WW Food and Point Issues - Does anyone use WW frozen meals?

Hello, I am thinking of going back to WW. Lost about 40 pounds a few years ago but have gained it all back plus a few. Really need to loose around 70 pounds and have found it so hard getting started again! I have thought about Jenny Craig or Nurti System but it's so expensive and I've heard the food isn't that great. I guess my question is, do any of you use WW or Lean Cuisine type meals as the bulk of your WW program? I know I would have to add in other foods, especially fruits and veggies, but thought if I didn't have to obsess about "what to cook" I might do better? Any suggestions? :)

I've never been on weight watchers before but I do buy some of the WW brand stuff. I really like their blueberry muffins for when I am craving something sweet, and sometimes I use their shredded cheese for when I'm cooking.

As for lean cuisines that is everyday lunch! Right now my fridge has lean cuisine pastas, lasagna, and whole grain lean pockets with stuff like brocolli and cheddar, mushroom and spinach, and chicken pizza.

The lean cuisines are way cheaper than something like nutri or jenny. They are like . . .1.15 at walmart and it is almost a whole meal in and of itself.

Whenever I buy a new cuisine I use fit day to enter the nutrition facts in and just work it into my day by balancing it out. I hate to cook, so most of my food is in the freezer.

I'm about to start on WW next week, and although I don't use them as the bulk of my meals, (I like to cook) I stockpile a few at work for lunch or at home for when I don't feel like cooking. They're really yummy too, I would just be concerned about the levels of sodium in them if i ate them more than once in a while.

When I first started last year I ate them daily. I do not do WW per se, but just found them easier. I switched to eating mostly whole foods in late summer because they keep me more filled up. The one thing you have to watch is sodium. Just drink rec. daily water and you should be fine.

I prefer the Lean Cusines to the WW and I find that most of the time they go on sale more, that is when I buy in bulk. What I like to do is if I am bringing to work for lunch I will make a big salad and micro a chicken and rice at home in the morning and at lunch time I put over the salad cold the sauce serves as dressing so I save points there and it can be as big or small as I like it depending on the amount of veggies. There are tons of ways to do this program and cut down the amount of cooking you have to do. Another good one is the progresso soups 0 Points you can add veggies to the veg soup and Shrimp and change it from a soup to a gumbo for a small amount of daily points. The key is to find what suits your lifestyle, and go from there. Good Luck

I like the lean pockets for a quick and easy breakfast. There are lots of frozen meals available. You might check out the healthy choice and there is another by Michelena's (Or close to it I think) Take your points counter and spend some time in the frozen food aisle and see what lloks good and point friendly.
I cook a lot so I don't use them much, but I say take advantage of anything and everything that helps you along your weight loss path. Losing weight is hard enough in itself, if anything makes it easier go for it!

I do use Frozen meals but I use them less and less as my time on WW continues. I think they help alot when you don't want to have to weigh, measurre and cook. The new Healthy choice meals are especially good!

I started WW today. Wegmans had the WW products on sale so I loaded up. I had the breakfast sandwich this morning that has a muffin, egg, cheese, and canadian bacon in it. It was very good.
For lunch, I had the beef strogonoff. That was also very good.
I bought them to start my week on WW. I won't eat them that much once I get going because of all the sodium in them.

This is my sixth week on WW. Generally I have a frozen meal and fruit for lunch but some days I have other things. I've used all of the brands. Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice have the WW points on the boxes which is great. So I usually stock up on them and so far there's only been one that I really didn't care for at all. This week I bought some of the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers to have for dinner on nights when I'm home alone with my Dad (he's not on WW but my mom and I are) so he can have his not good for you foods and I'll just pop mine in the microwave and have some fruit or a salad with it. :) It's definitely easy and convenient.

I generally keep 2-4 in the freezer.. different brands. I normally do my own cooking. But on those days when I just don't know what to cook, or don't want to, I pop those babies in the micro. One for me and one for DH.
We generally have them once a month or so. I really am not a huge fan of the different things they put in the dinners to make them look and taste the same as the day they froze them. Healthy, lean, WW, or whatever, they all add extra's to make them taste good.
I personally don't recommend doing them as a daily thing, its really not as healthy as making yourself a quick bowl of oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, etc. for breakfast, a sandwich and salad for lunch, and soup or such for dinner. Those are all just as quick, if not quicker if preplanned and premade (i.e. Egg salad lasts for about a week in the fridge, boil up 8 eggs instead of 2 and make a whole bunch at once) than micro meals. And they are way healthier choices and much more flexible to your needs and wants.
That's just my perspective on the fact that we are trying to make our bodies healthier, not just weigh less.

That WW stuff is way too freaking expensive. I cook my own meals and freeze them in meal portions.

I hate those meals because it's never enough food for me and I think the points are so high! If I am eating 7 points, I better be full and not need another meal along side it. For how small those meals are, they should be 2-3 points.

I can do better cooking for myself.

i eat the WW Smartone meals and i like them alot.. i basically only buy the pasta ones and i think they taste great... while the lean cusines look really yummy they are more expensive than WWmeals. I have also purchased the WW creamcheese which i love!

I use them occasionally,usually for lunch when I'm hungry and no time to fix something else. I use LC as well. I stay away from all the meals that have pasta/potatoes/and stick w/the ones that have just the veggies and meat..

I buy some weight watchers meals to have in for when I have been to busy to cook.

They do the temptations meals that are a little more expensive, steak in peppercorn sauce with potatoe, chicken breast in a spicy tom sauce with potato wedges etc, theyre lovely.

I will be having a look at their range but I think calorie counting and getting off my backside is more productive for me than joining a club. xx

I agree with FatGirlTale - make your own! I do have a few of those frozen meals in my freezer but I like to know what is in my food and have control over flavors, sodium, etc. So this past week I made up my own spaghetti and meatballs and froze them in individual portions. I pop them in the microwave just the same and I get more, get the ease of a frozen meal, get flavors I like better, and spend WAY less money. Even when those meals are on sale they are still expensive. Shoot, if you leave the meat of of it you could make like 7 frozen spaghetti meals for about $3 (for all of them - $1 for the pasta, $2 for a jar of sauce!) rather than spend anywhere from $2-4 per meal at the store. I think the key is to have fun with it and find things that you really enjoy eating so you can better stick to the plan.

I like the Lean Cuisine pizzas...BUT only once in a while when I'm in a hurry! Any pre-packaged meal (even the canned soups) are loaded with sodium! I couldn't understand why I was retaining so much water all the time because I don't use salt on my food. At my WW meeting our leader told us NOT to eat those everyday, just once in a blue moon.

Good luck!

Betty said it - sodium. I used to eat them and then fell in-love with Lean Cuisines, as they were less in calories and just delicious, BUT the sodium got me. I also was disappointed thinking I was doing something healthy because they advertise so much about No Preservatives, however that doesn't mean no chemicals or hormones within the foods. The veggies and fruits are not organic - meaning sprayed with pesticides and the meats and chicken are not organic or green - meaning the animals are injected with hormones and antibiotics. I gave them up after that. I do eat Amy's organics when I have frozen meal, but again - sodium!

I don't eat them much this time around but the last time I joined WW I ate them quite a bit. I lost 40 lbs that time before I went off program. These days I try to eat more fresh foods though.

Hate to say it, but canned soups, frozen dinners and single serve popcorn are my lifesavers. I work long shifts, barely get time to get home and sleep before it's time to go back. I don't want to spend my remaining time cooking - I'd rather do see my DH, family and pets. It's frozen dinners or fast food - I think they are the lesser evil.

I've looked at the sodium content in some of these meals and didn't think it seemed like a whole lot. What is considered an acceptable daily intake of sodium?

Now canned soups I have noticed have a very high sodium content so I tend to avoid those.

To save money, I used to help my roommate make preportioned freezer meals for the whole week on Sundays. She used airtight, microwavable containers and could choose her own dishes with no preservatives. It usually only took about an hour to make a whole week's worth.

Where I work, low sodium diets are generally 4Gm or 2GM (4000mg or 2000mg) per day. I don't know what a regular level would be. I don't salt foods very often, and I don't have a health problem that is affected by sodium, so I don't worry much about it.

Those meals are not healthy if that is the bulk of your meals - too much sodium, carbs and not enough protein. I keep a few LC on hand for emergencies, but I mainly make extra for dinner and freeze my own meals.

I prefer to do a lot of my own cooking, but the frozen meals (Usually smart ones or healthy choice) are nice to have on hand, so I usually keep a few in my freezer. Twice a week I work late and don't get home until around 8pm, so it's way easy to just pop one of the meals in the microwave when I get home. I'm also a vegetarian and like the English Muffin/Egg/Cheese SmartOne breakfast sandwiches. I love egg sandwiches, but these, I know, are much better for me than the ones I had growing up. I have them on the weekends as a special "breakfast treat," as silly as that sounds.

I usually have a few in my freezer for emergency. My favorites are the meat lasagna and the quesadillas. I also like Amy's frozen foods (usually in the health food section). They are delicious, but a little more expensive.

Overall I think I can cook healthier and yummier food myself with fresh ingredient, and do that as a rule. Plus, cooking allows me to see "oh, this is what a real portion size is" so I feel like I'm learning more than just having it doled out for me in a pre-made meal.

Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with it. I use them everyday for lunch - and sometimes for dinner too if I don't have time. Everyone always complains about the sodium ... but what about the sodium in fast foods??? I've actually noticed that many of the Healthy Choices and Lean Cuisines aren't that bad in sodium content. Also, not every one has issues with salt.

I say anything that will make it easier on a person to stay on track is a good thing. Make sure you take a vitamin and try to get in some extra vegs & fruits.

I've looked at the sodium content in some of these meals and didn't think it seemed like a whole lot. What is considered an acceptable daily intake of sodium?

Now canned soups I have noticed have a very high sodium content so I tend to avoid those.


I'm not sure the amount per day you should have, but My Step Mom who has high blood pressure, was told by her doctor to only eat foods with 5% or less of Sodium in them. If you look at the Nutrition label it will give you a Sodium percentage.

I agree that these frozen meals are loaded with salt and I also feel like once in a while its ok but most of your meals should be cooked. This way you learn how to cook healthier meals instead of relying on someone else to do it for you.

When I first started WW and was learning how to eat differently I used them a lot. Now that I am better at it and more willing to try new things I don't use them much at all. One time I did eat nothing but WW/LC/HC meals for a week to see if I thought I would like Nutrisystem and I felt terrible that whole week. I had headaches, muscle spasms, and an ongoing tummy ache. Everything in moderation is usually the best policy.

Mix-n-match things to have on hand at all times for quick meals:

proteins: frozen chicken breast, tuna packets, cottage cheese, hardboiled eggs, organic turkey bacon, canned salmon, microwaveable fish fillets

veggies: any (HUGE variety) fresh, frozen, canned. so easy: raw, steamed, or just nuked

fats: drizzle evoo on top of veggies, eat yolks, mayo with your tuna

carbs: a piece of fruit, a sweet potato, peas, pre make some brown rice once a week, corn

Make ahead recipes to portion out, freeze, and reheat as needed:
chili
mini quiche
meatballs
veggie soup

Mix-n-match things to have on hand at all times for quick meals:

proteins: frozen chicken breast, tuna packets, cottage cheese, hardboiled eggs, organic turkey bacon, canned salmon, microwaveable fish fillets

veggies: any (HUGE variety) fresh, frozen, canned. so easy: raw, steamed, or just nuked

fats: drizzle evoo on top of veggies, eat yolks, mayo with your tuna

carbs: a piece of fruit, a sweet potato, peas, pre make some brown rice once a week, corn

Make ahead recipes to portion out, freeze, and reheat as needed:
chili
mini quiche
meatballs
veggie soup
chicken broccoli cheese casserole

When I was on WW a few years ago, I really relied on the WW and LC frozen meals for lunch. I would steam some extra veggies to add to them to make them a little bit more substantial.

I am just starting the WW at home now and will likely rely on these again for lunches for the first little while while I get going. Also, the new Healthy Gourmet Steamers are fantastic! My favourite is the Beef Merlot. Delicious and low points.

Once I get going on WW, I will try to limit the frozen lunches to maybe three a week...And I always try to have a full glass of water or two with lunch!

I use them as well but not entirely or in bulk. Normally I use 1-2 a week for lunch depending on if there are any leftovers from supper left from the night before.

I like some of the Smartones, some of the LC and some of the Lean Gourmet by Michelina's really depends on what it is.

Typically I try to cook things I can double. That way I can freeze my own meals and I don't have to rely on frozen meals. It's a heck of a lot cheaper to use left overs.

I don't really care for too many of the ww,lc or HD meals I actually fell in love with the stouffers stuffed green peppers (4 pt for reg size or 6 pt for the large portion) and a few others of stauffers are 5-6 pts just def be aware of serving sizes and the green giant steamer bags with the broccoli cheese

I love the Smartones meals. I know they are high in sodium, but I drink tons of water during the day. I normally have a Smartones for lunch at work (because I always need something hot for lunch- it's MN!) but I cook my own dinners and breakfasts, with lots of vegetables and protein, and I eat very few carbs outside of the frozen meals and english muffin for breakfast everyday.

I lost 25 pounds last year doing this- but got stuck at a plateau! I only gained two pounds, but now I am back in it again. Anyway, even when I wasn't doing WW, I still bought the Smartones Lasagna Florentine- because YUM! And the WW cream cheese- cannot live without!