I have been doing the same thing. I do simple points with Weight Watchers but eat all frozen foods - adding in lettuce and vegetables. I am horrible on portion control - I have NO control. This way of eating has worked for me. I have currently lost 40 lbs and the best part is my blood pressure if finally normal. I am elated. Good luck with your loss
John - I think, sometimes, if someone has found success with one particular way of eating, a bit of tunnel vision may happen, and they forget that every person is different chemically, and what works for one person may not work for everyone. I lost 120 lbs, and was mostly doing very high protein/low carb, as well as portion control. But, my body chemistry is changing in my mid-forties, and low carb just isn't working for me anymore.
But, the solution from someone who has had success with that? "Low carb isn't working for you? Then the other stuff won't - you should go low carb."
Sometimes, I think it's a lot like a "religious" belief - that of, "if your prayers aren't being answered, it must be your fault. Pray harder." I think people can get the same with diet. "If the diet that works so well for me isn't working for you, then you must be doing something wrong. Try harder."
It's amazing to me how few people (even medical professionals) don't understand that every person is different. That's why some anti-depressants work for some folks but not for others - because each person is chemically different. Nutritionists and medical professionals haven't yet caught up with that where diet is concerned. One person may do very well on a diet high in grains/carbs, while another one can't metabolize them at all and needs low carb, while another one seems to only do well with low calorie. As body chemistry changes, the things that work for us might also change.
The good thing is, most of us who have struggled with weight have learned so much we should BE nutritionists. But we also struggle with being shamed by fellow dieters who think their way is the only way that works, and we should all follow it, or we ourselves want to preach what is working for us. We need to learn to find what works for us - even if it isn't all that popular with purists (did you see that alliteration there? ), and just go about doing it.
As long as you have a plan for 3-5 years out from a prepackaged meal plan I think you may do very well.
John - everyone's body is different, but biochemically the majority of the morbidly obese or former obese population are demonstrating profound carbohydrate intolerance in comparison to the population mean. This isn't some crazy bias but demonstrable in clinical study. My base advice is given on that premise, and my own anecdotes, not out of religiosity.
To the OP, you are free to disagree with me on these points, but slandering me as "shaming fellow dieters" is quite inconsistent with my posting history both on this thread and site. Keep working hard and keep tweaking until you find your proper approach, but we all benefit from not existing in an echo chamber of agreement. That includes me, as well.
And on a partial aside - this particular entry is fascinating in terms of analyzing energy expenditure and calorie intake. It isn't clear cut for ANY diet camp, as the body isn't a machine: http://caloriesproper.com/?p=3373
I highly recommend all of Bill's work. Peter, at Hyperlipid, is also a great resource. Lastly, Dr. Feinman. The man is pure gold for thoughtful assessment of the data available. The following is another helpful tidbit: http://feinmantheother.com/category/thermodynamics/
Last edited by Arctic Mama; 01-09-2014 at 11:57 AM.
Reason: Adjusted for tone
I usually make my own (1 pkg frozen mixed veggies, 1/2 lb or less meat, beans, tvp, or meatballs, and a homemade or store-bought stir fry, pasta or simmering sauce).
I found the Birds Eye meal starters at Dollar Tree last week. I like them, because I can trust hubby to make these according to pkg directions if I'm not feeling well. Otherwise his cooking tends to be restaurant-style - delicious but highly caloric.
kaplods I really like this idea. How many servings does this make? What are some examples of sauces you use?
1 bag veggies + 1/4 lb meat = 1 very large meal - for when I'm really hungry or when I need to get in all my veggie servings at dinner because I didn't eat them earlier in the day.
Sauces I've used, include
Yoshida's Original Gourmet marinade and cooking sauce. Before I began making my own, this was my favorite terriyaki-style stir fry sauce. Delicious, but measure carefully and use sparingly, especially if you're watching sugar.
My own = soy sauce, vietnamese fish sauce, a thin drizzle of sweet soy (a carmelized soy sauce)or hoisin, some fresh or jarred garlic (sorry, no measurements on these, I just add to taste), and sometimes a tablespoon or two of no sugar added fruit spread (apricot from Aldi is my favorite). If I use the fruit spread, I omit the hoisin or sweet soy.
Spaghetti sauce (Aldi spaghetti sauces, because they're cheap and delicious). I usually use pepper and onions (sometimes sold as either fajita blend or pepper and onion stir fry blend) or an "italian blend" (peppers, onions, broad beans). If I have the time, or if I find a good price on bell peppers, I'll saute fresh onions and peppers and saute them in a nonstick pan with the meat before adding the pasta sauce.
I've been asked the "secret" to my spaghetti sauce many times - it's Aldi spaghetti sauce (mushroom or original), and half a packet of onion soup mix (Also from Aldi).
A can of diced tomatoes with green chilies makes a great sauce (with or without other seasonings).
Diced tomatoes come in several preseasoned flavors (for example Delmonte)
Fajita seasoning mix or ranch dressing powder make a nice dry seasoning mix. About half a packet.
Bottled salad dressing, such as italian or sesame ginger. Usually these need to be balanced with a bit of sweetener (sherry, sugar, splenda, fruit spread...)
A can of cream of anything soup. Cream of mushroom and a bit of sour cream makes a nice stroganoff flavor.
Soup or boillon cube plus 1/2 c water.
Progresso soups make a simmering sauce that is really good. I think it's called soup and recipe starter or something like that. They're really good, but any cream or tomato soup works just as well.
Sloppy joe sauce or barbecue sauce.
My favorite "sloppy joe" recipe 1 lb lean ground meat + 1 pkg coleslaw cut cabbage or several cups of finely shredded cabbage + sloppy joe sauce (It is hard to find low sugar sauces, so I don't make this too often. I'm experimenting to make my own, but haven't come up with one I really like, yet).
I recently decided to try this myself, but so far I haven't actually been eating as many frozen meals as I had intended. I think yesterday may have been the only day that I had one for lunch and then one for dinner. I have had one almost every day for lunch though. I only decided to start this last Friday and didn't really get started until Sunday due to a dinner party with my zumba buddies Friday night and making a big pot of homemade chicken and noodles Saturday. I too have portion control problems and when I have a big pot of anything yummy I don't have very good self control. Portion control is why I decided to try this. I have been seeing all the nutrisystem commercials and thought why can't I do this with meals from the grocery store. I still buy produce and fill in with steamed veggies as a low-cal, quick snack. Hummus and red cabbage is one of my new favorite snacks (thank you mrs. snark!). My official weigh in will be tomorrow, but as of this morning I was at 238.2 and that is way better than the 245 last Friday! I had put on so much over the holidays and in such a short amount of time! Anyway, I just ran across this thread and thought I'd post since I too had the same idea. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey!
Crispin - I'm doing it for the same reasons - to get my stomach used to proper portions again. Today, I have a slow cooker of mixed beans with cajun spices going, and will add a little andouille sausage to that later - however, I already have the small bowl I will use to control my portion size, rather than eating out of a trough.
Haha I hear you on the trough. That meal sounds delicious! I also love to cook and can lose my self-control when eating my prepared dishes. Ok, I feel like every time I post in here I say I'm your twin, but only b/c I can really relate. Good job on choosing your scoop contraption early on.
I wish my frozen food expedition got me into freezing my own foods, but most of the foods I like to cook don't freeze well. I should get some staple recipes that do.
I don't have a problem, short term, using the prepacked meals, to gain perspective, on portions.
Being a long term maintainer, I still have a few in the freezer for emergencies. I overslept, or whatever. They are not a staple anymore, but it is nice to have a go to, just in case!
However, it's a tool, to be taken for what it is, while we learn better long term habits.
I have found a variety of ways of losing weight over the years and at any point in time, whatever is working is the best (for me)! Sometimes I focus on eating very low calorie foods, but I tend to get into the habit of eating large volumes that way (say, half a winter melon or a huge bowl of salad). That's fine until for some reason I start eating some more nutrient dense foods.
Pre-packaged single servings (frozen or other, like canned soup) can be really useful to readjust serving size perception. I also find not having to make and measure my own food a blessing. Cooking and measuring out my own portions involves countless micro-decisions and the process drains my supply of willpower which has plenty of other demands on it.
FWIW, I'm a Garden Lites Souffle junkie (especially the zucchini; roasted veg is great too).
I'll just add that as a departure from my norm, I've recently been eating in a 2.5-hour window without a restriction on volume (aside: there are some restrictions and allowances which I've found work for me personally). My point for mentioning this is that I was concerned that it would become a huge pig-out and I was afraid I would end up getting to used to eating large volume meals. But the opposite happened. Since I wasn't eating most of the day, my stomach got used to being mostly empty, and I found myself satisfied with less volume than usual. Just throwing that out there as a data point.
), and just go about doing it.
