wow what a great day of comments, thanks so much for the incredible support and feedback on Wednesday's's running post. i cannot tell you how many emails i received with stories that just empowered and inspired me.
many of you had additional questions and i wanted to make sure i addressed them all! thanks again.
Q - I'd love to know what you eat - did you totally revamp what you eat, do you give in to temptation, allow yourself treats, etc? Posted by: Kathy
A - i had to revamp my whole diet and my thinking about food. i can eat almost anything i want now as long as i make smart choices. ok so what does that mean? well i eat 5 times a day. for breakfast (@7-8 AM) i usually have a 1/2 a bowl of healthy/healthier cereal or i try to eat out of a smaller bowl. This is key, portion size is everything. at about 10-11 AM i'll have a low calorie yogurt. for lunch (@1-2PM) i'll have Wasa bread nd cheese or fresh veggies or Veggie sandwich (like from subway). I'll have a late day snack at around 4 and i might have a banana or fruit. and for dinner (@ 5:30-7 PM) i will eat regular dinner just a normal portion size. so like if we have tacos i have one or if we have chicken, rice and peas i will eat it on a smaller plate. make sense? i do eat junk food just not as often and instead of the whole bag of cookies i have 2 or 3.
Q - Okay, be real with me...how much did this cost? it cost me $277 a month to do nutrisystem, it was not cheap, but fo me worth learning ho to eat and portion control. i talk more about why i chose nutrisystem here. I would love to be able to get on the box meals and start to live healthy, but I can't afford $300+ a month on food that is just for me, that is probably my entire monthly food budget for my family! And when you said your family started to eat healthier, what does that mean? my family snacks more on fresh cut up veggies like cucumbers and green peppers than chips and they became more aware of the food they were eating and the nutritional value of what they consumed. Honestly, the cost is what is holding me back- I don't think I can do it going to the grocery store and preparing the food myself- that obviously has worked so far, and I know I can't afford box meals. Thank you for being as honest and real about your struggle and great success, but how do you suggest someone do this who doesn't have the financial resources that you do? i suggest really working on constricting your portion sizes. a portion of food should be no bigger than your fist. it took me about 2 months to really feel full and to get my body used to eating for 1. Posted by: Kelley
Q - any tips for running outside? I have not done this yet and plan to within the next month. i think you just gotta do it. i began running on the treadmill and wasn't used to running outside. once i started running outside i now have a hard time running on the treadmill. so boring. Posted by: Melissa Raphael
Q - I have been on NutriSystem for 2 months (thanks to you) and I have lost 18 pounds. I still have a long way to go but you have inspired me to live healthy and to create everyday; two great ideas I am working at. I am finding the portions to be small (oh who's kidding...it's a fraction of what i was eating!). What helped you to get used to the portion sizes? Mind over matter, lol! Posted by: Ida
Q - Can I ask how tall you are? i am 5'6" Posted by: Sandy
Q - Now that you are a runner, how does your food intake compare with when you were doing Nutri-System? Are you basically eating what you want with some treats from time to time or are you more strict? Do you prepare different meals for yourself vs. your family? i think running allows me to maintain my weight without worrying too much about having pizza one night or dessert.i think the biggest lesson nutrisytem taught me was not to eat when i was bored. i ate lunch when it was lunch time and dinner when it was dinnertime. i liked my color coded food and it really stopped me from snacking. i do not eat differently from my family now, but when i was on nutrisytem i would just eat my nutrisytem meal while they ate their dinner. it didn't disrupt the flow of things at all. Posted by: Jen
Q - I am curious about what you are eating now that you have stopped using Nutrisystem. Are you following some sort of healthy eating plan? Or is the exercise keeping the weight off? just eating healthy and without a doubt you must have a good mix of diet and exercise to maintain the weight loss. Posted by: Bev
Q - While you were on nutrisystem did you prepare separate meals for your family? yes we ate different meals, but my husband cooked so it wasn;t really an issue.
How much time a day/week do you spend at working out? (time spent traveling to the gym, running from home, at the gym, etc) i usually exercise 3-4 times a week and the gym is right around the corner from my house so i would say 4-6 hours a week.
Have you changed drastically what you and your family eat? Wanna share some healthy meal ideas? yes, we try to eat lower calorie foods if at all possible. my kids don't think twice about it now because when i started nutrisytem i really talked to them about "mommy getting healthy" and what healthy meant. we talked about food choices like cookies vs. apples and the importance of exercise and they would ask me everyday if i exercised yet. i never referred to the change as a diet. as for the meal ideas...i am the worst cook so i usually eat raw or steamed veggie or plain chicken breast, rice - believe it or not i actually eat and enjoy a bland diet. that said i discovered that the best salad topper is banana peppers and i don't even need to use dressing if i use the brine! yummm. Posted by: CrystalK
Q - Do you get the runners high? I did when I was running and you hit a plateau where you feel like your legs are just going and your breathing is perfect. no, i mean i have run for what i consider long distances (9-10 miles) but runners high, no not so much. i usually feel the high after as a sense of accomplishment. Posted by: Angie Long |
Q - I wondered - did you have any set backs? like gaining weight? no not really. i fluctuate now between 156-160 on any given day but that has been consistent for like 6 months. i think the key is changing your lifestyle...i think if you think of it like a diet it can set you back. i do not feel like i have given up anything and i try not to deny myself foods i might crave. i just eat in moderation. Now that you've made all the changes - was it the N/S or getting exercise really going -- or both? it was nutrisystem that helped me loose the first 15 pounds that gave me the confidence to start moving...does that make sense? (I have a nut allergy, so N/S is not an option but there are plenty of other ways to get around that)
How did N/S help you change your eating habits? portion control Are you able to stick w/that now? yes Posted by: Marie
Q - have a couple of questions. First, now that ur not on NS how do u maintain ur weight? Second, what types of foods are u eating and do u have any good snack ideas. check earlier responses Posted by: Elaine Bisdorf
Q - Hi Donna! How old are you? hi Giulia my beautiful Italian friend, i am 37. Posted by: Giulia
Q - What you've accomplished is awesome! I have lots of questions...one is can you just start running, a little at a time, or are there some things to know before you start to help avoid injury? you might want to check with a doctor or trainer first because each person is different, but i just did it. i was athletic in HS and played softball in college, but never ran. however i think joining a running group at my gym early on may have prevented me from forming too many bad habits as well as built my confidence. Posted by: Debby Schuh
Q - Did you see that you can link MapMyRun into your Facebook? ok NO!! i need to check that out! thanks! I'm going to play with that later. And put in the imapmyrun app on my iPhone. Posted by: Damon Crawley
Q - Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your story. So tell us... What do you eat these days now that you are off NS? see earlier responses Posted by: Melissa L
Q - OK, so what did you feed your kids and hubby while on NS?? My husband travels alot, so he's not so much a concern, but the kids?? the kids ate normal food. mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, pasta, pork, hot dogs, etc. but we tried to make sure they has really healthy sides like green veggies and fruits. also we try to buy only low or lower calorie options for dessert. Posted by: kelly
