[GlamourGirl827]

I haven't been in this part of the forum in a while because my weight loss is on hold because of baby #3...basically I was almost at goal and now I've regained all of my pregnancy weight that I lost last time....Anyway...

I know after baby comes I will not have time to cook. BTDT with the other two. I don;t have any family that helps, so it'll be me baby, 3 y/o and 6y/o...


My plan is to stock up on frozen meals and live off them for a while. I would buy lean cuisine and also my grocery store has these breakfast sandwiches that are only 280 cals, its egg white and turkey sausage...Its not forever, just those for few weeks until the dust settles and I can get back to cooking.

Two quetions

Has anyone ever lived of frozen meals for a while for convience? I'm not a fan of that much processed food, but I figured that is a better choice to get right on tract rather than what I did after baby #2, which was not have time to cook and started opting for order out, and I ended up not evening addressing my weight until he was like 10 monhts old! I don't want to get stuck in that rut again.

Secound question, a lot of those meals are like 300 cals...well that's not really enough 300 cals X 3 meals...only 900 cals? Plus I will be BFing so I'll need more cals anyway. Do any of you suppliment those meals? Like have something else quick and easy with it? I was thinking a salad, but I'm looking for fast and easy, but 2 dinners is too much...any ideas?

[bethFromDayton]

Yes, supplement them--supplement with a frozen or fresh vegetable, with a salad, with veggies and hummus, or with fresh fruit.

Even now, I need more like 400 calories for lunch, so I bring one of the above with me to work each day so I get the fresh produce in.

There are also frozen family meals that can work out okay calorie-wise. For example, frozen Chinese meals, frozen pasta meals. We have rotisserie chicken with pre-bought mashed potatoes one day a week. (I then use the chicken for salads later in the week.)

If you have a Sam's Club nearby, (and I assume Costco would too), there are meals you can buy that you could probably serve your whole family. They are more expensive than cooking, but they're full meals and very easy.

Good luck--and happy baby!

[fitmama84]

I agree, you gotta supplement. I eat the Special K breakfast sandwich with a banana, make my own lunch, have a frozen dinner with a salad, and also three good snacks. I just had a baby too so I hear u. Maybe you could get some ingredients and maybe have your mom or some friends come over and cook casserole meals for you to freeze?

[littlelioness]

i eat 300 calorie meals and fill it out by grazing on convenient snacks. i can't weigh things when i'm at work, so i stick to things i can get an approximate count on - like how many almonds would be in an ounce, or how many animal crackers or graham crackers are in a serving. i think snacking was especially handy to me when i was breastfeeding because i felt like i could do it with one hand while otherwise occupied (now if only i'd paid attention to what i was snacking on!)

if i were you, i'd probably rely heavily on single-serve snacks like greek yogurts, cottage cheese singles, string cheese, individually wrapped carrots, fruits like apples, bananas, grapes, that kind of thing. you should consider that after those meals, you may want a treat - ice cream sandwiches or individual ice cream cups will save you time.

[GlamourGirl827]

bethfromDayton- veggies and hummus is a good idea. I think I've seem hummus in a single serving and I do love it with carrots or raw broccoli. The frozen is a good idea because I can stock up on them before the baby gets here and I don't have to make frequently grocery store trips to restock.


Fitmama84- Yes I might have to supplement breakfast too, because some of the prepackage ones are too low cal too. I wonder if the prepackaged foods are made with the thought that the person eating them is actually not watching their calories all day. Like if someone is taking in a significant amount of cals for their other meals, and they happen to only get 250 cals at breakfast or lunch, its ok if they are eating some huge dinner! But just those meals 3 x a day, too small. I don't have any family near by, and most of my friends where I am I don't want to impose on. When I had my second son I lived in a different town and I did have friends bring us a lot of (unhealthy) food lol, I am kind of glad that I don't have that because I want to get right into cal counting and it would be rude not to eat what people bring.

littlelioness- I BF my last son ,and I didn't think to use BFing time for a snack! Really a good idea. If I don't supplement meals because meal time is short anyway, I might snack throughout the day, inbetween meals, to meet my cals. I swear in the beginning I was BFng like every hour! So that would be a great time for those types of snacks. I'm going to have to plan ahead and have stuff in the house before baby gets here.

[shcirerf]

The frozen meals are ok, I keep a few in the freezer for emergencies, like oversleeping or out of pure laziness, but, like others said, you will need to supplement. Since the baby isn't here yet, time to come up with a whole game plan.

Fat free cottage cheese, greek yogurt, canned in it's own juice, fruit, tuna in water, light vanilla soy milk, toss in some fruit, add a little ice, blend! A serving of egg beaters with a slice of fat free cheese on one slice of whole grain bread, you can make it like 2 minutes.

Wal-Mart has some great pre cooked turkey sausage patties, 4.98 a bag, lots in the bag, microwave in a minute, egg beaters, toast! Breakfast in 2 minutes! Feed it to your other children!

Maybe ahead of time, roast a turkey breast, slice it up in individual portions and freeze. Warm up in a steam bag in the microwave.

Frozen veggies and steam bags can be your friend. 60 or so seconds to veggies.

My latest craze, Fage Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup, add 1 packet of ranch dressing seasoning, dip what ever fresh veg you want. The stuff is yummy!

Don't underestimate the simplicity of things like apples, oranges, bananas. Little prep involved, just peel and eat.

Individual string cheese, yogurt drinks. With a new baby, you might look into the Ensure drinks, or protein drinks. Although those do make me gassy, might not be good with nursing.

There are lots of options, you just need to take a bit of time, think about how to make good options work for you.

Congrats on your new addition!

[Vex]

I get that some people are against frozen meals. That's ok. I lived on them for a long time in the beginning and still use them pretty often. I think they helped me learn portion control.

It's about what fits your lifestyle, and what will work for you. I RARELY cook or do anything that resembles cooking. Never have and probably never will. Probably because I hate washing pots or bowls.

Anyhoo, I always found something that would supplement them with snacks to hit the 1200- 1500 I shoot for. Greek Yogurt, nutri bars, popcorn, really anything at all works.

[TripSwitch]

I like Amy's... and recently I just tried a few from LYFE Kitchen that were pretty good... And I always "jazz" them up with whatever I think we'll go with them flavor-wise... So things like fresh salsa or pico de gallo and maybe some sour cream and some shredded cheese and some sliced avocado or guacamole... And also just by adding a salad or some extra veggies and some fruit you can really round out the calories... and if you still needed some more calories use could use a dressing with more fat or some added cheese or some nuts or chopped hard-boiled egg to yours salads or some butter or olive oil on your extra veggies...

[GlamourGirl827]

Thank you everyone for the great ideas. Shcirerf, I am so happy to hear you say that its time to come up with a game plan now. I have started "planning" and hubby acts like I'm insane. My poor husband though is obese and does not understand planning for weightloss. (Which is why I come here!! )

I am going to stick with foods that I can stock up on before baby is born, this way I'm not looking at needing a trip to the grocery store right after getting home with the baby. I CANNOT count on hubby to do the shopping for me. The man can't buy anything not covered in cheese or that isn't junk food. Seriously, he's just like "I didn't see baby carrots, so I got potato chips"

Greek yogurt/cottage cheese I can get shortly before baby is here and at least have it in the beginning. I'll be on the look out for ones that expire like a month in the future! I also like the idea of fruit packed in its own juice, canned stuff I can stock up on now and it won't go bad. I think Green Giant sells individual microwave veggy servings. I actually keep some of the steam in a bag (family size) in the freezer now. Its great when I can't get to the store for fresh veggies for dinner, I just microwave one of those. I will definitely be compiling a list of foods that stay good longer, are single serving and perferable I can eat with one hand! lol I like the ensure idea too because it also increases my fluid intake.

I just remember with my last baby, I had very little time to cook for the first few weeks. Really it was because I was BFing so I was always the one to have to feed him. When I had my first I formula feed and hubby could feed him while I made dinner. I know I know, why can't hubby make dinner?? His position is he'll make dinner, but it'll be hotdogs and mac n cheese...like he doesn't want to eat healthy so he doens't think he should have to cook healthy. If I was healthy food I have to make it.

[Psychic]

If you're going to do just frozen meals, I suggest Healthy Choice brand (fairly cheap). 3 of those a day plus a few 100-200 calorie snacks, such as fruit, crackers, etc.

[banananutmuffin]

I'm 33 weeks pregnant with my third (I have a 2 year old and a soon-to-be 5 year old) so I know just where you're coming from. I, too, know that I'll have absolutely NO time to cook for a while (probably 2-3 months) after new baby comes.

May I offer an alternative suggestion, or at least one that maybe you can use in addition to your frozen dinner plan? Perhaps you can make your own homemade freezer meals now, portion them into individual servings, and then freeze. This would allow you to avoid a lot of the processed crap, as well as boost the calorie content a bit per serving (because yes, if you're BFing, you'll definitely need more calories per meal). I don't know what kind of plan you're on, but some homemade meals that freeze well (before cooking) include:

- Baked pasta dishes (ziti, lasagna, etc.)
- Egg casseroles
- Almost all soups and stews
- Rice
- Quiche
- Meatloaf, meatballs, meat patties, etc.

Just pop them in the freezer right raw/uncooked, then thaw and bake/cook when you want to eat. Easy if you freeze them in those disposable aluminum tins. The only "cooking" required is turning on the oven and throwing them in, which is simple. Soups/stews can be reheated from frozen in a pot on the stove.

In addition, if you buy divided plastic containers, you can portion out leftovers from the meals you eat right now, freeze them, and just microwave them when you want to eat them later.

And, as a previous poster suggested, keeping ready-to-eat foods on hand--pouches of tuna, cups of cottage cheese, string cheese, whole grain crackers, baby carrots, etc.--will help you when the urge to snack hits but you have no free time or free hands.

[banananutmuffin]

Oh, and as far as planning now to lose the baby weight, don't sweat it. I started planning on how I was going to lose it as soon as I saw the positive pregnancy test.

[kk2323]

Awh! Congrats on your new soon-to-be little one! But three? Girl, you're incredible. I really wish that could come cook for you.

Everyone here is very smart. My newest thing lately are those pre-made rotisserie chickens at the deli counter. We get one and use the meat all week. Also, I love frozen veggies. Our freezer is stocked with them! Uncle Ben's ready rice is my jam. I also rock the crock pot whenever I can and make HUGE batches of whatever it is, so I can freeze for later.

Good luck!