lean cuisine/or others

[gucciangel]

im posting for a friend of mine who is always on the go..shes a very busy person and cannot eat as much as i do or do a high protein low carb diet...if she in fact eats one those lean cuisine meals for dinner..and protein bars for snacks will that be good enuff for any weight loss..she also does cardio 5x a week am for an hour and pm for an hour also does weights 4 x week thnx girls

 

[Pink Space Biscuit]

If I spent at least 14 hours a week in the gym, I would for sure get my diet in line.

She'd be better off, result wise, ditching the PM cardio and using that hour to worry about her diet. 10 cardio sessions a week is a bit extreme anyways.

If she has two hours on Sunday she can make her own non crappy versions of "lean cuisine" quick meals for all week long. Cook some chicken, cook some rice, throw portions into a container and voila.

 

[jessi78]

all that sodium in those damn meals, ugh. kinda like taking 2 handfuls of salt and washing it down with some ... salt.

jessi =)

 

[circusgirl]

I think spatts will have a thing or two to say about the advisability of processed crap like Lean Cuisine.

 

[FitFossil]

To spend as much time in the gym as she does, she's obviously dedicated, but unfortunately she's shooting herself in the foot with her diet. All the training in the world will NOT make up for a crappy diet. (Believe me I tried and tried!) By feeding her body nutritious REAL food, she'll get a lot more mileage from her training. She'll get better results in less time. Even if she were eating a good diet, her excessive gym time would still be detrimental. All the good changes that happen as a result of training take place when we're resting. If our body doesn't get enough rest, it'll be too tired to make any changes like muscle growth and fat loss.

Highly processed foods like Lean Cuisine are full of chemicals, and practically devoid of nutrients (other than a shit load of sodium). Protein bars are somewhat better, but they can be full of strange things too. I consider them to be "candy w/ protein", and they should be eaten sparingly. If she wants something quick and convenient, meal replacement shakes like Myoplex and others are much better.

One of my favorite things is oatmeal mixed with protein powder and a dab of natural peanut butter. I also do most of my cooking on the weekend (like chicken breasts, eye of round roast, etc.) and use these throughout the week, mixing with steamed vegetables, etc. I have a vast collection of plastic containers I use for meals on the go.

 

[makedah]

Fit Fossil,

If you cook chicken breasts on the weekend, don't they get dried out after a few days? I've never understood how people could cook one day a week - partly because I won't eat leftovers after the second day they've been in the fridge - but also because I can't see how certain foods could retain their moisture/texture after 2 days.

 

[JJFigure]

I grill my chicken/london broil on the weekend; wrap up 2-day portions in aluminum foil, toss one set in the fridge and the rest go in the freezer. I just pull them out of the freezer the night before I need them. No problems keeping that chicken/beef moist with this setup.

Gotta love that freezer action!

 

[JJFigure]

I've been a protein bar abuser in the past; I'm weeding them out completely now. There's something awfully suspicious about the glycerine/sugar alcohol situation. Plus, since they're processed, eating a protein bar would have a lower thermogenic effect than eating a chicken breast. Plus, chicken/london broil/turkey are cheaper than protein bars.

I'll still probably use them when I'm in heavy travel situations or as the occasional break from animal protein; but I can't justify eating them every day anymore - especially after hanging out on these boards. You guys just do too good a job of wizing us up to the benefits of eating clean, non-processed foods.

 

[FitFossil]

Fit Fossil,

If you cook chicken breasts on the weekend, don't they get dried out after a few days? I've never understood how people could cook one day a week - partly because I won't eat leftovers after the second day they've been in the fridge - but also because I can't see how certain foods could retain their moisture/texture after 2 days.

I do what JJFigure does, leave enough out for 2 days and freeze the rest, bringing each portion out to thaw in the fridge the night before I need it. I also really like those bags of frozen mixed vegetables. They're already cut up and you can just take out what you want. They'll be ready with a quick (in my order of preference) stir fry, steam, or microwave.

 

[makedah]

I'll give the frozen cooked food a whirl. The idea of eating food that has been cooked, then frozen bothers me (won't it change the texture and flavor of the food? I have some food issues!) but hey, that's basically what Lean Cuisine is, anyway.