New Year, New Me: Joining the Nutrisystem Nation

I've said it in my head about 1,000 times before: this is it.

Right after this brownie, the diet will start.

Okay, right after this cookie, the diet will start.

Well... tomorrow. Tomorrow the diet will start.

And then tomorrow rolls around and... it does. I get my determination all wound up and do a great job of not snacking or finishing the uneaten food off of my kids' plates or eating even more of those cookies. And I'm proud of myself.

But then the next day comes. And I find myself standing there staring into the refrigerator thinking Who am I kidding? I'm going fail at this at some point, so why drag it out? and piling my plate high with a huge portion of pretty much anything.

Is there any wonder that I'm just not happy with what I see when I look in the mirror (or at the numbers on the scale)? The combination of the extra pounds and the disappointment in myself just makes me want to stay in my sweat pants and, ironically, drown it away with more brownies. Clearly when I'm left to my own devices I just can't do it; the weight from having two kids just isn't coming off.

Well, 2011 is going to be different. There's no time like today, there's no time like right now. I'm not going to waste another year looking at the clothes hanging in my closet that no longer fit, I'm going to make it this time. Because now? Now I've got a huge support system and a program that is pretty much made just for me: Nutrisystem.
One of the first diet programs out there that ships pre-packaged and correctly-portioned meals right to your door, Nutrisystem is precisely the type of program that I can follow because it lays it all out for you. Not only in recipes or meal plans or calorie-counting charts to follow, but the actual food is ready and waiting for me to pull out and eat throughout the day.

Where I have always struggled is in the portions and in the discipline. Clearly Nutrisystem has taken care of the portions, but in offering options like blueberry pancakes, cheese tortellini, flatbread pizza and chocolate cake, this isn't like a typical diet where I've felt compelled to cheat because everything I've loved has been removed from my plate. With three meals, two snacks and a dessert each day, I'm not going to starve, I'm going to enjoy eating while still losing weight!

It's what I've decided to call The Nutrisystem Difference. Because for me, this program is going to make all the difference.

I don't have hundreds of pounds to lose, or even 50 pounds to go... but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that I've got my own goal and I'm going to get there with the help of Nutrisystem.

A big box of frozen foods and an even bigger box of shelf-stable foods have arrived and are ready and waiting for today: Day 1. The first day of the program and the first day of this journey that I'm more than ready to take. Combine the fact that pretty much all I have to do is add in some fresh fruits and vegetables with the huge community of Nutrisystem members and staff out there that are ready to help or answer questions at the drop of a hat, and I can't wait to begin.

This is an opportunity that I'm forever grateful for so, without further ado, here's to a new year and a new me, thanks to Nutrisystem.

As a member of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program, Nutrisystem is providing their food and program to me to review. However, all thoughts, opinions and results expressed are completely and honestly mine; your experience or feelings may differ.