Nutrisystem - Weeks 5, 6, and 7

This coming Sunday, I'll finish my seventh week on Nutrisystem.  I lost three and a half pounds during week five, a pound and a half during week six, and two and a half pounds during week 7.  That's a total of seven and a half pounds.  So far, I'm down twenty-three and a half pounds!

I've got about sixty-six pounds left to go.  I'm just over a quarter of the way there.  If I continue at this rate, I'll be at my goal weight by the second week of December.

I've cheated a few times over the last few weeks.  I feel bad afterward, but I know it's ok.  I don't go terribly overboard and I make sure I behave afterward.  I'm noticing fatty foods make me nauseous.  That's encouragement enough to not cheat.

I know the weight loss will likely slow down in a few weeks.  I'm still currently obese, so the weight is probably coming off more quickly because I have so much extra.  I've continued going to the gym, but I'm not going as frequently as I'd like.  This is our busy time at work, so I don't foresee that getting any better in the coming months.

Overall, I'm pleased with the results.  It hasn't been easy, but I'm sticking with it.  The hard work is worth it when I put on clothes and they fit.  Prior to starting Nutrisystem, my clothes were too snug.  I couldn't even button some of my jeans.  I figure I'll need some new pants after I lose about ten more pounds.  Maybe I can make my current ones work until I drop two pants sizes.  I don't want to have to buy clothes I'll wear a month or two before getting rid of them.

Nutrisystem - Weeks 3 and 4

Last Sunday, I finished my fourth week of Nutrisystem.  I lost eleven pounds those first two weeks combined, so I hoped that would continue through weeks three and four.  It didn't.  I dropped four pounds over the last two weeks.  The program says you should expect to lose one to two pounds each week after your first week, so my four pounds over two weeks is expected.  I cheated several times over the last two weeks.  When I say I cheated, I mean I really cheated.

My sister's birthday party was August 2 (Happy Birthday, Carrie!) and Justin and I went to the party at her house in South Georgia.  I had one Skinny Girl cocktail, so alcohol didn't really cause me a lot of problems.  It was the food.  I love party food and there was a plethora of party food.  I restrained myself, but I strayed from the program.  Later that night, Justin and I went out to eat with our parents, and I cheated again.  I had another cocktail (full calorie) and some additional high-calorie food.  Shame, shame.

I got back on track the next week, but cheated again on Saturday, August 9.  A friend had a birthday and we went to Loco's for dinner and drinks.  I had more than my share of cocktails.  I also had a cheeseburger with fries and some chicken wings.  That was in addition to the nachos and fried pickles on the table that I munched on.  Overall, I consumed around 2,500 calories in that one meal.  That was 2,500 calories!

I got back on track on Monday and am trying to behave this week.  I cheated a little on Tuesday (two cocktails, three chicken wings, part of a soft pretzel, and a few fried green beans).  I was invited to happy hour again tonight, but I declined and kept my appointment at the gym.

Regarding the gym, I really need to commit to going more frequently.  I went on Monday and tonight this week, which is a lot different than the zero times I went last week.  I'm noticing my recovery time is getting quicker.  That's a good thing.  The goal at OTF is to spend about thirty-five minutes in the green zone and no more than ten to twelve minutes in the orange and red zones combined.  The remainder of the time should be in the blue zone.  I always spend too much time in the orange and red zones (usually thirty-five or more minutes in those zones).  The image below is my report from tonight's workout.  I spent more time in the green zone than I usually do, so that means my body is getting more fit.  I don't normally run at the gym (I'm considered a power walker and use incline on the treadmill to push myself), but I did tonight.  I didn't feel completely exhausted when class ended tonight. 

I'm excited to see these changes.  I recorded my measurements the day before I started the program.  I measured my upper arm, chest, waist, hips, and thigh.  With the exception of my arm measurement, everything dropped by one to two inches.  We've done a lot of upper body strength training at the gym, so the arm measurement doesn't shock me.

Overall, I've lost sixteen and a half pounds, which includes a couple of pounds from this current week.  That's an average of about four pounds per week.  I'll take it!

Nutrisystem - Weeks 1 and 2

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I was beginning the Nutrisystem program.  At that time, I had completed day 1.  I continued with the program that week and this past week.  The first week was rough.  It was rough.  I kicked-off my weight loss with Nutrisystem's Fast 5 program.  That program is designed to help you lose at least five pounds that week.  Monday through Friday, I followed the program pretty much as designed.  I was hungry for the first few days.  I was not a pleasant person for the first few days.

The Fast 5 program gives you meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  You also get two shakes - an energy shake and a craving eliminating shake.  The energy shake doesn't taste all that great.  The craving shake was actually pretty tasty.  I was also allowed to include non-starchy vegetables during that first week.

The breakfast muffins are good.  I had the banana nut muffin on day 1 and it was very good.  The cinnamon streusel muffin on day two was also very good.  They're not very large, but I think that's the point.  =)

The shakes are pretty easy to prepare.  I bought a shaker bottle since I think I may include the shakes in some capacity ongoing.  This is the energy shake.  It has a funky aftertaste that's a little odd.  They're definitely drinkable, but not something I really looked forward to.

The loaded baked potato lunch was tasty.  Again, I could have eaten four of these.  I had this entrée again yesterday and it wasn't as good.  I don't think I added enough water the second time.

This is the craving eliminating shake.  It's actually pretty good.  I enjoy this shake.

Dinner that second night was a chicken pot pie.  Something I find interesting about the dinner entrees is that they're not frozen.  They look exactly like frozen food in the package, but they're stored at room temperature.  This makes heating take no time!  Some of the entrees require you to build them.  The chicken pot pie included the veggies in the tray and the topping/pie in a separate packet.  You heat the veggies and then top with the pie piece.  As you can see, the pie was very flaky.

Justin is being supportive by eating a bagel with cream cheese in front of me.

He's so proud.  =)  He has actually been supportive.  He had a moment of weakness here.

Here is the blueberry muffin.  It is good.  I had one again this morning.  Yum.

I had chili with beans and beef one night.  It was very tasty.  I could have eaten twice this much!

More support from my hubby.  =)

The kung pao noodles lunch entrée was good.  I love pasta so the noodles were plentiful and made me happy.

The Italian flatbread pizza was tasty.  It was one I had to build.  The crust was in one package, the sauce was in a pouch, and the cheese was in another pouch.  You assemble and heat for about a minute.  The crust was a little chewy, which I like.

The lasagna didn't look terribly appetizing, but it was good.  I don't really remember if it had cheese, though.  It was very good.

I love spaghetti, so I was hoping the spaghetti with meat sauce would be delightful.  It wasn't.  It had an odd flavor.  I think it was a spice, but I'm not sure.  I could eat this again, but I likely won't order it.

Last night's dinner was macaroni and cheese with beef.  This was a lot like Hamburger Helper's Cheeseburger Macaroni.  It was yummy.  You add boiling water and let it sit for about ten minutes.  That was hard because I was hungry.  This is one I'll eat again and look forward to.

I don't know why, but I got into the habit of transferring the food from the Nutrisystem container to actual plates and bowls.  I think maybe it makes the food seem more like home cooked food that way.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the program.  I've cheated a little, but have stuck with the program for the most part.  I did cheat badly Thursday night.  I've avoided alcohol since beginning a couple of weeks ago.  I gave in on Thursday night.  I went to happy hour with some coworkers.  I did drink vodka sodas instead of my usual cosmopolitans.  The cosmos have a lot of sugar/fruit juice.  The soda water has a lot less calories.  I also ate some questionable food.  I got a chicken BLT without the bread.  That was a massive piece of chicken.  It was grilled, but still too much meat.  I ate the gouda cheese and bacon, too.  Bad, bad, bad.  I should also mention I blew off the gym to do this, too.

The first week, I went to the gym (Orange Theory Fitness) twice.  The first visit was rough.  The second one was easier.  I went once this week and was supposed to go a second time.  I'm signed up for a class on Sunday morning and another one on Monday evening.  My goal is to go at least three times per week.  More is better, but three is good.  Each class is an hour long and my heart monitor shows I burn about 600 calories each class.  I don't know how accurate that is, but I work hard, so it might be correct.

What are the results?  The Fast 5 program guarantees you'll drop five pounds.  Even with a little cheating, I dropped nine pounds that first week.  When I last weighed on Thursday morning, I am down twelve pounds total.  I've avoided weighing since then due to my cheating on Thursday.  I stuck to the program on Friday and so far today.  I'm hoping that will help make up for Thursday.

I've got seventy-eight pounds to go.  Let's do this!

Nutrisystem

I've posted in the past that I struggle with my weight.  That hasn't changed.  My current weight and BMI have me in the obese category.  There's no sugarcoating it.  I'm obese.  That statement reminds me of a Dr. Phil photo I saw a few years ago:

It's certainly not funny, but I would rather laugh about it instead of crying about it.

On the Fourth of July, I was watching television and it hit me that I have to do something about my weight.  It's out of control!  I've tried dieting before and knew that just doesn't work for me because I won't stick with it.  I knew I needed something that tells me what to eat.

A coworker had a lot of success with Medifast.  I almost signed up for it but decided I wanted to try Nutrisystem instead.  I ordered the starter kit on July 4 and eagerly waited for it arrive.  The starter kit included food for twenty-eight days plus the Fast 5 kit.  The Fast 5 kit is your first week's food and it's designed to help you drop five pounds that first week to get you motivated.

Forty pounds of food arrived in a big box on July 10:

I unpacked the box that evening and decided to begin the program on July 14.  I knew I had an event to go to on July 12 and decided starting before that date would not be wise.  I'm not going to lie - I enjoyed as much food as possible before starting on July 14.  I hit some of my favorite restaurants and enjoyed some of my favorite food.  That was probably not the best decision I've ever made, but I did it.

I've been dreading July 14, but it arrived and proceeded with my plan.  The day before, Justin and I hit the grocery store so I could grab some items to supplement the Nutrisystem meals.  Yes, that is allowed.  The night before July 14, I grabbed my meals and put them with my work bag so I could remember to take the food with me.

Breakfast was a banana nut muffin:

It was good.  I could have eaten two or three, but that wasn't an option.

Mid-morning, I had a hunger quencher shake:

It's part of the Fast 5 kit.  It was pretty good.  It had a funky aftertaste after the first few sips, but it wasn't terrible.

Lunch was a small cup of cheese tortellini with tomato sauce.  I forgot to take a photo, but it was pretty good.  Again, I could have eaten three servings.  I supplemented lunch with a salad from the cafeteria downstairs from my office.  It was basically a pile of lettuce with a few cucumber slices and tomato slices.  I topped it with a tiny cup of salsa.  I'm supposed to supplement the Fast 5 week with vegetables, so a salad seemed pretty easy.  I'm not allowed to have dressing right now but salsa is ok.  It wasn't terrible, but actual dressing is much better.

I had an energizing shake around 4:00 p.m.  It looked and tasted a lot like the shake from the morning.  Not super tasty, but not inedible either.

I was starving when I left work at 6:30 p.m.  Dinner was chicken alfredo.  I needed to incorporate more veggies, so I heated some frozen broccoli and tossed it into the entree contents.

The entree was pretty good.  The broccoli was a nice addition.  When I eat this entree in the future, I'll likely add broccoli again.  Justin even tasted a small bite and said it was good.

I ate about two hours ago and am hungry.  I've consumed less than 1,000 calories today, which is probably why I'm hungry.  I'm used to eating close to 2,000 each day.  I tried to sign up for a class at the gym this evening, but it was full.  That was a blessing in disguise.  I probably would have dropped had I tried to workout today.  I did schedule a class for Tuesday and Thursday so hopefully I'll feel up to it both days.

My goal is to lose eighty-two pounds.  That will get my BMI and weight at healthy levels.  Hopefully I can stick with this.  I've struggled today, but know I can do this.

Orange Theory Fitness

If you've read my blog for any period of time, you've probably read a post where I talked about trying to lose weight.  I don't like to exercise.  There, I've said it.  I don't like it.  I know it's good for me to exercise, but I spend the entire time thinking about other things I need to be doing.  Of course, I do that no matter what I'm doing.  At work, I think about the laundry at home that needs to be washed.  When I'm eating lunch away from the office, I'm thinking about all the meeting agendas I need to send, or the 2,000+ emails in my inbox I need to respond to.

In a shopping center near my office, I've watched a gym being built.  That gym is Orange Theory Fitness.  The hair salon I go to is next door, so I asked my hairdresser about the gym.  She peaked my curiosity, so I dragged Justin to OTF one Saturday about a month ago.

They explained OTF is a group personal training gym.  They have classes with a maximum of twenty-five people and a trainer.  Half of the group starts on the treadmills and the other half starts in the weight room.  The classes are an hour each and you spend thirty minutes on the treadmill and thirty minutes in the weight room.

I found these photos online.  They are not of the OTF I joined, but mine looks similar.

I need guidance in the gym.  I know how to run, but that's about it.  I don't know how to properly use the rowing machine or lift weights.  I probably don't even know how to do a push-up properly.  This is why person training is appealing to me.  I need someone telling me to run, slow down, walk, speed-up, use heavier weights, etc.

I joined the Saturday I visited with Justin.  I joined as an unlimited member, meaning I can go to as many classes each month as I want.  So far, I've visited 2-3 times per week.  I haven't seen a difference in my weight, but I haven't changed my eating habits.  I'm trying to get the hang of exercising and then will work on my diet.  I haven't gained weight, so that's good.

One way OTF helps you track your progress is to provide you with a report of your workout session.  When you arrive for your session, you are given a heart monitor to snap on a band that you wear under your shirt.  During the class, your heart rate is displayed on the two large TV screens near the treadmills.  A few minutes after class ends, your stats from the class are emailed to you.  My stats for some recent classes and my first class are below:

12/13/13

 

12/10/13

 

12/7/13
I don't know what happened those two times when I "died" in the middle of class.

 

11/23/13

 

 

You may be thinking, "Katherine, your first workout was only thirty minutes."  That's right and wrong.  The class was an hour, but Katherine only participated for about thirty minutes.  Katherine's heart monitor also wasn't tracking for the first thirty minutes of class.  I think I pushed myself too hard during the cardio portion of class.  For about ten minutes, I hung in there, but finally had to sit down for a little while.  I was about to throw-up.  I waited until the class switched and then I joined my group in the weight room.  That incident made me realize how out of shape I am.  I also realized I need to listen to my body and back off if necessary.  I know I won't get stronger if I don't push myself, but I don't think the goal is to see who can vomit on the treadmill first.

 

The goal of OTF is to spend about twenty-five minutes in the green zone and twelve to twenty minutes in the orange and red zones combined.  The rest of the time is spent in the white and blue zone.  I'm in the green zone just sitting on the bench waiting for class to start.  Everyone else is in the white zone.  You'll notice I spend way too much time in the orange and red zones.  My heart rate is higher than normal.  This has been checked by a cardiologist and I've been deemed ok.  My pulse is just high.  Exercise should help slow it down, though.  It's kind of embarrassing because the trainer always checks on the people in the red zone and they're constantly saying, "Katherine, are you ok?  Give me a thumbs up!"

 

I'm sticking with it.  Like I said, I haven't really noticed a difference in my weight, but I know I'll see results once I change my diet.  OTF has a challenge beginning in January.  You have to commit to working out at least three times per week.  The person who loses the most weight, wins.  I know I probably won't win, but I'm going to give it all I've got.  The prize is $2,500 and I could do a lot with that money.  I could use it to pay my gym fees!

"Let's watch your weight."

I posted in early September about needing/wanting to lose weight.  I was bragging about riding my recumbent bike in the mornings and evenings.  Well, that ended about a week later.

I got a promotion at work in September and with the promotion came more responsibility.  I've been very busy and under a tremendous amount of stress.  I'm an emotional eater.  Each time I got super stressed at work, I would eat.  I go to McDonald's for breakfast each morning.  I order an egg McMuffin without Canadian bacon and a large diet Coke.  Well, during the last few months, I've been ordering biscuits or pancakes.  Those items exceed my breakfast calorie allowance, by a lot.  The McDonald's visit each morning isn't necessarily bad.  The egg McMuffin is only 290 calories, which isn't terrible.  I also get protein from the egg.

For lunch, I try to stick with my Smart Ones frozen entree.  During the last few months, I've been grabbing lunch from the cafe downstairs at my office.  I always get a grilled cheese with fries.  That's not terrible, once in a while, but not for lunch every day.

For supper, I try to eat a salad or something fairly low in calories.  During the last few months, I've been eating whatever sounded good - pizza, Thai food, Tex-Mex, lobster rolls smothered in butter, etc.  Those items are super high calorie.

During the week of Thanksgiving, Justin and I went on a cruise for vacation.  On the cruise, all we did was eat.  I probably gained five to ten pounds during those five days.  Top that off with Thanksgiving gorging, you get the idea.

I visited my doctor for my yearly visit last week.  At the end of my visit, my doctor said, "Let's watch your weight.  You gained twenty pounds since your last visit."  I was shocked, but not really.  Wow, twenty pounds!  No wonder nothing fits right!

I'm miserable.  I've never been this big.  Ideally, I'd like to lose fifty pounds.  That's a lot, but that would put me back to where I need to be in order to be healthy.  Last January, our company had a Biggest Loser competition.  I actually did fairly well.  I lost seven or eight pounds.  I got busy during the middle of the competition, which meant I began stress eating.  I gained everything back, plus some.

I've got to lose some weight.  My goal is to lose fifty pounds by this time next year.  Will I meet my goal?  I know it will take a lot of work.

I enjoyed dance lessons when I was in high school.  I've been looking online for some adult classes.  I found some at a nearby studio and need to just bite the bullet and sign up.  I know I can do it!  I'm hoping to keep track of my weight on this blog.  I don't have the confidence to post my current weight or measurements, but I'll get there.

Weight Loss Update

I posted on 9/8/12 about my new weight loss goals.  That morning, I rode my recumbent bike for thirty-five minutes.  I'm very proud of the fact I rode another thirty-five minutes later that evening.  That mad a total of seventy minutes I spent working out on Saturday!

This morning, after my usual breakfast of an egg mcmuffin without Canadian bacon from McDonald's, I rode for forty minutes.  I'm on a roll!  It seems to be getting easier each time.

I don't know if Justin knows this, but I may have to treat myself to new clothes once I lose my first ten pounds.  At this rate, that could be achieved in a couple of weeks.  (I'm doing the "happy dance" while I'm typing this.)

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike...

...I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like!"

I'm going to be honest.  I've gotten fat.  I'm certainly not the largest person in the world, but I'm definitely the largest I've ever been.  I'm about forty pounds heavier than I was when I graduated from high school.  I want to be that size again.  Do I think that's a realistic goal?  Absolutely.  Will it be easy to attain?  Not even close!

My office building has a gym that's pretty decent.  I've worked out there a few times, but it's so hard to make myself workout after a long day at work.  We have a treadmill at home, but I just don't use it.  I need to and I used to, but I haven't been on it since we left Tifton.

The gym at work has a few recumbent bikes that I really enjoy using.  For my birthday, I asked Justin for a recumbent bike.  He delivered!

My birthday was a couple of months ago, but I've been too lazy to actually ride it.

Earlier this year, our office had a "Biggest Loser" contest.  I participated, but basically just made a $50 donation to the cause.  I was really into it initially, but I just got busy and was under a lot of stress.  I'm a stress eater and walked around the office with a bag of chocolate covered raisins for about two months.  My desk had about four bags of the faux Raisinettes at any given time.  I didn't want to run out!

I recently had an epiphany.  I am obese.  I passed overweight  a while ago.  My fat clothes no longer fit.  I had no energy.  I know my health was in jeopardy.  I love shopping at The Limited and I was about to get too big to fit in their clothes.  I was about to have to start shopping at their "big girl" store, Eloqui.

Starting Tuesday, I got back on Weight Watchers.  I want to eat all the time, but I'm resisting.  A coworker gave me a cupcake on Wednesday, but I gave it away.  Hardest thing I've ever done.  Yesterday, a coworker brought a box of Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts.  I wanted just one, but resisted.  Last night, we picked up food from Crawfish Shack Seafood.  I would normally have ordered the fried shrimp with fries and potato salad.  I got the boiled shrimp with corn on the cob and potato salad.  I know the potato salad wasn't the best thing and I probably won't order it next time.  Shrimp are pretty low in calories and fat, but they are high in cholesterol.  I think I'll be fine as long as I don't eat a lot of other high fat foods in addition to the shrimp.

I've also been using my recumbent bike.  I started out riding twenty-five minutes and rode for thirty-five earlier this morning.  My goal is to eventually start riding twice a day.  I think thirty to forty minutes each session will be good.

I don't know how much weight I've lost because the batteries in our scale need to be replaced, but I suspect I've lost five or so pounds.  I can tell a difference in my jeans and other clothes.  It's amazing what four days of proper eating and exercising can do!  The exercising was initially a chore, but it's very slowly becoming easier.

Slow and easy wins the race.