You definitely won't starve on the Nutrisystem diet

So I took the plunge. I signed up for Nutrisystem. I learned last week that I was going to be receiving a very large tax return, right at the same time I learned I'm going moving to go to college in April, less than 2 months away. I really want to lose weight before that happens, so it's either this or a weight loss resort, as I already work out regularly and food intake is my only dilemma.

My biggest problem in weight loss has always been food. I don't like cooking for one person. It takes forever, longer than the actual eating part, and it uses the same number of dishes as cooking for a full family, but I'm the only one cleaning up. I also don't like a number of "healthy" foods, like vegetables. Unfortunately, that tends to translate into my poor eating habits of spending all day trying in vain to figure out something to eat, then finally giving up at 5 or 6pm and grabbing some fast food. And since I haven't eaten all day, I tend to eat more than necessary. This has been a problem for years.

That's why Nutrisystem is actually a great program for me. I already work out regularly, so this is just helping me manage my food. I'm on day 3 now, so I'll catch you up on my activities.

Every day, we are supposed to eat Breakfast (entree, protein shake), Snack (PowerFuel, own purchase), Lunch (entree, PowerFuel), Snack, (SmartCarb, own purchase), Dinner (entree, SmartCarb), and Dessert (entree). On top of that, you're supposed to eat 4 servings of non-starchy vegetables and drink 8+ cups of water.

The only food I have so far is the ready-to-go food, which doesn't require any refrigeration. I ordered it late Wednesday night, and it arrived Saturday afternoon by FedEx. Extremely quick. My frozen foods were only shipped out yesterday, so who knows when I'll get them.

Day 1: I had church today and was runnning late, so I ate my Double Chocolate Muffin in the car. It was fantastic. Great start to the program, despite my skipping the protein shake. I originally planned to have string cheese for my snack, but I didn't check the fridge beforehand, and my dad had finished off the family stock of them, so I skipped my snack today.

After returning home, I ate lunch, the Vanilla protein shake from breakfast, low-fat Yoplait yogurt, and the Three Cheese Pasta with Chicken. It came in a little Instant Ramen-sized round container, and I was supposed to add water, put in the microwave for a minute...then let sit for 8-9 minutes. They're not kidding about that either. I may have started eating a mite early, and the chicken was tough, the pasta still hard. A few minutes later though, it softened up and was edible. Still, I didn't like it. It was full of broccoli pieces (blech) and the chicken tasted a little dry. I think if I liked broccoli, this would be just fine, but there are other lunch options out there. I'm not getting this next month.

Snack was a small wheat roll that my mother had fortuitously finished baking about 10 minutes prior.

Dinner was the Grilled Chicken Breast on another wheat roll, with mixed greens (from a tub, like at the grocery store) stacked on it. AMAZING. Be warned though, it sure doesn't look like the picture. It's fairly small, and sealed in a packet much like tuna might be, because it doesn't need to be refrigerated. I stuck it in the oven for about 5 minutes, then plopped it on my "sandwich." Despite its appearances, it was delicious. Moist, flavorful, didn't need any condiments (good thing, because they're pretty restricted on this diet), and I felt full afterward. I'm getting more of these next month.

Dessert was the Zesty Herb Snack Mix, which I ate along with my sandwich. I actually really liked this one. It has more flavor than Chex Mix, and the pieces are small, which makes one feel like they're eating a lot. I'm getting more of these too. I drank water throughout the day, and instead of snacking before bed, I just continued to drink water. I felt full, and that's a key position with the Nutrisystem diet.

Day 2: I woke up late, so I moved the times of my meals to a bit later. I had the Chocolate Frosted Donut for breakfast with a Strawberry protein shake. The donut was super weird, it looked kinda plastic and EXACTLY like the picture. It tasted alright, but certainly not like the donuts I'm used to eating. I'll probably pass on this next month. The strawberry protein shake was really good.

For a snack, I had one of those Buddig lunchmeat packages, it's 2 oz, which is what I'm allowed for a PowerFuel. I put mixed greens on each slice and rolled them up like a tortilla. I have to slip in those mixed greens where I can, because I can't make a salad and slather them in ranch or honey mustard like I used to. It's 1 tablespoon of dressing, or vinaigrette.

Lunch was the Cheesy Homestyle Potatoes Mix. (also in the round Ramen-type container) and yogurt. The mashed potatoes also had broccoli, but no chunks, so it was bearable. Still, not really a fan. I'll probably pass on this too next month.

At dinnertime, I had a karaoke night with friends and was running late, so I grabbed a slice of wheat bread as my snack, then planned to eat dinner when I got home. We went to a sushi place, and someone ordered endame, the little green bean-type pods, but you slide out the beans with your teeth and discard the shell. I'd never tried them, and normally, I would have ordered something else, but I ended up having several of the endame pods, since a) I couldn't eat anything else on the menu, and b) I could count them as my SmartCarb for dinner. As it turns out, they weren't bad. So score one for Nutrisystem changing my eating habits. I drank a lot of water too, so eating out was not a problem.

When I got home, I made an Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza. It's kind of like a Lunchable pizza, you spread the sauce on from a packet, and sprinkle the cheese on top, then nuke it for a minute. It wasn't fabulous, but it wasn't bad either. I'll order this next month. I ate it with the Cheese Puffs, which were not quite as tasty as Cheetos. They were small and a little crunchier than I'd prefer, and definitely had some wheat in there. They weren't terrible and if this was the only option I'd be fine, but I'd rather get more of the herb snack mix next month. Overall, a decent day. It's kind of fun anticipating my next mealtime so I can try out a new entree.

Day 3: That's today. I started off with a vanilla protein shake and a Cinnamon Bun, which was as weirdly plastic-looking as the donut, with icing perfectly, evenly spread all over the top. I took one bite, realized it was super-hard, then noticed on the package that I'm supposed to microwave it. Oops. So I tossed it in there for 10 seconds as per the instructions. It wasn't bad, but I'll definitely do this one for 15-20 seconds next time. Overall not bad, but probably not my first choice either. I'm about to eat my first snack, probably yogurt. I'll get some string cheese tonight.

So far, I'm absolutely LOVING this Nutrisystem diet. I love not wondering about what I'm going to eat, and I get enough choice to feel like I have options (which I do, tons of them), but not so much that I get overwhelmed and give in to fast food. Overall, the sometimes-interesting taste of the food is balanced by the convenience of this program, and I think once I try all of the food, I'll have plenty of good options to choose from.

Five Fast Findings

1. Any reason why so many "prom dresses" are advertised by models who are definitely not high school age, or even remotely appropriate? Also, any reason why 90% of said "prom dresses" make ANYONE wearing it look like they need a street corner to stand on? Seriously. Mothers PAY for these dresses for their little girl to wear! No wonder prom night has such a bad rep.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

(note that a lot of high schools not existing within a reality show or teen drama don't even allow dresses that expose the midriff like this)

2. Anyone who likes to read and has not yet purchased a Kindle, run, do not walk, to Amazon.com. I got a Kindle Touch for Christmas, and it is one of my best friends. It has almost as many accessories now as my dog (including cozies hand-knitted by moi). My local library also has a digital library where I can "borrow" books on my Kindle for 14 days. It's awesome.

3. At my church, we are organizing a speed friending night. It's like speed dating, only you meet new friends instead of dates. The one difficulty for my detail-oriented self was trying to figure out how to make sure everyone meets each other. Originally, we were just going to have people rotate around a long table (made up of several shorter tables), and talk with the person across from them, but (several paper models and diagrams later..) it turns out they will only meet half of the people that way, skipping every other person. So I finally researched and tested the solution: One lucky duck never moves, and everyone rotates around him. They eventually end up having sat across from each person once. I'm thinking I'll raffle off that one special chair, maybe get a good bribe in the process. I kid, I kid. mostly.

4. I hate cold weather. My parents keep the house at a toasty 65 degrees, which means that by 7pm, I'm sitting in bed, surrounded by down comforters, trying to stay warm and being completely unproductive, as getting anything done would require leaving my cocoon. Hello, Netflix.

5. One thing I can do in bed is knit. I use a variety of plastic-peg knitting looms (round ones, mostly, like the Knifty Knitter brand) to make different sizes of hats. The idea is that I'll donate them once I find an organization. At this time, I'll either donate them to a Romanian orphanage, or to the Cheyenne River Youth Project in South Dakota. It's a youth center for kids on the Cheyenne River Reservation, of which I'm a tribal member. Winters get pretty windy and chilly there in Eagle Butte, SD, so perhaps my hats will be needed. I've got a stack of them about 3 feet high now, tres cool.

Five Fast Findings

1. Apparently, Brandy is telling people to stop comparing her to Beyonce (here). Honey, I don't think anyone's made the mistake of doing that. Beyonce is way cooler. Plus she's had a single during this decade. sorry.

2. Child actress Kyla Pratt popped up when I was watching Veronica Mars, which spurred me to find out what she's been up to. Turns out, she has a 1-year-old kid, and kept it a secret all during her pregnancy. Smart girl. Since the baby daddy is ah, less than impressive, she decided to avoid the negative backlash. "I didn't want to go through that with my pregnancy. The baby can feel what you're feeling..." (source) I think that's a really smart thing for a celebrity to do, if you're able. She was more popular in her younger years, so it was easier for her to drop off the face of the earth for a while. I've never been a fan of her acting, but as a person, she seems like her head is on straight.

3. I LOVE my MyTouch 4G Slide. It is the best phone, with a stellar camera. I took it to an All-American Rejects concert last night (yes they're back in the biz), and it took fantastic pictures (see below). I can also listen to music, watch Netflix, read a book on Kindle, or play Solitaire. It really is an all-in-one phone. AND it's lightning fast. I've had the phone for about 6 weeks, and it has only force-closed an app once. AND that app was a new one, with bugs.

4. I love having blonde hair. I need to get the roots touched up, but having blonde hair just makes me feel a bit lighter when I look in the mirror in the morning. I've always had brown hair, and it just feels dark and heavy. Blondes really do have more fun.

5. My new love is Pinterest. It's like a mass comparison of who has the best taste, except minus the intense competition. I have 6 boards, and I am a pretty active...pinner? Anyway, it's a fun site.

All-American Rejects pics with the band:

Self-reflections

I am

-searching, ever searching, for my passion in life

-obsessed with Romania. the children, food, culture, architecture.

-an artist, but haven't figured out how to express it yet

-a dog lover

-a lover and follower of fashion trends

-20 pounds lighter than I was a year ago

-the proud owner of an associate degree, even if I still can't get into the college I really want.

-a good driver

-a dabbler. I know a little bit about most everything

-finally learning what happens when past mistakes catch up with you.

Falling asleep on a cold rocking chair or co-sleeping? Ha.

http://www.newparent.com/baby/happy-baby/

An excellent article on basic parenting practices. I particularly support the idea of co-sleeping. I never thought I'd be planning on sleeping with my (future) infant, until I got a dog. I always feel much better with him sleeping next to me, and while a popular concern of co-sleeping is danger to the baby, I've yet to roll over on my dog. In fact, I have occasionally woken up in odd and contorted positions, due to unconsciously conforming and working around him in the night. Plus, who wants to drag themselves out of bed and schlep to another room to breastfeed at 3am? Not me. It's bad enough my dog wakes me up to go outside.

The article does express surprise that only 22% of American babies are still being breastfed at 12 months. Frankly, I'm surprised a quarter of American babies are still getting breastfed when they're a year old! There are a ton of reasons why breastfeeding is better the longer you do it, but I've also known quite a few babies who didn't want mommy's milk after a few months. I guess it's one of those things that you decide as you go.

Another idea supported in the article is that babies do best in households that aren't quite so structured. AGREED. Why does a baby need to be "on a schedule"? They'll get on one when they learn there's a world outside their crib. The oft-cited idea that always picking up a constantly-crying baby "spoils" them or teaches them improper habits is negated in this article as well, which I like. Secretly, I can't help but wonder if this American idea was started by busy career moms who didn't have time to pick up their screaming baby. But I digress. Anyway, the article is a good one, and cites a lot of valid studies.

Native Union POP Phone

Native Union POP Phone

Do they have netflix-erventions?

So I just finished season 2 of Ghost Whisperer, and I'm really into it.

See, I started watching it because originally, I was recommended by the Netflix gods to watch Medium. That failed horribly. Me and Patricia Arquette did not get along. Perhaps some people like her, but I found her character way too jaded and blue-collar to be believable in a supernatural element. Plus, she was supposedly applying to law school and working as an intern for the D.A., but she required a long explanation on how jury selection works. I've known that since I was 12 and read my first John Grisham book.

Anyway, I lasted 2 episodes before getting out, and am now watching Ghost Whisperer, which I love. Here are my impressions of the show:

1. Jennifer Love Hewitt is SO gorgeous. Seriously, if there were a model of the ideal Hollywood actress, she would be it. Angelina Jolie is more "exotic" but Hewitt is the perfect person for this role. Also, her cheekbones are incredible.

2. I also like how even though she's been seeing ghosts since she was a kid, there are still things that scare the crap out of her. (Things that her hot, muscley husband sometimes has to rescue her from. Oh darn.) But it allows one to really get involved in the story. That was part of the problem with Medium, is she didn't have the empathy and depth of feelings that Hewitt's character has. I was too little to watch Party of Five when it was on, so I missed Hewitt's teen-stardom era, but this show is really making me appreciate her talent as an actress. This show is labeled both as "emotional" and "scary" on its Netflix page, which goes to show how much work Hewitt has covering both ends of the inspirational and pure terror spectrum, all in the same 42 minutes. Most episodes start off with some sort of freaky apparition, usually worse with violent deaths, because apparently ghosts only start to look normal again when they interact with humans more (ie. when they start talking to Melinda). By the end of the episode, she's resolved the major emotional issues holding the ghost back, which I'll be honest, causes the eyes to well up a bit. I mean, come on, in one episode, she reunited a woman with a daughter who was kidnapped 13 years prior. Who wouldn't be moved by that?

3. The relationship that Melinda (Hewitt) and Jim have is probably one of the cutest long-term relationships on TV. The show's first episode features their wedding, so we see them only as a married couple, but their relationship is incredibly solid and supportive. If ever a man were the "rock" in a marriage, it's Jim. Whenever Melinda gets into trouble with violent ghosts, he is always there saving her, without even batting an eye. AND he's a paramedic. who wears firefighter gear on occasion. yum. He doesn't even really have flaws, which is great for us girls needing eye candy. While it may not always be realistic, it keeps the focus on the show's main plot. But anyway, they have cute couple-y interludes that provide some buoyancy to the show's heavy themes, and really gives us a nice "true love" angle.

4. I love Professor Payne. I think he and Melinda have the cutest innocent relationship. If Jim weren't around, I could easily see Melinda and Payne falling in love, albeit with a completely opposite relationship from her and Jim's! Melinda and Jim are always in sync, on the same page. Melinda and Payne are constantly clashing and bickering, but in a mutual-respect way, with passion. Since I'm still on episode 1 of Season 3 and Jim doesn't leave til mid-season 4, we'll find out what happens, I guess.

5. I normally whip through Netflix shows pretty quick. Well, I mean, One Tree Hill took a while, but it's also 8 seasons to slog through. For some reason though, Ghost Whisperer is so content-heavy that it's taking me a while to get through the seasons. Of course, I was watching Rizzoli and Isles on disc at the same time (which I love, btw), but still, Ghost Whisperer is not a "playing-in-the-background" type of show. I really have to concentrate.