Regaining Portion Control with pre-packaged foods
 

Hi all - after years of struggle to keep off the 120 lbs I lost since 2009, I have watched the scale creep up until I've re-gained 50 lbs. This has been kind of terrifying, and I've been frustrated because I couldn't figure out why - I was still trying to follow my very low carb diet, but it just wasn't working anymore. My doc says my thyroid tests normal, but I am having hormonal fluctuations that look like perimenopause.

So, I've decided to nip it in the bud by regaining control over portion sizes, which low carbing never focused on.

Now, before someone says, "OMG, but frozen dinners are so high in sodium, and you should home cook everything and pre-package it", that just doesn't work for me. I'm a food addict - I WILL find a way to make portion sizes bigger if I'm pre-packaging my own meals. And, I've never had issues with sodium or high blood pressure. Frankly, I'm impressed with the higher quality of frozen meals out there for cheap prices. I counted my sodium yesterday - it was well within normal limits.

Anyway, I'd love to hear from others who are doing this - I'm not doing the "Simple Diet", as I'm not eating bars and I'm rarely having a shake. I'm sticking with frozen entrees that are higher in protein, as well as progresso light soups (love soup in winter), and having snacks of fruits and fresh veggies. I just started (after the holiday overbloating) yesterday. Stepped on the scale today and dropped 4 lbs. Now, I realize that's probably water weight, but I'll take it anyway. :carrot:

Anyone else who would like to (or is) doing this?

Cheap prices = cheap food = poor nutrition. Most frozen meals don't have enough protein and vegetables and should be supplemented. Unless you plan to live on these the rest of your life, you need a scale and measuring cups and spoons and nutritious foods.

I agree with Susan - I'm all about finding what works for you, but that isn't going to do anything but forestall the issue. Working with whole foods and volumetric principles is wiser (and if you're like me, nothing works but low carb - I overeat on any other normal diet), and getting used to finding a system daily to limit portions.

What about doing your own system, with once a week cooking and portioning out your main course into containers in the fridge? Then add in one serving (cup) of vegetables and one of nuts/dairy and having that be your portion controlled meal? Surely you could come up with a rotation that way that controlled your overall intake a bit, but with better quality food?

Trust me, ladies, I know this is a stop gap measure to regain portion control. I'm a foodie and a great cook. I am not forestalling anything. I'm feeling a bit frustrated right now, because it feels like my opening post was not read, but skimmed. I do not WANT to once a week cook and portion into containers right now - I know me - I will find a way to add too much to each portion, or I will get so bogged down in the pressure of doing that, I'll give up too soon.

Susan - in my post, I stated I was supplementing with fresh veggies, fruit, etc. And choosing those dinners that have good protein - frozen meals have come a long way since Banquet was the only brand. I get bogged down in the measuring and minutiae and trying to be "perfect" in my nutritional choices, so that does not work for me.

Arctic Mama - in my post, I stated that low carb wasn't working for me anymore. I also addressed why a "once a week cooking system" would not work for me, and yet that is your advice. I lost 120 lbs low carbing, but middle age has struck and it's just not working anymore.

I've researched nutrition and weight loss all my life, and one thing I have discovered is that every single one of us is different. There is no one-size-fits-all plan. Just as no one drug works for everyone, as we are all chemically and genetically different, neither does one nutritional plan work the same for everyone.

As you can see by my stats, I've lost a lot as a result. I hesitated to respond because I feel like, rather than being listened to, I'm being lectured as to why my choice to do this is wrong, rather than supported in my decision to get control of portion sizes again. I specifically asked in my opening post for folks NOT to throw the lectures at me. **sigh**

Ohhh yes. I've had to resort to methods in order to control my portions and love of eating a TON - not even an emotional eating, I just grew up not allowed to leave the table till I ate past full so its a habitual thing. What are leftovers? I know not of this concept! hahaha doggie bags from restaurants are eaten that very evening.

My method is to "buy what I need for the day" Sure its easier to buy a lot 1x a week, and then portion it out, but I will def overeat. I also live in NYC and I hate granny carts, so this works out for me anyways.

Frozen meals for me (that are within the caloric goals) don't fill me up for some reason? However, it sounds like its working for you and the nutrition labels make it pretty easy to see the nutrition facts - yay!
Maybe since you are also eating fresh fruit + veg, you can throw in some veg as you are heating up the frozen meals? I used to do that and the pre-made sauces+seasonings made it an easy way to season up those veggies.

No, I read your post. But I truly believe that the way you're going isn't going to help, and may cause many more issues relating to true hunger. Those meals are not highly nourishing or nutrient dense for the calories, and that may get you into more trouble than it solves.

If you know yourself and this is the only method you'll use, you don't need confirmation from us. There are no great alternatives that don't involve managing portions by the listed means, that aren't quite a shift. You could always play around with higher fat, lower protein, lower carb (Nutritional Ketosis a la Phinney and Volek), and that may help with overall appetite and weight control, but the portion issue has no easy solutions besides pre-planning, food logging with measuring, or working off a volumetrics/exchange plan. There's no magical unicorns to solve the issues and trust me, I'm looking :lol: I have much the same issue in maintaining my losses as well, and my weight is low enough and reduced enough that it takes a lot more strictness than it did a few years and pounds ago. There's nothing for it but daily disciplines and making sure I'm not having dietary triggers, unfortunately.

It's not that I don't hear you, it's that I can't give you the answer you're seeking. And if you're struggling to maintain on very low carb, a plan reduced in calories and the same or higher in carbs is likely only going to exacerbate your issues :(

I hope someone else can give you something I haven't though of - I wish your the very best success but Nutrisystem is probably not going to yield that. It might, I could be wrong, and that would be GREAT! But I have not seen others do this with much success, especially longer term. My apologies my support didn't come across as more supportive - sometimes the kindest approach one can take is the truth, not platitudes we want to hear, and that was primary and gentle intent.

LOL - yeah, I think I was raised in the same family. Take what you want, but eat everything you take. Of course, when you're a kid and you're hungry, eyes are bigger than stomachs...so you end up taking too much, then having to stuff yourself to finish. It's a lifestyle. ;)

Frozen meals by themselves don't fill me up, but with the newer steamer bowls that several brands have started producing, I tend to add at least a cup more of veggies. Last night, for example, for dinner, I had a Lean Cuisine Kung Pao chicken steamer bowl, but added an extra cup of broccoli - it was filling and had enough sauce to coat the whole dish, including the extra veggies. When I felt munchy later, for a snack I had a few sprigs of asparagus seasoned with lemon pepper, and a really perfectly ripe pear.

I'm finding that doing this - adding the extra veggies to the meal - sometimes adding a little extra protein, is helping with the feeling of fullness.

I shop for just a couple of days at a time as well. I have a small refrigerator, so not a lot of freezer space. And, we live within walking distance of two really good grocery stores.

puhlease1 - Congrats on getting back on track with your weght loss and congrats on your success in the past. After months of being off the wagon, I was finally able to get back on track and I'm on my 10th day now.

I have been using frozen dinners to help me get back on track. Adding extra veggies or a side salad is a great idea. I have also prepared some of my meals but the frozen dinners work for me too. My favorites are the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers as I've found that they are lower in sodium than some of the other ones.

I wish you much success and I hope your new plan works for you.

Congrats to you as well with getting back on track. On your 10th day? Meaning, you were getting back on track over the holidays - you're a rock star! ;)

The Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers are one of my favorites as well. They're what I have in the freezer currently, along with veggies to add for healthy bulk.

I'm going to stray tonight from frozen dinners, mainly because I have some fresh veggies I need to use before they go bad, but I'm going to keep it in the calorie count of a frozen dinner. I'll make a shrimp stir fry to use up the veggies (cabbage, green onions, broccoli/carrot slaw). I've actually got bowls that are the same size as the cafe steamer bowls, so I can control portion size.

At any rate, I've only been doing this for two days, but I feel so much better already - there is so much more variety in this than there was in the low carb eating, which was no longer working for me. Just to be able to eat a piece of fruit once in awhile is amazing. :) And, 4 lbs dropped in two days doesn't hurt, though I am aware that it's likely not going to be that much every two days. ;)

You know yourself better than we do so I say if it works then do it. I won't lecture you but twice you said that if you cooked once a week that you would find a way to portion out more than a proper portion. So I wanted to address that. Similar to the trick of never going to the grocery store on an empty stomach, I'd say never do portion control on an empty stomach either. So if you do by chance decide to make a stew and portion it out, do so only after you've eaten and are no longer hungry. That way you won't be tempted.

Look, we all have to find what works for us. I'm constantly advising people to shop for groceries every day rather than waiting for once a week. Shopping for what I need on a daily basis accomplishes many things. 1) it gets me walking every day like it or not 2) it keeps me from buying things I don't need 3) it keeps my refrigerator clean and my pantries manageable 4) it ensures that I buy very fresh produce and eat it every day. I read this tip once in the book "French Women Don't Get Fat" and it really stuck with me. However, I can think of a multitude of reasons why this tactic cannot work for someone else. I live in NYC for example so I live within walking distance to all sorts of markets, whereas someone living in a suburb outside of a small town might live miles away form a store, therefore this wouldn't work. I also work from home, so someone who works until 7pm everyday might not want to go to the grocery store every day. Anyway, the point is that what works for me doesn't work for someone else. Personally, the thought of frozen dinners is quite repulsive to me, so that's how I know that it wouldn't work for me :)

In an ideal world, I would shop daily for the best, local foods. And in the Spring, Summer, and Fall I usually do.

However, there are also times I rely on frozen meals (usually about half commercial and half my own homemade meals).

It can be hard to find tasty, healthy frozen dinners, but there are a few. Most are much more expensive, less healthy and much less tasty than a similar meal from scratch, but they definitely can be useful in re-adjusting one's perception of appropriate portion size.

I really like the skillet meal frozen meals such as Birds Eye Inspirations Meal Starters (veggies, sauce and rice, to which you add your own cooked chicken or other protein).

These are listed as having 2.5 servings at 180-210 calories per serving (not including the protein).

The pkg recommendation is to simmer the veggies and sauce and to then add 1/2 lb boneless chicken that has been cooked and set aside.

Instead, I usually just simmer my chosen protein in with the veggies and sauce.

It's perfectly portioned for hubby and I (1 serving for me, and 1.5 for him, or 2 servings for me to split between two meals).

Wannabe - That's a great tip on not portioning out on an empty stomach! I hadn't even thought of that as an issue but it definitely could be (I have problems making my meal selections when I'm overly hungry, I tend to grab more than I need :o ).

I agree (and loved the French Women Don't Get Fat book). When I lived in a very rural area, it didn't make sense to get groceries every day, as the grocery store was 15 minutes away. Now, though, I live in a semi-urban community and have two large stores in walking distance. It gets me exercise to walk and get things daily, as well as keeping things fresh.

Most frozen dinners aren't thrilling - though the cafe steamers have actually turned ot to have good flavor and lower sodium than others. It's a temporary thing, to get me used to eating normal portion sizes again after years of eating very low carb but as much as I wanted of those things. I'm working on finding my "real" hunger again, rather than allowing my addiction to food to take over my life. And, quite honestly, I'm a really good cook - so getting more bland/frozen dinners is also helping me not to overeat and slow down to monitor fullness.

I've also curtailed my watching of gourmet food shows as well - because I tend to want to make what they're making. I'll confine the rich foods to dinner parties and planning the amuse bouche menu for my wedding. ;)

I hadn't even thought to look at the Birdseye steamers. I'll put that on my list to check out. Great tip :)

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.

Personal trainer food is a frozen food you may want to look into. Pre-portioned vacuum packed meats and veggies that are shipped to you frozen and get steamed in the bag they come in or reheated in oven.

Absolutely do what works for you!

I don't really have any advice to offer, but I wanted to chime in and mention that I relied on frozen meals a few years back to help out with my portion control for my lunches, and I lost about 30 pounds that summer. :)

I hadn't really touched them in ages, but I actually bought a set of 6 at Sam's Club on a whim just a few days ago. I had a baby this month, and since his arrival was earlier than planned I didn't get the chance to prep and freeze all the meals I'd wanted to ahead of time. Knowing the hubby would soon be going back to work and that I'd be spending days taking care of a newborn by myself, I figured they'd come in as a handy back-up plan for lunches for days when I don't have time to cook or am just simply too tired. It beats ordering take-out or stocking up on other convenience food! ;)

To me, it's a sensible way to help myself get back on plan now that I can concentrate on losing weight again. And if it's something that works for you as well, go for it. Congrats on your weight loss and especially getting yourself back on track! :) I had a regain myself back in 2010 before I started losing again, and I had to pause most of this year for my pregnancy. I totally get wanting to find a way to get back into the groove of things; I personally have to work pretty hard to get my portions back under control again since I got used to eating quite a bit more, especially in the third trimester. :dizzy:

Kaplods - I can identify with your hubby - hence the reason I've curtailed my cooking ;)

I've looked at it - a bit too over my price range, and I dunno why, but vacuum sealed stuff (similar to Nutrisystem) smells chemically to me. :)

Elladorine - congratulations on the new baby! Yes, I also think it is a sensible way to get back on track and portion controlled.

Yeah, I say do it if it works for you.

Screw sodium if your BP is OK. It only leads to temporary weight gain (water).

I eat a lot of canned fish. Economical (mostly, anyway, my Millers Jumbo Lump Crab in cans was $150/dozen from frickin' Walmart!). Very healthy. Shelf-stable. Cooked. And perfectly portioned. And, yes, I will eat it for the rest of my life.

There are super-healthy canned varieties out there. So there must be super-healthy frozen ones too.

I like the idea of adding steamed veggies to supplement. I also add eggs (boiled, poached, scrambled).

Eggs are my "super food" - only 70 to 80 calories apiece, and packed with protein. They are my go-to food when I need tasty protein. Incidentally, lump crab is really great inside an omelette.

And yes, there are actually really good frozen varieties out there. Many are flash-frozen, which is better for nutrients as well as flavor. And, adding extra steamed veggies to them makes them even better.

Whatever works for you. That's how I look at it.

Today is day three of my "back on track with portion control" plan. Yesterday, my menu looked like this:

Breakfast (I'm notorious for not being hungry at all) - coffee, half&half, stevia - and a pear

Lunch: Progresso New England Clam Chowder soup with green beans added for extra veggie.

Snack: 1 cup celery and two cups Ginger Miso broth from Trader Joe's (15 calories a cup, can't beat that)

Dinner: 2 servings of my own shrimp/cabbage/broccoli slaw/green onion stir fry.

Snack: Naughtiness - three snickers bite-sized candies

2 glasses red wine

I went slightly over my caloric limit for the day - today, apparently, my body is cleaning itself out. TMI, maybe, but after years of struggling with constipation on low carb, I'll take it. lol

Tonight, for New Years' Eve dinner, we're meeting friends for sushi. I'm off to investigate approximate caloric intake of sushi rolls. :)

What on earth is your daily caloric goal? That all must be under 1000 calories.

coffee - 50
pear - 100
soup - 250
beans - 25
celery - 10
broth - 30
shrimp & veggies - 250
wine - 250
snickers - 150

pulease1, I love, love Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers! I wish they would expand that product line even more. I eat one frozen meal pretty much every day as part of my diet. I also eat a few cans of Light Progresso soups every week. I absolutely use eating frozen dinners for portion control and portion education. This is the first diet I've ever attempted and to say I was ignorant about how many calories were in foods is an understatement ><. I still find it very difficult to estimate the calories in things I cook myself, so prepackaged stuff helps me with the math. That said, one of my New Year's resolutions is to begin to learn to cook better and more interesting/tasty foods. I am envious of the delicious and healthy meals i read about on here that some ladies and gents prepare. To a rather crappy cook like me, it seems like some sort of wizardry, lol. However this new lifestyle of mine is a marathon, not a sprint, and I'm not there yet when it comes to, you know, getting fresh ingredients cooking portioning and freezing, lol, but, someday! Until then I'm not going to beat myself up over it if you know what I mean. Good luck with your diet :)

Kaplods, thanks for the tip on the Birdseye Meal Starters. I'm going to check that out on my weekly shopping trip on Friday. If they're on sale or I have a coupon, I also buy the little frozen cartons of Green Giant steamers I think they are called... Veggies with some beans or potatoes.

Ian, I eat several envelope things of salmon each week, usually over salad. I'm not really into eating a lot of meat, but I do like fish and seafood! I usually get hungry reading your posts. I have no idea why, but I had completely forgotten about crabmeat. I need to branch out.

Last night I was reading the labels on the Kung Pao and Fried rice Birdseye mealstarters and I found that the serving sizes listed were a little off. The fried rice dish listed 2 servings, but when I did the math it came to 2.53 servings. The kung pao claimed 2.5 servings but came out to 2.89.

This amounted to approximately an extra 100 calories per bag.

This is pretty typical for prepackaged items that have more than one seving, especially those that list the serving information as "about ____", but even when there is no "about" or "approximatly" in the serving info, the math can be off.

I'm ok with imprecise calorie counts, but it still annoys me when I find it.

And another thing the package doesn't make clear (unless I missed the info on the bag) is that the calorie count does not include the meat.



On another note, I did have to laugh at a friend's recent comment that frozen dinners did not teach anything about portion size or how to cook and eat "real food," after I revealed that I had been relying on frozen dinners more often as my arthritis and fibro has sapped more of my energy and interest in cooking.

I laughed and reminded her that I had lost 100 lbs cooking mostly from scratch and I had been dieting and studying weight loss and nutrition for more than 40 years. I knew how to eat, cook, and portion control and that eating frozen dinners was not going to make me forget everything I already knew.

Right now, it's about 1200 calories. Shrimp and veggies included sesame oil, fish oil, and red chili paste, so there was added fat, and I ate two servings of it.

With my peculiar metabolic issues, actually keeping calories between 1000 and 1300 a day is optimal. :)

TooWicky - I wish they'd expand the steamers as well. They're really pretty yummy, and easy to add extra veggies like broccoli to as well, to increase fullness and just add more veggies. :)

I have the opposite problem - I'm a good cook and I like to cook, so I have to virtually stop myself from cooking for periods of time, because when I do, I experiment too much, and tend to make what otherwise would have been a healthy recipe much less healthy. ;)

Anyway, Thus far, I've dropped 5 lbs in a few days - I don't expect that trend to continue so quickly, but it is encouraging!

Ugh - that is annoying. That's pretty much why I'm sticking with single-serving pre-packaged foods for a bit - I don't want to do the math on multiple serving packages to make sure they're correct. ;)

I get tickled - and sometimes annoyed as well - when friends hear about what I'm doing and get all "teachy" about it, as if their way is far better and like they think I know nothing about diet and nutrition, having studied the science for upwards of 20 years.

I have on friend who is vegetarian and gluten free and is struggling with re-gain, another who is gluten free and has lost a lot, but spends half her life working out. And yet another who thinks that low carb is the only way to go (It was for me, too, for a few years, but just stopped working for me).
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Yesterday evening, I had a planned "cheat" and ate a McRib - I know, they're disgusting and horrid and mystery-meaty and terribly unhealthy. But I crave them and about once a year I have to remind myself how terrible they are. I did just get the sandwich - no fries, no drink, but that's still:
500 Calories (not as terrible as I'd expected, but still not great)
22g Protein (this is okay)
26g Fat
44g Carbs
980mg Sodium (EEP!)
I'm satisfied for another year, and won't need to be doing THAT anytime soon. ;)

Today, I'm back on my plan. I'm currently enjoying my coffee with half&half, and will be having a progresso soup for lunch - probably something that feels hearty - can't get enough soup this time of year. I'll make roasted chicken breasts with rosemary and thyme for dinner, and maybe roast some brussels sprouts to go with them.

Even on one serving packages you need to make sure the serving size weight listed on the nutrition labelis identical to the package weight listed on the front of the package. Discrepancies are less common, but they're not exactly rare, either.

I think the nutrition labels should give data for the entire package as well as for the serving size and per 100g (which is the practice in many countries and allows one to more easily compare one food with another). I also believe that the package weight should be evenly divisible by the number of servings, with no fractions of a serving unaccounted for.

Have you tried Amy's frozen meals? They are pricier for sure, but really delicious, esp if you like Indian food! I liked to combine them with other frozen veggies to bulk up the meal.

I second Amy's frozen meals. I eat alot of Amy's stuff, love it, it is a life saver for me since I intensely dislike cooking.

I have tried Amy's meals, and they are really delicious. Unfortunately, except when I can find coupons, they are a bit above my price range for everyday use. I especially like the Indian dishes. :)

Kaplods - agreed!

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I was feeling crappy yesterday (sinus headache and constant nasal drainage), and made a lot of excuses as to why I was over-eating the comfort foods (example - Hormel chili and saltines - lots of calories there). The scale showed it this morning. I made my coffee and headed out into the biting cold today to run a few errands and stopped by Trader Joe's. Much of their pre-packaged food is too high in calories for portion size. But they do have a really great frozen veggies/shrimp stir-fry bag that is only 175 calories for the whole bag (lots of broccoli, snap peas, and water chestnuts). For you low carbers, it's also an excellent choice. It made a delicious lunch.

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I'm not seeing the ticker I put in my signature from tickerfactory - just testing.

re:
 

While I understand that there are better nutritional choices than prepackaged foods, I am one of those that lost my weight almost exclusively on them. They did teach me portion sizes for those times when I eat something not already portioned out. I know too that some people's weight will not respond to the sodium/carbs in those meals.

I'm not a cook, and despite my efforts will likely never be. I hate cooking. Even something as easy as making spaghetti with jar sauce is not my thing.

Whatever works for you in your weight loss plan, do it.

I agree, Vex. I have the opposite problem - I'm a foodie and I love to cook - but I also love to eat what I've cooked, so I'm trying not to cook except for special occasions and just simple, low cal dinners. Otherwise, I'm sticking with single serving pre-packaged foods - they're still tasty, and I'm not tempted to eat my experiments if I'm not creating them. :D

Congrats on your weight loss! You give me inspiration :)

Well, after 1 week (Saturday to Saturday) and two "out of control eating" days, I maintained a loss of 4 lbs. I'm okay with that. Going to keep working on the portion control stuff, AND the snacking between meals stuff. I've noticed that when I eat a meal that doesn't have enough protein, I'm hungry quickly, so I'm adding that to my criteria - to make sure I'm getting enough protein.