Nutrisystem: Prepping for My Second Order

Why I Chose to Upgrade to the Custom Package

Well I know I've hit my halfway point when I get the email from Nutrisystem that my next month is getting ready to ship.  Well I popped on over there to upgrade my account from Favorites Pack (where they make your food selection) to the Custom Pack (where you make your choices). 

Luckily I did because after popping around looking at food I realized they were going to send me a lot of food I wasn't in favor of.  Not that these things weren't good, but for example:

I have a ton of lunch bars and I don't eat those.  I'm unemployed!  I don't need food to be in a hurry.  I will be holding on to those because I assume I might need them in the next month or two, and I will eat them when they do fetch my fancy, but I definitely don't need any more sent to me.

Secondly, they were going to ship me like 8 breakfast cereals.  I am lactose intolerant and though I can have some dairy once in a while, frequent breakfast dairy is not an option. 

Third, the beans!  I've already posted about how I dislike beans.  But man, they were going to send me A LOT of bean lunches and dinners.  Like 2 of every one.  No thank you!

Lastly, the red sauce.  Yes, the soft canned-in-packets, tomato sauces are not great.  I should start off by saying I've found Chef Boyardee to be some of the grossest things I've ever come across, even as a child when everyone thought spaghettios were the bomb.  It's not the flavor--it's the smell.  I can't stand that tomato smell.  And of course, MANY of the Nutrisystem lunches and dinners are heavily laiden with that particular tomato sauce smell. 

So, I went through and picked out my favorites and a few things I've not tried that sound good:

Breakfast
(2) Banana Nut Muffin
          Tried--A bit spongy but fun to eat and filling.
(1) Biscotti Bites
          Not tried--I like coffee though and I know these will work well with my current employment
          status.
(2) Blueberry Muffin
          Tried--Again, a bit spongy but filling.
(1) Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bar
          Not sure if I've tried--all the bars kind of blend together.  But I like a bit-o-chocolate in the
          morning and this is a sure fire way of filling that occasional void.
(1) Chocolate Biscotti Bites
          Not tried--sounds good?  Like I said; chocolate in the morning = awesome and biscotti
          complements coffee well.
(2) Chocolate Chip Baked Bar
          Not tried--sounds good!!  Love me some chocolate and the Cinnamon Baked Bar had a really
          good texture.
(3) Cinnamon Bun (good)
          Tried--It has a pretty bad rap on the internet for not being as good as the frozen version.  But
          how can you pass up something frosted? You can't, that's why you are here with me lol in the
          same boat.  I thought it was pretty good.
(3) Cinnamon Bun Bar
          Tried--I thought it was lovely but again I love anything with frosting.  I thought this was a diet?
(1) Cinnamon Raisin Baked Bar
          Tried--Decent, and I can't just get all chocolate everything (wait till you see my snack
          choices... lol).
(2) Cinnamon Streusel Muffin
          Tried--decent though it has a goofy texture. 
(2) Double Chocolate Muffin
          Tried--more "dark chocolate" then I would like but still awesome just cause it's chocolate.
(1) Honey Wheat Bagel
          Not tried--Everyone online says this is tasty.  Maybe it's because they've been carb deprived
          while on this diet, not sure.  Willing to give it a try.
(1) Oatmeal Cranberry Bites
          Not tried--everyone needs a change of scenery once in a while.  The thing I like the most about
          Nutrisystem is that I don't 50 of the same thing, so obviously I needed to order at least a bit of
          a selection. 
(2) Peanut Butter Granola Bar
          Not sure if I've tried--looks good? probably is good... right? I guess we'll see!

Breakfast--Things I DID NOT Order and Why
Granola Cereal
          Not tried--lactose intolerant.
Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
          Not tried--oatmeal is oatmeal is oatmeal.  My SO buys oatmeal and if I wanted oatmeal, I
          would just eat one of theirs for 1/5 the price as a flex breakfast.  I figure if I'm going to go
          through all this effort to order a diet system, I might as well get foods that feed my eyes too. 
Harvest Nut Bar
          Not tried--I'm kind of done with the bars unless they have chocolate in them. 
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
          Not tried--see Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal comment.
Apple Strudel Bar
          Tried--I actually ate this this morning.  It's OK.  I don't love it.  Like most overweight people,
          fruit is more like a punishment lol.  I like fruit and all but I have half an apple tree of dried
          apples in my pantry right now that are just waiting to be baked into something... I don't need to
          order an apple flavored breakfast bar. 
Nutriflakes Cereal
          Not tried--again, lactose intolerant.
Blueberry Lemon Baked Bar
          Tried--I ate this my very first day on the diet because, again, fruit feels like a punishment.  The
          bar has really good texture and was sensibly sweet and decent.  But of all the bar choices, this
          just didn't really make the cut.  I might change my mind in a future month.
Sweetened O's Cereal
          Tried--ate this two days before my last interview and my belly was still making sounds during
          the interview.  Like I said, I'm lactose intolerant.  Fat-free milk actually has a heckton more
          lactose than full-fat and my belly can definitely tell.  I also don't want to have to keep a gallon
          of fat-free milk in the fridge just for a half a cup at a time.

Lunch
(2) Arroz con Pollo
          Not Tried--Need to try new things and there are very few lunch selections I actually liked.
(2) Cheddar Broccoli Rice
          Not Tried--hopefully good.  This will likely go good with vegetables.
(2) Cheese Tortellini
          Not Tried--doesn't look that good.  I have low hopes, but at least it's not a soup.  I'm kind of
          done with soups.  I go through soup phases every few years, but I am currently not in one so no
          thank you.
(2) Creamy Beef Alfredo
          Not Tried--Looks like it will go well with vegetables.  Didn't love the chicken alfredo, but I also
          might have overcooked it.  We will see. 
(2) Red Beans & Rice
          Not Tried--Yes I know, I said no beans, but this has sausage, and I love sausage.
(3) Spicy Kung Pao Noodles
          Tried--I actually liked these despite what the online reviews had to say.  This is basically
          sweet-ish ramen noodles.  If you add a bunch of stir fry vegetables and some red pepper, it's
          really really good.
(3) Sweet BBQ Sauce with Pulled-Style Pork
          Not Tried--Wow I haven't really tried much.  I will say, most of the lunches I have had were
          terrible, sans three.  I do think I'm going to love the heck out of this though.
(3) Three Cheese Chicken
          Tried--Really good with vegetables.  The sauce goes far and this is a good lunch.
(5) Tuna Salad
          Tried--A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  I love tuna, and I love lettuce wraps.  I took this tuna, added more
          green onion, more water chestnuts, and julienned carrots into a lettuce wrap.  Really, really
          good.

Lunch--Things I DID NOT Order and Why
Double Chocolate Carmel Bar
          Not Tried--I seriously considered ordering more of these because I'm sure it's good, but I still
          have two in my first box and like I said before, I don't need go-go bars... yet. 
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar
          Not Sure if I Tried--it's probably good?  I guess all the bars I have tried have all kind of
          blended into one.  Tastes good? but isn't really the "point" of lunch.  Done with bars!
White Bean Chicken Chili
          Not Sure if I Tried--it's probably decent for a chili, but I'm done with soups/chilis too.  I just
          don't like beans! 
Fudge Graham Bar
          Tried--this was good.  It was a bit chewy for texture but still good.  But like I said, I'm done
          with bars!
Homestyle Chicken [Soup]
          Not Tried--I don't like soup, and I especially don't like chicken noodle soup.  I like chicken
          broth, I just can't stand noodles in broth... always has just seemed like a waste to me.  I'm sure
          it's good though.
White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
          Not Tried--I've heard this is terrible.  I almost ordered some but as I haven't tried it, it didn't
          seem like a good idea.  I do have one in my possession I will eat soon and might order in the
          future.
Loaded Potato
          Tried--terrible!  Absolutely terrible.  When you are actually allowed to eat potato for your one
          daily carb or for a flex meal, it seems like such a waste to have this "potato substitute" of a
          meal.  Horrible texture.  I have one or two of these still in my possession.  I'm going to take the
          powder and blend it in my spice blender, then I'm going to cook it by just adding boiling water
          and letting it sit for five minutes (how you normally make instant potatoes).  One girl on the
          internet said, "I wanted to like it..." and I agree, I very much wanted to love the potatoes,
          especially when I was missing carbs so very, very much.  I will definitely not order again.
Chicken Noodle Soup
          Not Tried--See Homestyle Chicken [Soup].
Tortilla Soup
          Not Tried--I have one of these from my first order, and it looks like it could be good, but it is
          both a soup and has beans.  I will retouch on this once I do get to eat it.
Beans & Ham Soup
          Tried--I ate this the very first day on Nutrisystem because I made sure to spend my first day
          eating the grossest food, instead of saving it all for the end.  With [a lot] of pepper added, it
          was actually good, though I hate beans.  It didn't have the terrible bean texture bean foods
          usually have, and the broth was tasty.  Unless I went to the doctor and he said the one thing I'm
          missing from my diet is more beans, then I won't be ordering this again.
Black Beans & Rice
          Not Tried--Ugh looking at the picture all you can see are giant black beans.  Agghh.
Chocolate Covered Cherry Bar
          Not Tried--I think this might be new?  I don't usually like fruit and chocolate, but I am
          intrigued by this.  I thought about ordering it, but reconsidered on the stance I am decidedly
          not getting any more lunch bars and that is that.

Dinner

(1) BBQ Seasoned Chicken

          Not Tried--looks good?

(1) Chicken Pot Pie

          Not Tried--a lot of good reviews on how tasty this one is.

(2) Fiesta Macaroni and Cheese

          Tried--really really good with sauted peppers.  I ate the first half plain and it was good but the

          second half I added peppers and it was AWESOME.  There is a bit of a tomato smell though

          (ick!).

(1) Hickory Smoke Flavored Beef Patty

          Not Tried--meh? Not sure, don't know what to think.  Looks versatile so we'll see.

(3) Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza

          Tried--really good with cooked tomatoes on top.  Tastes just like a pizza!

(1) Lasagna with Meat Sauce

          Not Tried--I like me some lasagna though and I'm willing to at least give it a try.

(2) Mac & Cheese with Turkey Sausage

          Not Tried--love me some sausage though.  Totally looks awesome and who doesn't love cheese.

(1) Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes

          Not Tried--this one is in high demand and could be good?

(1) Mushroom Risotto

          Not Tried--this looks really really good and I've almost eaten it a few times. 

(1) Penne Bolognese with Meat Sauce

          Not Tried--I know I said no more tomato sauce but who doesn't like penne?

(1) Sante Fe Style Chicken

          Not Tried--looks good and I like to have a tex-mex flavor once in a while.

(2) Sesame Ginger Chicken

          Tried--pretty good but I should have added some vegetables.  Not tomatoe-y which is a plus!

(3) Thick Crust Pizza

          Not Tried--obviously pizza is awesome.  All reviews online say both the frozen and non-frozen

          pizzas are hands down the best dinners of all.

(1) Tuna Casserole

          Not Tried--I like tuna and I'm betting this will be decent.

(2) Turkey Sausage & Bacon Rigatoni

          Not Tried--um sausage? yes please!? plus bacon? whaa?

(1) Vegetable Lasagna

          Not tried--again, lasagna is good and I'm willing to give this one a try.

Dinner--Things I DID NOT Order and Why

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

          Not Tried--Though this looks versatile, I just have never been a "meatball" person.

Rotini & Meatballs

          Tried--good, but I still have a lot of red sauce foods left and the noodles in packets are hard to

          get just "right". 

Chili with Beans

          Not Tried--oh I pray I don't have any of these in my stash right now.  Maybe it's just the picture

          but Jody Grody!  Beans, beans, and more beans.

Ravioli with Meat Sauce

          Not Tried--I have one of these in my stash.  I considered buying more but to tell you the truth, I

          have a freezer full of about 100 homemade raviolis that I've been trying to figure out how to

          both (A) calculate the calories and (B) add these into a flex meal sometime.  Hence, I don't

          need "more" ravioli.

Pasta Fagioli

          Not Tried--it is described on the label as "a vegetarian soup... with beans...".  I'm good.

Hearty Beef Stew

          Tried--this is good, tastes like a normal can of stew.  I might buy this in the future but I just

          don't need any more stews/soups right now.

Vegetarian Chili

          Not Tried--I don't want any more beans!!

Bean Bolognese

          Not Tried--bean is literally in the name.  No. More. Beans.

Chicken Pasta Parmesan

          Tried--I didn't really like this.  The tomato smell was awful and the noodles were meh.

Chicken Alfredo

          Tried--Didn't love it, the sauce was not great.  Also, this has a pretty low rating on the website.

Chicken and BBQ Beans

          Not Tried--Gah I hate beans!  I especially hate baked beans.

Tuscan Inspired Pasta

          Tried--One of the first things I ate was this to get the awful foods out of the way.  It was OK but the beans were huge and there wasn't much flavor.

Snacks

(2) Carrot Cake

          Not Tried--looks good and has good reviews?

(1) Cheese Puffs

          Not Tried--almost ate many times and I think it will be a good Cheetos fix.

(2) Cheesecake Flavored Bar

          Not Tried--call me crazy but I'm crazy for cheesecake.  I'm sad I haven't had one yet, and if

          they are amazing I see many, many more in the future.

(1) Chocolate Cake

          Tried--this is ok.  The chocolate baked goods are always decent, but not as good as you hope.

(1) Chocolate Chip Cookies

          Tried--this is ok.  The small cookies are surprisingly hard.  If you like a crunch cookie that is

          ok, but I personally worked at a bakery so it's hard not to expect the best from baked goods.

(1) Chocolatey Nougat Bar

          Not Tried--sounds like a candy bar.

(1) Chocolatey Pretzel Bar

          Not Tried--sounds also like a candy bar?

(1) Fudge Brownie

          Not Tried--wasn't in my first box and wasn't going to be in my second box.  I assume it is

          something that is more worth the money so they don't give it out unless you order it, hence I

          expect it's pretty good, but we'll see.

(2) Golden Pound Cake

          Tried--was ok.  The baked goods, again, are a bit spongy but was decent.  Very filling.

(3) Milk Chocolate Flavored Pretzels

          Tried--really, really good.  Not many pretzels but very tasty.

(1) Nutrichocolates

          Tried--texture was super weird but it definitely tied me over for straight chocolate. 

(1) Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookie

          Not Tried--soft chocolate cookie yay! 

(1) Peanut Butter Cookie

          Not Tried--soft cookie that looks good.

(1) Snickerdoodle Cookie

          Not Tried--another soft cookie; hopefully good?

(1) Sweet and Salty Snack Mix

          Not Tried--heard good things.  Good if you need a nut fix.

(1) Thin Mint Crisp Bar

          Not Tried--hmm thin mints anybody? Definitely worth trying.

(1) Toffee Crunch Cookies

          Not Tried--hear they are OK but I am willing to give them a try.

(1) Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

          Tried--not as good as other reviewers said.  Very tough/hard.  Tasted buttery and sweet

          though, not diety.

(1) White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

          Not Tried--likely hard like the other cookies but it's white chocolate so it has to be good, right?

Snacks--Things I DID NOT Order and Why

Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Nut Bar

          Not Tried--Just doesn't sound that good.  I don't like dark chocolate.

White Cheddar Popcorn

          Not Tried--I have one of these in my stash still, but I heard some bad reviews.

Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

          Not Tried--If I was just going to get cookies, I would not get the ones with nuts, that's all.

Smoky BBQ Snack-A-Rounds

          Not Tried--heard these weren't very good, plus I'm a sugarholic.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

          Not Tried--no thank you grandma!

Salt and Vinegar Snack-A-Rounds

          Not Tried--I like sugar too much.

Chewy Peanut Bar

          Not Sure if I Tried--all the bars kind of blend together, but the word "chewy" just doesn't sound

          appetizing in this scenario.

Popcorn

          Not Tried--heard bad reviews.

Chocolate Caramel Bar

          Not Tried--doesn't look very good in the picture.  I know, I'm sorry!

Honey Mustard Pretzel Bits

          Not Tried--I know, but I really like sweets!

Garlic Parmesan Snack-A-Rounds

          Not Tried--heard bad reviews.

Coconut Almond Bar

          Not Tried--coconut, gross!

Apple Pecan Bites

          Not Tried--like I said before, fruit feels like too much of a punishment lol.

Zesty Pizza Snack-a-Rounds

          Not Tried--heard bad reviews.

Creamy Ranch Snack-A-Rounds

          Not Tried--heard bad reviews.

Zesty Herb Snack Mix

          Not Tried--looks decent enough though, might try in the future.

Pretzels

          Not Tried--pretzels and?  Oh just pretzels?  I'm good.  I plan on turning my fat-free greek

          yogurt into a few dips though and a nice spinach dip for a protein might pair well with these. 

          We'll see!

I'm a little disappointed I have to make my choices this soon, when I have barely made what feels like a dent in the food I already received (so I don't really know what's good and what's not so good yet).  Obviously after reviewing all my food, I realize I really haven't tried much at all!

Nutrisystem: Day 13

Dear Fat People Video

I've been watching a lot of videos on YouTube lately.  I watched the video "Dear Fat People".  She made a lot of jokes and she theatrisized a lot of things--like comedians do.  It made me laugh.  It wasn't directed at an individual so it wasn't bullying.  We live in a country where even our president bullies people on a daily basis, yet this video was ripped apart by so many... I started to watch the video of the comedian going on The View, and I had to turn it off.  They only brought her on there to tear her apart.  To verbally beat the heck out of her--and I can't stand to watch one sided fights. 

Day 8-13

I'm down 13.9 lbs.  Twice my weight has bobbled in the past week.  Saturday was my SOs birthday party.  We had pizza, breadsticks, brownies, and sugar-free apple pie.  I decided I was going to have one piece of pizza (I decided this a few days in advanced).  It was about 270 calories per piece so I knew I could fit it into my day.  Well I ended up having two pieces and a piece of the apple pie.  All the food was so good and anyone I talked to said you have to have a "cheat day" once in a while, as did this video with BeardedFatLoss.  I made sure I still stayed under my daily calorie intake but of course the next day I weighed a pound more even though I ate 1100 calories.  It makes you reflect on the nutritionist saying "a calorie in is not a calorie out" and other food inequalities.

I also had a venison burger and I used ketchup and mayo and it was amazing two days ago.  It was like 500 and some calories but it was awesome and it was worth it, still keeping under 1100 calories that day.  Both days I went on a 6.5 mile bike ride and a 1 mile run to try to counteract the food choices too.

Calorie Counting and Toxic Habits

I watched this other video and it kind of got my attention from Jordan Shrinks.  I know I've done it before and it's definitely been on my mind.  She mentioned that on her weight loss journey, she eventually had to quit counting calories because they created what she called "toxic habits".  She said that, for example, she would compare a bag of 100 calorie chips to an 110 calorie apple, and eat the bag of chips because it was lower in calories.  I find myself doing this too. 

The reason I've been thinking a lot about this is because I had started eating a lot of whole foods the last six months or so.  I ate about 2-3 cups of raw carrots every day; I was making my own bread with whole wheat, rye, etc. etc.  eating at least a large handful of spinach every day; eating eggs and potatoes and chicken and venison; homemade heirloom yogurt; apples and bananas.  I was cooking or preparing every meal.  I was gaining weight very slightly.  And I know it's not because I was eating whole foods, but as loosing weight is my main objective right now, I've kind of had to mentally let go that processed foods are "bad".  Hence Nutrisystem.  And I guess it's working for now. 

Nutrisystem: Day 7

Diet Season

Almost done with Turbo Takeoff week thankfully.  I'm down 11.3lbs today.  It has been consistently down since starting Nutrisystem, which is nice.  I hate when one day you go down and the next back up. 

I was reviewing my weight map on Fitbit since receiving Aria (the Fitbit scale) for Christmas 2015. Once thing I noticed is that I always start dieting in the fall (I've been doing this as far as I can remember).  I usually start running this time of year too.  Last year at this time I started working harder at the gym every day (I was already going) and counting my calories in the Fitbit app.  I lost almost 20 lbs but I could have kept loosing if I would have stuck to it.  But we started ordering pizza and eating fun food and I stopped logging my intake.  And you can see how I gained slower than I lost, but still consistently gained back to normal.  I know this is because of my food choices and the effort I put in at the gym.  The holidays always kill me too.  I love holiday food.  One year I remember making it thru Thanksgiving eating well and no junk.  Just once though lol.  With the first day of fall tomorrow, I know diet season is about to begin. 

Day 5, 6, & 7

I knew it was coming so I had time to prepare (and panic) but my grandmother in law took me out shopping and to lunch.  I am new to this area so she took me to a town I've never been.  We discussed the different places to eat and I said I didn't mind but would prefer a salad bar.  I figured I could just eat vegetables and use a tbsp. or two of diet dressing.  We went to Big Boy because it has a salad bar.  Well long story short, the salad bar looked terrible and was nothing I could eat within the diet anyway; they didn't have any fat-free dressings; and when I did order a salad from the menu, they covered it with parmesan and croutons.  Grr!!  I picked off all the lettuce with parmesan and ate the rest.  It had pickled beets and pepperoncinis (peppers) which aren't free vegetables, but I was able to use the juices from those too instead of a dressing so I think it was a successful diet outing. 

I was also doing more calculations with the (3) Power Fuels and (1) Smart Carb you have to add each day on the normal plan.  Most protein bars are worth (due to calories) about (1) Power Fuel and (1) Smart Carb.  Most protein shakes are worth (again, due to calories) about (2) Power Fuels.  Even after Turbo Takeoff week, you can continue to eat a protein bar and a protein shake daily and keep within your limits (the only difference is you get a fourth entrée [snack/desert] now too). 

So of course, now that I stepped out on my diet (even though it wasn't really stepping out), I ate some of my other food instead of the Turbo Takeoff food.  I ate a Nutrisystem frozen pizza and it was as amazing as all the reviews said it would be.  It was the turkey sausage something something pizza and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. 

Some Recipes

For the first few days I was eating like six to eight helpings of vegetables, but by now I'm hurting for three.  I don't know, but I think my stomach is finally shrinking. One of the lunch pastas I ate one day, I threw in some Kale Powder.  It tasted pretty good (honestly there isn't much taste to kale powder).  I have always looked for ways to prepare kale and there isn't anything out there other than Kale Chips (which require a ton of oil) and Green Smoothies (which usually require fruit).  So I finally found a Pinterest article talking about drying kale and grinding it into a powder.  That way you can eat it occasionally and without messing up your food.  It works for me. 

I've also been doing a lot of research in how to prepare vegetables in new ways.  I have a garden right now that has a bunch of ripe vegetables and I would love to use them if I just knew how.  One I found was Tomatillo Soup; if you omit the chicken, it makes a free food/free vegetable on the Nutrisystem plan.  The part of that recipe that boggled my mind was the mention of using frozen tomatillos.  Duh!  I grew them to make Salsa Verde, which I made a few months ago.  So now I've got these plants that are doing amazing and producing tons upon tons of tomatillos and have no idea what else to use them for.  I never thought of freezing them. 

I was also looking for a recipe to use up eggplant and something bread related.  I found an Eggplant Tomato Wrap that is all free vegetables except for vinegar (which is low in calories) and chia seeds (which are mostly fiber as it is).  I am going to try this one out today; I'm going to see how little chia I can get away with. 

Nutrisystem: Discount/Referral

Here is a $30 off referral discount.  Based on videos I've seen, it can only be used on the Nutrisystem system and not on an a la carte (piecemeal) order [just an FYI].  Just throwing it out there!

https://www.talkable.com/x/qILUrk

Nutrisystem: Diet Cheating

Day 4

Well down 9.2lbs as of today.  Yes I weigh myself daily at the same time each day.  I've heard so many different takes on weighing ones self.  I've heard only do it once a week, or once a month, or never.  Many people oppose weighing daily because they claim it sabotages one's diet.  They say it convinces you you aren't succeeding, so you give up.  I can understand that.  However, from my personal experience, I don't maintain accountability if I don't weigh myself daily.  There have been many a month that I gained 10lbs to 20lbs and I didn't even notice while it was happening.  Looking back I don't really know how I couldn't have noticed, but I think I was just never that conscious of my outward appearance, at least when it came to limiting my intake. 

I ate the Cinnamon Raisin Baked Bar for breakfast and it was surprisingly good.  Lots of cinnamon and there was like a coating of sugar on it.  I'm throwing together some onion (veg), carrot (veg), and cucumbers (veg) in chicken broth (free) right now instead of diving into my morning snack.  I think just because noon has always equaled lunch time, doesn't necessarily mean that is when I should eat lunch.  I'm excited because I'm finally making a dent in some of the home canned goods I made earlier this year.  I'm also excited to use the canned chick peas to make hummus (1/4 cup = 1 SC) next week when I can start adding in Smart Carbs and Power Fuels. 

Cheating

I've been looking up other blogs and vlogs on Nutrisystem.  Most of the posts are clearly early in the process.  And one theme I noticed with nearly all them is the person is always cheating on the diet.  Literally from Day 1.  "Oh it's not gonna kill me."  Either sugar or creamer in their coffee or dressing on a salad.  Those little things are what got us to these places.  It's like going all day eating fat free this, sugar free that, and carb free whatever.  All these foods counteract each other.  The fat free dressing is high in sugar.  The sugar free syrup is high in fat.  And on and on and on. 

If you do the first day (which you should NOT cheat on your first day of your diet).  If you find that you need that much more, plan to add X number of calories or Power Fuels or Smart Carbs or whatever, but STILL MEASURE IT.  You will not loose weight as fast as you would if you didn't, but you will still likely consistently loose weight.  Throwing a dash of this or an extra one of that is how you quickly loose track of what you ARE doing and find yourself (unhappily) surprised on weigh in day.

The whole reason I have desired to be on this diet for as long as I have is because it's easy.  You literally can't screw up unless you DELIBERATELY sabotage yourself with your extra extras. 

Coffee

Black coffee can be terrible.  I have had some of the most awful coffee.  Even black coffee with any amount of milk or dairy is awful.  But coffee is what gets me up in the morning.  I've had interviews where I didn't drink coffee ahead of time and I could feel this wall in my head.  I consistently do better in interviews when I've consumed coffee.  54% of American adults consume at least one cup of coffee daily (Harvard, 2010).  This has likely increased since that study.  But how do you drink coffee without all the dang sugar and creamer??  I am a sugar addict, but I found I could drink black coffee (and actually enjoy it) when I poured it over ice.  It cools it and waters it down, which really cuts the bitter and makes it taste pretty dang good.  It tastes better than water and is a great way to consume water.  If you want it hot?  Prepare it lighter than you normally would.  Both make it drinkable and I found even when I wanted to add sugar and creamer, it made the coffee taste terrible (it was like drinking flavorless milky sugar water). 

Nutrisystem: What's in a Day

With the newest version of Nutrisystem's program, they follow a new set of rules with terms like Power Fuels (PF) and Smart Carbs (SC).  Previous versions of the diet included the same ideas, but not necessarily in the same terms.  Anyways.

Sample Day according to Nutrisystem

Breakfast = Entrée + 1 PF
Snack = 1 PF
Lunch = Entrée
Snack = 1 PF + 1 SC
Dinner = Entrée
Snack = Entrée

Total = (4) Nutrisystem Entrees, (3) Power Fuels, (1) Smart Carb
Unlimited Vegetables, Unlimited Free Foods, (3) or Fewer Extras

Flex Day according to Nutrisystem

Breakfast = 2 PF + 1 SC
Snack = 1 PF
Lunch = 1 PF + 1 SC
Snack = 1 PF + 1 SC
Dinner = 2 PF + 1 SC
Snack = 1 PF + 1 SC

Total = (8) Power Fuels, (5) Smart Carb
Unlimited Vegetables, Unlimited Free Foods, (3) or Fewer Extras

Ideally, the provided entrées and the flex meals would be interchangeable. Also, it is not recommended to eat more than one Flex Meal on the same day (at least early in the program). I wrote them like above for clarity. Again, ideally, you would stick to a 100% Flex Day when you leave the program in order to continue to maintain or loose weight depending on your situation.

Power Fuels
1 Serving = 80-120 Calories & has 5 or more Grams of Protein

Almonds (2 tbsp.)
Beef, Lean, Trimmed (2 oz.)
Cashews (2 tbsps.)
Cheese, Low Sodium (1 slice)
Chicken Breast (2 oz.)
Cottage Cheese, 1% Fat, No Salt Added (1/2 cup)
Crab Meat (3 oz.)
Edamame, Cooked, Deshelled (1/2 cup)
Egg (1 large)
Egg Whites (1/2 cup)
Ham, Low Fat, Lower Sodium (2 oz.)
Lunch Meat, No Salt Added (2 oz.)
Mackerel (2 oz.)
Milk, Low-Fat or Fat-Free (1 cup)
Parmesan Cheese, Low Sodium, Grated (1/4 cup)
Peanut Butter (1 tbsp.)
Peanuts (2 tbsp.)
Pecans, Halves (2 tbsp.)
Pistachios (2 tbsp.)
Pork, Lean, Trimmed (2 oz.)
Protein Powder, Whey or Soy (2 tbsp.)
Salmon, Canned in Water (2 oz.)
Seitan (1/2 cup)
Shrimp (3 oz.)
Soy Milk, Low Fat (1 cup)
Swordfish (2 oz.)
Tahini (1 tbsp.)
Tofu (1/2 cup)
Trout (2 oz.)
Tuna (2 oz.)
Tuna, Canned in Water (1/2 cup)
Turkey Breast (2 oz.)
Veggie Burger (3 oz.)
Venison (2 oz.)
Walnuts, Halves (2 tbsp.)
White Fish (3 oz.)
Yogurt, Fat-Free (1 cup)

Smart Carbs
1 Serving = 80-120 Calories & has 1 or More Grams of Fiber

Apple (1 medium)
Apple Juice (1/2 cup)
Banana (1 medium)
Barley, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Beans, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Blueberries (1 cup)
Bread (1 slice)
Cantaloupe, Cubed (1 cup)
Chickpeas, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Corn, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Couscous, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Crackers, Whole Grain (1/4 cup)
Dried Fruit, 1/4 cup
Fruit Cocktail, Canned in Water (1 cup)
Garbanzo Beans, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Grapefruit (1 medium)
Grapes (1 cup)
Hummus (1/4 cup)
Mandarin Oranges (2 medium)
Oatmeal, Prepared with Water (1/2 cup)
Orange (1 medium)
Orange Juice (1/2 cup)
Pasta, Dry, Uncooked (1/4 cup)
Pasta, Whole Wheat, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Peach (1 medium)
Pear (1 medium)
Peas (1/2 cup)
Pineapple, Canned in Water (1 cup)
Pita Bread, Whole Wheat, 6" (1 pita)
Plantains, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Rice, Brown, Cooked (1/2 cup)
Roll, Whole Wheat or Rye (1 small)
Strawberries, Whole (1 cup)
Sweet Potato (1/2 cup)
Watermelon (1 cup)
Yam (1/2 cup)

Vegetables
1 Serving = 1/2 Cup Cooked or 1 Cup Raw

Alfalfa Sprouts
Artichoke Hearts
Asparagus
Beets
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery (2 medium stalks)
Collard Greens
Cucumbers
Green Beans
Hearts of Palm
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Mixed Greens
Mushrooms
Okra
Onion
Rhubarb
Spaghetti Squash
Tomatillos
Tomato Juice, No Salt Added (1/2 cup)
Tomatoes
Turnips
Vegetable Juice, Low Sodium (1/2 cup)
Water Chestnuts
Watercress
Zucchini

Free Foods

1 Serving = 10 Calories or Less

Broth, Vegetable, Chicken, or Beef

Coffee, Black

Garlic

Ginger

Lemon Juice

Lime Juice

Green Chilies

Green Onions

Peppers, Hot or Jalapeno

Salsa

Scallions

Spices

Sweeteners, Calorie-Free

Tea, Unsweetened

Extras

1 Serving = 10-35 Calories

Avocado (1 tbsp.)

Chocolate Syrup, Sugar Free (1 tbsp.)

Coffee Creamer, Fat-Free (1 tbsp.)

Cream Cheese, Reduced-Fat or Fat-Free (1 tbsp.)

Honey (1 tsp.)

Ketchup (1 tbsp.)

Maple Syrup, Sugar-Free (t tbsp.)

Mayonnaise (1 tsp.)

Oil (1 tsp.)

Olives (6-7 small)

Popcorn (1 cup)

Pumpkin Seeds (1 tsp.)

Salad Dressing, Light or Reduced Fat (1 tbsp.)

Sesame Seeds (1 tsp.)

Sunflower Seeds (1 tsp.)

Tomato Paste (1 tbsp.)

Nutrisystem: Day 3

While I'm sitting here eating my double chocolate muffin from my Turbo Takeoff package, I'm reflecting on my journey here. 

Pre-Nutrisystem

I'm obsessive compulsive, and that's that.  When I fall into something, I fall in hard.  It's all consuming.  I have done many, many hours of research on Nutrisystem, opinions, videos, foods, costs, coupons, etc. 

That being said, once I ordered Nutrisystem and knew the food was coming, but that it hadn't come yet, I ate everything my heart desired.  I figured, if I was going to go out, I'd go out in flames.  I ate cheesecake, cheese, pizza, coffee w/creamer and sugar, lots and lots of Monster, many Reese's cookie cups, this 600 calorie strawberry cheesecake muffin that my local gas station sells (twice), and an entire bag of cheese puffs.  I wanted to get all of my favorites and desires out of the way for when I started my diet.  So for those six days, I loaded up on food.  I also gained 6.2lbs. 

Now there are a few things to be said about this.  I knew that that kind of junk food weight, especially the immediate weight, is the first thing you loose on a diet.  And low and behold, at the beginning of my third day, I'm down 7.8lbs.  Yeah I know I could be all celebratory, but in reality, it's more like 1.6lbs.  And still that could flex up/down during the next few days. 

I also noticed in that 6 days that my pure junk food diet did more than just make my weight go up.  My complexion took a dive.  It does this from time to time, but I never realized how much this is probably food related.  I also jogged to the mail man when my Nutrisystem arrived (I was excited) and found my chest actually hurt for a few hours and I felt sick to my stomach.  Despite what my weight might be, jogging a short distance like that has never really been a problem.  And lastly, my wrists, fingers, and ankles ached with arthritic pain.  I have never been diagnosed with arthritis or anything, but I have felt it "coming" for years periodically, mostly in my wrists and elbows.  And during those six days, the pain in my joints was so bad at one point, I actually had to take a ibuprofen. 

Day 1

The night before, I picked out each of the foods I would be eating for turbo week, including the shake and the bar, and put them aside.  This way, there was no question.  I also put together 1 cup baggies of carrots and cucumbers for snacks just in case I got hungry (as vegetables are "free" foods meaning you can eat "however much you want"). 

So the beginning of Day 1, before heading out to the woods for opening of Squirrel season, I packed up my breakfast bar, the NutriCrush bar, two bottles of water, and two baggies of vegetables.  I ended up eating it all before noon, not feeling too hungry.  Not really satisfied so much (I ate a blueberry bar for breakfast whereas I would have loved to eat chocolate) but OK. 

I also ate the bean soup to get it out of the way (beans, gross) and I figured the first day would be the easiest.  I added a ton of pepper and it was pretty good.  I cooked up the wax beans with garlic from a recipe in the little Nutrisystem book and thought they were pretty good.  I didn't realize you could cook something like that without at least a 1/4 cup of butter or oil.  Honestly, one of the biggest reasons for getting on this diet is because I really have no idea how to cook healthy.  In fact, I've never seen a vegetable meal prepared by anyone in my family not cooked in oil or butter.  But again, I was surprised by the wax beans and ate them all up. 

By 3 o'clock I was starving.  I ate more vegetables which got me through.  Starving again, drank some herbal tea with lemon.  Went out Squirrel and Partridge hunting, and came back starving.  Finally ate my dinner (chicken pasta parmesan with dry sauted peppers, onions, and tomatoes) then my shake, which I drank too fast and then later went to bed kind of hungry.

They weren't kidding when they said the first week is the hardest.

Day 2

As the turbo takeoff kit comes with 3 lunch bars (literally, candy bars for lunch), I knew I had to make sure I ate on every-other-day so as to not push myself off the edge.  In fact, each day I organize my food ahead of time (takes about 30 seconds).  As the volume of each food is so different, even in the same food category, I try to pare breakfast muffins with lunch bars and big dinners all on the same days.  Opposite days, I eat a breakfast bar, warm lunch, and small dinner. 

So heading out for opening of Early Doe Season, I got winded by a deer.  I'm pretty sure it was the blueberry muffin I was eating (it did smell good though).  Then the NutriCrush bar towards then end of the morning hunt.  They are good by the way, very chocolatey.  Very, very good.  I have a hard time controlling myself around sweets, but geeze those are good.  Luckily they are crazy expensive so I don't feel the desire to sit and mow them all. 

Coming back I was starving and all I was going to be able to have for lunch was a fricken candy bar lunch bar.  So what did I eat?  Steamed broccoli in (dry) sautéed onions and peppers.  It's probably because it's been several days since I ate junk food, but onions are quickly becoming my favorite vegetable.  It's probably because of their sugar content, especially when you cook them, but geeze are they good. 

Once I felt the hunger pains again, towards early afternoon, I ate the chocolate graham lunch bar.  THAT was good too.  Oh man I love chocolate, I love the real stuff, the light stuff, the dark stuff, and even the fake stuff.  Every one of my teeth are a sweet tooth. 

Then I (dry) sautéed literally every different vegetable I could find sans green peppers (I'd eating the heck out of these in the last two days and I wanted a break), but it had purple and white onions, tomatoes, a piece of jalapeno, wild asparagus, the last couple green beans from the garden, mashed garlic, and a bunch of wilted cabbage and added these to the chicken alfredo.  I am finding this diet is very complimentary to getting rid of the last bits of vegetable garden that would have otherwise just gone to waste. 

With the chicken pasta parmesan from day 1, I microwaved it to the instructions, and then added it to the vegetables once they were done cooking.  With the chicken alfredo, I added a little water to make the alfredo go a little farther, and found I had to cook it bit longer than I should have needed to.  With that, the noodles were a bit overcooked :(.  If I could do it again, I would microwave it and add it to the end of the cooking process.  Based on other reading, I think this is the best way to maintain the texture. 

Day 3

I was out very late last night looking for the doe I shot in the shoulder and never found :(, I woke up quite late today.  It is already noon and I have only been up for two hours.  I debate skipping foods and meals, but I know I will regret it the next few days so I shall eat my NutriCrush bar once I'm done.  Oh no, chocolatey goodness and I'm not even starving :). 

Supplementary A La Carte Food

Like I said in the beginning of this post, I am obsessive compulsive and have done a ton of research thus far.  I spent a lot of time yesterday keeping busy in the blind by investigating Nutrisystem A La Carte prices.  I should say, as it is still turbo week, and I know myself well, I am absolutely terrified of screwing up my diet with weekly flex meals.  As this is Month 1, I just don't think I'm ready for that. 

I haven't cheated at all, and part of that is that I know exactly what I am to eat for each meal, sans the added vegetables, but with my package, I'm going to be short 4 days worth of meals (i.e. the flex meals).  I should mention as I have in previous posts, I'm on the Basic Plan, which includes NO frozen food, only pantry items.  So to abide both these problems, I would like to purchase a handful of days worth of frozen food to mix things up a bit, and cover me for the flex days that I don't think I'm ready for. 

I've looked into the different multi-kits provided by Nutrisystem, and I mentally picked out the 'Select 10'.  It is 10 days worth of frozen-only breakfast/lunch/dinner/desserts, including some foods not available purchased in the a la carte package.  As exciting as this package is, a commenter noted that if you picked out 40 meals yourself, it is roughly $4 cheaper than just picking out 40 of your own frozen items.  I found this to be roughly accurate.  Though I am still tempted, I've decided my desire to try the Tiramisu (snack) and the Strawberry Cheese Crepe (breakfast) have pushed me to pick out 8 days worth of food on my own, as well as keeping as few items in the freezer as possible.  8 days will be enough to cover all the flex meals for my first two months [technically Turbo Week has no Flex Meals so actual # of days is 7].

I also found there is a price difference depending on how/when you have this food shipped to you.  Right now, if you have things added to your existing order, you get about 20% off.  However, if you do a separate real time order, you can get 30% off [or 40%] and might be able to take advantage of the free NutriCrush bars advertised through the NuMi app (with $100 a la carte purchase).  When I first added this coupon, it took away my 30% off, but you might be able to make the two coupons work together.  [Update: You can make the two coupons work together, but it charges you $8 shipping for the bars :/].

We are going to the grocery store at the end of Turbo week, at which time I'm going to see what I can find for Nutrisystem foods at Walmart.  It looks like they have frozen foods in the grocery section (which, based on my research, are a little more expensive, which was surprising), but we will see and I will keep you updated.  NutriCrush bar here I come!

Nutrisystem: Unboxing

Ahhh it's finally arrived!  I feel like I've been waiting forever, but technically it's been 6 days since I submitted my order. 

Today, I will be unboxing my Basic Plan with Lean13. 

Here's what the FedEx man brought me today, weighing in a 29lbs on the Fitbit scale.

With the box open.

With the contents spread out.

Oh man I'm excited.  There is a lot of food here.  The large box contains the Lean13 plan food, which is one weeks worth of high protein items, so the rest you see here is 3 weeks worth of food, sans 12 meals (3 breakfast, 3 lunch, 3 dinner, and 3 snacks).  Those days you are supposed to plan what you want to eat on your own, like salad, etc.  Nutrisystem's website has a lot on grocery and meal planning for those days.  There is included paperwork for this in the box, as well as a guide if you go out to eat (though based on other reading, this is only if you have to and not actually recommended).

Going through the meals and sorting each into their respective category (they appeared to be organized in the box but I was too excited and now I must resort), I find myself both exhilarated and terrified.  My first perception of the food is each packet has very little volume.  I feel like this is a plan that can work as long as you stick to it, but I am already scared.  Getting those feelings out of the way, I shall continue to unpack.  Lets go through each grouping together, shall we?

So first things first, the free stuff!  This is the water bottle and shaker bottle that came free with promotional codes (mentioned in my last post). 

WEEK 1

Up next, the Turbo Takeoff Lean 13 box.

Inside the box.

Unboxed.

Counting it out, it contains:

Breakfast [7 total]

...Bars, Ready to Eat
(1) Cinnamon Raisin Baked Bar (1.5oz)
(1) Blueberry Lemon Baked Bar (1.5oz)
(1) Harvest Nut Bar (1.4oz)
(1) Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bar (1.4oz)

...Dry, Ready to Eat
(1) Cinnamon Streusel Muffin (1.8oz)
(1) Blueberry Muffin (2.0oz)
(1) Double Chocolate Muffin (2.0oz)

Lunch [7 total]

...Dry, Preparation Required (Heat + Water)
(1) Loaded Baked Potato (2.0oz)
(1) Three Cheese Chicken (1.7oz)
(1) Fudge Graham Bar (1.8oz)
(1) Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar (1.8oz)
(1) Trail Mix Bar (1.8oz)

...Packaged, Preparation Required (Heat)
(1) Chicken Noodle Soup (7.5oz)
(1) Beans and Ham Soup (7.5oz)

Dinner [7 total]

...Packaged, Preparation Required (Heat)
(1) Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza (3.8oz)
(1) Chicken Alfredo (10.0oz)
(1) Chili with Beans (7.5oz)
(1) Tuscan Inspired Pasta (9.0oz)
(1) Chicken Pasta Parmesan (8.0oz)
(1) Rotini w/Meatballs & Tomato Sauce (8.0oz)
(1) Hearty Beef Stew (7.5oz)

Snack [7 total]

...Bars, Ready to Eat
(7) NutriCrush Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (1.6oz)

Power Fuel [7 total]

...Dry, Preparation Required (Water)
(7) Turbo Chocolate Shakes (1.3oz)


WEEK 2, 3, & 4

Okay, so for the other three weeks, here we go!

Breakfast [18 total]

...Bars, Ready to Eat
(1) Cinnamon Bun Bar (1.4oz)
(1) Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bar (1.4oz)
(1) Blueberry Lemon Baked Bar (1.5oz)
(1) Apple Strudel Bar (1.5oz)
(1) Harvest Nut Bar (1.4oz)
(1) Peanut Butter Granola Bar (1.4oz)

...Dry, Ready to Eat
(1) Blueberry Muffin (2.0oz)
(1) Double Chocolate Muffin (2.0oz)
(1) Cinnamon Streusel Muffin (1.8oz)
(1) Banana Nut Muffin (2.0oz)
(1) Cinnamon Bun (1.8oz)
(1) Biscotti Bites (1.3oz) [Feel a little crumbled in the package]

...Dry, Preparation Required (Fat Free Milk)
(2) Granola Cereal (1.4oz)
(1) Nutriflakes Cereal (1.0oz) [Sound semi-shattered in the package]
(1) Sweetened O's Cereal (1.1oz)

...Dry, Preparation Required (Water + Heat)
(1) Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (1.3oz)
(1) Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal (1.3oz)

Lunch [18 total]

...Bars, Ready to Eat
(1) Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar (1.8oz)
(2) Double Chocolate Caramel Bar (1.8oz)
(1) Trail Mix Bar (1.8oz)
(1) Fudge Graham Bar (1.8oz)

...Packaged, Ready to Eat
(1) Tuna Salad (3.0oz) + Add Your Own Roll

...Dry, Preparation Required (Water + Heat)
(1) Loaded Potato (2.0oz)
(1) Cheddar Broccoli Rice (1.7oz)
(1) Spicy Kung Pao Noodles (1.7oz)
(1) Black Beans and Rice (1.9oz)
(1) Tortilla Soup (1.4oz)
(1) Three Cheese Chicken (1.7oz)
(1) White Cheddar Mac and Cheese (2.0oz)

...Packaged, Preparation Required (Heat)
(1) Beans and Ham Soup (7.5oz)
(1) Cheese Tortellini (7.5oz)
(1) Homestyle Chicken [Stew] (7.5oz)
(1) White Bean Chicken Chili (7.5oz)
(1) Chicken Noodle Soup (7.5oz)

Dinner [18 total]

...Packaged, Preparation Required (Heat)
(1) Bean Bolognese (7.0oz)
(1) BBQ Seasoned Chicken (4.0oz) + Add Your Own Roll
(1) Meatballs in Marinara Sauce (4.0oz) + Add Your Own Roll
(1) Fiesta Macaroni and Cheese (9.0oz)
(1) Mushroom Risotto (8.0oz)
(1) Sesame Ginger Chicken (8.0oz)
(1) Hearty Beef Stew (7.5oz)
(1) Vegetarian Chili (7.5oz)
(1) Chili with Beans (7.5oz)
(1) Pasta Fagioli (10.5oz)
(1) Ravioli with Meat Sauce (8.0oz)
(1) Tuna Casserole (8.0oz)
(1) Chicken and BBQ Beans (7.0oz)
(1) Chicken Pot Pie (8.5oz)
(1) Tuscan Inspired Pasta (9.0oz)
(1) Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes (10.0oz)
(1) Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza (3.8oz)
(1) Thick Crust Pizza (3.8oz)

Snacks [18 total]

...Bars, Ready to Eat
(1) Chocolatey Nougat Bar (1.5oz) [Squashed/Melted]
(1) Chocolate Caramel Bar (1.4oz)
(1) Chocolatey Pretzel Bar (1.4oz)

...Dry, Ready to Eat
(1) Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (1.3oz)
(1) Chocolate Chip Cookies (1.3oz)
(1) Oatmeal Raisin Cookie (1.3oz)
(1) White Chocolate Chunk Cookies (1.3oz)
(1) Apple Pecan Bites (1.3oz)
(1) Vanilla Shortbread Cookies (1.4oz)
(1) Golden Pound Cake (1.7oz)
(1) Chocolate Cake (1.7oz)
(1) Nutrichocolates (1.0oz)
(1) Milk Chocolate Flavored Pretzels (1.1oz)
(1) Pretzels (1.0oz)
(1) Honey Mustard Pretzel Bits (1.0oz)
(1) Cheese Puffs (1.2oz)
(1) Popcorn (1.0oz)
(1) White Cheddar Popcorn (1.0oz)


First Time Nutrisystem User Post-Unboxing: Final Assessments

VARIETY: There is definitely a lot of selection.  The main reason I went with the Basic Plan (where Nutrisystem picks for you instead of you making the plan selections) is because I have no idea what I want as I haven't tried any of it before.  I didn't want to pay extra to pick out what I wanted only to find out I didn't like what I picked.  This way I get to try everything without paying extra, and now I'll know what I want if/when I decide to upgrade to a pick-your-own plan.  I got very few duplicates, which is a plus.

FREEZER SPACE:  I don't have any freezer space and the basic plan is a mix of dry and soft-canned items i.e. THERE ARE NO FROZEN FOODS IN THIS PLAN.  From all the reading I have done, that wasn't clear, but to clarify: The Basic Plan does not include ANY frozen food. 

FOOD CHOICES:  In the last six days between ordering the food and having received it, I have spent a lot of time going through the 'A La Carte' food selections reviewing what future foods I might pick (What can I say? I was excited).  Many of the items that I picked out as foods I wanted to try, I actually received in this first shipment, meaning I got a lot of stuff I would have picked on my own, even though Nutrisystem made all the choices.  I am happy I made the cost-saving choice of the Basic plan as the food is what I would have picked anyway :). 

MICROWAVE SAFE:  All the items that require heat appear to be in microwave safe containers.  The packets can just be sat upright in the microwave (like Uncle Ben's Rice) and many of the dry foods requiring water and heat come in paper bowls (like Cup-O-Soups). 

FOOD SIZES:  I noticed the dinner portions are generally larger, which is good and to be expected.  There are varying sizes though in the same meal category.  This is likely due to caloric reasons.  The meat-based meals (ex. Meatballs in Marinara, BBQ Seasoned Chicken) are smaller and pasta/rice based dishes (ex. Fiesta Macaroni and Cheese, Mushroom Risotto) are much larger.  Luckily the meat based ones you add your own bread/roll. 

ALLERGIES:  Nutrisystem does NOT ask you about your allergies.  So if you have super weird allergies (or even normal ones), you won't be able to opt out of potential issues.  Obviously the foods have nutrition and content information on the packages you receive, so you can look before you eat, but with the Basic program, you won't know what you are getting.  My worst food allergy is shellfish, which Nutrisystem DOES have shellfish selections, though it doesn't look like I received any items containing this allergen.  However, my mother is allergic to mustard, which at least one of the items does contain.  As this food is for me (not her), there's no problem here, but I'm just saying in the event she wanted to sign up too, she might run into issues.  I don't know what Nutrisystem's potential return policy is for this particular problem. 

CARBS:  There is much debate in the food world on whether you should eat no carbs, a small amount of carbs, or a large amount of carbs.  The FDA actually recommends a significant portion of carbs to diabetics, whereas many food organizations dispute this (advocating instead for high fat, low carb diets).  After unboxing my first month of food, Nutrisystem appears to advocate a higher-than-expected amount of carbs.  However, I still have to read further on how one adds their own vegetables, which is required as a part of the plan.

HOW IT WORKS:  There is a large book for what to do if you go out to restaurants.  However, how to eat at home and what to add, etc. is not immediately clear.  This information is contained in the 'Daily Tracker' booklet.  I know from reading on the internet, you should be adding fresh/frozen vegetables to certain meals, some vegetables having a required amount while others add-ons have daily limits.  There is an entire 'program' revolving around certain terminology like 'power fuels' and 'smart carbs'.  As I will be starting the plan tomorrow, it looks like I have some homework tonight. 

Nutrisystem: The Beginning

As I'm sitting here finishing up some frozen junk food, I'm reflecting on why I just signed up for Nutrisystem after all these years. 

I've always wanted to sign up.  It definitely has always appeased my lazy side.  Good food is great but getting there?  Difficult and expensive.  Of course, I go through my phases.  One day I will cook every single meal beautifully and the next I will eat every snack food in the house. 

I was laid off from my new job about two weeks ago.  It has been a rough and long two weeks.  Aside from the lack of physically movement, my cooking ambitions have quickly dissipated.  Even with all this time, I still don't want to cook and now I can't even spend the money necessary to make tasty & healthy meals as town is over 15 miles away and fresh food doesn't keep long.  Or maybe that is just my lazy side talking.

Anyways, after a morning of research and a quick chat discussion via the Nutrisystem website, I was able to obtain the answers I was looking for. 

Taste

First, many websites and reviews indicate the food is either really good or really terrible.  If you are overweight and likely eat for sport or boredom, it looks like the food will be decent.  If you are borderline overweight or if you are the cheapest person you know, you probably won't like the food.  The overwhelming consensus is the frozen food is better than the packaged or soft-canned food.  The food packaging type you will be receiving is unclear if you sign up for the Basic pack (the cheapest option).  I assume it will be a mix of frozen, soft-canned, and dried.  Surprisingly, I hope there will be a minimum of frozen food as my butt will get kicked if I take up too much freezer space (this is a hunting family after all). 

Auto-Delivery

Second, the auto-delivery option is a point of many people's upset.  Pros: There is a discount between 20%-40% when signing up for auto-delivery.  This discount applies to ALL MONTHS from here forward (this was the answer I was not finding but can now confirm).  So if it is $400 "retail price" and you get 40% off, your monthly price is $240 plus a packaging fee ($4.99) and free shipping.  If you sign up on January 5th, you will be charged $240 on January 5th, $240 on February 5th, $240 on March 5th, etc.  This can also be cancelled anytime AFTER the SECOND month charge with NO FEES.  Cons:  As most diets are short lived for many people, it's fair to say Nutrisystem capitalizes on this.  If you don't like it or failed miserably and want to cancel before the second charge comes through, you have to pay back the discount price in the form of a fee.  Most people report a $99 fee, but based on your discounts it could higher. 

Discounts

Right now, you can take advantage of their discount codes.  If you visit multiple portions of the site, eventually a pop-up comes up with an offer.  They vary from $25 off to a free water bottle (Offer Code DRINKUP) to a free shaker bottle (Offer Code FREESHAKER).  If you time it right, you might be able to take advantage of all three.  I was able to get $16.79 off by using the 40% coupon link on Groupon.  How, why?  Not sure but it worked.  [Update: The website was going back and fourth between offering 40% off and not specifying a percentage--when I looked in my checkout basket, it showed 35%, which turned to 40% after activating the 40% off coupon code via Groupon or the website].

Plan

I signed up for the Lean13 Basic plan.  This means (as I've deduced from other sites) that the first week is shakes and bars to 'ready' yourself for the diet plan.  To me this means it going to be tough and it's going to shrink my stomach organ in preparation for smaller meals.  I imagine the idea behind this is that first week you have a lot more will power.  The following weeks will consist of (what I've deduced as) 6 days of meals (random food, i.e. "Chef's Pick" or "Fan Favorites") and 1 day of a "flex" path.  These flex days/meals, you are to prepare food on your own.  First as I hear this I think "sucky".  If I'm going to put all my faith into one of these diets, I don't want to have to be tempted with grocery store visits and candy aisles.  But after considering this further, those flex days will help me reduce the healthy food still in my freezer (that has been in there forever, obviously).  I am contemplating purchasing a 5 or 7 day Nutrisystem meal kit from Walmart to help cover these flex days and any meal I receive that doesn't look/sound the greatest.  I know they have a bean meal and my fingers are crossed they don't send me one.  The "point" of the flex meals though is to allow you to try to make good decisions on your own for when you inevitably move on from Nutrisystem.

The kit should be here in 4-10 days and I will update with all the details as they come in.