Update - Finishing off the first Nutrisystem package and ordering a new one

You may notice I haven't posted here for a while. It's been a busy couple weeks with a lot going on. I've also been running out of the Nutrisystem food, meaning that I've been mixing in my own food with the Nutrisystem.


Rather than a day-by-day recounting of the last few weeks, here's a week-by-week account with highlights:


Week of 5/17 (day 38 to 44)

• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (breakfast, shelf-stable) - 7/10. Standard flavored oatmeal fare.


• Turkey and Egg Breakfast Sandwich (breakfast, frozen) - 10/10. Amazingly delicious sandwich with whole wheat break, turkey which looked and tested fresh and not processed, fried egg, and pineapple.


• Steak and Cheese (lunch, frozen) - 10/10. Tender, chewy meat and dripping cheese.


• Chocolate Fudge Bar (dessert, frozen) - 10/10. Tastes exactly like a good old fashioned fudgesicle.


• Glazed Chicken Tenders (dinner, frozen) - 9/10. Tender chicken in a subtle Asian-style ginger sauce with fresh green beans and almonds and brown and wild rice.

Week of 5/24 (day 45 to 51)

• Chicken Noodle Soup (lunch, shelf-stable) - 6/10.


• Vegetarian Chili (dinner, shelf-stable) - 6/10.


• Blueberry Parfait (dessert, frozen) - 9/10. Haven't hit a frozen dessert I haven't loved yet. This is no exception. I normally don't like blueberry snacks, but this was a great combination of fresh blueberries, fluffy angel food cake, and frozen yogurt. Yum.


• French Toast (breakfast, frozen) - 6/10. I expected a bit more from this. The texture was fine, but the taste was a bit lacking, surprising for a frozen entree. It was very cinnamony, but had a slightly odd aftertaste.


• Chocolate Chip Scones (breakfast, shelf-stable) - 6/10.


• Fettucine Alfredo (lunch, shelf-stable) - 6/10.


• Black Beans and Rice (lunch, shelf-stable) - 7/10.


• Split Pea Soup (lunch, shelf-stable) - 8/10. This was a bit of a shocker. The concept of pureed peas normally doesn't sit well with me, but somehow they made this taste great. It had a great rich taste, helped out by a hint of bacon. Probably helped out a bit by low expectations too, but I enjoyed it.


• Sourdough Pizza (dinner, shelf-stable) - 7/10.


• Chocolate Raspberry Bar (dessert, shelf-stable) - 8/10.


• Milk Chocolate Delight Bar (dessert, shelf-stable) - 7/10. All the Nutrisystem chocolate bars seem a little "off", but in this one, the texture makes up for it. It's got the consistency of a giant Tootsie Roll.


• Blueberry Lemon Bar (dessert, shelf-stable) - 7/10.

Week of 5/31 and 6/6 (day 52 to 61)

For these weeks, I went on a little vacation to the Pacific Northwest. As all my vacations tend to be, I did partake of the culinary delights of the area, including some very delightful mini donuts, crumpets, fresh cheese and grilled salmon in Pike's Place Market.

Add to that good conference food, and huge room service portions, and one might have thought I would have put on 10 pounds, but one nice thing about Nutrisystem is that it's taught me portion control and to balance exercise with food. I ate in moderation, and I also made a point to get out there and do some physical activity (in my case, I decided to hike up Mount Si just outside of Seattle). Over the whole two weeks, I ended up putting on only 1.1 pounds.

Like I said, by now my original Nutrisystem order was close to finished, so I placed a new order. For the next month, I'll be sticking with 100% shelf-stable products, and for the following month, I'll be going with 100% frozen.

While I was on vacation, I placed an order for this coming month. The easiest thing to do would have been to order the pre-selected "Favorites" package, but since I like some foods better than others I opted for the "A La Carte" menu, which is the same price but lets you choose a completely custom menu.

The ordering process on their Web site was not bad at all. You choose the "Men's Custom" (or Women's Custom) option, and then you're presented with a long list of all the foods they have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack. For each, you just enter the quantity of each food that you want, up to 28 servings. As you select, your choices appear on the right side of the screen.

I gotta say it's a lot of fun planning out your meals like this. And you can skip around to each meal type any time. If you get stuck, someone is available to help via live chat.

I finally finished my order and submitted it. The day after I returned home from vacation, the big box was at my door. I appreciated how it was discreet, no big logos emblazoned all over the box.

Opening the box revealed a treasure trove of food, along with a free kit which includes the meal planner book, a pocket-sized "on the go meal planner" (perfect for bringing to the grocery store to select supplemental fruits and vegetables), a resource guide which talks about exercise and weight loss, and a 30-minute exercise DVD.

The first thing I had to do, of course, was pop open a bag of nacho crisps. Boy, did I miss those.

Follow along as I continue the next month!