Friday, January 6, 2017

And so we begin:

Order #1- January 6, 2017

So, my order was delayed by a massive storm that struck the Rocky Mountains this week.  It ended up being alright, because I can start the diet on a Saturday.  While, for me, it is easier to do a diet when I am busy on the weekdays, I think this weekend will work out well as a beginning point for this adventure.  

The order arrived and was unpacked in two groups.  I ordered the Core Plan for Women.  This includes the lose 13 pounds and 7 inches in the first month guarantee.  There is an asterisk:

*In a study, avg. weight loss was 11.6 lbs and 8 inches.

Turbo Takeoff Portion: 

Inside the Fedex package there is a red and white box that contains Turbo Takeoff.  Written on the top of the box is "Open me first." Inside the box is the first week of meals.  If you buy the Core Plan, you are not given the option of choosing these foods.  



These look like the same foods that are part of the regular menu except for the crush bars- which you can order separately from ala'carte and the Turbo Shakes that can likewise be ordered separately.  The literature says that you should have a breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack bar, and shake every day for the first seven days of the diet.  It warns that the callorie intake is less than the rest of the plan, so it's important to reduce your exercise during this time.  

My Reaction: 

The food packaging looks better than the brightly colored packages from 9 years ago.  I'm a little nervous to be honest about this particular food.  Some of the items they have put in the box are items that I put on my "do not order" list 9 years ago such as: "The Baked Potato" and "Three Cheese Chicken." Except for the Black Beans and Rice, I'm not very fond of the "cup o soup" style lunches.  I'm also nervous of anything that says potato and sounds like dust in a cup.  There is also the chicken alfredo that makes me nervous.  There is just something about Alfredo that never tastes really good in diet food.  Maybe because it's supposed to be cream and cheese... hmmm....  Last the ultimate evil food has returned to my table... I had a bad instance with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar in 2009.  I won't go into details, but considering this is supposed to be my snack for the next seven days, I'm tenative about the taste.  

The Rest of the Order:

The remaining order is exactly what I ordered.  I based my decisions on two things.  First- did I like it 9 years ago, and second, the general rating on the site.  Even though I will be using my reviews in the future for orders, it was a good way of picking the more popular meals.  In later shipments I'll pick up the rest of the items, unless they are so low ranked I just don't want to try it.  



Again I am impressed with the packaging.  I like the way this food looks.  9 years ago, Nutrisystem looked like the 1980s.  Bright florescent colors and trendy fonts.  The packaging for these new products looks more like home cooking.  From the surface this is a major gain in my book.  The pictures on all of the products looks very tasty with a couple exceptions.  I'll get to those in my reviews...  I especially like the move from the cup 'o soup/ tin can  meals to the pouch meals.  The pouches indicate to me that the food won't have the tin/ plastic aftertaste.  I was a big fan of the red beans and rice pouch before.  Hopefully these pouches are just as good for premade meals.  

All in all everything looks good.  It looks to me that the first seven days may be the hardest.  Fortunately, the meals I picked are after these seven meals.  I think that small bonus on the other side of these meals I didn't select, will help me get through the turbo days.  

I'll be following the instructions.  According to the literature, you're supposed to do 10 minutes of extra exercise every day.  I will probably try for a little more than that, but if my energy levels get in the way, I can push at least 10 minutes three times a week.  

So, here we go.  Wish me luck.  

Saturday, November 7, 2009

November Update:

One of the aspects I wanted to test had to do with the weight gain after you get off Nutrisystem. So, in October I took the month off. During this time, I cooked my favorite foods, ate fast food, and used the skills taught through the weekly and daily classes online.

I can't say that everything went perfect, but I did learn what foods make me gain weight. For example: I can't eat bread. It is an almost immediate weight gain. I was shocked how apparent this revelation was; however, sugars don't seem to make me gain as much.

Once I figured out my hot zones, I've been able to maintain my weight the entire month. I left Nutrisystem at the beginning of October at 147.7 and I'm returning to the Nutrisystem diet at 147.5. Based on these figures I do think that if you use the information from the program, you do maintain your weight.

So why am I coming back? Simple: I'm not happy with 147. My goal is still to get below 130 and I'm going back to Nutrisystem to make this happen. I'll keep you posted. :) The good news is that I did get my little ten pounds lost bear! I'm thrilled! Great incentive.

Katie

Friday, October 9, 2009

October update:

I realize I haven't posted in a while. Things were a bit crazy. They still are, but I have a night to sit and type.

Straight forward answers:

Am I still on the Nutrisystem diet?

Answer: Yes and No. I am continuing to eat Nutrisystem especially breakfast and lunch. Dinner is a bit harder to do, simply because I don't really care for their meals. Dessert is also less often. I'm finding myself less attracted to sweets these days, but it's nice to have something in case I get the munchies.

Have I gained weight since going off the diet?

Answer: No. I'm still losing weight. I reached 147 not long ago. I can't say the weight loss has slowed down any. I was a slow loser anyway. It's averaging about 2 pounds every two weeks. Sometimes it happens quicker than that, but it's not normal.

Would I do Nutrisystem full time again?

Answer: I plan to stay with the program, but most likely I'll only order the breakfasts and lunches. Unless Nutrisystem can pull away from overcooked pasta. I have no desire to eat the dinners.

Do I think the program is worth the money?

Answer: Absolutely! I learned so much while I was on the diet, especially portion control. It is well worth the money to have your eyes adjusted to what you should be eating.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Update:

This was so incredible I had to post. So, this morning I wrote about my issue with the Grilled Chicken Breasts... by 10:00am MST I received a phone call from a Nutrisystem Customer Service Agent, who wanted to see what he could do to help.

Since I'm not even posting on the Nutrisystem site, I have to say that this is impressive. I wasn't able to talk to the agent, because I was teaching at the time, but he was very professional. While it is a little eerie that someone at Nutrisystem is reading my blog and issuing a report that I'm having problems, there is also a bit of comfort in knowing that they are paying attention to what is said on blogs, outside of Nutrisystem, and care whether their customers are happy.

I can think of very few businesses these days where the business contacts the consumer before they report a problem. Can you imagine if this was the norm? Saturn contacts me because I have a problem with my fuel gauge and wants to know what they can do to help? Walmart contacts me about a broken part in a item I just purchased and wants to make things right--before I even repack the item to take it back to the store. That would be an amazing world.

A company that cares... who would have thought? Kudos to Nutrisystem. They get top scores on Customer Service today! I can't believe sour chicken made me more of a believer in this company, but at least I know that they stand by what they sell and want to make things right.

Hats off to all of you CS agents. I'm impressed!

Katherine Wood

Week 11:

Wow, what a week...

The week I've dreaded finally happened. I completely fell off the wagon. Of course, I did start out Tuesday with a touch of stomach flu, which therefore effected looking in the Nutrisystem cupboard.

You know how you can't look at a food, after you've been sick right after eating it? Well this is the problem. I am finally forcing myself to go back to the cupboard, but I really do think there is something wrong with the Grilled Chicken and I'm calling Nutrisystem today. The other chicken patties didn't end up with me sick every time I ate them. I think this must be a bad batch?

Oh well, time to test Nutrisystems Customer Service and return policy. :)

I'm not sure that I can say I completely fell off the wagon either. I more or less just didn't eat anything (maybe one meal) from Thursday to now. I realize that this is incredibly unhealthy, but I just haven't wanted to look at food all weekend. (Sigh)

I also have a new nemesis on the board. Football Season!!! Yes my dreaded foe, who encourages me to snack endlessly while yelling at quarterbacks to throw the ball. Finally the salty snacks of Nutrisystem will actually become something in my program. :)

I am trying to get back on the wagon, but it is difficult this week. I think after two months, two weeks I am finally tired of the program. This is most likely typical, because my Weekly Mindset Makeover- was all about shifting away from Nutrisystem and back into real food. Again I am astounded at Nutrisystem's commitment to change eating habits not have people in the program for life. Amazing! I'll try to get a picture a bit later. No makeup right now. :)

Till next time,

Katie

Monday, September 7, 2009

Week 10

Welcome to Week 10!

I am very excited to write this week, especially since I actually hit 150. I did see 149 briefly but since it was on a scale belonging to someone else, I don't really feel that I can count it. So if I saw 150 why don't I have 150 on my weight? Answer: I've stopped counting a weigh in at first glance. It just makes you depressed when you bounce up a little during the day, week... hour.

Here I am writing on Labor Day. I've spent the weekend making chocolate cake for my nephew's birthday, and helping to run the party. Not the best diet situation, I have to admit. However, my sister is pregnant and I couldn't leave her to do it all by herself. She needed help. I went, and alas I cheated. On the positive side, I cheated only in the- I didn't eat Nutrisystem. Fortunately I ate right. Turkey Subway with all the vegies and no mayo or sauces. I did I'm afraid to say splurge on a piece of birthday cake, and I did have ham. I can't say that this is a falling off the wagon incident, since I knew when I went up there that I was going to eat outside of the diet. I just told myself that I would eat smarter.

However today is another day and I'm ready for the diet again. :) It should be easier coming up. My parents are leaving on a cruise which means Sunday Dinner will be absent for a while. This is good, because no matter how much my father is cooking right, he still can't give up the salt, the carbs, and the butter- especially when my sister and her family comes to dinner.

Because of all the cheating I really was certain that I would gain inches, pounds, etc. I'm still not entirely certain that I won't see some gain. I do have a short delay, but it seems as if playing with the kids all day helped me burn off the pounds.

I am also thrilled to say that I have branched into my skinnier jeans. I put on a pair of jeans that I have been wearing over the last six months and they drowned me. I had to go to the side of the closet where my jeans go when I can't fit into them. I'm happy to say that they fit me without any sucking in. ;)

So in retrospect- this really wasn't the best week for the diet, but I'm continuing to lose weight. I hope this trend continues. I'm into my last four weeks of the diet experiment. I would be delighted to report that I lost ten pounds in three months. Hopefully it is coming. As it is my total weight lost right now is 8.8 pounds and 27.75 inches. Yay!

Katie


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Quick Post:

I broke past the 152 line this morning! Yay! Welcome to the 151s. :) More later...