prepackaged meal diets- your thoughts? (veggies, NutriSystem, system, vitamin)

[VegasGrace]

I'm renovating, almost done. Been living out of hotel for almost a year- not able to cook...no kitchen sink... Finally I'm getting the kitchen operational (refrigerator, stove, sink, etc....no table yet though)

I've gained 8 pounds but my 14 year old daughter has gained 20. It's all my fault, of course. It's gonna be 2-3 more weeks before my range arrives(and the electrician for the electrical) but we now have a refrigerator.

I thought about doing a NutriSystem or JennyCraig thing for these 2-3 weeks. Kinda hoping to jump start weightloss. My daughter came to me...if this was my idea it wouldn't work, of course.

With NutriSystem I can buy 28 days worth of foods and we both can split it for 14 days....just over 400 bucks.

How does the food taste and can this be microwaved? I noticed pancake mix and stuff- not gonna work as we have no way to cook- except a microwave. We have styrofoam plates/bowls/cups and plasticware.

JennyCraig I couldn't seem to find how to place an order online...maybe they require you to visit them to buy food.

Any thoughts?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by VegasGrace

With NutriSystem I can buy 28 days worth of foods and we both can split it for 14 days....just over 400 bucks.

You can buy the same food in the grocery store for about 1/3 to 1/2 of the $14+/day you'll spend with the prepackaged stuff.

Depends on what your time is worth.

[tortoise]

Just do the calorie calculations and purchase meals at a local grocery store. If you had to, you could get by on jerky, cheese sticks, yogurt, peanuts, and a multivitamin.

[pitt_transplant]

What about a george forman grill and lots of fresh fruits and veggies?
You could also do a lot of stews in a crock-pot.

[Caladium]

I wonder about the preservatives, etc. in those prepackaged foods. If you have the discipline to keep your portions low, I think you're better off cooking fresh food.

However, if you tend to cheat on portion size those prepackaged nutri-system meals are a good way to teach yourself to eat small portions.

ps. I think most of those foods need to be cooked. So if you don't have access to a microwave or a stove you couldn't eat most of the diet foods anyway. IMO, if you don't have access to a stove, salads, fruit, yogurt, and tuna sandwiches (made with yogurt not mayo) are the way to go.

[PhotogGal]

I was doing Nutrisystem along with my daughter-in-law. She met her goal of 30 pounds, but I lost about 13 pounds and then could not bear the thought of eating one more Nutrisystem entree. The food is terribly processed. Think about it. You get all your meals for an entire month all at once, and they're not frozen (though they do have some frozen entrees you can order). Some you can microwave, and some you can't. The portion sizes are very small, and you're expected to add in other stuff like salads, fresh fruit and veggies. There's just something wrong with meat that comes in a box and doesn't have to be refrigerated.

I never even opened my last shipment plus have a ton of food left from previous shipments. I don't know if I'll ever eat any of it. I agree with Caladium that you're better off preparing fresh food without all the sodium and preservatives.

[DaniMae1]

I wouldn't waste my money! Make a healthy menu using real food. Get a kitchen scale to weigh stuff. If anything, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, and South Beach meals are pretty good and cheaper than Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig. Maybe a combination of fresh food and frozen diet meals? The Lean Cuisine's are supposed to be preservative free, but they are very salty.

[DaniMae1]

Originally Posted by PhotogGal

I was doing Nutrisystem along with my daughter-in-law. She met her goal of 30 pounds, but I lost about 13 pounds and then could not bear the thought of eating one more Nutrisystem entree. The food is terribly processed. Think about it. You get all your meals for an entire month all at once, and they're not frozen (though they do have some frozen entrees you can order). Some you can microwave, and some you can't. The portion sizes are very small, and you're expected to add in other stuff like salads, fresh fruit and veggies. There's just something wrong with meat that comes in a box and doesn't have to be refrigerated.

I never even opened my last shipment plus have a ton of food left from previous shipments. I don't know if I'll ever eat any of it. I agree with Caladium that you're better off preparing fresh food without all the sodium and preservatives.

I'd sell it on ebay or Craig's list!

[nancy thereader]

Wouldn't Healthy Choice be a less expensive way to go than Jenny Craif? Are the meals really that much better from Jenny Craig ?