The joys of Nutrisystem

I miss cooking. I really do. With Nutrisystem, cooking consists of putting something in the microwave or boiling water and letting it rehydrate the food. Yeah. So, making a cake for a work birthday was so exciting for me!!! ha ha ha

Anyway, I am down to 1200-1500 calories a day, and it has actually been OK. I think the key is what you are eating instead of how much. Did you know that eating an apple actually wakes you up better than caffeine??? Now, if it could just taste like a Mt Dew I would be set! Eating a huge salad adds about 10 calories- if you just eat lettuce!!! Adding other things to it is great for lunch. Costco has these pre-cooked chicken strips that are SO juicy and delicious. Add 1 oz of those, any other veggie that you want (up to a cup) and dressing. I use regular dressing, because you do need a little fat during the day. Plus, it motivates me to actually eat the salad. Fat free is soooo gross. If you want to use a light dressing there is a brand called Ken's that is totally delicious and you can't tell that their ranch is lite. It's that good! Since I have been eating these salads for lunch I am not having afternoon cravings. Another benefit is when I eat salad for lunch I feel full, but I don't get that pesky afternoon bloat that makes you feel SO sluggish and gross!! Yeah, every once in a while I cave and have my Three Musketeers, but that's like once a week, and then I don't have my dessert bar after dinner. I actually save calories that day!!!

You know what feels good? Getting a new swim suit two sizes smaller than the one you had before and putting it on a week later only to find it fits even better than when you bought it! That happened today. I finally found a cute swimsuit last week- at Walmart of all places- and it was a little tight, but not so much that I needed the bigger size. So I put it on today to go swimming with Ellexa and it was looser than last week. I hadn't worn it yet because the day after we bought it that nice cold snap came through AZ and I couldn't get in the pool since it was raining. It was a great feeling to see that I have lost weight even though we had a very food filled weekend. I tried to hold back and did pretty well, but having a MONSTER steak put in front of me that even just 2 months ago I would have eaten all of and finding after about 5 delicious bites that I was almost completely full already was quite a surprise. So, portion control DOES work.

Great things that come with weight loss:
1. New swim suits
2. Having your friend tell you that you shouldn't wear that shirt because it's too big for you now.
3. Looking in the mirror and seeing yourself getting smaller.
4. Realizing your pants are loose enough now that you don't have to unbutton your them after you eat.
5. Being able to breathe while you are walking... and keep talking the whole time.
6. Having your significant other look and you and go " mmmmmm, you look really good in that!"

So, I have a pretty hefty goal ahead of me. I've already lost 14 (maybe more!!) of the 100 lb loss goal I have. It's pretty encouraging to know that I started Nutrisystem on April 14th and workouts a week later and have lost that much already. As long as it keeps coming off I'll be happy with it. I am really hoping that my skin shrinks with me! That's a scary thought I've had, which I think is part of why it took so long for me to decide to start losing... what if I am left with alot of extra skin? Cross your fingers that I still have good elasticity!!!

My goal every week is to keep moving. Get up every hour and walk around for three or four minutes, even if it is just around the cubicles for a minute and back to my desk. It keeps me alert, I can totally make it look like I am doing something of I have to, and it has actually increased my productivity. Another goal is to stay happy! I have found that the happier I am during the day the less likely I am to cheat. So, I keep pictures of my nieces and nephews on my desk and when I start feeling stressed take a minute to look at their happy faces and I feel so much better!!

OK, so I hope some of this is helpful. Try to stay focused and make small changes every day!

Liz