New Year New Challenge, What Is Yours ?

[alinnell]

Krampus~how long were you a JET? My niece just signed on for her 3rd year.

[bargoo]

I love Oroweat Winter Wheat Bread, of course I love it with as much butter as it will hold. Butter must go ! Yesterday I toasted one slice and ate it with a poched egg. It was very good ! I would have preferred it to have a quarter inch layer of butter on it but found it was really quite tasty with just the poached egg.
I always preplan my menu for the day, I just looked at it and discovered I was allowing myself a Biscotti at 80 calories, I think I am going to skip that it really doesn't sound that good now.

[alinnell]

Bargoo~there are a lot of really good breads that taste just perfect without butter. I remember one that I can't find anymore that was called Polsbo or something like that. It was excellent plain. Yesterday I had a honey wheat bagel for breakfast and put some butter on it and decided that next time, I'll eat it plain as the flavor of the bagel was quite good. It's hard to give up what you normally do but in the overall picture it's probably the right thing to do.

I'm off to day 2 on Nutrisystem. So far the food has been good, although I might eat my dessert before dinner today. I really don't like eating after dinner and I'm afraid that eating dessert every night will set me up for wanting this all the time. I usually have the munchies when fixing dinner, so perhaps if I eat my dessert in lieu of succumbing to the munchies it'll be better for me.

[bargoo]

Allison. it was having desert before dinner that contributed to my gaining weight. The kind of deserts I would choose have a large bearing on that. I don't think I have met a desert I didn't like.

[krampus]

alinnell, I did three years. I think it was the perfect amount of time - any longer and I would have felt totally lost upon repatriation vs. only very lost.

bargoo, I hear you. Desserts will always be my pitfall. Like most of us in this forum, we all know what to do to get to goal and how to do it - but I sincerely believe most of us struggle because of those pesky sweets, especially this time of year.

I failed at the smoking thing, but I did pushups yesterday. I ate a ton over the weekend but still weighed in at 134 this morning. Getting there.

[alinnell]

Originally Posted by bargoo

Allison. it was having desert before dinner that contributed to my gaining weight. The kind of deserts I would choose have a large bearing on that. I don't think I have met a desert I didn't like.

I know. But with this program, you have to buy 28 breakfasts, 28 lunches, 28 dinners and 28 desserts. Too bad they don't offer 28 days of crackers instead of desserts, but I did choose more of the less-chocolatety things (today is an oatmeal raisin cookie). Besides the required purchase foods, we add grocery items like a mid-morning protein snack, and afternoon carb snack and veggies at lunch and dinner. I plan on a hard boiled egg this morning, carrots and celery at lunch, an apple this afternoon and a big tossed salad with dinner.

I like the food and the simplicity of just choosing what I'm going to eat that day but I think this would be just as easy eating a Smart Ones entree three times a day and adding in the snacks. (And probably less expensive as well.)

[traveling michele]

Originally Posted by alinnell

I'm off to day 2 on Nutrisystem. So far the food has been good, although I might eat my dessert before dinner today. I really don't like eating after dinner and I'm afraid that eating dessert every night will set me up for wanting this all the time. I usually have the munchies when fixing dinner, so perhaps if I eat my dessert in lieu of succumbing to the munchies it'll be better for me.

I'm curious about your foods. I did nutrisystem for a few months right before I started weight watchers and lost my weight. I hated most of the food and much of it had to be reconstituted with water. Is that still the case?

[bargoo]

I have done NutriSystem in the past, also, about 2-3 years ago and I didn't like it at all. I do think they offer different choices, now. I really thought the food was mediocre but that may have changed. The new TV ad that is out now indicates they have added a lot of new foods.

[alinnell]

Originally Posted by traveling michele

I'm curious about your foods. I did nutrisystem for a few months right before I started weight watchers and lost my weight. I hated most of the food and much of it had to be reconstituted with water. Is that still the case?

There are a couple of lunch items that come in a cup that resemble a ramen-type reconstitution. I haven't tried those yet. They have soups in packaging similar to Campbell's where you take off the lid and microwave, but no need to add water. So far the only breakfasts that need reconstitution are the eggs and pancakes (DH had the pancakes yesterday and they are MUCH better than the Medifast ones we had last spring). Medifast was 100% in need of reconstituting, except for their bars. I got really tired of doing that. They required COLD water in which none of the powdered stuff really wanted to bind--it took so much stirring and shaking.

They have a new line of "fresh-frozen" meals that I haven't tried yet. They sent us seven each to get us started, probably in hopes that we upgrade to that plan. They actually look better than the shelf-stable foods.

Yesterday for breakfast I had the honey wheat bagel which was really good. Today was an orange cranberry "pastry" (resembles pound cake) that was okay--a little artificial tasting.

Lunch yesterday was chicken salad which I served on lettuce but afterward thought it would have been better on a piece of toast.

Dinner was an herbed flat bread pizza that was quite tasty and quick to heat in the oven.

[ICUwishing]

Liking the NutriSystem discussion! If I were single ... I dearly love food - just not the preparing/cooking. During my college years, and also the years when my spouse travelled constantly, I had no issues with weight. Not so true now! On the other hand, it's all fresh, and it's almost always fantastic. Tradeoffs, moderation! He did mention for the first time in years that he needs to lose a few pounds. We had our house remodeling photo album out when friends were over for NYE, and in 1994 he was about 25-30 pounds lighter. *I* didn't say anything, but his friends did. Mercilessly, actually. Apparently he's not immune to peer pressure! I wonder how he's going to tackle it. Guessing it will be portion control, as I've seen him turn down seconds at dinner twice now.

It's hard to break the habit of daily weigh-ins! Monday was a 157, which seems like a fine place to start. I cleaned and vacuumed yesterday, took a lot of garbage out to the road (destruction debris from the hall bath), and made a lot of trips up and down the stairs putting away holiday mess. Today my left shoulder and calf are complaining; probably a result of the multiple 100 yd trips with two cabinets, three loads of carpet, pad, and floor overlay, and a huge contractor bag full of drywall chunks. And this is just the beginning!

I am very happy to be back at work and in the "normal" routine again.

[bargoo]

Down 3.4 pounds since starting New Year staying at about 1450 calories.

[ICUwishing]

I have a 5:30 appt tomorrow with a CMT. I am really looking forward to getting some help with my shoulders/upper back. As much as I hate to admit it, I think a good portion of these new issues are related to my iPad and its weight and the position one assumes while using it. I did some searching on the web, and discovered that ergonomists were concerned the day the thing was released - there are even posture analyses of Steve Jobs when he was sitting in the armchair with it on the day of introduction! Sigh. At least my other toy, the Kinect, has more positive effects (so far).

[alinnell]

Originally Posted by bargoo

Down 3.4 pounds since starting New Year staying at about 1450 calories.

YAY!!!

I've been averaging around 1500 calories myself. Two days down into it, I'm two pounds down.

[bargoo]

Originally Posted by alinnell

YAY!!!

I've been averaging around 1500 calories myself. Two days down into it, I'm two pounds down.

You are doing great, too. I started one day before you so that accounts for a little bit more lost, I look at this as the honeymoon period I don't expect such a rapid loss as time goes on. I'll take whatever I get, though and be glad of it.

[alinnell]

Three pounds in three days! I KNOW part of it is because I'm cutting down on alcohol. I've been really good at limiting myself to two small glasses of wine each evening (and yes, I do track the calories). Perhaps next week I can go down to one and then who knows?