Ok, I don't cook. And when I say I don't cook, I mean it. I hate it. I am terrified of fire and I am scared of the stove and oven. (It's a long story that has to do with fire trauma from childhood). I eat a lot of microwavable stuff. Am I going to be able to eat Lean Cuisines and Heathy Choice meals? I can't wait to fix one and not be able to finish it becaue I get full. Is this possible?

Ok, I don't cook. And when I say I don't cook, I mean it. I hate it. I am terrified of fire and I am scared of the stove and oven. (It's a long story that has to do with fire trauma from childhood). I eat a lot of microwavable stuff. Am I going to be able to eat Lean Cuisines and Heathy Choice meals? I can't wait to fix one and not be able to finish it becaue I get full. Is this possible?

Hi im sorry to hear of your fears of the kitchen, may be trying a evening class in cooking will help you over come your fears and u will also meet new freinds too.

Hope this helps

Liz xxxx

Hi ,

I do not cook much. I do buy Lean Cuisines and Weight Watchers. I am not able to eat Pasta or noodles, but select the beef and chicken Entrees with green Beans and mashed potatoes. I can not eat their carrots. Ouch!! Just eat very slowly and chew well and you will find you can not finish your meal.

Good luck!!!!

You might want to pay close attention to the nutrients component of Lean Cuisine and other frozen entrees now that you are banded. I started doing this and found that a lot of prepared meals may be low in calories but they are high in sodium and low in vitamins, minerals, fibre, and the other good stuff. I am not a cook but there are a number of things that you can make on the stove top or in the microwave or eat fresh which will be tasty and healthier for you.

I guess my favourite microwave meal is two beaten eggs with milk (eggs are loaded with vita Bs, protein, vita E, selenium, the omega oils and have only 70 calories per egg), a finely chopped tomato, a little salsa, and some cheese. Put this in a bowl and nuke it, then eat. Oh, yah, season to taste.

I also keep around the house those little cans of Clover Leaf flavoured tuna; these come in such flavours as spicy peanut satay, dill&lemon, and have a pop top lid. They are low in calories, taste good, contain protein, and although there is some cholesterol it is better than eating a bag of chips. I also eat a lot of tzatziki which I buy from the store. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and this is a thing which the Greeks do with yogurt; they mix it up with garlic and slivers of cucumber.

If you can get over your fear of the stove top you might consider getting into stir-frying fresh vegetables and chunks of expensive beef/pork tenderloin or chicken. I use the expensive stuff because it chews up nicely in my mouth and because it tastes better. The leftovers nuke up nicely the next day.

However, if you cannot get over your fear I would suggest that you make a point of chopping up fresh vegetables and adding these into every item which you microwave. I say this because I shocked to note that even Gardenay soups (which allowed me to survive the full fluids weeks post-op) are surprisingly devoid of the vita Cs, etc. I have to say that I really was surprised when I began to study those nutrient info labels!

I also rely a lot on salads and I often incorporate chick peas into these. They are a good source of complete protein when combined with cheese and they are fibre rich. I add diced onion, red, yellow or orange pepper, and fresh parsley, dill, or coriander. I make my own salad dressing by mixing together dijon mustard, cider vinegar/lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Because I like spicy I add a bit of hot sauce. And when the season is right I substitute avocado for chick peas. Avocados are kind of fattening but they are loaded with nutrients.

As for the salad dressing, I learned how to make this when I was living in France. Olive oil has the good kind of cholesterol, and both apple cider vinegar and lemon juice are good for you, they say. The sweetness of the balsamic vinegar cuts the acidity of the dressing and the dijon mustard binds the vinaigrette together and gives it zest. This dressing takes 2 minutes to make and is less fattening, less expensive, and pretty much free of additives.

Another lazy thing which my husband and I have gotten into is that we buy these pre-roasted chickens which are available in our local supermarkets. They haven't been deep-fried and they don't come with the Kentucky crust. We buy 'em, put 'em in the refrigerator, and eat 'em cold. This works out well for us, particularly so because I like white meat and he prefers the dark. It is another source of protein for the non-cook, eh.

I know that this is an awfully long reply to your question, grrl, but I am anxious that you understand that surviving on a diet of Lean Cuisines and Healthy Choice Meals is probably not going to cut it. We are subjected to those Campbell Soup ads which mention that their soups contain full servings of vegetables when in fact nutrition-wise they are lacking. At the same time I, while I am not phobic, do not derive any joy at all from cooking. Eating is where I was at!

It strikes me that you have got to figure out a new and creative way to deal with your food issues, one that does not necessarily mean that you ever have to go near a stove. I have provided you with a few of my thoughts. There are other things which you can do in order to get your food needs in order. Eating a lot of fresh fruit is one of them. You will need your Bs, and your proteins, of course. Beat an egg or two and then nuke it, and buy those pre-cooked chickens. This should cover most of your nutritional needs. And do what most of us bandsters are doing, take your vitamin supplements as well. I take the chewies and because I live in a northern climate I take an additional 1,000 IUs of vita D.

I think my answer is really boring but I hope that it helps.

Thank yo so much. That is a lot of good advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to write that post. I gives me other ideas to.

You ROCK!

Hey there,

Something else you might consider is a crock pot. Things in there take a long time, usually you can start them in the morning, and they'll be ready when you get home from work (or school, or whatever). Then, you'll have leftovers you can nuke. No fire necessary

I could eat a stoffers individual meal. Mac and cheese was my fav.

After fill I could only eat half. They became a waste of money. I suppose I could have nuked them again.

edie