but hey, its your taste buds not mine :wink:

    I have to second, or third the idea of One, preparing healthy meals for you and your family. Making small changes will go un-noticed, like using ground turkey instead of hamburger meat, or brown rice instead of white etc etc. You can make a little extra and freeze some for yourself for lunches or whatever later. I do this with chili and soups so on nights when I know I have little time to make dinner I can pull meals out of the freezer earlier that day and all I have to do is heat it up. I also love the crock pot!

    second thing is processed frozen meals offer little in vitamins and minerals and taste, yet they offer a lot of sodium, sugar and other unpronounceable ingredients that are most likely on the wrong end of anything healthy. At some point you are going to have to learn to eat real food and teach your children and spouse how to feed their bodies the right fuel.

    It isn't always easy but it is worth it! :wink:
  • joilet
    joilet Posts: 99
    get a food scale

    before you cook up the meat of the meal, cut it up into 4 oz portions.

    that's a pretty good generic size for protein, whether it's chicken, beef, or pork

    if you cut them up like that before you cook them, you'll know afterward how much you should eat

    experiement with marinades using lemon juice, vinegar, little bit of EVOO, mustard, lots of herbs and spices, low sodium soy sauce

    you can make a different kind of chicken everynight with those marinades, and your family won't know it's any healthier

    use less butter, oil, etc... they also won't notice that either
    i don't even keep butter in my fridge

    you can make a box of mac and cheese without the butter, just use skim milk, stuff like that, they won't even know it
  • joilet
    joilet Posts: 99
    get a food scale

    before you cook up the meat of the meal, cut it up into 4 oz portions.

    that's a pretty good generic size for protein, whether it's chicken, beef, or pork

    if you cut them up like that before you cook them, you'll know afterward how much you should eat

    experiement with marinades using lemon juice, vinegar, little bit of EVOO, mustard, lots of herbs and spices, low sodium soy sauce

    you can make a different kind of chicken everynight with those marinades, and your family won't know it's any healthier

    use less butter, oil, etc... they also won't notice that either
    i don't even keep butter in my fridge

    you can make a box of mac and cheese without the butter, just use skim milk, stuff like that, they won't even know it
  • amberc1982
    amberc1982 Posts: 468 Member
    I normally only eat one meal(lunch) a day that is a frozen meal like that. Only because I don't have leftovers after my husband and my son eat. :smile: I wouldn't suggest eating them for every meal.
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