Tomorrow will mark the end of my sixth week as part of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program. It has been 6 weeks of eating better than ever, losing weight, and gaining health and energy. It’s also been a learning process and a re-training of my eating habits and the results are worth it all. After having a couple of weeks of not seeing the number on the scale go down, (which was frustrating but I did learn that it wasn’t a true plateau since it had not been 3-4 weeks so that was good news), this week saw a 2 pound drop from last week. So I’m down a total of 8.2 lbs. since beginning this journey. Yay! I’m excited and looking forward to hitting the 10 lb. mark and earning my first Nutribear! Nutribears are cute little stuffed bears sent to commemorate and celebrate weight loss milestones on the Nutrisystem plans. They are a fun reward and a little extra motivation.
The Nutribears are so cute!
Lots of people have asked me about the Nutrisystem Success plan and about the foods. They want to know if it is hard to follow and stick with the plan or not. In all honesty, I was concerned about the same things before starting but I have found it to be easier than expected to follow the plan and stick with it. It isn’t complicated and there is no measuring, counting calories, or complex recipes to follow. The Daily Tracker is great for keeping a log of what you have eaten, how much water you’ve had, and how much exercise you’ve done. The food is labeled Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack or Dessert, so you can easily grab what you want and go. It’s very convenient and simple! For example, yesterday I knew I’d be teaching CPR classes all day and would need to bring my lunch with me. The night before, I packed a healthy salad with lots of greens, lots of matchstick carrots, and also packed a very small container with some delicious low-cal, fat-free pomegranate blueberry dressing (it is SO YUMMY). On the salad, I also included 2 tbsp. of slivered almonds, which served as my “power fuel” for lunch (I’ll explain power fuels in a future post). Then I packed a lunch meal bar (fudge graham – delicious!). Only took a couple of minutes to pack it all and have it ready to grab as I ran out the door to teach and it was a very healthy, savory, and satisfying lunch. At the suggestion of Nutrisystem’s PR star, Meredith, I ate the salad first and saved the meal bar for very last and it was more like eating dessert than a meal. Best of all, I didn’t get that mid-day slump like I would have if I’d gone out for fast food on my lunch break.
My favorite foods on the program include all the Italian and pasta dishes (no surprise there for anyone who knows me!), the soups, many of the frozen meals that are gourmet chef created, and of course, the desserts! Getting to have the ice cream sandwiches, chocolate chip pudding, and the cheese puffs is almost too good to be true because they are delicious and let me feel like I’m eating whatever I want!
I’ve also been asked how I deal with temptations to eat foods not on the plan. The truth is, there has been the occasional temptation, not going to lie, but I expected there to be more and for it to be harder to resist them. But since I haven’t felt deprived on the Nutrisystem plan because the food is good and I get to have desserts, it has been much easier to handle those temptations. And I’m really starting to enjoy eating more vegetables and fruits, and I know I can always grab something healthy as a between meal snack if I get hungry. You also get to have 3 “extras” during the day (low-calorie items such as 1 cup popcorn, fat-free salad dressings, etc.) and unlimited “extras” that have no calories or are non-starchy vegetables. Knowing I can have all these things helps me say no to the not-so-healthy choices. So those onion rings my husband and kid had last night from a local fast food restaurant? I just said no to them and it wasn’t painful. Instead, I focused on what I was getting to have for dinner and dessert and on my commitment to myself and all of you to successfully lose weight and get healthy.
How do you deal with food temptations? How do you get yourself to make healthy food choices?
Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog. Right now there is a special offer on the Nutrisystem Family Plan so if you have others in your family that want to lose weight together with you, this is a great time to check it out!
FTC Disclosure: I was selected to participate in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program which includes receiving meals, support, and program materials related to the Women’s Nutrisystem Success program in exchange for my honest reviews and opinions about the program through blog posts, videos, and social media posts. I have received no compensation and am under no obligation to provide favorable reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
First of all, I’m so excited for you! I think it takes a lot to commit to a lifestyle change and it sounds like you’re doing fab…no surprise there! Woohoo, Tamara!
Dealing with food temptation is a beast! I try really hard to be a good gatekeeper in our home. I keep a weekly menu from which I derive my weekly grocery list. I find that, if I don’t have access to it in the house, I eat less of it. Also, I limit going out an about, not only to save money on gas and aimless shopping, but to remove the temptation to grab a snack here and there. I *try* to pack a water bottle and healthy snack for each of us when we do head out for a long errands day…that helps too.
Thanks, Adrianna, for your encouragement, support, and great tips! Those are all good ideas!