Shrinking Sisters

Carol does Nutrisystem: The most important meal

Nutrisystem photos

Nutrisystem breakfasts are varied. My usual selection has been the cranberry orange pastry or the toasted "O's" cereal.  Recent additions to the program are the chocolate frosted doughnut and cinnamon roll.  Which begs the question, "If I'm on a weight loss program, why would I be indulging in a chocolate frosted doughnut or a cinnamon roll?"  The answer? Because I can.

Granted, the doughnut is not what one would get from a doughnut store, and the cinnamon roll is far from the ones sold at the mall... BUT, they are a decent facsimile. That, and a container of fat free Greek yogurt completes my breakfast.  

What I have been missing, however is protein.  Good, clean protein.  For breakfast there is a maple flavored pork breakfast patty (tastes good too).  For dinner, there are grilled chicken breast portions, which I have with a big salad.  Every so often though, I really crave a piece of fresh fish.  

But for portion control, convenience and portability, Nutrisystem can't be beat. 

Disclaimer: I have been selected to participate in the Nutrisystem NSNation blogger program. For three months, I will receive the food free of charge to help facilitate my honest review. No other compensation will be received.

Carol does Nutrisystem: Eater's block

I've been stumped about what to blog about.  I've settled into my routine of grabbing a breakfast and lunch and heading out the door to work... a no-brainer.  I really enjoy the simplicity of meal planning with the Nutrisystem foods. I ate all of the Chef's Table entrees and was very pleased with them.   I ate them at lunch time for convenience and can't wait to order more.

Since I have eaten most of the frozen entrees, it was time to go onto the shelf-stable selections.  I have discovered my three favorites: Red beans and rice, tuna salad, and chicken salad.

I grab a side salad and a slice of pumpernickel bread and I'm set for lunch.  I really enjoy the portability and all of the space the foods have freed up in my lunch bag.

Next blog post, I'll be reviewing the snack/dessert options.

Follow me on twitter (@martorella) where I'll give you lunchtime reviews of Nutrisystem's entrees and whatever else is on my mind.

Disclaimer: I have been selected to participate in the Nutrisystem NSNation blogger program. For three months, I will receive the food free of charge to help facilitate my honest review. No other compensation will be received.

Chef's Table at the picnic table

I'm on Nutrisystem, and finished week 2.  Although my scale moved only half a pound (wine and cheese party last Friday), the food kept me motivated. I've been having dinners at lunchtime, which gives me a larger portion of food when I need it and it's very satisfying.

The Chef's Table line of frozen dinners are amazing! I wish there was a more amazing word than amazing to describe not only the taste of these meals but the aroma as well.  Last week I had the butternut squash ravioli, which, when microwaved in a school breakroom, emitted the most beautiful fragrance that had my co-workers asking what I was eating.

Today, I had the Chef's Table arroz con pollo, which again, made my co-workers' tastebuds kick into overdrive. When I opened the steam-bag at the picnic table, I was  impressed with the amount of chicken, and once again with the flavor.  

In late August I had a car accident and my car was totaled. I stopped exercising because I didn't want to exacerbate any muscular issues I had from the accident.

But I got the OK to start exercising again from my doctor, and I'm going to take full advantage.  My trainer Sara is as excited for me to start up again as I am. Time to fire up the Fitbit again.

Follow me on twitter (@martorella) where I'll give you lunchtime reviews of Nutrisystem's entrees and whatever else is on my mind.

Disclaimer: I have been selected to participate in the Nutrisystem NSNation blogger program. For three months, I will receive the food free of charge to help facilitate my honest review. No other compensation will be received.

Carol does Nutrisystem: Week 1

The food came in two boxes -- I felt pity for the Fedex courier who had to bring them up two flights of stairs. One box, shelf-stable breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, the other a large foam cooler filled with frozen meals and snacks, and most fun of all, DRY ICE!

This is my second foray into Nutrisystem.  I lost 20lbs two years ago and I know the success I can reach.  This shipment contained Chef's Table frozen meals which are amazing.  I usually swap dinner and lunch, having the larger meal at lunchtime, and after one week I haven't been disappointed.

AND... I lost 4.9 lbs the first week. WHAT???!!!  Yup... I lost weight.  What a concept for me.  Watch what you eat, and kaboom! You LOSE the lbs!

So happy with the program again.  I've revisited eating small meals throughout the day; I don't feel hungry, I don't overeat.  I'm proud to be part of the NSNation!

I will be blogging weekly, on my Wednesday weigh-ins ... Weighing in on weight, the food, and anything else on my mind.

Follow me on twitter -- @martorella; I'll be tweeting my daytime lunches and giving you quick reviews of the food.

Disclaimer: I have been selected to participate in the Nutrisystem NSNation blogger program. For three months, I will receive the food free of charge to help facilitate my honest review. No other compensation will be received.

How to volumize your diet food

Turn up the volume!

Ever feel like your frozen entree is a bit skimpy? Before you hit the fridge or the office vending machine, try these additions to your meal:

Veg it up: Every frozen meal could use more greenery. Add some frozen or fresh green beans, broccoli or spinach to your meal. The added fiber and water in the vegetables will help fill you up and make better use of that entree's sauce.

Frozen chopped spinach: Frozen chopped spinach gets its own category because it's so awesomely versatile. It can be added to just about everything, including pasta sauce, frozen entrees of all ethnicities, egg white omelets and soups. And if you want to make a quick "creamed spinach" side dish, just melt a Laughing Cow Light wedge into a serving of spinach with a dash of pepper and nutmeg.

Soup it up with broth: Many entrees can be turned into soup, especially chicken-noodley ones. Dump the cooked entree into a microwave-safe mug or bowl, add a cup of low-sodium broth and zap until hot. Pasta entrees with red sauce can be turned into soup with either broth or low-sodium tomato juice. (The soup, at right, was a chicken noodle entree bulked up with broth and frozen green beans.)

Add no-cal noodles: Ever hear of glucomannan? It's the starch found in those zero-calorie noodles, which can now be found in most grocery stores. They're definitely not pasta, but they can go a long way to bulk up an entree. I find that they work best in Asian dishes since their firmer texture blends well with Asian sauces. Many of the varieties I've tried have had a weird smell, but I found a new brand that's actually made in the United States and tastes "cleaner" than others. It's called NoOodle and it's launching right now around the U.S.  

Wrap it up: Grab a 60-calorie tortilla and turn your diet dish into a burrito.  Mexican entrees obviously are a good choice but try a stir-fry for an Asian wrap. My 60-calorie go-to tortilla is Tumaro's Multi-Grain Low in Carbs Gourmet Tortilla. They have 6 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber. And they're big enough to make a decent-sized wrap.

New on Shrinking Sisters Reviews: Good breakfasts and bad habits

If you want to know how we're doing on our eating plan, jump on over to Shrinking Sisters Reviews. You'll find a great breakfast that you can do on any plan and why I can't seem to handle crunchy, salty ANYTHING.

Oh, and tonight, head over to Examiner.com so we can talk about The Biggest Loser season 11 premiere.

Pick a diet, any diet!

Just a selection of what the UPS dude has dropped off.

This time of year is busy-busy-busy for people who write about weight loss, which I do over at Examiner.com. I do my third-person objective journalist thing over there and save the first-person fun for the blog. (And to keep things even more kosher, I do reviews at Shrinking Sisters Reviews.)

Inundated with new weight loss plans, my head spins. All those books in the photo above are well-researched, reputable, non-crazy ways to lose weight. All will work, I'm sure, if you read and follow their plans. That doesn't even mention the flood of press releases from all the food, DVD, program and clothing people pitching their brand of hope for New Year's resolutions.

So which path do I choose for Jan. 1? My resolution for 2011, if you didn't already see it, is to NOT have weight loss be my 2012 resolution.

And then, I get a phone call from my sister.

(To see what she and I will be doing, you'll need to click over to Shrinking Sisters Reviews.)

Good luck with whatever you choose for 2011 and let's keep sharing our successes right here.

Happy New Year from Gail, Carol & Laura

Carol's kickin' butt over at Shrinking Sisters Reviews

A little housekeeping, and sprucing up of the "firewall": Carol's adventures with the Nutrisystem Nation will live over at Shrinking Sisters Reviews. How's she doing, you ask? Smashingly! 

You can check her posts out HERE.