Nutrisystem Jumpstart Final Results

Saturday was the final day of the Nutrisystem Jumpstart 5 day program. I have to apologize because I did not keep the containers and wrappers which have the nutritional value information on the final meals. Well, I did put them to the side, but someone threw them out, me, when cleaning the table. Diet brain I guess. Anyhow, for breakfast I had the Peanut Butter Granola Bar.

It was very tasty and as I've said in the past, their bars and desserts seem to be the best "meals" they offer.

For lunch I had the Loaded Baked Potato.

As you can see it comes in a cup. I don't know what it was loaded with other than sodium, potato flakes, and two bits of "bacon." The "bacon" bits were so hard I thought I cracked my filling. If you like boxed fake potatoes you'll like this...me, not so much.

I was supposed to have the Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza for dinner. Looking at the picture on the box I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I figured it had the same "bread" as the chicken pot pie did and that was inedible. I was not a fan of the tomato sauce either macaroni dish had and I can't imagine this one would have been different. At 270 calories with 580mg of Sodium and 21% of my daily value saturated fat allowance, I passed on it. Instead I went to Wasabi's and had a spicy tuna sashimi appetizer and shared half of a Sumo Roll. It was delicious! I also had two bottles of hot sake which was the first time I had alcohol in 5 days. Usually I could drink at least three small sakes, and couple of glasses of wine when I get home, but just the two sent me for a loop! Guess it was the lack of calories or something. I didn't even eat last night's dessert when I got home. I was so full from the sashimi, which usually never happens.

So what is the result of this 5-day diet? Well, I did lose six pounds, so Nutrisystem did make good on its five pound promise. Will I join the program and continue? No, I will not. The food is just not "healthy" enough in my eyes due to the high sodium and fat content of too many of its meals. If I was able to buy some of their products singularly such as the breakfast bars and desserts, I would go that way, but I have not seen them sold anywhere. I've also not seen any of their shakes that I keep seeing the commercials for on store shelves either. If anyone has, please drop me a line in the comment section or email me.

Would I recommend this 5-Day Jumpstart program? Yes, I would. By losing 6 pounds it has motivated me to lose way more. It has taught me to monitor better exactly what I am eating, the portion size, and ingredients. I have decided to continue dieting and am going back to one that helped me lose weight in the past...The Sonoma Diet. There are no pre-packaged foods...everything is made from scratch. I have to go with a list each day, or every other day, and buy exactly what I need so it is fresh. The preparation takes time so it's not an "easy" or "cheap" diet either. Frankly, I was a little turned off by Nutrisystem's meals since they did not have to be refrigerated or frozen. It's like eating astronaut food. The Sonoma Diet has a ten day plan to "jumpstart" the body as well. If I deviate from any of the meal choices I probably could substitute it with a Lean Cuisine after checking the nutritional values of a meal. They taste much better than the Nutrisystem ones, but I don't want to make my life all about eating pre-packaged foods. My husband has decided to join me on the Sonoma Diet which means my son will also, as I am not making three different meals a night, especially as these meals cost a pretty penny. The three of us need to lose weight. What about the girl? Well, that's a post for another day...let's just say gaining weight is not one of her problems.

I'll let you know how it goes, but not on a daily basis. I figure I'll weigh myself once a week to see if progress is being made. I started with the Sonoma Diet yesterday and stepping on the scale this morning reveals I did lose another two pounds, which brings the total to 8 pounds in one week. I wish I could lose 8 pounds every week, but I know that's not going to happen. If anyone has had success with any other diet plans, let me know. And good luck to all those who struggle with weight. It's a tough road, but the hardest part is taking that first step. And if you cheat once in a while, so be it...just work out extra hard that day...that's what I plan on doing!

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."--Thomas A. Edison

Nutrisystem Jumpstart Day 4

Day Four's breakfast was Granola Cereal. I thought it was a wee bit small, but it actually filled me up and held me to lunch. Quite tasty as well.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 160. Fat 2.5g-3%. No Sat Fats! Sodium 90mg-4%. Carbs 31g-10%. Fiber 3g-11%. Sugars 11g. Protein 4g. 13 different Vitamins and Minerals ranging from 2%dv to 40%.

Low calories, low sodium, packed with vitamins and flavor make this breakfast a major Pass.

Red Beans & Rice which consisted of kidney beans and rice with chicken sausage in a spicy sauce was lunch. As you can see from the bowl, it's pretty tiny. There were three slivers of chicken sausage in it. It was just okay, nothing to write home about. I needed to supplement it with some grapes about three hours after I ate it.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 170. Fat 2.5g-4%. Sat Fat 0.5g-3%. Cholesterol 10mg-3%. Sodium 530mg-22%. Carbs 31g-10%. Fiber 5g-20%. Sugars 1g. Protein 9g. Vitamin A 20%. Vitamin C 120%. Calcium 2%. Iron 10%.

Other than the very high sodium the rest of the numbers were good. I especially liked the low calories and high Vitamin C content. Begrudgingly I will give this a Pass.

The highest calorie meal for Day Four was dinner's...Chicken Alfredo. Once prepared it looked nothing like the package it came in. The sauce was no Alfredo but it wasn't half bad, tasted like it had mushrooms in it. The noodles were few and far between and were so mushy I couldn't tell if I was eating them or lumps of sauces. I really disliked the chicken chunks. The consistency of them was horrible, stringy and mushy at the same time.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 250. Fat 6g-9%. Sat Fat 3g-15%. Cholesterol 45mg-16%. Sodium 590mg-25%. Carbs 29g-10%. Fiber 4g-18%. Sugars 5g. Protein 20g. Vitamin A 2%. Calcium 10%. Iron 4%.

Lousy taste, poor consistency, high calories, cholesterol and sodium make this entree a Fail.

Dessert was a bag of popcorn. We got a big laugh out of that. It didn't even cover the bottom of the bucket that we fill when we go to the movies! This was the worst dessert I had thus far. The popcorn had a strange taste to it, very artificial and the kernels were hard to chew. It was so lousy I didn't bother finishing the bag.



Nutrition Facts: Calories 140. Fat 7g-10%. Sat Fat .5g-3%. Sodium 140mg-6%. Carbs 16g-5%. Fiber 4g-15%. Protein 4g. Vitamin A 150%. Iron 2%.

Although there was a high Vitamin A content, I don't think the popcorn was worth 140 calories so I give this a Fail.

Here is the final day's meals. I already had the breakfast bar which was good. I am not looking forward to the dinner which is pizza, based on the bread-like slab that was on the Chicken Pot Pie and the sauce that was on the Lasagna. The picture on the box looks like it has both of those ingredients and at 270 calories and the other nutrition facts on the box I'm thinking I may just pass on this and opt for something else...maybe sashimi. I haven't had a drink in five days and I think I could reward myself with some sake. We'll see...but for now I am off to glide!

Nutrisystem Jumpstart Day 3

It's been three days since I had any sort of bread so yesterday's Honey Wheat Bagel was a big hit for me. Although I wouldn't consider it a "real" bagel, it was quite satisfying. The real star of the meal though was the Greek Yogurt/Cream Cheese spread on top of it. Nutrisystem didn't say if anything should go on it, but I certainly couldn't eat the bagel dry so I thought this new discovery at 45 calories per tablespoon was a perfect complement to it.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 170. Fat 2g-3%. Sat Fat .5g-3%. Sodium 250mg-10%. Carbs 33g-11%. Fiber 4g-16%. Sugar 2g. Protein 5g. Calcium 6%. Iron 6%

This breakfast had one of the lowest sugar and sodium contents thus far. It was also one of the tastiest. Pass.

Nutrasystem's "bars" seem to the best thing in their repertoire, so I enjoyed the Double Chocolate Caramel Bar I had for lunch. Clearly that wouldn't be enough so I supplemented it with the leftover kale from the night before.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 190. Fat 7g-11%. Sat Fat 5g-25%. Sodium 170mg-7%. Carbs 28g-9%. Fiber 6g-24%. Sugars 11g. Protein 9g. Calcium 6%. Iron 10%.

It was nice and high in fiber content so I made it all the way to dinner without fainting. Although the sugar was high, I will give this a Pass, especially for taste.

By far the worst meal I've had thus far was yesterday's dinner. It was Chicken Pot Pie. Horrible, barely edible. The "crust" was a slab of some sort of rock hard bread-like thingie that I couldn't cut. Even soaking in the mush it didn't soften up. If I wasn't starving I would have thrown it out before eating half of it. Luckily I had a small zucchini and Roma tomato in the house which I grilled with fat-free olive oil spray and seasoned with garlic salt and pepper. That was delicious.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 270. Fat 9g-14%. Sat Fat 3.5g-18%. Cholesterol 30mg-10%. Sodium 590mg-25%. Carbs 34g-11%. Fiber 3g-12%. Sugars 2g. Protein 13g. Vitamin A 15%. Vitamin C 25%. Calcium 2%. Iron 10%

Not only was this the worst tasting meal but also the least healthy one. 270 calories and 590mg Sodium makes this one a major Fail!

The Chocolate Chip Cookies were another good dessert...very crunchy and tasty. Once again, Bella stole the wrapper so I am unable to report the nutritional values, but based on taste alone I will give this a Pass.

Except for the crappy pot pie, yesterday's meals were a pretty good selection. I must confess I felt the need to step on the scale this morning. I stepped on in not once, not twice, but three times to make sure I was reading it right. Five pounds gone as of today! I needed that inspiration to get through today's meals...I can do this!

Nutrasystem Jumpstart Day 2

I forgot to mention yesterday that although I said I wouldn't step on a scale until the end of five days, I did. I gained one pound! Yes, gained!!! I don't know how that's possible, but I'm not giving up, yet, so here are Day 2's observations:

For breakfast I had the Double Chocolate Muffin. It was the same small size as Day 1's muffin. It was not as tasty. The chocolate tasted fake, and there was an odd aftertaste to it.

Nutritional Facts: Calories, 190. Total Fat 5g-8%. Sat Fat 1.5g-8%. Cholesterol 15mg-5%. Sodium 270mg-11%. Carbs 30g-10%. Fiber 9g-36%. Sugars 15g. Protein 7g. Calcium 4%. Iron 20%.

As you can see there is a lot of sodium and sugar in it. The only good value was fiber. The ingredients contained a lot of crap that I could not pronounce. Fail.

I was able to hold out 2 1/2 hours until lunch. On the menu was Chicken Noodle soup. It was about the same size as the muffin. Wasn't too bad, sort of reminiscent of Campbell's, only saltier and with an added ingredient that made my tongue tingle after eating it, and no, it wasn't that it was too hot. In fact, I had to heat it three times because it never got hot enough. Strange.

Nutritional Facts: Calories, 110 Total Fat 2g-3%. Sat Fat 1g-5%. Cholesterol 25mg, 8%. Sodium 590mg-25%. Carbs 13g-4%. Protein 10g. Vitamin A 10%. Calcium 2%. Iron 4%

It's probably a good thing it was so small and barely filled my cavity, as it had way too much sodium. The Vitamin A is the only redeeming quality it had. Fail.

By mid-afternoon I was really hungry so I had a non-fat Greek yogurt with diced cucumbers, diced red onion, salt, pepper & dill seasoning. That held me to dinner.

Although I wasn't looking forward to the Rotini & Meatballs, I was pleasantly surprised as it was way better than the Lasagna. Doesn't look good, I know, but it tastes like Chef Boy Ardee macaroni & meatballs in a can. Well, how can I say that's good? When you're hungry you'd be surprised at what you suddenly think is good. I knew this tiny portion would not fill me up, so for a side vegetable I chopped some garlic and sauteed it in an olive oil spray. Then I heated a cup of water and threw a chicken bullion cube in it. When it dissolved I put that in the garlic pan and used it as a base for torn leaves of kale. That was good once I seasoned it with some salt and pepper. When the boys came home I had to leave the kitchen because they made cheese omelets with bacon on the side and the aroma was too tempting.

Nutritional Facts: Calories, 220. Total Fat 6g-9%. Sat Fat 2.5g-13%/ Cholesterol 25mg-8%. Sodium 600mg-25%. Carbs 9%. Fiber 3g-12%. Sugar 6g. Protein 17g. Vitamin A 2%. Vitamin C 4%. Calcium 15%. Iron 15%.

Once again, this  mini meal had way too much sodium. At least the calories were lower and the calcium and iron numbers were decent. Pass.

At 9:30 I had dessert...Milk Chocolate Flavored Pretzels. These were delicious!

I wish there were more than 5 tiny pretzels in the bag, 130 calories.

I did have more energy on Day 2 so I was able to glide and ride my bike without getting tired. I also slept well last night. I am not stepping on the scale again until the end of the five days. Here's today's menu. I am looking forward to having a bagel for breakfast...

 

 

 

Nutrisystem Jumpstart Day 1 Review

When I last left you yesterday I had just eaten my breakfast muffin. It was a good two hours before I began to get hungry. For lunch I had the Fudge Graham Bar.

For those interested in the nutritional facts: Calories, 200. Total Fat 7g-11%, Sat Fat 4.5g-23%, Cholesterol 5mg-2%, Sodium 190mg-8%, Total Carb 22g-7%, Fiber 3g-12%, Sugars 12g, Protein 14g, Calcium 6%, Iron 15%.

The bar was quite tasty, but didn't fill me up. I looked on the pamphlet and it said I could also have 2 vegetable servings with it so I opted for 1/4 cup hummus with some celery sticks.

I felt hungry in the afternoon, which was probably the wrong time to go food shopping. However, I was a "good girl" and just bought what was on my list including fat-free cottage cheese, fat-free Greek Yogurt, fat-free salad dressing, fat-free Feta cheese, some fresh veggies, and fruit. According to the Nutrisystem JumpStart plan, I can add 1 Smartcarb and 1 Powerful snack twice a day. They recommend their shakes, bars, or patty, but I prefer the above. I also drank lots of water.

For dinner I had the Lasagna with Meat Sauce. One word...disgusting. It barely resembled lasagna and I don't think even folks who are not schooled in proper lasagna preparation, would add a pinto bean, a pea, or three kernels of corn when they make it. Thank goodness I cooked a couple of fresh mushrooms in fat-free olive oil spray and placed them on top, or I probably wouldn't have eaten it. I made a small salad with cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes in a smidge of fat-free balsamic dressing.

The "lasagna" nutritional facts: Calories 280! Total Fat 8g-12%, Sat Fat 4g-20%, Cholesterol 35mg-12%, Sodium 590mg-25%, Fiber 3g-12%, Sugars 6g, Protein 17g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 4%, Calcium 20%, Iron 15%.

I'm going to look at a Lean Cuisine Lasagna the next time I get to the store to see what the differences in nutritional values are. I've had some of their pasta dishes and they are way, way tastier. One of the hardest parts for me was cooking two other meals for my family. The boys had beef stroganoff, and the girl had pasta with butter. I already told them I won't be able to do that again and they're on their own the next four days. Lucky for them the boys have leftovers for tonight, and the girl will be working.

Around 9:30 I had my dessert, a Cheesecake Flavored Bar. Out of the four Nutrisystem "meals" I had this was the best tasting one. I'm sorry I cannot provide the nutritional information other than it was 150 calories, as Bella grabbed the wrapper and tore it to shreds.

A couple of observations of Day One: During the day other than one brief period which caused me to reach for a handful of grapes, I really didn't feel "starving," but my stomach made insane loud gurgling noises. I also frequented the ladies room more than usual. And by the evening it was like a flock of geese had entered my house. During the middle of the night I awoke very hungry feeling an emptiness in my belly. That never happens to me. Tonight I will keep a glass of water by the bed. I didn't have enough energy for my usual workout, so instead of using the glider I stayed on the bicycle.

Here's what's in store for me today...

Yum, yum...Not looking forward to the Chicken Soup lunch or the Rotini and Meatballs dinner.

Nutrisystem Jump Start

After my dieting methods proved unfruitful, I finally decided I needed help to start the weight loss ball rolling. After watching the Nutrisystem commercials that promises five pounds off in five days I thought that would be a good jump-start. I wasn't ready to commit to the entire program but was willing to spend $45 on the five day kit to see if it would work for me. Wal-Mart had a bunch of them on the shelves so I grabbed one and started the program this morning.

When I posted a pic of the box which contains 15 meals and 5 desserts on Facebook one of my friends asked if the pictures were to scale. They might be. Here are the breakfast choices:

 This is today's menu:

Breakfast: Cinnamon Streusel Muffin
Lunch: Fudge Graham Bar
Dinner: Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Dessert: Cheesecake Flavored Bar

The muffin didn't taste bad, but it was pretty small.

Obviously they needed the large bag so they could fit all the ingredients on it, many of which I cannot pronounce.

 The calories are 200, total fat 14%, Cholesterol 3%, Sodium 10%, Carbs 9%, Fiber 20%, Sugars 9g, and Protein 5g. Vitamin A 2%, Calcium 4% & Iron 6%. The only good thing about these numbers is the 20% Fiber.

I also had three cups of coffee with just a dash of skim milk. I hope this muffin will stay with me through my one hour work-out, although as soon as I finished it I had to go to the bathroom.

In three hours I will have lunch...a fudge graham bar. I can't imagine that will get me through to dinner, so I searched for and found a little pamphlet that lists additional foods that you can add to your daily meal plan. I can go out and buy some Nutrisystem shakes, but probably will go for the other vegetable options which are unlimited as long as I don't cook them in oil or breadcrumbs. I see a lot of celery munching in my future.

I will let you know how the rest of the day went tomorrow, and will post pictures of each meal in case you're interested in trying this program. One note...by the time I finished this blog post I do feel a little hungry. Maybe tomorrow I should wake up later and have breakfast and lunch at the same time.