My Nutrisystem Journey

“Faith is not something you just have; it is something you constantly have to work toward. Faith is not a feeling; it’s a decision you have to make every day.” ~Al Carraway~ I’d never heard of Al Carraway before today but I came across a blog post of hers (yes, hers ) and it gave me such inspiration. Read it here if you have the time. Deciding to finally address my weight and start the Nutrisystem journey was a big step. Deciding to share it publicly was another big step. Two big decisions made as 2018 came to a close. Two big decisions that I do not regret. Until that first weigh in I wasn’t sure I’d be successful and it was scary. I can’t say I had faith in my decisions that first week. Fear of failure loomed large ! Getting past that first week and being successful helped build confidence that I had done the right thing and could be successful. It took more than that first week to change that “could” to a “would”. Today I have faith in my decision. Today I have faith in m...

“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” ~Roald Dahl~ Ironic to come across this quote today ! Roald Dahl wrote the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, on which the film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was based. He also co-authored the screenplay for the film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, which I was watching last night. These are 2 of my favorite movies ! He’s right about good thoughts. These days I can’t help smiling. If negativity tries to creep in I recognize it faster and beat it back. I have no room in my life for that. Look in the mirror and see how different you look with a smile on your face ! I try to do that every day. Breakfast was a 2.1 ounce 160 calorie cherry cheese roll with vanilla caramel cream coffee. My 2nd cup was triple chocolate. I’ve said this before but it bears repeating – I am still amazed I can tolerate black coffee. I used to say I could never do it but I could, I can ...

“Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.” ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox~ This morning I did something a little different and logged my food for the day all at once. It’s a good thing I did .. because I discovered that 1200 calories per day is NOT going to be as easy as I thought ! With my breakfast, morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack I was already at 847 calories, leaving only 353 calories for dinner and an evening snack ! This is barely enough, considering some dinner entrees have more than 250 calories, so I’m definitely going to have to go through my freezer and put a plan together. I’ll need to pair the higher calorie lunch items with lower calorie dinner items. It can be done but it will take some planning. I’m not willing to give up the peanut butter powder in my morning shake, which is only 35 calories, so I will look at shaving ...

“Devote yourself to an idea. Go make it happen. Struggle on it. Overcome your fears. Smile. Don’t you forget: this is your dream!” When I started Nutrisystem I decided the results of the first 3 months would determine whether or not I continue with the program. Since I’m delighted with the results, finding the program easy to follow and enjoying the food, I see no reason to stop anytime soon. I’m not wishing the time away but I’m looking forward to seeing where I am when day 365 rolls around ! I love today’s quote because the new top I bought (in a size I haven’t worn in 20 years) has “make it happen” printed on it ! I am making it happen ! I buy most of my clothes at the Avenue store or their online shop and their clothes start at size 14. Being unable to shop there would be a dream come true I think. I don’t know if it will happen but it’s a reasonable stretch goal to work towards. I lost another 1.5 pounds this week for a total of 45.5 gone. I also hit a milestone with Nutris...

“Pause and remember - Slow and steady will get you where you want to go. If you put too much pressure on yourself for results too quickly, you will quickly give up.” ~Jennifer Young~ 100 days and 44 pounds. How is it even possible that it’s been over 3 months since I started this Nutrisystem journey ?! I love today’s quote because it is something I actually figured out for myself already. Several times I had to reset my fitness goal because I was setting the bar much too high. I’m going to be on this program for a long time and although fitness is a big part of it I needed to set reachable goals in order to progress to the point where a stretch goal makes sense. I did not exercise last night as I was out late. I didn’t exercise today because I was out all day and honestly, I was tired when I got home. Tomorrow is a new day and I plan to fit 2 workout sessions into the day. Breakfast today was a 1.8 ounce 180 calorie cinnamon roll with french vanilla coffee. Since I was going ...

“If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you can’t just wait to see what kind of day you’ll have. You have to decide what kind of day you’ll have.” ~Joel Osteen~ I know Joel Osteen is a tv preacher who takes people’s money so he can live in the lap of luxury (please, don’t send him any – support your local church or other charity), but he’s a charismatic speaker and every now and then I come across one of his quotes and they make so much sense. Isn’t your day that much better when you roll out of bed with a smile on your face and keep it there all day ? Those are the best mornings ! For me I think the change in seasons has given my mood a huge boost that will last until the snow flies again. So buckle up, because I’ll be spreading the joy for a few months ! It’s Friday … so how can you not be happy ? If you work weekends your “Friday” might happen on a different day of the week but the feeling has got to be the same ! I’m looking forward ...

“It’s a new day, fresh start, fresh energy, new opportunities. Get your mind right, be thankful, be positive and start your day right.” This quote is perfect because I woke up this morning with a new outlook. I am thankful. I’m determined to be positive and I started my day right. I’ve also decided to do something different with these posts. I feel like I’ve beaten the “self-improvement” topic to death and I’m tired of rehashing the past. I’ve let that all go and I’ve moved on to such a good place. I’m approaching 100 days on Nutrisystem and it’s time to think about other things. Fun things ! I’d really like to get into gardening. My yard is basically a blank canvas now and I’d love to have flowers out there. I’ve mentioned before that I’d like to plant some honeysuckle. There’s nothing like that smell wafting on the breeze on a hot summer night. I’d love to have roses too, although I know they can be a lot of work. What I’m going to do is take some photos of the space and then de...

“Love yourself enough to create an environment in your life that is conducive to the nourishment of your personal growth. Allow yourself to let go of the people, thoughts, and situations that poison your well-being. Cultivate a vibrant surrounding and commit yourself to making choices that will help you release the greatest expression of your unique beauty and purpose.” ~Dr. Steve Maraboli~ I think loving yourself is one of the hardest things to do. I’ve always been my biggest critic and I used to give so much of myself to others that there was never anything left over for me. I would end up feeling used and abused because my own needs were last on the list, if they were on it at all. Much of this was my own fault because I let it happen. I’m working hard on loving myself and taking care of my needs first now. I’ve definitely let go of the people, thoughts, and situations that poison my well-being and it feels good to have that burden gone. Holding on to...

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” ~Indian Philosopher Patanjali~ My great purpose is losing weight and getting more fit and I do feel like I’m in a wonderful place right now. Each little victory inspires me to continue and shows me there are no limitations, other than the ones I impose on myself. I don’t know that I’m a “greater person” but I feel better. Putting the past behind me has allowed me to appreciate everything that is in front of me. The possibilities really are endless. I couldn’t tell you what led me to this decision back on December 29. I know the photos from Christmas were weighing on my mind. It was the...

“Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them every day, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor.” Discipline. An often elusive skill ! Goals. Didn’t have any for years ! It’s important to acknowledge that it does take discipline and goals to succeed at most everything in life. There has been no discipline in my life for many years and I really wasn’t committed to anything either. For a time I felt like I was running headlong down a steep hill and couldn’t stop. Life was out of control and with that my weight ballooned out of control because my eating was out of control too. I was often accused of being too controlling and in retrospect that is somewhat true. Because I felt so out of control I grabbed hold of anything I could control and perhaps went a bit too far. In some cases, circumstances dictated my taking and keeping control but in some cases it was overdone. Some may say I’m a little too rigid when it comes...

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~Groucho Marx~ You wouldn’t expect such profound words from Groucho Marx, considering his comedic background ! Although these words are attributed to him this is the internet so I don’t necessarily believe he actually said it. Regardless, it’s a great philosophy. Yesterday is over and tomorrow isn’t here but there is a difference between the two - I can’t change what happened yesterday but I have some say in what tomorrow will bring ! I also have control over today and considering I woke up to blue skies and sunshine there was no reason to believe it would be anything other than a wonderful day ! I don’t know about you, but the weather often has a profound effect on my mood. Sunshine just lifts my heart ! My stomach ache was gone too, so that was a plus ! I lost 1.5 pounds th...

“If you have a hard time believing in yourself, remember who you were before the world taught you to doubt yourself. Don’t see yourself through the eyes of those who didn’t see value in you. Know your worth even if they didn’t.” ~Tee R.~ Yesterday’s note was pretty uninspired. It was late and I was tired after a long day so the creative juices were not flowing ! Today is a fresh new day and with my cold pretty much gone I am looking forward to getting back on track ! I’ve always had a hard time believing in myself. I think we all tend to be our own biggest critic but not only am I a critic, I also find it hard to give myself credit for any achievement. I also tend to be pretty sensitive. A remark (that I took to be negative) was made to me about my latest profile photo and it’s all I can think about. Sad thing is, it’s something I didn’t notice . What’s wrong here is instead of focusing on all of the nice comments people made I am fixated on the one negative, which I’m sur...

“You’re the main character of your life’s story. Give your audience not only something to look forward to, but something to be inspired by.” ~ Kevin Ngo ~ Several people have indicated my story inspires them and that makes me happy. If sharing my life helps even one person in any aspect of their life then it’s all worth it to me. I didn’t start these notes with the intention of having an audience. I just wanted to make sure I documented my journey with Nutrisystem and I felt like it would help keep me accountable. If you enjoy reading them that is a bonus ! I do appreciate all of your kind words of encouragement ! Breakfast today was a 4.4 ounce 180 calorie turkey sausage and egg muffin. This is one of the heartier if slightly flavorless breakfast offerings. I need to try adding a slice of low fat cheese or some salsa to jazz it up. Coffee today was french vanilla and hazelnut. I also had some low fat yogurt (90 calories). My morning snack was the usual 155 calorie chocolate shak...