[Gryffgirl]

I've been looking through the archives but I probably missed this question if it has been asked.

Has anyone had any success with the frozen Phase I foods; dinner, lunch, breakfast, etc? It's so damn hard for me to stay OP when I'm working so late in the evening or I need to run out in the mornings. I know it's mostly just me being a whiner but the frozen stuff would make it a ton easier. I hear the sodium count is high but that's with all frozen deals, I suppose. And I don't have issues with high sodium levels. Any suggestions or experiences with the frozen SB meals?

[Sheba's Mom]

Gryffgirl I'm assuming that you are talking about the frozen dinners that are labled Southbeach. I have tried several of them and some of them are OK but they really have that frozen dinner taste. And the sodium count is really, really high on most of them.

I have discovered that if I eat very many of them in one week I don't loose anything and I usually gain 2-3 pounds. I'm thinking it is the salt content that causes the weight gain. As well as some of the bad ingredients.

Also if you read the ingredients on the packages there are a lot of things in them that really aren't good for you or aren't on the SBD food list. The one that comes to mind is a beef and broccoli meal that has high fat cheese on the broccoli and the beef sauce has sugar in it. I didn't read the ingredients when I bought it and had horrible cravings after I had it for lunch one day.

I still keep a couple of them in the freezer at work just for emergencies but I try not to eat them unless I absolutely have to. I look at them this way, they are better than going completely without lunch.

[Gryffgirl]

Yeah, the SouthBeach meals, made for the SB diet.


Well, that sucks that they use sugar and stuff that is not supposed to be allowed. Why mark them SB then?! I guess for the money, lol. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

[sarahyu]

When I did phase 1 a while back, I did all my cooking on Saturday and froze my meals in the ziplock boxes. It made it very convienent to warm up in the microwave each day.

Many of the recipes from the book will freeze well, soups are great also.

Sarah

[Sheba's Mom]

I agree that it sucks! Unfortunately I have found that with a lot of the foods labeled SBD that they really aren't that good for you. I bought some of them and then read the labels. I now read the labels on anything new they come out with. Most of the time you can find something healthier than what they are coming out with. And cheaper.

For a couple of quick meals I have found that Gordon's has several frozen seasoned/flavored fish packages that are really good tasting and are SBD friendly. Also I don't know if you have one in your area but Albertson's Essiencia brand frozen seasoned/flavored chicken breasts make a good quick lunch. Just need to read the labels as they aren't all SBD friendly.

I can't remember if either of these are microwaveable or not but what I do is cook the whole package and then take them to work and put them in the freezer precooked so all I have to do is heat them up.

Another thing I do to speed things up for lunch is I usually buy the small veggie tray and leave it at work to have raw veggies with whatever protein I am having for lunch. I usually take everything out of the tray and put it in zip bags to help save room in the frig and to keep my co workers out of it.

One other thing I do (phase 2) is buy a bag of bagels and leave it in my desk at work. That way I have everything I need at work for lunch incase I am running late at home in the morning and don't have time to fix a lunch to take each day.

Hope this gives you some ideas to try. Good Luck!!