Nutrisystem Update Week 11: Wishing Everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! #NSNation

December 29, 2012
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New Year's diet resolution

In a couple of days, it will be January. A time for new beginnings…a time to make the changes we’ve all been meaning to make or wishing would happen. The hubby and I have an advantage this year – we got a great head start on changing our eating habits and weight since we joined Nutrisystem in October.

Lots of people asked us WHAT we were thinking beginning a weight loss program at the start of what I like to call “the holiday eating season” which runs from Halloween through New Year’s Day. Looking back, I’m so glad we did! Like most people, I usually kick off the New Year with the same old resolution to “lose weight” without a really good plan of how I’m going to do it. Within a few weeks, I’ve usually broken my resolution and gone back to my old ways. Sound familiar?

This year I already have a plan, and it’s working! When I ring in 2013, I’ll be reflecting on my weight loss accomplishments so far, and looking forward to keep the momentum going! So MY resolution for 2013 is simple: Stick To The Plan. I’ll also make some new resolutions for myself for the coming year: Workout More and Be More Organized are the two main ones that come to mind. Sound familiar, too???

I’ll admit that I don’t yet have a plan for those resolutions, so let me know if you’ve found one that works!

Our New Year’s Wish for you? A Happy and Healthy New Year!

Not that I’m an expert, but based on what I’ve learned so far, here are a few words of advice to help get you started if you’re planning a weight loss resolution for 2013:

  • Find a plan you like that’s easy to follow: We’ve all started crazy or extreme diets that are either overly complicated or too strict to follow for more than a few days or weeks. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Do what looks and sounds realistic for your schedule, family situation and lifestyle.
  • Don’t expect it to happen overnight: Healthy weight loss takes time. Don’t give up because you aren’t seeing immediate results. Some weeks we lose close to nothing or even gain a little. If you stick with it, it WILL add up. You can see our year-end update below for proof!
  • Don’t go it alone: It will be so much easier to stick to a plan or program if you have a partner or get your family involved. If that’s not possible, look for online support or find a virtual weight-loss partner. Programs like Nutrisystem offer forums, discussion boards, blogs and other means of networking, advice and support.
  • Commit to staying accountable: Whether you blog, keep a journal, report in weekly to a real-life or virtual weight loss buddy, or use an online tracking app, DO keep to a schedule of recording your progress. It will help you to stay motivated to see how far you’ve come when you look back on it, and it will help keep you make better choices since you know you are going to have to record or report what you ate (and how much you did or didn’t work out).

And speaking of staying accountable, here’s our weekly weight loss update! I’ve also included a year-end breakdown so you can see how we did each week:

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Nutrisystem Update Week 10: Pancakes and Pizza! #NSNation

December 22, 2012
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Nutrisystem pancakes

It’s time for our Week 10 Nutrisystem update! One of the questions I get asked the most by friends and readers is about the food on Nutrisystem. In previous posts, I’ve shared some of our favorite meals, including Cinnamon Buns, Breakfast Burritos and other yummy stuff we get to eat. This week, I thought I’d show you 2 more of my favorites…Pancakes and Pizza!

One thing I always try to do with any diet meal is to dress it up a bit. Yes, you can just eat the food straight out of the package, but I think the key to keeping it fun and interesting is to experiment with different add-ins and extras from Nutrisystem’s approved list of grocery items. I like to top Nutrisystem’s fluffy, whole grain pancakes with a few spoonfuls of Chobani nonfat Greek yogurt, a small portion of sliced unsalted almonds, and a big sprinkle of cinnamon. Very yummy!

Nutrisystem flat bread pizza

I have pizza 2-3 times per week on Nutrisystem and sometimes more. There are several varieties; this one is the Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza. The way it’s packages is like a build-your-own-pizza kit, with the flatbread, the cheese and the sauce each packaged separately.  That makes it easy to add toppings…I put the sauce down first then added my own veggies: fresh baby spinach,  sliced sweet onion and red bell pepper slices. Then I added the cheese and sprinkled a little crushed red pepper flakes on top for a little kick. Pop it in the microwave and you’re all set! I’m going to pick up some nonfat ricotta, fresh basil and a maybe some mushrooms for next time.


Although I’m finding it pretty easy to stick to the meal plan, I’m not doing very well with getting enough exercise or drinking enough water so I’ve got to really make an effort to push myself on both of those since my weight loss is going SO slowly. Hubby on the other hand seems to just be melting away.

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Nutrisystem Week 9 Update: Celebrating NSVs (Non-Scale Victories) #NSNation

December 15, 2012
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daisy tape measure

Woof Woof Papa and I just finished up week #9 on the Nutrisystem program and are back with an update for you! Weighing in this morning, I realized I’m becoming a bit too fixated on what the scale says. Yes, I lost weight this week (skip to the end to see how much) and should feel great about it, but instead of being thrilled that I’ve lost 19.8 pounds so far, I found myself feeling disappointed that I was .2 pounds short of 20! Silly, right?

Instead of beating myself up about it, I headed to the Nutrisystem Program Member’s Page to look for some inspiration  Each week, the folks from Nutrisystem post online advice and support designed to help members at each stage of their weight loss journey. This week’s advice was about ‘seeing past the scale’ and celebrating the NSVs (non-scale victories), so I decided to take stock of my NSVs. Some Non-Scale Victories I’m celebrating this week:

  • Inches Lost: I’ve been logging my measurements for 9 weeks now, but never really took notice of how the progress was adding up. I’ve lost 3 inches from my hips so far, and another 3″ from my waist!
  • Clothes: Since I work from home and spend a lot of time at the dog park, I tend to wear the same old dumpy stuff which makes it hard to tell that I’m getting smaller. I dug to the back of the closet and pulled out some jeans I love that hadn’t fit in a LONG time. Guess what? They fit great! (still several sizes to go to reach my goal but super exciting anyway)
  • Health: This one is harder to see and measure but probably the most important. I’m taking time to remind myself that I’m getting heart-healthy and reducing other health risks by losing weight and increasing my physical activity!

Woof Woof Papa celebrated his own NSV this week, too.  They had a huge holiday party at his work – a football tailgating themed party complete with ribs, wings, chili, ice cream and all kinds of other yummy but fattening foods. His strategy was to take just a tiny bit of each item on his plate. It must have worked because his coworkers noticed and about half were impressed, while the others expressed concern and asked if he was feeling OK. Too funny, but he was pretty proud of himself and told me all about it when he got home from work.

After all this talk about Non-Scale Victories I do need to update you on how much we lost this week. It’s still an important measure of our progress…I’m just going to work on remembering that it’s not the only measure of success. So, how did we do this week? I’ll tell ya!

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Panasonic JetForce Bagless Vacuum: Perfect for Homes with Pets!

December 10, 2012
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Panasonic Jet Force Vacuum

I’m guessing that pet parents vacuum about twice as often as other people…it’s just part of the deal. Pets love us unconditionally and bring so much joy to our lives, that we’re willing to put up with their dirty paws and shedding, and everything else that comes with having a furry family member!

We vacuum at least a couple times a week around here just to keep Daisy’s shedding from getting out of control, but I still usually ended up also using a lint roller to really remove all the fur from the furniture. Such a chore, and clearly our old vacuum cleaner just wasn’t getting the job done.

I was super excited when we were invited to test out the new Panasonic Jet Force MC-UL427 Bagless Vacuum! I honestly didn’t expect to be so happy about a new piece of cleaning equipment, but what a difference it makes having the right tool for the job!

our new Panasonic vacuum

It was really fast and easy to put together, and I love the look of it. It’s got a sleek and modern design, and I’m crazy about the black and purple! It looks like a very expensive vacuum cleaner, so I was surprised when I checked and saw that the list price was only $149. It’s got so many great features that I would have expected it to cost about twice that when I look at what else is out there.
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Nutrisystem Week 8 Update: 2 Months and Still Going Strong! #NSNation

December 8, 2012
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Nutrisystem food

It’s hard to believe that we’re finishing up our second month on Nutrisystem already. The time has really flown by! When we first started, one of my biggest worries was that we’d get bored or tired of it or wouldn’t be able to stick with the program. It’s actually turning out to be just the opposite! The longer we go, the easier I’m finding it to be.

Just going on auto-pilot and eating the right portions of the right types of foods without having to think about it all the time…that is super easy once you get going and I am loving it!

The weight loss is slow and steady, which takes lots of patience but is the way it’s supposed to be if done in a healthy way. And at this busy time of year with so much to do, it’s really been helpful having everything packaged and ready to go so no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I don’t find myself stuck wondering what I should be eating. We’ve all been there…at the food court or drive thru knowing we shouldn’t be doing it, but hungry, tired and in a hurry.


So our cupboards and freezer are all stocked up, and we’re ready for Month 3! How have we done so far? Here’s the scoop…

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