Our Weight Loss Journey: Month 1 After Nutrisystem

As members of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Panel, Jai and I received the Nutrisystem program free of charge in order to share our honest opinions with you. We were not required or compensated to write this post – we just figured our readers would be interested in a follow-up! Always consult with your physician before embarking on any weight loss or exercise program.

After reading our final Nutrisystem post last month, I know many of your were curious as to how we’d handle the transition back into “Regular” food and what we’d do to maintain the weight loss. We wanted to continue sharing updates on our progress on a monthly basis, so you can see how the results hold up in the “Real world” along with sharing what we learn and our tips for others getting ready to transition. So without further ado, here is our weigh-in after one month transitioning off Nutrisystem:

Beeb’s Weigh-In – One Month After Nutrisystem:

Starting Weight: 164.5 lbs
Final Weigh-In on Nutrisystem – April 20th, 2013: 128.8 lbs
Weight One Month After Nutrisystem – May 19th, 2013: 128.2 lbs

Beeb’s Measurements – One Month After Nutrisystem:

Jai’s Weigh-In – One Month After Nutrisystem:

Starting Weight: 217.5 lbs
Weigh-In on Nutrisystem – April 20th, 2013: 166.4 lbs
Weight One Month After Nutrisystem – May 21st, 2013: 168.8 lbs

Jai’s Measurements – One Month After Nutrisystem:

So after transitioning off Nutrisystem for one month, I have lost another .6 pounds and Jai has had a slight gain of 2.4 pounds. His water weight tends to fluctuate in the 160s as his body adjusts to being in this weight range again, but we’ve both been monitoring our weight throughout the month and felt comfortable with it staying overall consistent.

We began the transition off Nutrisystem first by replacing the NS breakfasts with our own meals, then the lunches. We still have quite a few Nutrisystem dinners left – I’d say around 2 weeks worth – so it’s been nice to ease back into our own food in a more gradual way. Transitioning off the program has actually been easier than I expected in many ways – the hardest part is probably just making the time to go shopping again, since I was spoiled by 11 months of not having to prepare food. 😉

As I mentioned on Super Coupon Girl recently, I decided to go easy on myself and stick with pre-prepared foods for the first month or so. With the kitchen remodel looming, I quickly realized that attempting to cook a huge batch of freezer meals in a torn-up house was a really bad idea. Instead, I opted to buy granola bars on Amazon as replacements for our breakfast and lunch bars. I like these because it was easy to find bars roughly around the same portion size as our NS entrees, and there is zero cooking involved, which will be important when the kitchen is completely out of commission. Also, our work schedules have been very different this month, with Jai needing meals he can eat on the go several times a week.

Once we replaced the Nutrisystem lunches and breakfasts, we realized how seamless the rest of our routine was. We’re already used to buying our own PowerFuels (Protein snacks for the morning), SmartCarbs (A carbohydrate snack for the afternoon), and veggies, so buying granola bars has been the only real change in our routine. I’ve really noticed how seamless it is to go back to “Normal” life from Nutrisystem, because you already have such a consistent routine established.

The primary change we’ve made is regarding the Nutrisystem desserts. We could easily replace those with some lo-cal snacks, but knowing how tempting that would be, we decided that it really wouldn’t be a good idea to stock up on cookies and cakes. Instead, we replace the dessert with a SmartCarb or popcorn, which has been working out well so far. I feel like we are surrounded by desserts anyway, since we are always offered them when we visit friends and family, and I often get snacks mailed to me for review; so it’s not like I have to go far out of my way to replace them anyway, you know? 😉

The other big change this month is that – gulp – we haven’t worked out at the gym for a month. This has been a really difficult month for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that we’re finishing up our remodeling projects while simultaneously working on one of the biggest business projects I’ve ever undertaken. You’ve already gotten a peek at some of the new sites I’ve launched, and there are several more planned. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes to make Contest Corner better than ever and to increase the efficiency with which we can bring you great giveaways; when we roll out the launch of these improvements next month, you’ll see why it was so much work! 😀 In addition to these, both Jai and I have been working really long hours and taking on extra work, and since our schedules are different now than they were last month, it’s made it hard to adjust and find the right slot for working out. I’m giving myself a break because really, my routine is going to be thrown off until we get the remodeling done anyway, so I’m doing my best just to keep up with everything in the meantime. Jai and I have been going for walks whenever possible and I’ve been staying active around the house, so it’s not like we’ve just been sitting around, but I know we would have built more muscle tone if we’d been able to do more exercise this month – hence the gain in our measurements!

For us, realistic, long term changes are about keeping our priorities straight and doing as much as we reasonably can when we can. For us, keeping on top of our eating habits has been the first priority. I almost feel like my small amounts of extra time have gone towards shopping for food rather than hitting the gym, and that’s OK for now. By keeping our eating habits stable, we maintain our progress even when we’re not as active.

We’ll be back with another post next month to update you on how we continue with our weight loss & fitness goals!