The Beginning of Our Nutrisystem Journey: Day 1

Well, it’s official: Our Nutrisystem journey has begun! Our first day on the program was Saturday, June 9th. We’ll be weighing in each week and tracking our progress right here in a new blog post every Monday. We’ll also be filming a v-log every month where you can “See” our progress, as well as taking our measurements every 30 days. The first installment in our v-log series is above – check it out to see where we’re at now and what our first impression of Nutrisystem is. This month’s video serves as the official “Before” shots! We also discuss our experience starting the program, what we think of the food, Jai gets the giggles, and I vow to never give up cake through my double chin – oh, the irony! 😉

Beeb’s first weigh-in & measurements:

Above, you will see a photo of the scale, recording my weight at 164.5 pounds, as well as the measurements which I logged on Nutrisystem’s website. They have a very convenient site & iPhone app (Which works on my first-generation iPhone! Yay!) where you log your daily food intake, activity, and stats. I’ve used apps like this in my past efforts and I find them to be incredibly helpful, so I’m really happy that Nutrisystem offers such comprehensive web tools to supplement their program.

Jai’s first weigh-in & measurements:

Above, you’ll see a photo of Jai’s first weigh-in at 217.5 pounds, along with his measurements.

That’s our packed freezer and pantry! We got a giant shipment of food – we’re so impressed with the variety of food which Nutrisystem offers. There’s so many different dishes to choose from that it’s a lot of fun picking out something new at each meal! It’s a great mixture of frozen and ready-to-eat foods, so that you have options to adapt to your schedule and needs.

The Nutrisystem plan also provides you with a list of fresh foods to buy at the store, such as fruits and vegetables, so that you have a well-rounded diet and foods on hand to help fill you up. Each day’s menu calls for a selection of “PowerFuels”, “SmartCarbs”, vegetables, and optional “Extras” such as popcorn, which you eat in addition to the Nutrisystem items. I wanted to share what I bought with you, so you can see an example of a very simple and frugal way to follow the program:

PowerFuels: Fatfree milk, eggs, peanut butter
SmartCarbs: Bananas, apples, brown rice, black beans

There are dozens of other things you can eat in these categories, but because of how busy and exhausted we are, I purposely limited it to a simple selection of foods that involve little to no prep, so we can just grab them and go! I already had the peanut butter and black beans in my pantry, so the total cost for the items pictured above was $15.31.

Here’s an example of what I ate during my first day on Nutrisystem:

Breakfast: Nutrisystem Double Chocolate Muffin, Nutrisystem Coffee Protein Shake

Morning snack: Hardboiled egg (PowerFuel)

Lunch: Nutrisystem Cheesey HomeStyle Potatoes Mix, 1 cup of nonfat milk (PowerFuel)

Afternoon snack: 1 banana (SmartCarb) and 1 carrot (Vegetables are unlimited on the Nutrisystem plan)

Dinner: Nutrisystem Asian-Style Beef, 1 banana (SmartCarb)

Dessert: Nutrisystem Creamy Fudge Bar

This plan makes so much sense, because it’s so well-rounded. You start your day with protein to power your morning, and then move on to carbs in the afternoon when you start to get that mid-day crash. The Nutrisystem meals are interchangeable, so you just mix and match your meals each day, making it really simple to follow. The men’s plan includes more food – Jai gets TWO desserts each day, which I am jealous of! 😉 – and they have additional allowances for people with over 100 pounds to lose, so the goal is that it can be modified to work for anybody. Now that we’ve got all of the supplies in place, I can’t wait to see what our progress will be like!

As members of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Panel, Jai and I will be receiving the Nutrisystem program free of charge in order to share our honest opinions with you. Always consult with your physician before embarking on any weight loss or exercise program.