Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Pre-packaged food is no diet

Quite a number of people are starting their New Years resolution to lose weight. I’m sure the number of health club memberships skyrocket this time of year. For the past 3 months or so using the NutriSystem diet and along with twice a week exercise program I have lost about 15 pounds. But you know the saying, “No pain. No gain”, and I have experienced some pain. The pre-packaged meals, which do not require refrigeration and contain things like mozzarella type cheese, are portioned and labeled for each meal of the day. This setup is geared for the busy or undisciplined person to grab a days worth of meals with little or no preparation. The plan has you eating frequent small low calorie portions throughout the day which boosts your metabolism and doesn’t leave you hungry. In theory these are very good eating habits and can be followed without pre-packaged meals. However, the food is less than appetizing and while there are a variety of choices, you will soon find that you gravitate toward the few that you can tolerate. In addition to the pr-packaged meals you need to supplement your diet with veggies and proteins like low-fat yogurt. The plan even has “snacks” and desserts for your cravings, which compared to the rest of the food is a welcomed relief.

If you don’t want to have to think about what to eat or don’t have time to prepare your meals ahead of time and you can stomach them, then these pre-packaged meals are the way to help you shed some weight. The real key is to get more regular exercise and to eat small partitions all day to keep your metabolism up and hunger down. You cannot spend the rest of your life living off of pre-packaged meals so you may be better off learning to eat right and get into healthier habits that will keep you on the thin side.

No comments: