BreakfastSurreal
Well-Known Member
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]by charles stewart platkin
No time for low-cal cooking? Don't feel like joining a weight-loss club? No patience for reading another diet book? Want to lose weight the easy way? Here is one solution — the supermarket diet.[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]The idea is to use entrées from Healthy Choice, Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine, and other frozen foods that are prepackaged and healthy.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Research says it works. In a recent study appearing in Obesity Research, Sandra M. Hannum of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that using prepackaged meals was an uncomplicated method to help study participants lose weight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Because many people eat out for convenience, packaged entrées provide a reasonable alternative to restaurant eating (and the huge food portions that come with it). Preparation requires only a few minutes in a microwave oven, and the portions are controlled. This means you can scarf down the entire meal without guilt.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Not only that, but packaged meals teach you about serving sizes. "When you're familiar with the size of a 300-calorie entrée, the next time you go out to dinner, or when you're at home, you'll have a better idea of how much you should be eating," says Susan Bowerman, coordinator for the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition in Los Angeles, California.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]You could lose 20 pounds. Think about it this way. If you were to get a cheeseburger, fries and a soda at a fast-food restaurant, that would add up to about 1,500 calories and take at least 15 minutes with travel, ordering and waiting time.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]On the other hand, frozen dinners are ready to eat in four to eight minutes — and you don't have to leave your house. Plus, with the calories you'll save (on average, 300 calories or more per meal), if you simply substitute frozen dinners for five of your 21 weekly meals, you could cut out at least 1,500 calories a week. Translation: You could lose 20 pounds in one year![/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]How the diet works: The beauty of this diet is that it's not a diet. It's simple — in fact, study participants were amazed that there were "no special diet foods, medications or extreme measures required for success," says Hannum. Grabbing foods from the supermarket freezer aisle is something anyone can do right now to lose weight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]My recommendation is to go to the supermarket and make an initial one-time investment of about $55 to taste-test 20 meals. You're looking for ones that not only taste great but are also satisfying. If you need three entrées to feel satisfied, it's not the one for you.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Words of advice: You still have to check the label, even if it says "healthy," "lean" or "smart." But the word "healthy" is a clue — by federal law, any foods that say "healthy" (including the brand Healthy Choice) must contain less than three grams of fat per 100 grams, and no more than 30 percent of calories from fat. And sodium content can't exceed 600 milligrams.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Additionally, Smart Ones must conform to guidelines set forth by Weight Watchers — individual servings cannot be over 300 calories or nine grams of fat.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]"Keep in mind that many of these frozen dinners skimp on the vegetables, so it's important to add a piece of fruit and a salad or frozen vegetables," says Bowerman. She also recommends picking frozen dinners that have about 20 grams of protein per package, to help keep you satisfied. Also, watch the sodium levels, since frozen meals tend to be high in salt.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Another tip: "It's a good idea to serve them on a plate. The volume of food fills it up, making your portion appear larger, and as a result you will be more satisfied," says Hannum.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Plenty to choose from: Healthy Choice offers 76 selections, including dinners and entrées. Smart Ones has about 55 entrées. Lean Cuisine offers 88 dinners and entrées. And the low-carb line Life Choice features 14 varieties with no more than 15 grams of carbs per entrée.[/FONT]
No time for low-cal cooking? Don't feel like joining a weight-loss club? No patience for reading another diet book? Want to lose weight the easy way? Here is one solution — the supermarket diet.[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]The idea is to use entrées from Healthy Choice, Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine, and other frozen foods that are prepackaged and healthy.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Research says it works. In a recent study appearing in Obesity Research, Sandra M. Hannum of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that using prepackaged meals was an uncomplicated method to help study participants lose weight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Because many people eat out for convenience, packaged entrées provide a reasonable alternative to restaurant eating (and the huge food portions that come with it). Preparation requires only a few minutes in a microwave oven, and the portions are controlled. This means you can scarf down the entire meal without guilt.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Not only that, but packaged meals teach you about serving sizes. "When you're familiar with the size of a 300-calorie entrée, the next time you go out to dinner, or when you're at home, you'll have a better idea of how much you should be eating," says Susan Bowerman, coordinator for the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition in Los Angeles, California.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]You could lose 20 pounds. Think about it this way. If you were to get a cheeseburger, fries and a soda at a fast-food restaurant, that would add up to about 1,500 calories and take at least 15 minutes with travel, ordering and waiting time.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]On the other hand, frozen dinners are ready to eat in four to eight minutes — and you don't have to leave your house. Plus, with the calories you'll save (on average, 300 calories or more per meal), if you simply substitute frozen dinners for five of your 21 weekly meals, you could cut out at least 1,500 calories a week. Translation: You could lose 20 pounds in one year![/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]How the diet works: The beauty of this diet is that it's not a diet. It's simple — in fact, study participants were amazed that there were "no special diet foods, medications or extreme measures required for success," says Hannum. Grabbing foods from the supermarket freezer aisle is something anyone can do right now to lose weight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]My recommendation is to go to the supermarket and make an initial one-time investment of about $55 to taste-test 20 meals. You're looking for ones that not only taste great but are also satisfying. If you need three entrées to feel satisfied, it's not the one for you.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Words of advice: You still have to check the label, even if it says "healthy," "lean" or "smart." But the word "healthy" is a clue — by federal law, any foods that say "healthy" (including the brand Healthy Choice) must contain less than three grams of fat per 100 grams, and no more than 30 percent of calories from fat. And sodium content can't exceed 600 milligrams.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Additionally, Smart Ones must conform to guidelines set forth by Weight Watchers — individual servings cannot be over 300 calories or nine grams of fat.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]"Keep in mind that many of these frozen dinners skimp on the vegetables, so it's important to add a piece of fruit and a salad or frozen vegetables," says Bowerman. She also recommends picking frozen dinners that have about 20 grams of protein per package, to help keep you satisfied. Also, watch the sodium levels, since frozen meals tend to be high in salt.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Another tip: "It's a good idea to serve them on a plate. The volume of food fills it up, making your portion appear larger, and as a result you will be more satisfied," says Hannum.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times,serif]Plenty to choose from: Healthy Choice offers 76 selections, including dinners and entrées. Smart Ones has about 55 entrées. Lean Cuisine offers 88 dinners and entrées. And the low-carb line Life Choice features 14 varieties with no more than 15 grams of carbs per entrée.[/FONT]
