It has been over a week now since I started this whole new food thing. So far--between my trip just prior to starting Nutrisystem and the last 9 days--I have lost about seven pounds. Not bad for two and a half weeks. Granted, most of that is water weight, which is why they can advertise their great one month totals. Still, I will take what I can get.
I have set up incentives for myself along the way. My very first "reward" was my starting gift to me of new walking shoes. I can't believe how much more comfortable walking is with properly fitted shoes! I got the first actual reward already--225 lbs. Every five pounds I have something set up. I am getting a video game for when I hit 220, I will not be able to play it till I get there. Some things on my list: movies from Amazon Prime (every ten pounds), a trip to T or C hot springs (200), real hairdo (190), mini vacation (180) , and the big one: breast reduction surgery. I have to be lower than 160 for that last one and I can't wait to get my back, chest, and shoulders in working order--something I haven't had since I was eleven.
Two things have helped me along on this journey: walking and swimming. I started swimming over the winter and have not been going nearly as often as I would like. Let's face it, it is hot and high altitude here. I have to take a bath in sunscreen every time I want to take a dip. Walking, on the other hand, I can do early in the morning or late at night without any preparation. The dog also has been enjoying the walks and has better leash manners than ever just in the last ten days.
About that walking; Pokemon Go. I started it last week and already have walked over 10km on it, and that is just the time when I have the app up and running! Nothing like an incentive to walk that is fun and entertaining! I spend about half of my time walking without it, so that is a lot of distance for me. Just last winter I was doing well to walk a half mile or a mile, and now I can do two or three without problems. It is amazing how much stamina you can gain in such a small amount of time. Now if I just get a little smaller I can try jogging again. Right now my joints have no business putting up with that type of strain, especially when my joints are already acting up.
On to the food. So far all the dinners tasted at least acceptable and could be made better by a little salt and pepper or some hot sauce. The bars for lunches are getting old. Next shipment I will switch out some of those for more food-like lunches such as the Creamy Chicken and Noodles. Breakfasts have been tasty, but once again I will switch out some of the bars for things like the almond and pistachio Biscotti Bites.
I have been using the NuMi app that is a tracker much like MyFitnessPal or SparkPeople but with less food entries. It details what type of foods to eat every day. It also lets me change a regular meal into what they call a "Flex Meal" which substitutes one of their entrees for food from a restaurant or home cooked foods. I have a little booklet that has many restaurants listed and order suggestions for Flex Meals--it is great when out an about without a lunch bar or for eating out with family.
I am in manic mode and needing less sleep than usual so I am planning out meals a little farther ahead for the day so that I remember to eat. Keeping up with the vegetables has been hard since I don't have the hunger to be munching all day. As long as I am following the plan correctly I don't get hungry or have slumps during the day.
But.
If I know I am going to be eating out I sometimes save up a snack or two so that I can have a bigger portion for the meal. This can backfire for me by making me more hungry at the next meal or, even worse, make my blood sugar crash. I have been noticing that I have much less of a problem with hypoglycemia when I am following the plan. Now when I don't eat on time I get shaky, impulsive, angry, and frustrated (only made worse when I am hypo-manic like right now). Easy to fix--just eat--but sometimes it is inconvenient to say the least. I am not sure if I am more susceptible to the hypoglycemia now because of the reduced calories or because my body has gotten used to only going without food for a few hours.
So there you have it. Week one-and-a-smidge.
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