Thursday, January 7, 2010

Back on the wagon - this time with NutriSystem

It's been a year since I've written anything for this blog. After losing about 30 pounds last year I gave up my fantastic new diet and went back to living life in the fast food fast lane. I didn't mean to. It's not like the food is what lured me back. It's the convenience. I live alone, and cooking every day just seemed like a waste of time. Not to mention, it was a waste of food! I never got the hang of buying just the right amount of salads and fixin's so that I could eat it all before it spoiled in my fridge. And where was the flexibility? Sometimes I'd hit the road for a few days, and what then? I'd try making healthy choices while eating out, but it just seemed so unsatisfying, and before I knew it I was back to my old tricks again. "I'll take a number 10 with a large orange drink and a double cheeseburger, please".

Ultimately, I decided to quit my diet, and I figured I'd just abandon this blog forever. So why didn't I just delete all the previous entries? Good question. I guess it's because I didn't want the dream to end. "I'm not just going to flounder here at 400 pounds until disease and heart problems begin start to set in", I thought. "I'm not just going to die alone, choking on a ham sandwich, am I?"

Well, I can't predict the future, but I can certainly say that for the moment it is not my plan to give up like that. My methods were well thought out and based on some really good ideas, but executing said methods and ideas was just, well, not easy enough for me to follow through.

Now, nearly a year since my last entry, I'm ready to move on from my past. I'm not trying to delete it, but rather learn from it. I need something easier. And since I can't afford a person chef, I've chosen the next best thing. I've ordered my first month's supply of pre-packaged foods from NutriSystem. Marie Osmond did it...so can I! LOL. Seriously, though, I did a lot of research into all the different diet plans out there and believe that this one is the right one for me. Here's why:

TOP FIVE REASONS I CHOSE NUTRISYSTEM

1. PRICE. It's nearly half of what Jenny Craig would have cost me, and while I understood where I'd be starting with that program, it seemed so vague as to where I'd end up...and how much it would cost me along the way. NutriSystem is costing me $329 per month for their food (and I still have to figure out the additional cost of fruits, veggies, eggs, etc.). For the first two months I get five weeks of food for the price of four. And after two months the price goes down by five percent.

2. NUTRITION. The person I trust most for issues like this - my friend Angela, who's a nurse practitioner here in South Florida - says that if she were to go on any of these pre-packaged plans it would be NutriSystem. The diet is based on the glycemic index, and while I'm not totally sure what that means I do know that it's geared to keep me from having hunger spikes thoughout the day so I can avoid feelings of hunger and the urge to binge.

3. EASE OF USE. Pre-packaged food is sent to you in the beginning of the month and all you have to do is pop the stuff into the microwave and prepare small portions of fresh fruits and vegetables you've bought at the market to go along with the hot meal. You don't even have to freeze the foods. They're all prepared in some sort of way that you can just stick them in your pantry or whatever. (I'll have more on this later, once I've checked out the foods for myself.)

4. SUPPORT. NutriSystem has an awesome website where you can keep a journal of foods you eat, feelings you're having about the diet, your daily exercise, etc. It's not for the public but for you. You can log all the pertinent information about your body as you lose the weight and track your progress. They also have chat rooms and discussion boards so you can talk with other people going through the process. I've already chatted with some amazing people who are so encouraging and also give you tips on choosing what food is good and what food is, well, not worth trying. And you can select your food, changing your order each month if you want to, right on the web.

5. MARIE OSMOND. How can you say no to this woman? I mean, Valerie Bertinelli is cool and all, but Marie is a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock n' roll! Okay, that's lame, but seriously, when I saw her on the commercial the other night I just got the feeling that if she could do it then I could too. And secretly, I've had a crush on her since I was a kid. Who knows, maybe I'll get to meet her one day after I've lost 150 pounds or something and NutriSystem decides to put me in one of their ads or have me go on Regis and Kelly for a weight loss fashion show or something. Hmmm. A boy can dream, can't he? (By the way, does anyone have Wynona Judd's number? I'd love to start this weight loss journey with her!)

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