I have officially been on the Nutrisystem plan for three and a half weeks. And since starting the plan, I've noticed some significant changes.
I'm not hungry.
I'm not compelled to eat sweets and carbs constantly.
I feel slightly better (although currently have a cold and am generally exhausted).
I feel like I have "flipped the (magical) switch", where eating healthy is concerned.
All great things! Right?
While my actual weigh in day isn't until Monday, as of today I'm down 7.5 pounds. Which isn't terrible, considering last week I was only home for two and a half days and it was generally a really hard week filled with travel. (It's a loss of a .5 pounds.) Add to that the fact that most of my travel involved eating all meals out, I am happy to have ended up staying basically the same.
I know I need to work on boosting my exercise but I've had a broken toe, which has stopped me from moving around as much as I would like. Hopefully I'll be playing Dance Central on the hard level in no time, which will have to help. Plus, I discovered the Blueberry Lemon Bars and Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes and am constantly full. In fact, one day at lunch, I wasn't able to finish eating the Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes because the serving was too large and I was full before I finished eating them. That is a new experience for me! Plus, I have been monitoring my measurements and much to my surprise, I am down a combined 4.5 inches!
My hardest challenge lately has been dealing with diet saboteurs. They seem to lurk everywhere, these well-intentioned people wanting to soothe my unusually high stress levels with offers of delicious cookies or lavish dinners. Or everyone wanting to plan outings around food. Why is it we can only make plans that surround meals? I've dodged a few bullets by not ordering in when friends come over for dinner and instead made an amazing Nutrisystem Fajita Salad. But so many feelings are tied up with food, it's hard not to step on toes or sound like a brat when you decline food that well intentioned people are offering. It would be easier for me to never leave the house or adopt vegan eating habits around everyone than to deal with diet saboteurs directly.
I bet you know some diet saboteurs, those people who say, "one cookie won't kill you" or "sometimes, you just need to relax and live". I'm sure they don't mean to try to thwart dieting efforts. At least I hope they don't. I don't think people understand how hard it is for some people (read: me) to make healthy eating choices. I can't just eat one cookie. And once I've started not eating cookies, eating one opens up the path to eating all of them. For me right now, there is no middle ground. Maybe I have a real problem with binge eating. I've never talked about it before, with anyone, so I have no idea. I just know that once I flip the switch, for better or for worse, it's on.
Diabetes runs in my family. I am sure I am pre-diabetic and really need to get my habits and body in check before it's too late. I can handle things on my own, but need some help when it comes to going out with others. Since it's not realistic for me to never interact with friends and family, I needed some help on how to deal with the diet saboteurs in life. I asked Anthony Fabricatore, the Senior Director of Research and Development at Nutrisystem what advice he could give me. (A side note: I've done a lot of diet plans and I don't think I've ever gotten the support I've been getting from NS. No kidding.) Here is what he said:
Some suggestions for responding to “here, if you only eat one, it’s not going to kill you”
- I know one won’t kill me, but when have you ever known me to eat just one?
- I wish I had the control to stop at one! I’m better off staying away.
Some suggestions for responding to “just this one day of not being good isn’t going to hurt anything”
- I’m testing myself. I really want to see if I can get through this. Can you help?
- I used to think that. But I’ve noticed I really have a hard time bouncing back after an off day. I do better if I stick to my plan.
But maybe the most important thing the Nutrisystem counselors conveyed to me was this:
Remember that other people cannot MAKE you do anything. They can certainly make it easier or more difficult for you to eat according to your plan, but ultimately, you are the one who is responsible for your eating behavior. You may feel like you’re doomed to a eat a whole sleeve of cookies or crackers if you give in to someone else’s temptation, but it doesn’t HAVE to go that way. Remain an active participant in your health. You’re in the driver’s seat.
How do you deal with these issues? Any advice? Please tell me! I'm especially getting nervous thinking about how to handle Easter and Passover. I'm all ears. Share!
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I am part of the Nutrisystem Blogger Nation and Nutrisystem is providing their plan and food in exchange for my reviews. As always, opinions are my own. Photo by me.
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