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.
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