Nutrisystem

I've been exercising consistently for several months, and can notice an increase in muscle and overall fitness (I actually have arm muscles now-- that's progress!)  But the fat wasn't going anywhere.  I knew it was time to make a change in my eating habits, so I decided to try out Nutrisystem.  Basically, my hope was that it would be a means of controlling my portions and forcing me to eat healthy for a period of time.  And another hope was that my eating would continue on that trajectory even after stopping the program.  I talked my dad and sister into doing it with me.

January 15th- I'm going to record my thoughts as I go.

But first, a few thoughts on weight.  My overall target it to drop 20 lbs.  25 would be awesome, but I'm not going to push it.  I'd like to lose the first 10 lbs within the first month, but realize the rest might take time.  I know it's all possible, because after Tiago was born, I lost 25 lbs in a 2.5 month period.  When I went back to see blog posts on that transformation, there was one picture.  One!  I don't know whether I took it for granted, or was internet shy in posting pictures about my weight.  But either way, if I lose 20 lbs this go around, I'll celebrate on the internet because I can't weight to be my 'normal' size again.  And hard work should be celebrated. :)

One more thought on weight.  Who creates the scale that determines your weight status?!  (Underweight, overweight, obese, etc.)  My current BMI is just high enough to qualify me as obese.  Really?  Obese?  I don't even feel that fat.  My biggest motivation is to be healthier.  If I could get really healthy and stay this weight I think I'd be okay with it.  But spending my life as an obese person when I fit in regular clothes and eat regular food is kind of ludicrous.  And just as ludicrous: if I lose the 20 lbs and get back to my body's 'normal' size, I'll still be overweight!  And even more ludicrous: I was considered overweight when I got married!  Which is the same size I was all through college and most of high school.  And I was completely normal sized!  Like I said, I'll have a big party if I can just drop this 20 lbs.  But I think society needs to re-define what 'normal' is, for the sake of everyone that struggles with body image.

Back to Nutrisystem, my experience so far is okay.  The portions are TINY.  I had a small bowl of pasta and meatballs tonight, and I think in 'real life' I would have tripled or quadrupled my portion size.  But that's the point.  So they provide 3 tiny meals a day, plus a snack.  You can add on as many vegetables as you want. After the first week, you can start adding on other foods too, in limited quantities.  (Like half a cup of brown rice, plain yogurt, a tablespoon of avocado, etc.)

I know my hand looks huge, but really, the pizza is just tiny.

So am I hungry?  Yes.  Am I starving? No.  Is it good for my body to eat less?  Probably.  I'm hoping this calorie deficit makes a difference quickly.  (So I think yesterday I ate about 1100 calories.  It's crazy to think that my body got what it needed in 1100 calories, and YET, I know there are times I sit down and mindlessly eat about half that many calories in just candy.  Not to mention the random popcorn, goldfish, juice, crackers that my body doesn't need.  In short, I'm happy to be starting this diet, and exercising some self-restraint.    

(One last thought.  I've done Whole30 twice, and there are some similarities and differences.  First similarities.  On both programs you need the will power to just say no to 'normal' food.  No snacking, no comfort eating, no grazing.  But honestly once you make up your mind to do it, it's not that hard to stick to the program.  But there are huge differences.  Whole30 sets up restraints on food (no sugar, carbs, dairy, etc) and then you're free to eat anything and everything, even in huge quantities, and you still lose weight.  Granted, it's a lot of vegetables and healthy fat, but it always surprised me how much delicious and satisfying food I could make and still lose 10 lbs in a month.  Whole30 is a LOT of work, though.  Buying special groceries, cooking every single meal, and then cleaning every single meal. Blah, that's the huge draw back.  Nutrisystem, on the other hand, is EASY.  You open a package, heat it in the microwave, and your food is ready in one or two minutes.  There's a bit more work involved when you start adding other foods in, but it's overall really easy.  The food so far tastes good (except the shakes... and a PB granola bar thing...) it's just in short supply.  No piles of guacamole and sweet potatoes allowed.  And I'm guessing Whole30 ends up being a little better for most bodies, since it allows you to see how different food groups affect you.  But I don't have bad reactions to food groups, so doing a no-work meal plan for a month is right up my alley.)

breakfast... only okay

January 23-  I lost about 5 lbs my first week.  Which is to be expected... I was hardly eating anything.  Part of that is due to Nutrisystem, but part of it was because I got sick and couldn't eat anything for a full 24 hours.  (I was so hungry!!!)  I guess the weight loss was a silver lining.  I'm enjoying meals much more now that I'm off the "turbo plan" and eating the normal menu, which is breakfast, lunch and dinner from nutrisystem, plus one snack. I come up with two other snacks on my own, plus yogurt or something along with breakfast.  It feels like way more food, plus I didn't care for the shake and granola bar from the turbo program.  Also, the nutrisystem snacks are so good I could eat them all day long.  (ice cream sandwiches, salt and vinegar chips, etc).  I'm not sure whether it's good or bad that I'm thinking about those ice cream sandwiches all day long until I actually get to eat one.  I was nervous to see if I'd keep losing weight after the turbo stuff, but I have.  It's quite gradual, but going in the right direction.

Feb 18-  After the first week, I wasn't nearly as hungry. The second week I lost 3 or 4 lbs, and another lb the following week, but that was where my weight loss plateaued.  That was a disappointing, and discouraging.  It's much easier to stay on a program when you see how well it's working.  I lost most of my 9 lbs in the first 2 weeks.

Conclusion:  I lost about what I expected and hoped. I've stopped Nutrisystem about a week ago, and have enjoyed a few too many desserts since then. But once I get back to Colorado I'm planning to do one more month of Nutrisystem food, and see how it goes.  I'd like to have more steady and consistent change throughout the month.  If I can lose another 9 or 10 lbs, I'll be within 5 lbs of where I was before having kids.  That's an exciting (and attainable) prospect.  I found a delicious yogurt that's not high calories (Fage Raspberry) so between that and ice cream sandwiches, there is some sweetness to look forward to each day.  Fingers crossed.