My Nutrisystem Journey

“Don’t let anyone break your soul. You have to stand on your own two feet and fight. There are those who would do anything to see you fall. Never give them the satisfaction. Hold your head up high. Put a smile on your face, and stand your ground.” I don’t know who said this or came up with the saying, but it is so true. I think we all have toxic people in our lives or on the outskirts, just hoping and praying we’ll stumble. I never give anyone the satisfaction of seeing me fall and believe me, I’ve fallen a lot over the years. I suppose that was the perfectionist in me. In my mind, admitting everything wasn’t perfect was a failure on my part – even when circumstances were out of my hands. I’ve let up on myself a bit but I can’t say the perfectionist doesn’t linger, because it does. I think there’s a fine line between being a perfectionist and being competitive and I am both at times ! I’ll give you an example … weekly weigh ins. The past couple of days the scale has been saying ...

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. ~Steve Jobs~ This is a fitting sentiment today as I celebrated 34 years with AT&T. Yes, celebrated, because I have enjoyed most every moment of the past 34 years. I’m not particularly happy with the direction the company is going today but I am grateful to still be here doing what I feel is great work. I hope to still be here on April 29, 2020 to celebrate 35 years, but if I’m not it won’t be the end of the world. It’ll mean I’ve gone on to something new and exciting and someone else is benefiting from my potential ! I look around my office at all of the talented individuals who will be let go at the end of June. Local employers will be so lucky to get most of these people. Strong work ethic and amazing skills will be going out the door and really, it’s AT&T’s loss. On...

“Every day is an opportunity for a new life. Every day you stand at the tipping point of your life. And on any one day you can change the future - through the way that you feel.” ~Rhonda Byrne~ New life is an appropriate sentiment today, since I went to a baby shower. Babies are such miracles, one that I never had the opportunity to experience first hand. A sweet little girl is going to arrive in June and I can tell you she will lack for nothing and be so loved ! As for me, I think the tipping point in my life was August 9, 2017 - the day after the fire. Waking up at my mom’s with basically nothing, not even my cats. I won’t retell that whole story but that day and every one after it changed my life for the better. Another tipping point in my life was December 29, 2018 when I decided to sign up for Nutrisystem. I don’t know that losing weight will change my future but it is already making me feel better about myself. It’s nice to put something on, look in the mirror, and n...

“You can’t change who you are, but you can change what you have in your head; you can refresh what you’re thinking about, you can put some fresh air in your brain. ~Ernesto Bertarelli~ Photo Credit: John Supan Wise words from the Swiss billionaire. I can’t change who I am but I’ve definitely changed what is going on in my head. Mr. Bertarelli was likely talking about success in business but the same things that make a businessman successful can help you succeed at anything. I had to reach a point in my life where I could focus on losing weight, without noise from other concerns. After everything that went on the past few years I finally reached that point on December 29, 2018. I feel like that day was a turning point in my life. Nothing earth shattering happened that day to lead me in this direction. Those eye opening photos from Christmas had been on my mind and I guess that day I finally decided I was going to do something about it. I had cleared away all of the doubt sw...

“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on or blame.The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.” ~Bob Moawad~ I think December 29, 2018 is the day I decided my life was my own and it was up to me to change it. To improve the quality of it. I was responsible for my weight - no one else. I could make all the excuses I wanted but I decided what went into my mouth, no one else. I decided to sit on the couch every night instead of exercising. So signing up for Nutrisystem was a gift to myself that fateful day. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I don’t know that it will change my life but I know I’ll be happier and healthier. Breakfast today was a 2.1 ounce 180 calorie cinnamon roll with hazelnut coffee. My 2nd cup was french vanilla. Breakfast Power Fuel was an 80 calorie stic...

“If you smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow you’ll see the sun shining through for you.” ~Nat King Cole~ A perfect sentiment for this bright and sunny day ! During the dark moments of life I know how hard it is to believe the sun will ever shine again, but it usually does. Today’s sun came with a price though … it was 30 degrees when I left for work this morning !!! WT actual F !! I guess I should be grateful it wasn’t snowing .. although snow showers are in the forecast for this weekend ! O M G !!!! Despite the cold I was happy to see the sun again. 112 days into Nutrisystem, down nearly 50 pounds, wearing jeans 2 sizes smaller and feeling amazing … what more could I ask for ? Last night I actually ordered a hoodie in the smallest size the website offered .. it’s a duplicate of one I just bought and I like it so much I want to be able to continue wearing it once the one I have is too big ! I have NEVER ordered a size 14/16 of anything for myself so t...

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” ~Colin Powell~ This is true for most of us and to me it’s more meaningful to achieve something through your own hard work. Some people have their dreams fulfilled by others, without putting in much effort, and I don’t think it means quite as much. I’ve seen it personally .. someone who had everything handed to them and it meant nothing. It was never enough and they had no regret when they threw it all away. So the hard work I’m putting in to lose weight means the world to me and every little achievement makes me incredibly proud of myself. I’m fulfilling a dream I’ve had for over 20 years. When I started this journey I wasn’t sure I could stay the course. I was afraid I wouldn’t like the food. I was afraid I wasn’t disciplined enough to exercise. I was afraid of failure. It’s been 111 days so I guess all those fears were unfounded. I do like the food. I am disciplined enough to exerc...

“You have the power to change perception, to inspire and empower, and to show people how to embrace their complications, and see the flaws, and the true beauty and strength that’s inside all of us.” ~Beyonce~ I can’t say I’m a Beyonce fan but agree with her sentiments. If my story inspires even one person, that would be enough for me. After all, no one is perfect and we all have struggles. I choose to share a lot of mine publicly now … but there was a time when I did not. I’m glad to have that behind me and I’m glad that everything I share now is positive and uplifting. Well, at least I hope it is ! I try not to sound like I’m preaching, because I’m not. I’m sharing my thoughts and ideas and you have every right to disagree with anything and everything that I might say. I’m not perfect and my life is not perfect but I’m dedicated to improving both myself and my life every day. Losing weight is a daily struggle – don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t. I may make it sound easy but ...

“Don’t rest on your laurels. Don’t count your past failures. The question should always be, What’s next?” ~Edmond Karmon Tour~ Words to live by today. Yesterday was a big accomplishment for me but there is still much work to be done, so I can’t sit back. That’s why it was important to me to work out last night, even though I worked out in the morning and took a walk after dinner. Too often in the past I would reach a certain point and then give up or allow myself to be distracted and just drift away from whatever I was trying to achieve. I always had plenty of excuses. I’m not willing to do that this time around. Getting on the treadmill last night “normalized” the day and will make it easier to stay on track. Some people may not agree with that or may think it’s too extreme, but it works for me and that’s all that matters. That’s not to say yesterday wasn’t hard. It was. I’d have liked a lot more green bean casserole. Or a bigger piece of lasagna. I’d have liked a big scoop ...

“Life only comes around once, so do whatever makes you happy, and be around those who make you smile.” A perfect sentiment for today, since I spent it with my entire family. I wasn’t worried about falling off the Nutrisystem plan because I planned ahead and I knew what I could and couldn’t eat. I should probably say I knew what I “would and wouldn’t” eat, because it’s a conscious decision I made. Many fellow Nutrisystem people went off plan today and ate whatever they wanted, but I couldn’t do that to myself. I worked too hard to get where I am and if I used every holiday as an excuse to overeat I would soon fail. My change in eating habits needs to be an “every day for the rest of my life” decision. I’m only 108 days into that mindset and my goal weight is still pretty far away, so there are still dangerous waters ahead. I packed an insulated bag with some carrots, my water, an afternoon snack, a Nutrisystem dessert and my salad dressing so I knew I was prepared for whatever th...

"Live your life with passion, live your life with some drive, decide that you are going to push yourself. The last chapter to your life has not been written yet, and it doesn’t matter about what happened yesterday. It doesn’t matter about what happened to you, what matters is, ‘what are you going to do about it?"’ ~Les Brown~ I used to feel like I was writing the last chapter of my life, because so many years were wasted. Today I’m committed to making sure these are the best days of my life and I’ve realized the last chapter hasn’t been written. I look back at so many things in my life and wish I had done things differently or perhaps taken more chances. It’s not something I dwell on, it’s more a thought that comes and goes, because I know that yesterday is gone and no longer matters. So I spend most of my time focusing on today and the future. Today I am living my life instead of worrying about the past. Before I stepped on the scale this morning I said “I fe...

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ~Oprah Winfrey~ I’ve never been a huge Oprah fan but if she actually said this I have to say I completely agree with her. Since the fire I have been grateful for everything I have. I can’t say I felt that way before the fire. Before the fire I was consumed by everything I didn’t have. Life was a 24/7 pity party although I pasted a smile on my face every day. Looking back, I’d say I was depressed and had pretty much decided my life was never going to get better. Today is a good day to reflect on that, being that it’s Good Friday. Was there some divine intervention ? Did someone see my need and decide I was worthy of a second chance ? I don’t know .. but whatever it was I am eternally grateful and I think the whole experience has made me a better person. I’m not perfect and if your opinion of me before the fire was negative it probably still is. I’...

“You’re not going to master the rest of your life in one day. Just relax. Master the day. Then just keep doing that every day.” I can get behind these words ! Focus on today and make it a great day instead of worrying about what you did or didn’t do yesterday or what you might or might not do tomorrow. You can’t change yesterday but you can learn from it and make today better. In turn, tomorrow will be better too ! Today illustrates why I need to spend some time this weekend planning out my meals. I chose an 180 calorie item for breakfast and a 230 calorie item for lunch. That right there is 410 calories. Add an 80 calorie power fuel and my 155 calorie morning shake and I’m already at 645 of 1200 calories. Then add a 170 calorie afternoon snack … 815 calories. That leaves me only 385 calories for dinner and an evening snack. I could have made that work – I have plenty of 90 calorie snack items and some pretty low calorie dinner items but I don’t want to end up with all high calori...