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:
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.
