Lean Cuisine diet?

[bensgirl1222]

So...here is my current "diet" (if thats what you call it). I eat a NutriGrain bar for breakfast and maybe some coffee with fat-free creamer & Splenda. Maybe a few pretzels before lunch, or maybe nothing at all. Depends if I have time. A 150-300 calorie Lean Cuisine for lunch with a diet soda or lemonade (no calories) and maybe a few pretzels...maybe not. Then I may snack in between lunch & dinner. I may have a few M&M's or I may have a piece of fruit or pretzels. Or I may not snack at all. Then I have another Lean Cuisine for dinner (probably about 280-320 calories) with a diet soda or diet drink of some sort.

I was telling my stepmom about how I want to be healthier and maybe even lose a few pounds (not much...maybe 5). I certainly feel better now that I have been sticking to my diet (except I kind of blow it during the weekends) but my stepmom said its not good to "starve" my body. I don't really think I'm starving myself. I certainly feel full, or satisfied when I'm done eating. And like I said, I may snack in between. Like some Light popcorn or pretzels or a Healthy choice ice cream bar (80 calories). I started this diet bc I hate to feel stuffed. And I always overeat which makes me feel fat and bloated. I'm 5'1" tall and 114 pounds.

My question is...is my diet unhealthy?? Am I gaining anything (health-wise) by doing this diet? Should I add more fruits during the day? Veggies?

[KaliLily]

If I were you, I'd add fruits and veggies to your meals and snacks. And definitely have a snack between meals. It's best for your metabolism to eat something about every 3 hours.

[bensgirl1222]

Thanks Kim! With my job it's hard to eat during the day. I LOVE fruits & veggies so maybe I'll just start eating them as a snack.

[amorey]

How many calories are you eating each day? If you're eating less than 1200, then I would consider that starving yourself and you could be lowering your metabolism.

[bensgirl1222]

I honestly think I am right at 1200 but it could be less. I haven't really kept track. I will try to keep track and see exactly how many I'm getting. I will get some fruits & veggies to add to my diet.

[bensgirl1222]

I'd also like to say that No I dont think I'm fat. I just wanted to eat and be healthier. But maybe I am undereating. I do feel satisfied though...so idk.

[SweetRed]

What I'd be most concerned about is how many preservatives and/or how much salt is in those Lean Cuisines. I'm not knocking them, because I do have them myself from time to time, but to eat two a day every day might be much. I'd check the package contents before you continue; and remember that the Daily Allowable Values are when consuming a 2,000 calorie diet.

[Katy]

like SweetRed said, I'd be more concerned with the salt intake. Those babies tend to pack a LOT of sodium. So yeah, two of those a day, every day, is probably WAY more sodium than a person needs and that can't be good.

[jennylou]

Agreed with the others on the sodium content. In addition, it doesn't sound like you are getting 1200 calories per day. If you're eating even the highest calorie ones, then that's 620 calories. So, unless those few pretzels and the breakfast bar come in around 580 calories, then you are, in essence, starving yourself.

[kindermom]

Like a PP said, I would make sure that I ate something else with the lean cuisines. I like them for portion control and ease of use, a reason you gave. But lets be serios. A serving of veggies in most cases is at least 1/2 a cup, if not a full cup. You are not getting that from the frozen meals. Nor are you getting fruits. So can you add in extra fruits and veggies to the diet? As a snack have a banana or an apple? have some baby carrots? As it is right now as a another PP said, it does not sound like you are eating 1200 calories a day and I would be worried about you if I was a relative and saw you sustaining this diet. Especially if you are not overweight to begin.

[Asha]

i tallied it up and it you seem to averaging less than 1,000 calories a day!!! if you have only five pounds to lose that seems very extreme.

i believe that it is these deprivation diets that eventually lead to some people's problems with weight. yes, you can maintain it for awhile, but eventually everyone goes back to overeating bc their bodies are starved.
in addition to that, it will be difficult to maintain bc who really wants to eat lean cuisine meals for the rest of their lives? you have to make changes in your diet that you will be able to maintain forever. a diet isn't just to lose weight but it is also a way of life to maintain a healthy body.

in addition, lean cuisine meals are overly processed and have a lot of preservatives. if you have a trader joe's check that out. they have frozen meal bowls that are delicious with no preservatives. they also have a healthy amount of calories and fat too.

what was your diet like before you wanted to lose weight? look at that diet and see how you can change small things to lose your weight in a healthy way. for example, for the most part i now don't drink soda and drink green tea with honey instead of cofee with milk and sugar. i also eat fruit for a snack rather than a cookie.

also, what is your exercise regime? if you don't have a whole lot to lose you may just need to exercise more intensely or frequently to lose the weight.

[MLA]

It doesn't sound like you're eating enough, and if you're just trying to be healthier, 2 Lean Cuisines a day isn't the way to do it. Like PP's have said, the sodium content and preservatives in those meals is sky high.

If you want an easy way to count your calories, I suggest FitDay.com. You can track your caloric intake and output on that site, and it's free. It will really help you get your head around what you're eating each day.

[amorey]

I was browsing around and found this article: How Many Calories Can I Have and Still Lose Weight? (http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Many-Calories-Can-I-Have-And-Still-Lose-Weight?&id=6723) It reminded me of this thread. It has some good tips on losing weight while still feeling satisfied.

[tenofcups]

It's a little unclear from your post what the point of this "diet" is. Is it to lose weight? To eat more healthfully? To do both?

If you're trying to lose weight and it's a temporary measure, I think it's fine. I personally wouldn't worry about not having enough calories in that case. (Similar to the article posted by amorey, years ago when I dieted to lose weight, I multiplied 100 pounds, my ideal weight, by 15, then subtracted 500, which came to around 1000 calories a day as my ideal. It worked; I lost the weight and have not gained in back in more than 20 years.)

But if you're trying to eat well, but I don't think this is at all the way to go. As others have mentioned, Lean Cuisines are full of preservatives and all sorts of chemicals and processed ingredientse. It doesn't appear that you're eating anything natural in your diet all -- no "real" meats, fruits, vegetables, etc.

[PG-rated]

ITA with everyone else - that's not enough calories and too much sodium. Plus, if you're only snacking on pretzels or light popcorn, you're eating a lot of simple carbs and not enough fiber.

Try replacing your regular pretzels with whole wheat, and adding a side of fruit and vegetables to every meal. I would even ditch one of the Lean Cuisines in favor of a big salad with about 3 oz. of lean protein. And think about replacing the diet soda with tea, especially green tea. The Honest Tea line is very lightly sweetened with cane sugar or honey, so it's all-natural but very few calories.