Think Slim, Issue #015 - Do diet meals help?

September 30, 2005

Look great, feel great

Hi

Since I've stopped going out to work every day, I've noticed it's become just a bit too easy to nip to the supermarket.

We have 5 major chains here within a 10 minute drive, and as I pick up my kids from school every afternoon I often just pop in for a few things.

Trouble is, I seem to buy more treats for the children when I do that and somehow those treats also find themselves inside me!

So I'm limiting my supermarket visits to twice a week now, which still means we have fresh food all week but not so many double chocolate chip mini muffins or special two-for-one mega bags of tortilla chips "for the kids".

Have a great month shopping or not

Love

P.S. There are quite a few postings on the Think Slim blog this month. See them all at http://smallchange.typepad.com/thinkslim.

Contents

Feature article : Do diet meals help you lose weight?

Ready meals aimed at dieters come in a huge variety these days. You can get all types of food and they make them sound absolutely delicious.

How about "Succulent pieces of tender lamb in a rich gravy with sweet carrots and onion topped with golden brown slices of potato" for dinner? Sounds good! Or you can choose Indian, Chinese, Thai or Italian cuisine if that suits you more.

All of the meals have calorie counts so you can see what you're buying and how much a serving is meant to be. There's no guessing or measuring to do. It makes life simple if you're going down the calorie counting route.

If you're very busy, they can be a godsend. You get variety and flavour and you only have to buy enough for the week, pop one in the oven or microwave each evening and you're done.

On the other hand, you will often find the recommended portion sizes to be miniscule and the ingredients list resembling those in a chemical plant rather than a kitchen. And the taste is far from comparable with a similar home-cooked dinner. If you have a family, the price of eating in this way becomes prohibitive too. The whole family can eat home-cooked food like a king, for the price of 4 of these dinners.

Having said all that, I do think they have their place when you're exceedingly busy, feel stressed out at the thought of cooking and would end up sending out for takeaway without them. So here are a few hints to make the most of them if they are a part of your life you don't want to give up.

1. Choose the very best varieties with the least chemical sounding ingredients. Sometimes you have to pay more for the healthiest options but they are worth it.
2. Don't just look at whole meals in boxes. Some of the newer soups in cartons are a healthy choice too and you can serve with wholemeal bread, cheese and fruit for a healthy meal. There are also some reasonable fresh pasta sauces these days (nicer than those in jars) and vegetable accompaniments (such as ready roasted vegetables or mixed purees) for plain grilled meat and fish. Also look for salad take-away bars in the shops (but give selections heavy on mayonnaise and other high-calorie dressings a wide berth)
3. Serve your ready meal with extra vegetables or salad which will fill you up without adding calories.
4. Leave the ready made desserts on the shelves and choose fruit or low-fat yogurt if you need something else after your main meal. Light desserts are generally full of artificial sweeteners and fillers while the non-diet versions will really pile on the pounds.
5. Try not to limit yourself to eating just ready meals all the time. A baked potato takes just 10 minutes in the micro wave. You can top it with grated cheese and accompany it with a few salad leaves. Also home made burgers are healthy and quick to prepare. You could have one with a crusty roll and salad on the table within 20 minutes. And how about an omelette or beans on wholemeal toast for something nice and quick? You can also cut down on preparation time if you want to try home cooking by using some ready-prepared ingredients. For instance you can buy meat and vegetables pre-sliced for stir fries and use microwave-in-the bag vegetables and pre-washed mixed salad leaves as accompaniments for anything you cook.

This month's tip : Don't carry cash

When you're out and about take a healthy snack and drink with you and your credit cards but don't carry more cash than you need for essential fares etc.

That way you can't easily just decide to get something on the spur of the moment at the nearest cookie shop or fast food restaurant because you happen to walk past and get tempted.

Recommendation: Shameless self promotion

I'm very excited about the launch of my site www.SimplySlimming.com which gives me the chance to deliver the program I take my private coaching clients through to a wider audience.

It's all about ditching diets and diet aids and simply adopting 24 key habits which will set you up for a life of being slim.

UPDATE: The Coaching Program is now available at http://www.weightlosshandbook.com

Whatever you do, sign up for my FREE newsletter "No More Diets" and get a complimentary copy of my 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting – 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know". Subscribe at www.SimplySlimming.com

UPDATE: While you can still sign up for a free report there - the "No More Diets" newsletter has now been combined with "Think Slim"

Wishing you a fantastic month, looking and feeling great

Janice Elizabeth Small

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments or suggestions for future issues, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this ezine.

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