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.

Third Month Order Review:

My food was automatically ordered on 8/26/09. It included 4 weeks worth of food- 112 items.

Apple Strudel Scone	5
Berries & Multigrain Flakes	2
Blueberry Flavored Pancake Mix	1
Chocolate Chip Scone	4
Cranberry Granola Bar	2
Lowfat Granola Cereal	5
Pancake Mix	2
Black Beans and Rice	4
Black Bean Tortilla Soup	5
Chicken and Pasta in Cacciatore Sauce	1
Fudge Graham Bar	7
Red Beans and Rice with Sausage	5
Split Pea Soup	3
Flatbread Pizza	5
Grilled Chicken Breast	7
Chocolate Chip Cookie	1
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pudding	4
Chocolate Crunch Bar	7
Milk Chocolatey Delight Bar	3
Mint Chocolate Crunch Bar	8
NutriChocolates	2
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie	2
Cranberry Orange Pastry	2
Thick Crust Pizza	5
Macaroni & Cheese	2
Vegetable Fajita	4
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bar	5
Chicken Salad	3
Rotini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce	3
Swedish Meatballs with Pasta in Sauce	1
Peanut Butter Cookie	1
Zesty Cajun Style Chicken and Sausage with Brown Rice	1

RESULTS:

* Speed: 10/10- Record breaking delivery- 2 days!
*Accuracy: 5/10-
I am sorry to say that this time Nutrisystem did not do well on the accuracy level. They sent me an extra Chocolate Crunch Bar- which when I called they told me to enjoy it. But the sad substitution from my original order is that they did not send me any Flat Bread Pizzas. Instead they put in extra amount of Sourdough Pizza. I really wouldn't have minded if they had sent the Thick Crust Pizza, since I think it is as good as the Flat Bread. Instead I got a good yet not as good as my original order item.

Again the order included 28 free items: Like the last time, the majority of the items matched my order with a few exceptions:
1 Bag Barbecue Soy Chips (Third bag- they have now moved to the garage in my disposable food storage.)
1 Bag White Cheddar Soy Chips (Same note as above)
2 Hardy Beef Stew (Same note as above except it has an amazing shelf life, so it won't be hitting the trash any time soon.)
1 Chicken Noodle Soup
1 Blueberry Muffin (I think I ranted enough about this item. Also in food storage)
1 Chocolate Peanut Butter Lunch Bar
1 Chicken Breast Patty (In food storage. My Papillion seems to like it well enough, I've put it in her 72 hour kit.)
1 Macaroni and Cheese with Beef
1 Chocolate Raspberry Lunch Bar
2- Pretzels
1- NutriFrosted Crunch Cereal
2- Nuriflakes 40% Bran Cereal
1- White Chocolate Chunk Cookie

(The free items are all completely the same as last time. They seem like more because I ordered many of the items in August that I didn't order in September, but they are the same list of items. Good to know if you are getting the 3 months free food.)

* Quality: 10/10- Everything in the box was in really good condition this time. There were no broken or crunched packages. The candy bars were not completely melted. :) What can I say? It was 102 when the guy delivered it.

Day 43:

My weight is now at 153.6. I'm officially at my lowest weight in two years. Granted it is only by .4 pounds, but I don't care. :) Everything from this point forward is fantastic! The inches and weight loss now pretty heavily conclude that Nutrisystem at least for me is far more effective than me doing my own diet planning. There is still a question about how much I will lose between now and October, and I'm also curious if the weight will stay off once I'm finished with the program. I still have a month and a half to go.

The weight loss seems to be slow, at least for me. I'm not entirely sure I will meet my goal of 130; however, I hope to reach the healthy loss of 136. That would equal roughly two pounds per week average.

Time for some Food Reviews:

Mint Chocolate Crunch Bar 39/40 ++++

I think this is my favorite of all the deserts. I especially love it frozen.

Visual Appeal: 9/10-

The bar again loses points simply because of the melting problem. This caused a bit of discoloration and a good portion of the bar flaked off when unwrapping it. Still, once my little place on the planet descends to a reasonable daily temperature this will not be a problem.

Smell: 10/10-

You can really smell the mint in this bar. It reminds me of the Girl Scout Cookie- Thin Mints. It has that same rich dark chocolate and cool mint smell. Lovely.

Taste: 10/10-

One of the things that I had to give away to start this diet, was my supply of Thin Mints. I've been addicted to them ever since I was a Girl Scout. I am happy to report that the Mint Crunch Bar is the answer!!! It tastes and crunches close enough that my cravings are happy! Yum!

Texture: 10/10-

Texture to the bar is nice. I like having the crisps in the bar, it gives it a satisfying crunch when you eat it. The chocolate is rich and smooth. I should mention is is also quite dark. I know some people are not fond of Dark Chocolate.

Sourdough Pizza with Cheese 37/40 +++1/2

Visual Appeal: 10/10-

This pizza reminds me of the Flat Bread Pizza except it is quite a bit thinner. Again, you are able to make your own decisions about how much cheese and sauce to put on your pizza. I love these little packets! They really need to do this with their pasta!

Smell: 10/10-

Again, the smell is very similar to the Flat Bread. There is the faint sour smell from the dough- though it is not particularly strong.

Taste: 8/10-

Not my favorite of the pizzas. The sourdough gives the pizza an odd aftertaste with which I'm not quite comfortable. The sauce and the cheese are good, and I like the overall combination. I think I just don't like sourdough crust.

Texture: 9/10-

Texture is great! The crust is firm but not crunchy. The cheese melted nicely, though it took a minute or so longer than the directions. All in all quite good.

Vegetable Fajita 28/40 +++

Visual Appeal: 4/10-

Ok... I have to admit this one looks really odd. Mixed in with the vegetables are these little chunks of soy that have been coated in spices. They almost look wormy. The spices and the sauce becomes a sort of pale yellowish brown. It really looks like something that you would not want to eat-- at all.

Smell: 10/10-

The smell is good. If I close my eyes this really has a nice combination of spices. I can really smell the garlic, paprika, and cumin. It smells very warm and inviting.

Taste: 7/10-

This could have more heat and a bit more flavor. I don't really mind the tofu bits in the fajita. I know they bother some people who are expecting chicken. Generally I crank it up a bit by adding some Cajun spice to it, and it has quickly become one of the meals I eat when I'm really hungry because there is so much to it. The spices are rich generally and I like the southern flavors.

Texture: 7/10-

Ok... the tofu is weird and is a little like eating packing peanuts in your meal. I don't think you can get away from that. The beans and other vegetables are really nice though. It is a little messy and If you don't know how to prepare a tortilla you may find it messy. You have to heat the tortilla. I use some fat free Pam in an omelet skillet and brown both sides slightly. That way the tortilla doesn't break a part when you eat it.

Zesty Herb Snack Mix 36/40 +++1/2

Visual Appeal: 8/10-

Looks like a store brand Chex Mix. Some of my cereal squares were crumbs or broken.

Smell: 9/10-

Smells like Chex Mix. I prefer homemade which includes a hefty amount of soy sauce- but that's not going to happen here. :)

Taste: 9/10-

It tasted alright. I have to admit I'm not a big salty snack eater. I prefer sweet. It tasted like mostly cereal. There was a bit of spice but it was mild.

Texture: 10/10-

It was crunchy and filling. Nothing particularly stood out. Kind of a boring snack.

Day 37:

Ok... I'm in a substantially better mood today. I'm still freaking out mind you... I'm just handling it better. :)

Which brings me to one of Nutrisystem's best things that doesn't really get that much attention. The support groups. Upon entering Nutrisystem, I didn't really think I would be getting involved with the discussion groups. However, after a month of participating with them, I have to say that it is a marvelous part of the program. You can go onto these message groups, have an absolute melt down, and you get back really wonderful support and advice. Perhaps it is just my little July group but... last week I missed a day on the discussion board and I got several messages from people in my group that asked me if I was alright?

It's funny. We're spread out all over the United States, but somehow their camaraderie bolsters me up when I just can't take it anymore or feel like I'm going crazy. I think even without the food or the program- my discussion group has been the biggest advantage in this diet. They helped me through the three weeks of not losing weight- and I felt good about it. And... I have to say, every time someone from the group drops off or disappears-- I really worry about them too. :)

Meal Review:

I decided to try the Mushroom Risotto yesterday. It is a controversial item. Not everyone likes it. Many say that it tastes like licorice. After the debates I read on line I knew I had to try this one for myself.

Mushroom Risotto: 30/40 +++

Visual Appeal: 8/10-
Opening the package, the risotto reminds me of rice pilaf. It is a mix of multi grains of rice mixed in what looks like mushroom soup. There are large pieces of mushroom that look for the world like rubbery canned mushrooms. Not a restaurant quality risotto. (not that I was expecting real Italian rice- but I wished hard.) :)

Smell: 8/10-

The smell is very close to cream of mushroom soup. Now I should clarify- this smells like cream of mushroom soup that is fat free. There is a difference and this is definitely the non-fatty variety. There is a faint odor of anise. (Licorice smell) It hangs above the mushroom enticingly.

Taste: 6/10-

I'm surprised to say that the taste is relatively bland. The anise flavor seems to dissipate as soon as you take your first or second bite. The rice has hardly any flavor and the mushroom soup does just what the fat free variety does. It gives the faint taste of mushroom and then blends with whatever it is with-- unfortunately that is tasteless rice. Every time you eat one of the mushrooms however it picks up flavor again, but mostly mushroom soup. It's a shame. I was hoping the anise would make this a pleasure to eat- It wasn't bad or horrible, but it didn't have me scraping the sauce off the plate either.

Texture: 7/10-

Texture is always an issue with Nutrisystem. I'm happy to say that the rice wasn't mushy, but the mushrooms were rubbery. It was a meal that matched it's look. Beige. Beige flavor, Beige consistency, Beige Beige, Beige... (sigh) I'm disappointed.

Day 34:

I can safely say that I am feeling pretty good right now. The plateau has finally moved into weight loss and I am down 2 pounds in four days. Officially I'm at 154 and my waist has finally hit 28. Yay! Being on the second box is nice. I know that 95% of what is in the cupboard is something that I enjoy eating. I do have to say that the 3 weeks of free food has been a disappointment because they send me so many items that I can't or won't eat. Oh well, it was free. I put it in my food storage. Most of the items have a 2 years shelf life that I have put away. I suppose if the world ends and I'm starving I will be happy to eat that Chicken Breast Patty. :)

I have also noticed that the quality of the food tends to waver. The Mac and Cheese I ate last night wasn't nearly as sweet as the previous mac and cheese. I hope they didn't change the formula.

I have promised food reviews for the past month. I do have to say sorry that I stopped writing the reviews, but the plateau at 156 was getting to me. The last thing I wanted to do was sit down and blog about food. I'm transferring what I can from my notebook. Please be patient. :)

Cheese Puffs: 24/40 ++

Visual Appeal: 6/10-
The cheese puffs reminded me of the bargain brand cheese puffs my mom bought when I was a kid. They are large and covered with a thin coating of cheese. Looking at them, they have a 65% chance of being tasty.

Smell: 8/10-
You can definitely smell the cheese powder in these puffs. It does remind me of Cheetos. Hopefully it will taste as good.

Taste: 5/10-
Cheetos these are not. They are somewhat cheesy but the flavor disappears after about the second chew and you are left with a mushy cereal taste. These puffs are so puffed with air that I feel like I'm chewing Styrofoam.

Texture: 5/10-

Ok the Styrofoam comment stands with the texture part too. Yes the puffs are crunchy. If you are looking for something to crunch these are your things as long as you are not looking for great flavor. Like I said, the cheese flavor is gone before you really eat the thing and you are left with a mushy corn taste. Oh, there is also a slight chemical aftertaste that I found unappetizing.

Mashed Potatoes with Meatloaf and Tomato Sauce: 14/40 +

Visual Appeal: 2/10-

Hmmm.... how to explain the meatloaf? Ok, take ground beef and put it in a nest of mashed potatoes (I think that's what they were). Then spread a dull red tomato paste over the top. I hate to say it but this meatloaf made school lunch look good. This is really a mess to look at.

Smell: 8/10-

The smell is ok compared to the sight of it. The tomato sauce smells sweet and you get the nice smell of cooked beef. Boy the sight of this thing is still getting to me. Who thought of this?

Taste: 2/10-
Weird. That is my first impression. The potatoes do not really taste like anything. They are white goo. The tomato sauce actually has a tinny taste to it (made with canned tomatoes maybe?) The beef is boiled. You put this all together and it's rather off putting. I saved it with some catsup, but still this is bad. Is this Nutrisystem or Airplane food? Six one way half a dozen the other. Still it gets a point because I was able to finish it.

Texture: 2/10-
Eating the meatloaf is like eating something that has sat in water for a few days. Everything felt soggy and sad. The meat was boiled so it chewed like something between wet paper towel and a rubber tire. The potatoes were well paste there is no other word for what I ate, and the tomato sauce was sauce. Not my favorite meal.

Milk Chocolatey Delight Bar: 40/40 ++++

Visual Appeal: 10/10-

Keeping in mind that my box was somewhat melted when it arrived, it's not surprising that the chocolate around the bar was not uniform. The appearance of the candy bar reminds me of a Milky Way. It is approximately the same size and the same color. It looks like a nice dark chocolate. Of course I am a sucker for anything with the words dark and chocolate in them. :)

Smell: 10/10-

Very nice. Smells like rich dark cocoa.

Taste: 10/10-

Wow! The inside of this bar I think got changed by the heat either that or you are supposed to have something the consistancy of fudge inside. Each bite is like you are cheating with this little candy bar. It is so satisfying that I'm saving it for the days when I just have to eat a three musketeers. I can't beleive how good this bar is! Well done Nutrisystem!!!!

Texture: 10/10-
I froze my bar mostly because I like frozen candybars. However, I let the second one I bought thaw out so I could report on my blog. This candybar pulls away like a Milky Way. It is soft and smooth and is wonderful frozen or at room temperature. A definate winner!!

Rotini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce: 27/40 ++1/2

Visual Appeal: 7/10-

Rotini with Meatballs looks like Chef Boyardee is back in town. Tiny round meatballs surrounded by spiral noodles in a red tomato sauce. It looks identical to something that my neice had for lunch from a can. Not very impressive. There are some spices in the sauce but they are sparse.

Smell: 7/10-

Same sweet tomato smell that is standard with Nutrisystem pasta meals. The meatballs don't really stand out as a fragrant player in this meal.

Taste: 6/10-
Hello Chef! Even the meatballs taste like the meatballs from Chef Boyardee. The noodles again have very little taste and as I guessed looking at it the sauce is underseasoned. This is not a bad taste by any means but it is bland and somewhat uninteresting. It is nice to have something with a beef flavor but the taste is fleating.

Texture: 6/10-

Again with the overcooked noodles. I think that Nutrisystem should set up the pasta dishes like they do the pizza. Give us a portion of noodles, the sauce and let us cook it. Their meals would be 80% better.

Day 30:

I am currently waiting for my next box of NS foods. It is out for delivery according to the tracking. We'll see. So far all other meals have arrived on time, so I'm expecting the box today.

I recently found out that someone is actually reading this blog. I suppose I should keep it up better. :) To do a quick update. The first week of the program I lost pretty much four pounds. Then for the past three weeks I've been fighting to get past the 156 mark. Today I had success! I'm officially at 155.2. Which makes me very happy. Three weeks at 156? Why did I stay on the program? Answer: the inches. At my last measuring, I had lost 17 inches total.

So to compare my standard "I'm just eating low cal" diet vs. Nutrisystem after one month: Weight is pretty much the same up until now. I never got much below 156 on the old diet and I still have another two weeks to go on Nutrisystem. Inches are another thing-- On my old diet, by this time I had only lost 9.25 inches over all. On Nutrisystem I have lost 7.75 above that mark and I haven't even measured for this week.

As for the overall food: I have found that Nutrisystem ranges. Some of the foods are excellent. There are some that are not so excellent; however, in the past few days I have discovered the NS Recipe Club. People who add their vegetable portion or their fat portion for that meal and make it into something quite tasty. Given all except two items "Mushroom Risotto", and the "Beef Pot Roast" are new for me, I probably won't be doing the food reviews like I have been in the past- unless I get a great deal of substitutions; however, I will post the recipes with credit to those who created them for my less favorite NS foods. I will try to catch up on the foods that I have not reviewed this week. :)

These recipes are amazing. For example:

NS Italian Casserole by Kate

1 NS Rotini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
2 cloves garlic (free item)
1 t Italian seasonings (free item)
1 TB olive oil (Fat serving)
1/2 C yellow or red bell pepper (Vegetable Serving)
1/3 C Frozen spinach (Vegetable serving)
1/2 C diced tomato (Vegetable serving)

In a frying pan, saute cloves of garlic (or to taste/ I'm very fond of garlic) in olive Oil. Add the yellow/red bell pepper and spinach. To that add Italian seasonings. Once the bell pepper has started to lighten in color add the Rotini with Meatballs to the pan. Stir frequently on a medium heat until the pasta and meat are heated. At the very end add diced fresh tomato. Stir in and let it simmer for a minute or so. I had a dairy serving left from lunch, so I topped the casserole with 1 oz low fat cheddar cheese and let it melt before I put it on my plate. (Though it was tasty without it)

Rotini with meatballs was not one of my favorite meals (21/2 stars)- I need to post my review of it. I'll get to that later today... I played with the recipie and it is fantastic. At least 4 stars.


krnsmith created one of the best uses of the chicken salad (2 1/2 stars) ever! (I was really considering throwing it all away) I don't believe it myself but I'm adding Chicken Salad to my September order, so I can make this again. (five star recipie)

"I mixed the NS Chicken Salad, 1 oz. canned chicken, and 1 Tablespoon of Cream of Mushroom Soup. I formed these into patties and covered as much as I could with crushed Low Fat Ritz Cracker crumbs equivalent to the melba toast.

I sprayed a skillet with Pam and put in my fat of olive oil. I heated it on medium high heat. I put the patties in the skillet and browned on both sides.

I put it on my plate and put 1 tablespoon of the mushroom soup thinned about 1/2 table spoon of water or less and heated."

The blog will be changing a bit but I'll keep it up better. :) Cheers!

Katie

Catch-up Food Reviews

I haven't dropped the site, but I'm now to where I don't eat everything new every day. So I'll do the reviews on the foods I have eaten so far. I don't have pictures for them, but I'll get the ones I reorder in the future. :)

Chocolate Crunch Bar: 39/40 ++++

Visual Appeal: 9/10- I love this bar. I ate it frozen because it melted during shipment. Because of this the bar didn't look like a candy bar. It looked like a melted and refrozen candy bar. :)

Smell: 10/10- Milk Chocolate... enough said.

Taste: 10/10- Reminded me of a Krackle candy bar. It had crisps throughout the milk chocolate. The chocolate flavor was really nice.

Texture: 10/10- Good texture even though it was heated and frozen. Melted well and I found myself running to the computer to make sure I reordered more.

Chocolate Raspberry Lunch Bar: 32/40 +++

Visual Appeal: 10/10- Very similar to the rest of the lunch bars. Bares a striking resemblance to the Gram bar. :)

Smell: 7/10- If you have ever had those candies that are fruit strips covered with chocolate. Usually they are orange, raspberry and lemon. (My grandmother loved them) It smells like that. You can smell the raspberry from the bar mixed in with the chocolate.

Taste: 7/10-

Ok.... I didn't order this one because I know I hate raspberry and chocolate. However, setting that aside it was not bad. There was the perfumy taste I associate with raspberry and chocolate, but if you love those little candies I mentioned earlier, you'll love this bar. For me- not so much.

Texture: 8/10-

Standard Nutrisystem lunch bar. Little heavy but not enough to make a major difference.


Flame Broiled Beef Patty: 25/40 ++1/2

Visual Appeal: 6/10-

Ever eaten school lunch and got the hamburger. It's pretty much the same. First of all you have to rehydrate this one. I don't really understand this because they have plenty of ground beef in other not dehydrated forms. I ended up grilling it on my Forman after reconstituting it.

Smell: 6/10-

School lunch all over again. It did smell like beef and I have to say I have smelled worse burger pattys at fast food chains.

Taste: 6/10-

Um... school lunch. That's the closest I can get to the flavor. Given that it started out as a meat rice cake, my expectations were somewhat low. I will try to make it a little different next time with some liquid smoke, but don't think you're getting Angus Steak House... Nope, Marion the Lunch Lady.

Texture: 7/10-

By the time I got to eating this thing I'd piled on the lettuce and the bun, but I did take a piece out to eat. It's a little chewier than a regular patty. I'm wondering if a vegi or bocca burger might be more worth while???

Macarioni and Cheese: 34/40 +++

Visual Appeal: 8/10-

After putting in the water and the wait time, it looks like Kraft. Enough said.

Smell: 9/10-

Smells oddly sweeter than the Kraft variety, but still has that cheesy I made it for my five year old smell.

Taste: 10/10-

Surprisingly, and I mean off my chair surprising, I liked the flavor of the sauce. Kraft can learn from the people at Nutrisystem. The cheese sauce is yummy. I want to put it over vegetables.

Texture: 7/10-
Texture again lowers the score. Some of the noodles get cooked completely others are crunchy. Thankgoodness none are mush. :)


I'll do more tomorrow. :) Enjoy the day!

Day: 15

Breakfast:
Berries and Multigrain Flakes 37/40 +++1/2

I'm a little leery of this cereal. First, I didn't order it, it was a free meal, second because the cereals have been so off and on good throughout the experiment.

Visual Appeal: 9/10-

Visually again the portion is small but I'm getting used to it. There are dried strawberries in the cereal which look pretty good. Again the flakes range in size and there is also the puffed soy.

Smell: 10/10-

Smell is pretty good. It reminds me of fruity pebbles. :)

Taste: 10/10-

Fruity Pebbles is the word. I actually really like this cereal. It's sweet, it has a good flavor, and it reminds me of one of my favorite cereals from when I was a kid.

Texture: 8/10-

Texture again the soy flakes are a little tough, but I'm getting used to eating them. They don't bother me anymore.

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Lunch:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar 32/40 +++
Ok.. I'll be honest. I *hate* chocolate and peanut butter. Again this is one of those meals that they sent to me for free, and I'm testing it for the sake of the experiment. The bar on the package looks to be dipped in chocolate at the base. Otherwise it looks like a granola bar.

Visual Appeal: 8/10-

Visually the bar looks like the other granola bars except that it is a shade darker brown. The chocolate is fairly dark and I'm guessing my bar melted a bit during shipping. It doesn't look bad.

Smell: 6/10-

Surprisingly the bar has little to no smell. Odd. I would have expected at least a peanut butter scent, but even when I get close there really is no smell- not even the chocolate on the base.

Taste: 8/10-

Like the smell, the flavors are muted on this bar. I could eat it no problem because the flavors of peanut butter and chocolate are not there. There is the vague taste of peanut butter, but the chocolate doesn't really stand out.

Texture: 10/10-

Standard NS granola bar. It is the more chewy variety like the cranberry breakfast bar. It has a good solid texture but it isn't overly dry.

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Dinner: Three cheese Pasta with Chicken 22/40 ++
Again this is a add hot water meal, which has me nervous. From the picture, spiral noodles are accompanied by cubes of chicken, bits of broccoli and carrots.

Visual Appeal: 8/10-
After you've stirred it for the second time it does look like a pretty good meal. At first I thought there was okra in it, but it turned out to be broccoli stems.

Smell: 6/10-
I really don't care for the smell. You can really smell the powdered cheese sauce. Smells a lot like the Mac and Cheese with Beef meal. I can't smell any of the vegetables or the chicken, the cheese is pretty overpowering.

Taste: 6/10-

It is edible and I find myself not minding the flavors. Given that I'm describing the flavors much the same way I would note a cat being in the room, I can't say this is a great meal. The cheese sauce is powdered and overpowering. You can't really taste the vegetables, and the chicken can't be chicken breast.

Texture: 2/10-

Texture is an issue with this meal. First the noodles need a little more time, and I think that's manageable by adding a little more water and a few more minutes to preparation. However, what I can't overlook is that sometimes when I get a bit of chicken it crunches between my teeth. Not acceptable under any standards and after the second time I put it asside despite the fact I don't find it unpleasant to eat.
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Dessert: Honey Mustard Pretzels 37/40 +++1/2
Looking at the honey mustard pretzels in the package, I'm not really reminded of Pretzel Time with their honey and mustard dipping sauce. However, I am reminded of the small pretzel sticks that I used to get as a kid from vending machines.

Visual Appeal: 9/10-

My package was broken somewhere along the line, so most of the pretzels were in pieces. It worked out for me, because I took them to a movie and ate them instead of popcorn. The pretzels are quite large around and there is a plentiful amount.

Smell: 8/10-

The smell coming from the package had a little of that chemical smell which seems to surround any NS food that comes in a bag, but the pretzels themselves smelled slightly sweet and had a mustard scent. They were quite appetizing.

Taste: 10/10-

I was surprised at the variety. At first I figured that there was minimal sweet to the treat, then I bit into one pretzel that had an extra smattering of honey. It was followed by another which was mostly pretzel. It was a nice change up in one bag. I was very happy with it.

Texture: 10/10-

The pretzels had no odd texture and were pleasingly crunchy. :)
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Todays Water:
Exercise:

Day 14:

Breakfast:
Chocolate Chip Scone 38/40 ++++

Based on the Apple Scone, I now have my head in the right place to eat this breakfast. I'm thinking English Scones not Western American Scones. It makes sense, western scones are deep fried. Hardly diet food; however, since I live in the west- it was my first thought. Looking at the package, the breakfast looks similar to the apple scone. Looks like there are a lot of chocolate chips in the center.

Visual Appeal: 9/10-

It looks like a popular English breakfast item that I'm not going to write, because people think it sounds pornographic. Again we have a single square pastry that you break in half in the center. Unlike the picture there are a lot of chocolate chips on the surface. Looks good.

Smell: 10/10-
Upon opening the package I smelled the chocolate. Given, I'm a chocolate lover, that was a plus. The smell actually reminds me of the chocolate, chocolate chip cookie desert.

Taste: 10/10-
Wow... it's oddly like eating cookie dough for breakfast. It has a chocolate chip cookie taste that follows through with each bite. I'm pretty sure the dough feeling comes from the cake like consistency of this breakfast. Again I found a breakfast I would willingly eat as a desert.

Texture: 9/10- Ok, it's a little thick and it does give the impression you are eating cookie dough; however, I like cookie dough so I'm only knocking it down a point. I can presume that there would be people who do not like this texture. For me it works.

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Lunch:
Cheesy Potatoes 26/40 ++1/2

There are people on the websites that swear this is their favorite meal. Then, there are people who say that they can't stand or finish it. Interesting. I personally do not like instant potatoes. I'm a potato lover and I find they just don't match up to the real thing. Looking at the picture these potatoes are cheesy and apparently have broccoli in them. Once again they are a just add water meal. We'll see how it goes. :)

Visual Appeal: 6/10-

Visually they are interesting. I like the broccoli it breaks up the yellowish orange texture. The consistency is lumpy which is a turnoff. I would say that I needed to stir it more, but it was thickening up as I stirred. It was best to let it go.

Smell: 6/10-

The smell is the standard cheese potato from a box scent. It has that fake powdered cheese smell. The potatoes really don't smell at all. Mostly I get fake cheese and broccoli.

Taste: 6/10-

Taste is passable. If you like the boxed potatoes these are exactly the same flavor. Including the odd powdered potato aftertaste. I'm sure I can play around with it to make something I like.

Texture: 8/10-

Texture is not lumpy. The lumps melt away when you eat them. The most you get from the baby food style lunch is a slight graininess to the spoonful. It is easily ignored, but it is still there.

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Dinner: Chicken Breast Patty 10/40 +

Chicken again... I really liked the Grilled Chicken Breast so I'm curious to find out if I like it's sister meal. Once again I'm planning on George Forman-ing my meal. The package is a lot longer than the grilled variety.

Visual Appeal: 5/10-

The Chicken Breast Patty is a little larger than the Grilled Chicken Breast. It is also a funny color of pink- almost salmon colored. Once again we have the painted grill marks on the top. Cooked it still looks strange. It reminds me of tofurky.

Smell: 3/10-

The fishy smell is a great deal stronger with this version of the chicken. Not really appitizing and it didn't wash/cook away with the grilling. There is something about this meal that makes my nose twinge when I smell it.

Taste: 1/10-

This isn't chicken. I don't know what it is but it is not chicken. First it tastes like tuna- spoiled tuna. It also has a strange chemical taste to it. Not good.

Texture: 1/10-

The grilled chicken looked like chicken... this chicken looks like cooked play-dough or spam. I couldn't take more than two bites. That will have to do for the review.

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Dessert: Frozen: Apple Crisp 35/40

This dessert is also not in the Nutrisystem basic lineup. It is one of the frozen meals. I have to say that it looks wonderful and smells wonderful. There is a slight bitter quality to this desert. It wasn't nearly as sweet as I expected. The bitter part felt intentional while I was eating it.

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Todays Water:
Exercise:

Day 13:

Breakfast:
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins 30/40 +++

After yesterday's blueberry muffins I'm a little sketchy on the lemon poppy seed. However, the Nutrisystem site has this huge warning that you can only order one of these things because their so high in demand. This really raises my bar as far as taste is concerned. Looking at the picture there are several small muffins. They all have rounded tops and have an abundant amount of poppy seeds.

Visual Appeal: 10/10-

Opening the package, I'm met with two muffin bottoms similar to the blueberry. They do not look overcooked. They are a nice golden brown.

Smell: 8/10-

Lemon is the abundant smell with these muffins. This again reminds me of the blueberry and the overload of blueberry flavor. It does indeed smell like lemon... maybe a little too much like lemon?

Taste: 5/10-

At first the bite is pleasant. If you only chew twice and swallow you would be fine; however the more I chew the stronger the flavor becomes. I'm reminded of lemon drops. For me, the flavoring is overkill.

Texture: 7/10-

The texture of the muffin, similar to the blueberry muffin has this odd quality where it sticks to your teeth. The lemon muffin is also a little dry when I eat it. I keep wanting to reach for the milk with each bite.

Final say: I think I'll give up my poppy seed muffin to all those Nutrisystem lemon lovers out there. Not my thing.

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Lunch:
Chicken Noodle Soup 30/40 +++

Whenever I think of Chicken Noodle soup, I unfortunately think of Campbells. I have had really good home made soup before, but I'm guessing the quality is closer to the canned variety. Looking at the picture there should be large chunks of chicken, vegetables, and noodles in a broth. Again I'm concerned about the noodles' texture.

Visual Appeal: 6/10-

Visually this soup is odd. At first glance, upon lifting the lid, it looked ok. Then I stirred it and it became thick. There is an odd grainy texture to the broth that is disturbing. The noodles of course look puffy, but the vegetables and the chicken look nice.

Smell: 9/10-

The smell is spot on Chicken Noodle from Campbells. It's not a bad smell. In fact I really like it.

Taste: 8/10-

Despite the odd look of the soup it is surprisingly good. The chicken is moist and is cooked well. The broth is flavorful maybe a bit underseasoned, but all in all good.

Texture: 7/10-

The vegetables are a bit overcooked and thus disintergrate when you eat them- especially the carrots. The noodles are overcooked but not any more than Campbells. The broth though it looks grainy does not have a texture.

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Dinner: Vegetarian Chili 36/40 +++1/2
Since I have had the other chili I think I know what I'm going to get; however, the boards promise that the vegetarian is much better than the standard chili. I hope so. Again I'm hoping for a little bit of spice in the sauce. Looking at the package, it looks as if they have substituted corn, tomatoes, and peas in place of the meat. Should be an interesting flavor combination.

Visual Appeal: 10/10-

Visually this looks really good. This version of the chili is actually darker in color than it's meat filled cousin. It has a lot of beans. The vegetables that I can see really mix in with the sauce. The peas look a tad overcooked, but all in all this looks really good.

Smell: 8/10-

Smells like a good mild chili. You can really smell the tomato base and the beans. I can also smell a bit of red pepper in the sauce; however, it really isn't that strong, so I'm guessing very mild.

Taste: 8/10-

While really lacking in any sense of heat... it does have a good flavor. This chili could be filled out with some spices easily to get the proper chili heat if so desired. The beans have a good full flavor. There are more than just navy beans in this meal and the flavor shows it.

Texture: 10/10-

Beans are really well cooked. They are not overly tough nor are they mush. The sauce is also a good texture, and you can't even tell that you are eating vegetables. Very nice.
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Dessert: Chocolate Fudge Bar (Frozen Treat) 40/40

This bar is not on the regular menu it is one of the frozen specialty items, but it is wonderful. Just like the ice cream truck. eating it really feels like cheating. :)
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Todays Water:
Exercise:

Day 12:

Breakfast:
Blue Berry Muffin 25/40 ++1/2

The blueberry muffin is interesting to look at in the package picture. There are no blueberries in the muffin. It does look like it is in a muffin shape, but by the shape of the package I'm expecting a loaf.

Visual Appeal: 8/10-

I'm surprised. Not only are they round, but unlike the picture the muffins do in fact have blueberries. They look a little brown on the edges and they are missing the famous muffin top. What you have here are really muffin bottoms.

Smell: 7/10-

They smell really sweet. This is not a flavor that I normally associate with blueberry muffins. For some odd reason it reminds me of a strawberry fruit rollup. odd...

Taste: 5/10-
The muffins are really, really sweet. There is also an odd taste to them that matches that fruit rollup smell. It's as if someone went hog wild with the artificial flavoring. There is also a strange aftertaste which lies flat in the mouth. Really unappetizing.

Texture: 5/10-

The the texture is really soft. It almost feels uncooked when you are eating it, though you can see from the side that it is perfectly cooked.

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Lunch:
Tomato and Corn Chowder 32/40 +++

I think the title: Tomato and Corn Chowder is a bit of a detriment to the product. It just doesn't sound good. The picture on the other hand does look good. It looks like a tomato based soup with black beans and navy beans, corn and tomatoes. Once again I'm a bit nervous about the beans. I hope they are not overdone.

Visual Appeal: 8/10-

Upon first look this chowder looks more like a chili than anything. It is a nice copper color. The beans are plentiful, but I'm not seeing a great deal of corn.

Smell: 8/10-

I suppose it smells a bit like baked beans and chili together. Not really a chowder in my estimation. There is most definitely a smokey quality to this soup.

Taste: 8/10-

The taste falls more with the chili or baked beans angle. Not very sweet and a little spicy. I can really taste the smokey flavor. There is no corn flavor to this meal.

Texture: 8/10-

The beans are not bad. It is a rather thick soup... not really what I was expecting.

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Dinner: Grilled Chicken Breast 35/40 +++1/2
I have to say I'm scared to death of this meal. I have to keep going back to the boards where everyone says it's so good. hmmmm...

Visual Appeal: 7/10-

There are two issues here. Before cooking and after. Before cooking it reminds me of a McRib. It's supposed to sort of look like it came from grill; however you are very aware that this item has never seen a grill before. After cooking it looks a bit better. I have read that it is pink inside. Truth, it is white and stringy just like chicken. I am eating it as a sandwich which is the suggested method...it does look good that way.

Smell: 9/10-
Again we have the before and after phenomenon. Before- it really does smell like tuna from a can. It's not particularly rank per say but it is just a odd scent to go with chicken; however, I have smelled the exact same smell from canned chicken, so it didn't bother me too much. After cooking it really did smell good. Nice grilled chicken breast aroma.

Taste: 9/10-
Taste- again I am eating this on a sandwich but I have pulled out pieces and I have to say it is really quite good. This will be one of my favorite dinners I think. Very nice. The chicken does have a bit of a tuna taste to it, but for some reason I don't mind it all that much.

Texture: 10/10-
Texture is great. This is a chicken breast not compiled meat like I've read on the chat boards. I tried to take a picture of it as proof but it really doesn't show that the chicken texture is there.

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Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake Bar 26/40 ++1/2
Being that Strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite desserts, this bar has a lot to live up to. In my estimation strawberry shortcake at the very least should taste like strawberries and cream. Since I'm an angel food lover and I'm pretty sure they didn't go in that direction, it should also have a pretty good yellow cake flavor. Looking at the package I'm nervous. The white frosting covering this bar looks really close to the Apple Strudel Bar and that was not a flavor that I associate with Strawberry Shortcake.

Visual Appeal: 7/10-

Indeed the entire bar is covered in a white frosting. It's thinner and smaller than the granola bars. The frosting is a bit lumpy but that can be forgiven. Not much style to this bar, hopefully it will be made up by taste.

Smell: 9/10-
The scent of the bar reminds me of strawberries so far so good. I can also smell the sugar in the frosting.

Taste: 4/10-

I'm not sure what I'm eating but it is not strawberry shortcake. It reminds me of those pies that you buy that have a fruit filling... like hostess. The white frosting is definitely a deterrent for the flavor and the strawberry filling while it tastes like strawberries is way too sweet.

Texture: 6/10-

Texture is weird and there is a strange residue that sticks to my teeth once I've chewed a bite. Again I'm reminded of fruit rollups. It's like the chef took three rollups and smushed it inside a very sweet candy shell.
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Todays Water:
Exercise: