Today marks one of the very rare occasions where I lasted two weeks on the same diet. Half a month into it, I’m still digging the Nutrisystem plan. It doesn’t feel like a diet because I’m eating all day, more of a life style change.

Nutrisystem Recipes

One of the things I’m really digging is that there are recipes to make meals heartier or more attractive without overeating. For instance, the cheesy potatoes. Generally you just add water to the cup, stir and let sit. I added broccoli and fat free cheese to it as well since we need a salad or veg and dairy servings with our lunch. Then I found the recipes section of the Nutrisystem forum and learned how to make a tasty potato pancake by adding 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters to the cheesy potates and cooking in a pan using cooking spray. I also added chives, pepper, fat free cheese and broccoli. It made a great lunch and I stayed within my allotment for that meal. People who are worried about eating the same foods all the time can take comfort knowing there are things you can add to make a tastier meal.

Exercise

Exercising everyday is proving to be tricky, but I’m doing it. My son’s camp alternates mornings and afternoons so each week is different. If he has afternoon camp, I work out during my lunch hour. It’s hard working out with a six year old in the room. During morning camp weeks, I get up at 5:00 am to work out. It’ll be easier when school starts up next month because The Boy is on the bus at 7:30 - a good time to workout without interfering with my job or lunch hour.

The Nutrisystem plan came with an exercise DVD I really like. It’s a “walking” DVD though there’s a bit of kicking and knee lifting. The disc has us doing a two mile power walk and then some toning. What I like about this disc is that the women doing the exercises are real. They’re curvy with only one too skinny Minnie in the bunch. Some women can stand too lose a few pounds while others have the perfect mix of curves while not being so thin the workout is intimidating. There’s none of this “you too can look like me” crap.  The walk is easy to do though the level of intensity raises on a gradual basis. When I’m done I feel like I’ve had an awesome workout.

I also take the dog for a walk, go on weekend hikes with my family, and use the Wii Fit for working out. I try to get 45 minutes in, but at least 30. I think for me, working out is even harder than not eating. I liked to use my time for other things. After my workout though, I feel so good I’m glad I made the choice.

Water

Another problem area for me is water. Getting my eight glasses in each day is a challenge. I’d rather drink a pot of coffee. I don’t really drink soda, nor do I drink juices or other drinks. My preference is for coffee. But I cut it down to a cup in the morning and a cup in the afternoon and drink water throughout the day. I’m getting my 8 glasses in and then some.

Wine

Oh wine. I do miss you so.

My husband and I like a glass of wine in the evenings, but I don’t have 100 calories to spare. On the weekends I might skip my dessert for a glass of Chardonnay or Merlot but otherwise I sip my glass of water with lemon. Not the same at all but I’m willing to make the sacrifice.

Weight Loss

So I lost another couple of pounds this week bringing the total to seven. Average weight loss on the Nutrisystem plan is about 2.2 pound a week so I think I’m doing well. I’m trying to be realistic about my goals as I know weight loss should happen slowly. So though I’m hoping to lose more, my goal is for 25 pounds gone by Christmas and the rest of the 25 gone by summer.

Some Thoughts About Weight Loss and the Nutrisystem Plan

I’m learning diet is all about changing the way one feels about food and making good choices. I never really had anyone teach me about proper nutrition growing up. Oh sure we knew vegetables and fruits were good for us, but we never learned about portion control or balance. My five brothers and sisters and I would wolf down our dinners so we could have seconds - before all the seconds were gone. It’s for this reason my son won’t ever be a member of the clean plate club. If he says he’s not hungry, we can assess the situation, but I won’t force him to eat everything on his plate. I will make sure to give him less next time if a portion size is too much.

Because my family didn’t have much money many attractive treats and foods were out of the question. I think that’s one of the reasons I found food to be such a great reward - because I didn’t have much of the good stuff growing up. So I’m looking elsewhere for rewards. For instance, I need new clothes and once I reach the first goal of 25 pounds I can take myself shopping.

I also learned if you choose the right kinds of foods you can eat all day and not starve. A sweet juicy peach around 3:00 in the afternoon is way more satisfying than a chocolate bar or 100 calorie pack.  There’s something to be said about guilt free eating. And when I feel good about what I’m putting in my body, I feel good about many other things. This diet is starting the most amazing chain reaction.

Dieting and the Outside World

Oh and I forgot, this weekend was the ultimate challenge, diet-wise. My family had a picnic last weekend with lots and lots of good food. I knew that at this early stage if I fell off the wagon I might trash the diet. I’m prone to temptation though, so I took steps to prevent this. My contribution was a big green salad. I filled it with fresh veggies from my garden and the farmers market, a little fat free cheese and some dried cherries and cranberries. Plus I brought along my Light & Fit Yogurt, some fruit, and a Nutrisystem chicken salad lunch portion.

I’m happy to report I stayed on plan for lunch. I had my chicken salad and the green salad for the meal, and later on for snacks I had the yogurt and fruit. That night when we took my mom home she wanted to take us out for dinner, another challenge. We stopped at Applebees and I ordered a grilled chicken Caesar. I asked for fat free dressing instead of regular, gave my husband half the chicken and let my son have the croutons. It wasn’t a plan meal but it was still healthy and a good choice. The Nustrisystem book lists the best options for dining out, so you don’t have to miss out on a good time with friends and family.

So I guess this is a really long report, if you stayed with me this far, thanks. My sister (that’s Cookerati’s own Diana, if you haven’t already guessed ) asked if I would do this every week, and I think I’d like to. It’s a great way to report about a system I feel is working, share what I learned and also hold myself accountable.

See you next week!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Weightloss Wednesday, Food Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.