I have to do something. I have this belly you see. Of course
you can see. You can’t miss it. I have to get rid of it. It’s making me
miserable and, to be frank, putting stress on my marriage.
The most successful I’ve ever been at losing weight was using Weight Watchers. My office at the time had this amazing cafeteria with a fish option at lunch every day. I know, you’re thinking I could just bring some fish and brown rice with asparagus for lunch at my new job. But no. I don’t know what it is. I’ve brought a healthy lunch again and again and I just don’t eat it. Even when it’s the most delicious leftovers you could imagine.
So I thought and I thought and I recalled when I did this mail order three day juice cleanse. Sounds miserable right? Well, I’m not here to get into that. The bottom line is that I lost absolutely no weight, BUT I stuck to it religiously and it wasn’t that hard. Why? Because I knew that “this” is what I was to have for breakfast and “this” is what I was to drink as a snack, etc etc throughout the day.
And then I remembered this woman in my office at my college internship who was doing Jenny Craig. And I remember her saying “I don’t have time to count points, I don’t have time to count carbs or calories. Just give me a box and I’ll eat it.” This, I’ve decided, is for me.
So off I went (to the internet) to find something that would work for me. I’m an extreme introvert, so I’m not signing up for any meetings or on-site weigh ins, or any of that crap. Just give me a bunch of boxes and a schedule.
Yes, preservatives. Yes, probably sodium. But we’re in damage control mode here people. Nothing will work if you don’t do it. And I’ve tried various things involving meal prep and fresh ingredients and I DON’T DO IT.
So Nutrisystem it is. I have signed up. I was given the option to customize my menu or go with the “fan favorites” box. Lazy as I clearly am about this process, I initially thought to go with the favorites so I could get this whole process out of the way. But then I saw it on one of the sample days. A hamburger. That can’t be good, I thought. No cheese, otherwise it would be a CHEESEburger. And it’s a weight loss situation so there can’t be any special sauce or bacon to speak of either. That’s it.
I chose to customize my menu. I was a little bummed that “customize your menu” just meant choosing which of the many meal items you wanted for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners and in what quantities. I’m the kind of person that could eat the same thing every single day about be happy. If it’s delicious. So guessing what I would want to eat for the next month was a little tough, not having sampled the merchandise. But I soldiered on. Perhaps next month I’ll have a better sense of what’s delicious and get a good rotation going.
The website really gave very little information about how this works. I assume literature will arrive with my 28 days’ worth of food. If not, I might have to (gasp) do more research.
So that’s it. Day 1. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars and I can’t even start for 4-10 business days while I wait for my food to arrive. But such is the plight of the online shopper. I can’t decide whether to bucket list these next few days with bacon cheeseburgers, burritos, and pizza, or to let my system ease into the extreme lack of calories it is about to be subjected to. My lunch craving today was a kale Cesar salad from my favorite place near work. Bad as Cesar dressing, Parmesan cheese and croutons no doubt are for you, I feel like at least the kale part at least provides vitamins, minerals and fiber. Oh and I added shrimp for protein. Yes, I know, cholesterol. But I love shrimp. I’m obviously not here avoiding criticism.
So here we are. Day 1. Actually, more like somewhere between Day -4 to -10 depending on the order processing and shipping times. Nevertheless, I’m going to share some stats with you that I’ve not shared with anyone but the Weight Watchers app, the NutriSystem online questionnaire, and yes, even the liposuction appointment request form.
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 185lbs
Gender: Female
Short term goal: 150lbs
Longer term goal: 130lbs
The most successful I’ve ever been at losing weight was using Weight Watchers. My office at the time had this amazing cafeteria with a fish option at lunch every day. I know, you’re thinking I could just bring some fish and brown rice with asparagus for lunch at my new job. But no. I don’t know what it is. I’ve brought a healthy lunch again and again and I just don’t eat it. Even when it’s the most delicious leftovers you could imagine.
So I thought and I thought and I recalled when I did this mail order three day juice cleanse. Sounds miserable right? Well, I’m not here to get into that. The bottom line is that I lost absolutely no weight, BUT I stuck to it religiously and it wasn’t that hard. Why? Because I knew that “this” is what I was to have for breakfast and “this” is what I was to drink as a snack, etc etc throughout the day.
And then I remembered this woman in my office at my college internship who was doing Jenny Craig. And I remember her saying “I don’t have time to count points, I don’t have time to count carbs or calories. Just give me a box and I’ll eat it.” This, I’ve decided, is for me.
So off I went (to the internet) to find something that would work for me. I’m an extreme introvert, so I’m not signing up for any meetings or on-site weigh ins, or any of that crap. Just give me a bunch of boxes and a schedule.
Yes, preservatives. Yes, probably sodium. But we’re in damage control mode here people. Nothing will work if you don’t do it. And I’ve tried various things involving meal prep and fresh ingredients and I DON’T DO IT.
So Nutrisystem it is. I have signed up. I was given the option to customize my menu or go with the “fan favorites” box. Lazy as I clearly am about this process, I initially thought to go with the favorites so I could get this whole process out of the way. But then I saw it on one of the sample days. A hamburger. That can’t be good, I thought. No cheese, otherwise it would be a CHEESEburger. And it’s a weight loss situation so there can’t be any special sauce or bacon to speak of either. That’s it.
I chose to customize my menu. I was a little bummed that “customize your menu” just meant choosing which of the many meal items you wanted for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners and in what quantities. I’m the kind of person that could eat the same thing every single day about be happy. If it’s delicious. So guessing what I would want to eat for the next month was a little tough, not having sampled the merchandise. But I soldiered on. Perhaps next month I’ll have a better sense of what’s delicious and get a good rotation going.
The website really gave very little information about how this works. I assume literature will arrive with my 28 days’ worth of food. If not, I might have to (gasp) do more research.
So that’s it. Day 1. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars and I can’t even start for 4-10 business days while I wait for my food to arrive. But such is the plight of the online shopper. I can’t decide whether to bucket list these next few days with bacon cheeseburgers, burritos, and pizza, or to let my system ease into the extreme lack of calories it is about to be subjected to. My lunch craving today was a kale Cesar salad from my favorite place near work. Bad as Cesar dressing, Parmesan cheese and croutons no doubt are for you, I feel like at least the kale part at least provides vitamins, minerals and fiber. Oh and I added shrimp for protein. Yes, I know, cholesterol. But I love shrimp. I’m obviously not here avoiding criticism.
So here we are. Day 1. Actually, more like somewhere between Day -4 to -10 depending on the order processing and shipping times. Nevertheless, I’m going to share some stats with you that I’ve not shared with anyone but the Weight Watchers app, the NutriSystem online questionnaire, and yes, even the liposuction appointment request form.
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 185lbs
Gender: Female
Short term goal: 150lbs
Longer term goal: 130lbs
What an honest and awesomely written introduction to your journey, Brittany. Sending positive vibes and love. Xo, Sara
ReplyDeleteThank you Sara! It's not easy to be so open, but I'm hoping it will give me accountability.
ReplyDelete