My Nutrisystem Journey

"Don't be afraid to try something. If it  fails, you can always try again and  again until you succeed." ~Sonya Parker~ It's Day 483 of Nutrisystem and Day 46  of quarantine. I am no stranger to failure. In fact, for many years I was afraid to try anything new or unfamiliar because I was afraid of failing ! I don't think anybody likes failure and it's not easy to admit when you've failed. Something as simple as going someplace I've never been before can trigger fear (or maybe anxiety?) because I might get lost .. even though I always check the route in advance and use the GPS on my phone to navigate ! Once I've gone and "know my way" the fear of getting lost dissipates and I'm fine the next time I go. So new experiences are always a challenge for me. Trying to get 3 workouts a day in is a challenge. Trying more advanced workouts is another challenge. Today I rose to meet both of these challenges but not with the level...

"The results you see will highly depend  on your discipline in life. Consistency  is the key to success." Day 482 of Nutrisystem and Day 45  of quarantine. Discipline and consistency are probably the 2 things I've struggled the most with over the past 482 days. In the beginning I had 1000 excuses not to exercise. I never faltered when it came to what I was eating but the exercise did not come easily. Let's face it: when you weigh 300 pounds nothing is easy ! You get out of breath, you sweat, your legs are weak, your back hurts. You feel like you're going to die. My first treadmill workout, on February 10,  2019 (Day 38) lasted exactly 5 minutes  and 30 seconds ! Consistency was on my mind this morning because I had such a great day yesterday, unexpectedly getting up early and squeezing an extra workout in. I wanted to do that again today. I was sure I could do that again today. Yet when the alarm went at 6 am I did not get up. When it went off ag...

"If you have a positive attitude and  constantly strive to give your best  effort, eventually you will overcome  your immediate problems and find you  are ready for greater challenges."  ~Pat Riley~  Day 481 of Nutrisystem and Day 44  of quarantine. Having a positive attitude has definitely been a challenge recently but I still take time every day to think about all of the blessings in my life instead of letting negativity drag me down. While I worry about the damage this virus is doing to our country, all I can do is abide by the guidelines and hope for the best. I pretty much ignore 99% of the media coverage because you can't differentiate between fact or fiction. I keep an eye on the local statistics our health departments publish and that's about it. Does that mean I don't care about what is happening ? Not at all. It just means I'm focusing on the things I can control. I find it makes for a much calmer mind. I've always strive...

"You have to set goals that are almost  out of reach. If you set a goal that is  attainable without much work  or  thought, you are stuck with  something below your true talent and  potential."  ~Steve Garvey~ Day 480 of Nutrisystem and Day 43  of quarantine. I never had any real goals until I decided it was time to do something about my weight. Having the success I've had has given me the motivation I needed to push myself into other things, such as fitness. Goal setting straddles a fine line between reality and dreams. I've tried to be very realistic when it comes to my goals because I know myself too well. If I set the goals too high and failed every time it would have been an excuse to give up. I made some mistakes in the beginning and had to adjust my goals. Earlier this year I said I'd like to be at my goal weight by June 30th. I don't think these last 20 pounds are going to disappear by then, but I'm not g...

"Every day focus on your purpose.  Remember why you do what you do.  We don't get burned out because of  what we do. We get burned out because  we forget why we do it." Day 479 of Nutrisystem and Day 42  of quarantine. Today was a good day to think and reflect on my purpose and why I do what I do. I made a life changing decision on December 29, 2018 and I've never regretted it. For the first time in my life I actually made a decision and stuck with it, no matter how hard it got. Three days after I started the program I was faced with the prospect of losing my job. After a few sleepless nights I decided there was no reason not to keep going since I had to eat anyways ! Nutrisystem costs me less than $10 a day (thanks to discounted gift cards from Costco & frequent 50% off sales from Nutrisystem) and I was spending more than that on lunch alone during the week ! Here I am nearly 16 months later, down 130 pounds, and I know why I'm doing this. ...

See how far you've come ? Be proud of  yourself. If nothing else, one day, you  can look at someone straight in the eye  and say: "But I lived through it and it  made me who I am today." Breakfast was a 2.1 ounce 180 calorie cinnamon roll. Power fuel was a 5.3 ounce 80 calorie Light & Fit tiramisu yogurt. Morning snack was a 155 calorie chocolate shake with peanut butter powder. Lunch was a 4 ounce 230 calorie four cheese melt with a chef salad. Dressing added 30 calories. I didn't get around to an afternoon snack. Dinner was a 7.5 ounce 220 calorie chicken fettuccine alfredo that I served over riced cauliflower. I also had a bowl of roasted veggies. Evening snack was a 2.2 ounce 140 calorie lemon zest cake. Total calories for the day are 1035 and I got 64 ounces of water in. Today's highlight was a trip to Walmart. I took the long way there just to get some time out of the house and to enjoy my car. I noticed right away that there wer...

"Gratitude is a powerful process for  shifting your energy and bringing more  of what you want into your life. Be  grateful for what you already have  and you will attract more good  things." It's Day 477 of Nutrisystem and Day 40  of quarantine. I have to say, I didn't expect 2 weeks at home to turn in to 40 days plus with no end in sight. I guess when you're faced with something you've never experienced before it's hard to know what to expect. I'm spending a lot of time thinking about all of the things I'm grateful for, because it helps keep me from thinking about the things we're all missing out on. Two years ago I was preparing to move back into my house at this time. Ten years ago I was settling back into my job at this time, after spending 6 months fighting leukemia. I have a lot to be grateful for. Yeah, it sucks to be stuck at home with everything closed but I'm safe at home and I have everything I need. The...

"Every situation in life is temporary.  So, when life is good, make sure you  enjoy and receive it fully. And when  life is not so good, remember that it will  not last forever and better days are on  the way."  ~Jenni Young~ It's Day 476 of Nutrisystem and Day 39  of quarantine. I'd like to think I was enjoying life when it was good, but after 39 days of the "new normal" it's pretty clear I wasn't enjoying it as much as I should have. While I was making my dinner tonight and lamenting this long isolation I gave myself a little pep talk. I reminded myself that in spite of everything that is going on in the world I have a pretty darn good life. I ran through the list of all the things I have to be thankful for and it was a long one. Yes, I miss spending time with my mom and the rest of my family but that won't last forever. Better days are definitely on the way and I'm looking forward to enjoying them. The past is t...

"The path to our destination is not  always a straight one. We go down the  wrong road, we get lost, we turn back.  Maybe it doesn't matter which road we  embark on. Maybe what matters is  that we embark."  ~Barbara Hall~ It's Day 475 of Nutrisystem and Day 38  of quarantine. Some days it takes me a long time to find a source of inspiration, but this quote jumped right out at me. I have definitely gone down wrong roads and I've definitely been lost, but I feel like I've finally found the right road. It wasn't easy getting here. I may make the Nutrisystem program sound easy but you do have to work at it and it's not all sunshine and roses. There are days I'd like to veer off the road and dig in to some of the things I used to eat. Every now and then I think about fried chicken tenders dripping in ranch dressing. Some days I get a little wistful when I go past my favorite cookies in Walmart. I don't indulge those though...

"You can't do it all today, but you can  do it. Big goals can only be reached  with patience, persistence, and actions  in their direction a little more  every  single day."  ~Doe Zantamata~ It's Day 474 of Nutrisystem and Day 37  of quarantine. Just another day in paradise ! I definitely have big goals and it's true you can't do it all today. I'm nearly 16 months into my Nutrisystem journey and although the goal is in sight it'll be a while longer before I get there. I've taken a break from the scale while I'm stuck at home but I hope to be in the 160's when this is over. I'm so glad Nutrisystem has continued pretty much business as usual because I don't know what I'd have done if I suddenly had to plan all my own meals. At some point I will wean myself off the program but I don't feel ready for that yet. I am working slowly and steadily toward all of my goals and it's paying off so I'm goin...

"Always end the day with a positive  thought. No matter how hard things  were, tomorrow's a fresh opportunity to  make it better." It's Day 473 of Nutrisystem and Day 36  of quarantine. I wish my butt was lounging in that beach chair right now ! That's going to be my positive thought for the day .. lol ! I've found that it takes a lot less energy to be positive, especially now. Holding on to negative thoughts and bitterness can be exhausting and it does more harm than good. In the past couple of years my life has changed for the better in so many ways and those are the things I think about. I just have to keep letting go of the things I can't change. That is what is getting me through this. Breakfast was a 2.1 ounce 180 calorie cinnamon roll. Power fuel was a 5.3 ounce 80 calorie Light & Fit creme brulee yogurt. Morning snack was a 155 calorie vanilla shake with peanut butter powder. Lunch was a 3.8 ounce 220 calorie pepperoni pi...

"Being negative only makes a difficult  journey more difficult. You may be  given a cactus, but you don’t have to  sit on it." ~Joyce Meyer~ It's Day 472 of Nutrisystem and Day 35  of quarantine. I think this crazy virus is the biggest cactus we've ever been given ! I might have sat on it once or twice over the past 35 days but I'm doing my best to stay positive now. I kept busy today and work will keep me busy for the next 5 days and being busy leaves less time to think about all the other things I'd rather be doing. I'm also spending a lot of time thinking about the things I'd like to do such as a little landscaping and fixing up my front porch. Planning that and browsing online for ideas and the things I'll need help pass the time too. So I'm hoping this week will be a better week !  Breakfast was a 2.8 ounce 150 calorie package of homestyle pancakes with sugar free syrup and a cup of butter toffee coffee. Power fuel...