Lean Cuisine

Does eating Lean cuisine food help in losing weight?

I have lost weight twice using lean cuisines and other healthy snack items.  I lost about 20lbs twice.  You also have to exercise and your snack food should be low in sodium b/c of how high the LC's are.  People might say no, but I have done it twice.

It's not a magic wand... it's simply low-fat and portion control. You can do it yourself if you have the time... but it would be better 'fast food' than a burger and fries.

Caveat - I've only eaten Lean Cuisine ONCE and I thought it was pretty vile... but I don't like ANY of those pre-packaged meals.  When I did  eat it I was staying with a person who didn't cook and kept a freezer full of lean cuisine meals and just lived off them - and she wasn't thin! 

Lean cuisine is fine. But I wouldn't buy it thinking this will be something to completely replace old eating habits. You can burn out on eating the same things over and over again. moderation and only trying only a few new lower cal. recipes a week. Too much change at one time is not a good thing.

 Best wishes!

I have a friend who is eating Lean Cuisine to help lose weight.  It isn't the only thing she eats, but I think all of her lunches and some dinners are Lean Cuisine.  She seems very happy with this as Lean Cuisine makes some very tasty meals.

I would not recommend a diet of nothing but Lean Cuisines. The problem with that is that it doesn't teach you how to prepare your own food, make good decisions, etc. Also they tend to be very high in sodium.

However, I do keep a small supply of Lean Cuisines in my fridge for "emergencies." If I'm starving and don't have patience to prepare a salad or other meal, or I haven't been to the grocery store and it's slim pickings, I'd much rather reach for one of those than make a run for fast food or something diet-destroying like that! This worked particularly well when I worked in an office: if I didn't have time to pack a lunch, there was always time to throw a lean cuisine into my lunch bag.

I always round out the meal though... I don't find them filling enough, personally. I'll usually choose two veggies or a veggie and a fruit to go along with it.

Realize that due to the sodium content you may find that you retain water which makes it appear like you aren't losing weight, even if you are.

Whether or not you lose weight is just of matter of how many calories you consume and how many you burn off.

Since Lean Cuisines are low in calories then yeah they will make you lose weight. I ate those twice day along with special k for breakfast for a while. It worked but I began to feel really nasty. You don't have to depend on convience foods or fad diet products to lose weight. You can cook yummy homemade food (I always do) that is filly and low in calories.

Simple Tips: Add fruits and veggies to your dish to make it more filling with less calories. Use light margarine instead of butter, nonstick spray instead of oil, watch your portions, eat healthy snacks between meals to keep you from starving and feeling like you have to stuff yourself.

As long as you count up all your calories and stay within your limit- you'll lose just as much weight as you would with the lean cuisines. But you'll be way healthier and get your nutrients. Processed foods aren't the way to go and it's ashame that so many Americans don't recognize how much bad junk are in them. Good luck!

BTW- if you ever need any recipes just send me a message. I cook 24/7 and make a lot of traditional and ethnic dishes that are tasty but much more healthier than the standard versions.

The problem I have with lean cuisine is the amount of sodium..so be careful.

I do enjoy the Lean Cuisine "spa's"-  I had the salmon with basil and it was surprisingly tasty- I believe the sodium level was pretty low too- considering- I think it was 500mg...or slightly over... I find they make an easy lunch to bring for work- I'm literally surrounded by KFC, Jack in the Box- Togo's, Pizza Lovers, Sushi, Applebee's and Sizzler!!! and a soon to be Asian Market which I've been told has some tasty chinese food....  I do try to add a fruit and a So Be Lean.  I've lost 13 pounds since November 3rd... Plus I have been exercising a lot more than I was too... As long as you don't rely entirely on them I think they are fine-  no worse than drinking 2 slim fasts a day and " a healthy dinner."   And I disagree- I think they actually do teach you portion control.  Because you can see with your eyes what an actual normal portion is rather then drinking it... ( I can say this because I tried the slim fast- and those just made me hungry after!) With the LC's- I actually am comfortable after I eat them and not thinking about what else I can eat...  Hey- anything to help jump start your weight loss is a bonus as it also helps keep you motivated!

I'll get off my soap box now :).....

They are a pretty good way to control portions and calories (I think the Turkey dinner one is about 150 cals), but like the others have said above they aren't a replacement to learning good eating behaviors. And of course, some of them are just disgusting, but I've found I like the Glazed Chicken, the pizzas, and some of the paninis (Saturday night my mom and I take a break from cooking dinner, so everyone can eat either a frozen dinner like Lean Cuisine or make themselves a sandwhich).

I like to mix it up a bit and eat LCs, the Weight Watchers ones and the Healthy Choice meals. The Healthy Choice entrees always taste a little blah until I add some salt, but they're all pretty much the same. I take them to work so I can just walk to the freezer and nuke something, which for me, is the only way to avoid going out for pad thai or a burrito.

I usually only get the ones that are under 300 cals and eat one late morning (early lunch) and eat one in the afternoon (like at 2:00).

Chicken Carbonara LC = YUM

I believe that LC can aid in losing weight. Just watch your salt and drink a lot of water.

I've never been a Lean Cuisine fan ... but that's just me. I've discovered that I get more (and better tasting) food if I just prepare it myself ... and since I love to eat, that seems like a much better deal. And sometimes, I just find a sammy, a salad, some steamed veggies (maybe even an apple) ... to be better tasting and more filling.

What I do use, once in a while, is Amy's organic Shepherd's Pie ... 160 calories. I use it as part of a lunch or dinner, just for some variety and a little something different. Then I fill in with some lean protein and add some fresh veggies.

=^..^= MOLLY

I really don't like Lean Cuisine as they taste nasty to me. However, Health Choice Steams are similar, taste better etc. I've used a lot of them and lost 79 pounds. Watch the Sodium in the other stuff you eat.

I eat Lean Cusine almost EVERYDAY for lunch at work (it makes it easy for calorie counting).  I have lost 54 lbs since June 18th.  I mix it up and eat different kinds, but most of them are great and I have had no trouble with water retention.  Of course, I drink more than 64oz per day.

I love lean cuisine and it can help as long as you factor the calories in your diet like any other food.  They are definetly good low calorie alternatives to the regular microwavable meals.

Two points:

1. Eating under 1000 calories/day is a *bad* thing not a good thing.  You can't possibly be getting all the nutrients your body needs.  The minimum recommended daily intake for a teeny tiny totally sedentary woman (think 5' tall, 100 pounds) is 1200 calories/day.
2. Lean Cuisine is not cheaper than cooking from scratch.  Oatmeal (from a big bag of oats - not from a packet) costs pennies a serving and cooks just as fast as  Lean Cuisine at breakfast.  Beans, pasta and rice are all much cheaper to buy in bulk than any packaged meal.  So are pantry staples like flour, etc.  A big bag of frozen veggies will run you about $3 and has the same amount of veggies in it as twenty Lean Cuisines.  You can get a whole chicken for the cost of two Lean Cuisines - and it has as much meat as twenty of them.  It is much cheaper to cook from scratch than to eat processed foods.

I'm a big fan of convenience foods like LC and Lean Pockets. I work all day, have classes at night twice a week, plus the gym and volleyball league... it all adds up, and many nights I just don't have the time or patience to cook something. Like others have said, I'd much rather reach for these than to run for fast food. I usually pair it with some veggies or toast to help fill me up more (and to add some calories if I'm running low on the day). I drink lots of water so the sodium content isn't my focus - mine is on calories in vs. calories out, and these types of foods help with that goal. :)

I've been relying on these for my work-week lunches, but I hate how much sodium they have in them!  I'm going grocery shopping tonight and am picking up some things I can make up on the weekend, stick in tubberware and in the freezer, and take in place of a Lean Cuisine.  Hopefully it'll work out.

If you're going to eat them, you could always be eating worse, but remember to intake a lot of water to help counter-balance the sodium that's in them!

listen, you ignorant child.  MY DOCTOR put me on a VLC diet (very low calorie) when even metformin and insulin had my blood sugar still alarmingly high.  I think lean cuisine is MUCH cheaper, there's my time to make them, my time is not free, nor is the dishes, light bill for the stove(240V), when Lean Cuisine is easily prepared using a 120V microwave oven for 3 minutes.  Do you know how much money that saves on the light bill?  Factor in that the next time you tell me how expensive my diet is.  I ate for $44 dollars this week, I call that a bargain, and the microwave hardly raises the light bill a dime.  This month I saved about 40 bucks on the light bill by not using the stove at all.  Do YOU know what it's like to pay 25cents per KWH?  So keep your mouth shut when you don't know what you are talking about, cause it only makes you look dumb.

Original Post by skilover5:

listen, you ignorant child.  MY DOCTOR put me on a VLC diet (very low calorie) when even metformin and insulin had my blood sugar still alarmingly high.  I think lean cuisine is MUCH cheaper, there's my time to make them, my time is not free, nor is the dishes, light bill for the stove(240V), when Lean Cuisine is easily prepared using a 120V microwave oven for 3 minutes.  Do you know how much money that saves on the light bill?  Factor in that the next time you tell me how expensive my diet is.  I ate for $44 dollars this week, I call that a bargain, and the microwave hardly raises the light bill a dime.  This month I saved about 40 bucks on the light bill by not using the stove at all.  Do YOU know what it's like to pay 25cents per KWH?  So keep your mouth shut when you don't know what you are talking about, cause it only makes you look dumb.

So this is your first post in this thread. Actually it looks like it is your first post on this website in general, and you start of by insulting people? Great way to introduce yourself.

UD