NutriSystem - Day 1

Ok so I have officially lived through day one.  Overall I feel ok.  I did get hungry a few times but either tried to have "ok" snacks per the meal plan (baby carrots, string cheese, etc) or plied myself with caffeine (yeah not so healthy but yet effective).  I noticed my energy is down, but I knew the first 3-4 days would be a detox or adjustment period since I'm accustomed to eating crap in great quantities whenever I feel like.   Another thing I've discovered is that I used food as entertainment or something to look forward to. I caught myself thinking "man I have nothing to look forward to tomorrow" since its a Sunday with nothing much planned.  When I had nothing else going on I used food as an event.  Gotta stop that bid'ness!

Ok, so here is what I had today along with my reviews:

Breakfast:

• NS Blueberry Pancake Mix made with 2% milk, & ICBINB spray
  
• Apple
  
• Water

The pancakes were actually pretty good.  Actually really nice - just like normal pancakes.  You don't get a lot.  Enough for either 2 normal or 3 silver dollar-sized.  But that was enough for me along with the apple.  You are "allowed" a tablespoon of light syrup but since I had used 2% milk I skipped that and just used the ICBINB spray.  I felt full and overall good about the meal however we went shopping after and within 2 hours I was very, very hungry. I had to get a coffee to help stem the tide.

Lunch:

• NS Red Beans & Rice w/ Chicken Sausage
  
• String Cheese (Low Fat)
  
• Starbucks coffee (leftover from shopping trip)
  

The main entree was actually really good - a lot of good Cajun spice - and the portion was generous for a diet portion. The chicken sausage was not gristly or overly processed.  Not much else to say here - I did get peckish before dinner but you are allowed one designated "fat" a day so I used mine as an afternoon snack - a teaspoon of peanut butter.  It was really all I needed to not feel deprived.

Dinner:

• NS Flatbread Cheese Pizza
  
• Cooked Broccoli with ICBITB spray
  
• Steamed corn with ICBINB spray
  
• Cherry Coke Zero
  

The pizza was the best thing I remember about my last go round with NS.  Unfortunately it was the most disappointing of my day today!  The serving is VERY small.  I remember thinking the old version (the thick crust) was about the size of a coaster.  The flatbread is about the size of a woman's small wallet (i.e. the kind without a checkbook portion).  I tried cutting it into 4 pieces to make myself feel better but they ended up truly being bite sized.  In addition, I was short on time so I chose the microwave directions and got a rubbery crust. I will do my best to make sure I have time to do them in the oven.  Just to give you an idea of size, these little guys only take 5 mins in the conventional oven - not much there to cook.  The broccoli and corn helped me make it through the meal without feeling bummed.

Snack:

• NS Chocolate Crunch Bar
  

This was the highlight of the day and I remembered the chocolates being pretty good last time so I intentionally saved it for last when I'd get my evening munchies after I put my little one to bed.  The portion was great - the size of a normal candy bar - and the taste was really good!  It didn't have that odd powdery chalky taste a lot of energy or diet bars have at all!  It was a rice crisp bar (like a Nestle Crunch) but also had a bit of an espresso taste.  So far, its 9:00 at night and I'm still "ok".  (And I ate dinner early  - around 5:30 - since I was so hungry!)

Total caloric intake today: 916.6.  Overall I'd give today a B-.  So, one day down.  34 to go!  Oh boy!

Nutri System Take Two - Review

Once again spring is upon us.  So of course once again that means diet time.  After much consideration and weighing of options, I decided on Nutri System.  I had done NS once before about 2.5 yrs ago with great results weight-wise (13lbs in a month) but not so great results otherwise.  What do I mean?  I thought the food was horrid (cardboard and sand as I called it) and I was so hungry ALL the time that, well lets just say I was not a cheerful wife to be around.

So why give it another go?  First, I've heard the food has improved.  Second, I have, since the last time around, become very familiar with diet food and realized most of it is cardboard and sand so you just cope.  Third, I can't argue with the results I got - and that is the bottom line.

When I was thinking of signing back on I looked and looked for reviews of the food.  The only comprehensive one I could find was sponsored by NS itself!  Sooo I decided why not review everything as I go.  I plan to track what I eat each day, how I feel, and how much I'm losing.  I'd like to ultimately lose 20 lbs. 

Today is day one so look for a post tomorrow on today's big start!!