General Diet Plans and Questions - Medifast and Lean Cuisine (or Frozen meals)

Hi guys

I am new here. A few years ago I used Medifast to go from 255 lbs to 185lbs by holding back on everything and cooking at home. I did this for a period of 4 months during Summer while I was waiting to begin college in the Fall.

Today, I am 10-15lbs heavier (195-200) to be and I have tried to go back to MF but somehow I fall short on the Lean+Green part of the plan (and after 3 weeks of dieting I would just give up). I simply do not have the time to cook and fast food/drive thru options are very limited.

I am a college student and work 30 hrs a week too, so I need something convenient that will help me lose weight. Ideally I would like to reach 155 lbs.

Are there any suggestions on how to approach my goals? Maybe there is something better than Medifast? Full disclosure, On the weekends my friends usually ask me to go out for a drink or two. Which may be the reason why I am heavier than before (alcohol intake).

Thanks

i don't think making lean cousine type of meals would work that well. it can work sometimes, if you add extra veggies in. the meal on it's own isn't filling enough in my opinion.

instead see what you could make with the time you have. i'm home all the time, but i've found staying out of the kitchen key, as much as i can. then i'm not snacking while i'm in there.
ideas:
crockpot
make a few dishes on the weekend, or 1 weekend a month. freeze/fridge portioned out and ready.
make things that literally take 5-10 min.
quick burrito with canned beans. whatever toppings you like.

lower fat version of tuna/chicken salad. i use basil and light miracle whip, instead of mayo.

veggie burgers

eggs. omelets can be great even for dinner. lots of veggies thrown in. some people make a quiche, then eat from that all week. really easy egg dish. you bake in the oven, then just slice off pieces for breakfast all week.

couscous(coos coos) it's a kind of noodle that takes almost no time to cook.

rachel ray has a million tips of how to make good food fast. i often use her ideas as inspiration for flavors or dishes, but many of her dishes can be made in less than 30 mins.

I lost my first 50 pounds with lean cuisines for lunch and dinner.

I like the Lean Cuisine meals. I have at different points in my weight loss journey lost a lot of weight having them for lunch with a salad. I do not generally have them for dinner because I cook for the family. I will say however, they have a TON of sodium usually. So, I always always always up my water intake. I have also had success with Slim Fast shakes in the morning. I think that is because I am not usually hungry in the AM, so a shake is perfect until my tummy wakes up for a snack around 10.

I am doing things differently now because I am older and have some health issues that do not enable me to have the shakes and sugars. But yeah when I was in college both were lifesavers!