Anonymous member for 38 years 49 weeks

For the past week or so, I have been blogging and reading other blogs at the NutriSystem member's section of their website. I've learned lots of invaluable tricks for sticking to my plan. I've also discovered that the online support system --both among members and in relationship to the NS entity themselves-- is amazing. If you slip-up (and say so), someone is there to help and encourage you to get back on track. Typically, they even have their own slip-up story to share. (It looks as if a lot of folks have the same sort of 'triggers' to cheating, like stress, family gatherings and social situations.)

What I've also discovered --and even had suggested to me-- are recipes involving NutriSystem foods. This kind of surprised me, and even after I got over my initial reaction, I still remained kind of baffled by the idea of taking pre-shopped, pre-cooked (mostly), pre-portioned foods and making something different out of them. I mean, I am REALLY into NS because I don't want to do any of that. I simply didn't understand the rationale, and actually pondered this development for a period of time.

Through discussions with my husband, we determined that perhaps there are folks who simply don't like their options and are customizing rather than stray from their plan. I can respect that. We also surmised that maybe there are folks who just don't feel it's worth it unless they've added their own personal touch. I can appreciate that, too.

There are some very tasty recipes to be had, and I'm sure the more creative members are coming up with more every day. I love reading them, and can typically see how just by adding a little something here and there, or splitting my morning scone and making french toast out of it would make it that much yummier. However, I have absolutely no intention of cooking my way through my NutriSystem plan!

Please don't get me wrong... I completely respect that some folks actually enjoy time spent in the kitchen--I'm just not one of them! Fortunately for me, my husband is also on the program and he is the one to prep our veggies, salads and the like. I have removed myself from as much of this activity as possible. I even tend to be a little 'distant' when I'm eating it now.

See, I figure that if I remain intimately involved with my food, then I will never quite break the cycle I have been trapped in most of my life. To me, the entire process of shopping, prepping, cooking, eating and cleaning up all this food in my life has lead me into a destructive relationship with food. By the time I sit down to eat it, my mood is dependent upon how well the meal 'goes over'. If anyone is disappointed, I'm affected by it. And, quite frankly, other than the sustenance my body needs, I am desperate to end the emotional relationship I've always had with food.

So, while I respect and can even appreciate the desire to dress up NS foods, I will not be taking that route in my trip to healthier living. I'm also curious to know if success stats are at all affected by the ratio of those who 'personalize' their foods vs. those who stick to the plan as-is.

This post also appears at my Results Not Typical blog.