This weekend I got to see a lot of people who haven't seen me for months. It was so nice to see the surprise on their faces when they saw me! I got so many compliments about how great I look and that really made me feel great. It's so nice when your effort gets noticed and recognized by others! And honestly- I'm finally starting to like what I see when I look in the mirror. I still have a lot of toning and exercise to do but I'm a lot more comfortable in my own skin than I used to be, and that means a lot.
One of the questions I got asked a lot is, how do I stay so disciplined? If you're new to the program, you might be missing some of your old favourite foods a lot. I remember when I first started doing Nutrisystem and I decided that I was going to embark on a lifestyle change, not a diet. A little voice in my head asked me, "Really? No more French fries, ever? No ice cream? No cheesecake?" I really wasn't sure at that point how I was going to handle that question but I knew that I wanted to try. I'll admit that it was a pretty sad thought though because I loved food like that so much and I didn't know if I really could go without them.
Now here I am, a little over a year later. I am telling you the absolute truth when I say that I don't even miss those things except in rare situations. I really enjoy having my Cajun Fries, or a healthy New York Style Cheesecake, or a Skinny Cow Vanilla & Caramel ice cream cone. The idea of going to a buffet like the Mandarin (which I used to love) kind of grosses me out now. Your taste buds really do change and adjust so that you can get the same enjoyment out of substitute foods that you used to get from fatty, calorie laden items- and the old things you used to love won't taste the same to you anymore. They might even make your body feel lousy because it's so used to getting healthy, nourishing food!
The reason that I can tell you flat out that I am sure that I won't be a yo-yo dieter and that I know I will be able to maintain at my goal weight is because this is just the way I eat now. I mean, really- after a year, what am I supposed to do? Just go walk into a McDonalds and order a Big Mac, fries, and a shake? I don't have habits or desires like that anymore when I can make things that taste just as good but fit right into my healthy lifestyle plan.
So before I was wondering how I'd manage to adjust- but now I know that I just need to find healthy replacements for those cravings and I'm all set. So just keep going, one day at a time. When you really miss something, it's OK to have it- just find a way to make it fit into your plan. If there's something you crave that I don't have listed, let me know- maybe I can figure out a way to make it!
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Great post, Susie. I'm having a little trouble right now, but this definitely gave me a little lift.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your help once I have this baby to get back on NS!! I read still and have learned good things!
ReplyDeleteI'll take you up on your offer of figuring out how to make it! Have you had any luck with no-carb or low-carb or fat-free bread?
ReplyDeleteAnd since you mentioned your favorites, like cheesecake, I'm wondering if you've come up with ways to make your old favorites.
I notice on every single one of Nutrisystem's food items, they all say 0g transfat and a high number of grams for protein. Since they display this so prominently beneath the name of the item, I know it's important. I'm wondering if you've written a post about the meaning and importance of no transfats and high protein. And, if not, I'm hoping you'll write one. I'd like some more insight into these.
Thank you so much, Susie! I love your blog. I weighed in for my second week today and I lost another 3 lbs, so I'm at a total loss of 7.2 lbs! I couldn't be more pleased.
Claire- what kind of trouble are you having? *hugs* Stay focused and just take it one meal at a time- you can do it!
ReplyDeleteDori- we look forward to having you back when the baby is born!
Victoria- I might have trouble with a low carb bread! I'm not sure how you'd be planning to fit it into program then. A low GI carb serving is ~80-120 calories and 15g of carbs. What exactly did you have in mind? There are some great low carb bread mixes at Netrition.com (http://www6.netrition.com/cgi/product_categories_display.cgi?categories=VLC,BRED)- I have heard the Bob's Red Mill is good and it has high protein but the calories are still too high to have 2 slices even though the carbs are low.
I have indeed written about the importance of protein in the past: http://stomach-rumblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/importance-of-protein.html
There is tons of stuff written about how awful trans fats are for you. I did a quick Google and this is what I found: http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/fitness/transfats.html
Congratulations on your loss!!! Soon you'll have your first Nutribear (don't forget to track your weight loss on the Nutrisystem.com website!).
As for making my old favourites- yes, I've figured out a way to make most of the things I've craving and I have ideas for some more that I haven't tried yet (so stay tuned!). There is a link in the post to a cheesecake recipe I found on the NS boards, with slight modifications, and you can find my Cajun Fries recipe as a link as well. I've also got some great fast food swaps you can find in my recipe section: http://stomach-rumblings.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html
Stick to it and keep going- definitely ask questions anytime and I'm always up for a challenge on making things if you miss a food!