This is a sponsored post. As always my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you.
Another week on Nutrisystem‘s Women SUCESS Select Plan and I’ve lost a total of 12.8 pounds! I’ll be starting my eighth week tomorrow and that means I’ve lost an average of 1.8 pounds per week so far. I’ve still got one more round of Prednisone to help me heal up after a recent allergic reaction. But considering I’ve had some illness and injury issues keeping me more sedentary during this time, I am positively thrilled!
Plus, while chatting on Twitter this past week, I received a great question that I wanted to share with all of you:
@roasted_beanz How is the system going for you in regards to fam meals and eating out? I have a #coupon .
— Jessica Brown (@BestJES) June 9, 2013
Great question isn’t it? I know that was my prime concern when I started. On one hand, I knew this was the system and plan for me. Its affords complete customization, easy accessibility to try, and is great for a busy mom. But I’m such a foodie…and family meals are quite an important dynamic for us. Not only that, but we often so busy, that we budget in take-out instead of groceries. So just how easy was it going to be to eat on the road or while visiting others?
For starters…
I ate nothing but my menu plan meals the first month since I wanted to relearn proper portion control. I was also giddy – because I couldn’t believe how much I got to EAT! We’re talking Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, two snacks, and Dessert. And I’m glad I tried a bunch of different entree’s because Nutrisystem can really WOW you on the taste-spectrum. Once I knew what my favorites were to reorder, month two was downright fun. Because in this second month, my family began to change for the better as well.
Won’t lie to you. The first week is the hardest, and there IS some adjustment that first month. And that is because Nutrisystem is a lifestyle, not just a diet to follow. Its a daily menu plan that involves you to personalize it. You customize it, you cultivate it, and you are highly involved in how much you LEARN from it.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. ~Chinese Proverb
Personally, my Husband works 55+ hours a week. We get just a few hours together each weeknight and it would center around dinnertime. Either that, or we’d need to do some errand and we’d then count on a take-out meal. But that made it hard to keep the kids on a good night-time routine. Our weekends are just as busy with extracurricular events or trips to visit family. And by default our normal menu was often influenced by kid-friendly meals or ruled in part by kid-friendly behaviors.
And you know what? Those hectic days really didn’t work for us. We were always blitzed! Even if I made dinner that everyone liked, I barely had a chance to eat it. Then came cleaning it up, followed promptly by the kids’ bath and bedtime. If dined out to save time, I was making more poor choices as well. Sure we found the better places to eat, but lets be honest. Eating out means a host of greasy, fried, or calorie-laden options.
The family dynamic…
So not only did that first month teach me about how to balance my menu and calories each day, but it allowed me to say NO. My Nutrisystem food was just for me, and I was invested in setting time aside for eating it. I also didn’t let the kids have it either. Suddenly, my picky-eating kids wanted my {unattainable} healthy food! So I’d place the item on our grocery list and they were ecstatic to buy it when we were out shopping next.
So of course, they’re essentially following the Nutrisystem rule of thumb as well. And after beginning my day with protein smoothies the first month, now the entire family starts each day the same way. We’ve gone from the chaos mentioned above to a much more organized game plan. And this all because everyone is eating healthier now by default.
Currently, the kids and I eat {similarly} together all day long and I have dinner with them by 4:30-5pm. And if there are errands left to do, I have time to complete them without hunger or take-out hassles. Should my Husband work late, we have no more dinner stress involved! Whenever he’s able to get home, the kids and I have our dessert {their bedtime snack} while Dad has dinner. And his dinner? Well, he’s been thrilled that I can completely cater it to him now.
Essentially we still sit down every day together as a family. Plus as eating better continues to take hold, we’ve turned our Fridays into family meal nights. We’re taking what we’ve learned, and are beginning to plan healthy and lite meals together. And to keep it fun, we’re also starting something new in learning how to grill fish. Slowly, we’ll add in more family meal nights as my time on the program comes to a close. But overall, this new method and time schedule was perfect for us.
Finding healthy options everywhere…
On the rare occasion we actually need to stop at a restaurant; Nutrisystem offers a suggestion guide and I found many mainstream dining menu’s have a lite section or calories noted. I’m also getting quite partial to stocking up each month on the Nutrisystem meal bars so I can avoid needing a drive-thru menu all together. {Bringing a mini-cooler for snacks each time we leave also helps.} But I’ve also used the internet to look up the nutritional information on places we do like so I’m prepared.
Should the kids need a bite to eat, I’ve located a few places that offer non-fried options as well as those that provide apples or a yogurt instead of fries. And people, there isn’t an age limit on that Kids Meal either! For example, one of our favorite places grants me a 280 calorie turkey deli sandwich and 60 calorie yogurt. I just pair it up with an unsweetened iced tea and I stay right on track!
So in closing, you really determine what YOU will get out of your time on Nutrisystem. Current plans allow you to customize a personal approach to what you specifically need {there are new weekday only plans}. And Walmart is making it easier to try Nutrisystem as well with 5-day Jumpstart kits. Any weight loss plan takes an investment and effort. For us, Nutrisystem is proving the best one.
Want to join me on a new road to health and weight loss using Nutrisystem? Then join today by calling {1.888.853.4689} or by visiting {http://www.nutrisystem.com/
Disclosure: This weight loss program has been sponsored by the Nutrisystem Nation blogger program. As a participant, Nutrisystem has provided a complimentary weight loss plan for my honest review. Please note that the opinions, thoughts, and experience are my own. Thank you.
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