NutriSystem Online Weight loss Program

The Nutrisystem Diet Program

 
Review 100%  - Nutrisystem - Weight Loss Program

41 and Fabulous  Click here to review program details

Nachole loses 70 lbs.* on NutriSystem nourish
I'm not sure if it was society's influence or if it was because I grew up in a "skinny" family, but I always felt substandard when I was heavier. When I was fat, I felt like a failure. I did my best to appear like I didn't care or that I was happy, but on the inside, or when I was alone in front of a mirror, I cried a lot.

I didn't love me or like me, so I struggled to believe anyone else did, either. I couldn't see any value in me and didn't believe anyone else did. And even when family and friends seemed to like or enjoy being with me, I assumed they were just being nice. Being heavy twisted around everything in my head.

Hi, I'm Nachole. I've been married to my husband Steve for 22 years, and I have three children: Jordan, who is 21; Austen, who is 19; and Larissa, who is 17. I lost 70 lbs.* on the Nutri System diet, and this is my weight-loss story.

I've always been a big eater and an emotional eater, which was never a problem when I was young. I was one of those 'bird-like' children who looks like she's very frail. I was born with an awesome metabolism.

My weight first became a struggle in 1984 when I joined the Air Force and went into basic training—I began to eat like there was no tomorrow. That wasn't a problem while in basics; in fact, I lost weight. But when that was over and I stopped being so active, I kept eating a lot. I had learned to eat fast and furious and I began to yo-yo with my weight.  Click here to review program details

Soon after, Steve and I were expecting our first child. But during that pregnancy, my metabolism actually kicked up another notch—and I could eat thousands of calories a day and not gain any weight. I gained seven pounds with Jordan, who weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces. I left the hospital weighing less than I did when I got pregnant! But that started my first major weight gain. I got home and ate and ate like I had been while I was pregnant and put on 20 pounds in three months.

I continued going back and forth, yo-yoing with my weight, but when I got pregnant again, my metabolism kicked into high gear again. After my third child was born, the overeating was out of control and I zoomed up to 183 pounds. I spent the next year starving myself down to my pre-pregnancy weight—I was skinny, but not healthy. And without any tools to maintain my weight, the weight started creeping back—again. The yo-yo continued.

Nutri System

I've always been the "strong" one, the one people can count on in a crisis and seem unaffected, which impacted my weight. So when my dad died in 1993, I was there for my kids, for the family, and especially for my mom. Pushing myself and focusing on others probably helps me deal with harder times. The problem, though, is that I always end up taking care of everyone but me. And after my dad died, it was easy to not eat while I was busy, but after everyone else started getting on with their lives, I started eating and the weight started coming on again. Everything was getting away from me: lots of stress, having three small children and losing my dad took a toll on me. There was little time to focus on myself.

Somehow, during my 30s, I lost the will to starve myself like I had done in the past. My metabolism was slowing, though, so I began to try every diet. I counted carbs, I counted fat grams, I counted calories. I would lose a few pounds, but couldn't stick to the diets so would end up putting those pounds back on with a few more.

Nonetheless, by 2003, I had managed to get down to 135 pounds. Then life got overwhelming. Two days before Thanksgiving 2003, my mother-in-law (with whom I was very close) called with devastating news: she had lung cancer. We were given no hope, only the possibility of a little more time with treatment. My husband and I were the only relatives who lived in the same city as she did, so we became her main caregivers (with our goal to honor her wish to stay home and not go into any type of care facility). Also, my husband and I were just at the point of putting our house on the market. So the next ten months were filled with taking care of my teenagers, supporting my husband, getting visits from family, taking my mom-in-law to the doctor and to treatments, keeping the house clean while it was on the market, selling it, getting ready to move, finding an apartment to move to, moving into an apartment in July—and then, sadly, losing my mother-in-law in September of 2004. I lost all personal focus and thanks to a lot of emotional eating, proceeded to make my way up to 190 pounds.

Then came the big milestone. I had always had a private saying that I refused to be "fat and forty," thinking being forty was hard enough without being overweight, too. When my 40th birthday rolled around in April of 2005 and I was still overweight, I felt like an ultimate failure and knew I had to do something to get serious about it. I had had enough. With that landmark birthday, it was time to get myself healthy so I could enjoy the rest of my life.

Nutrisystem Meals

I went online, looking for some weight-loss magic, when I found NutriSystem review. It made so much sense, seemed so easy to stick to, and was so reasonably priced. I was confident from the get-go that if I did it and stuck to it, that it would be life-changing and not a quick fix. This was definitely a "Eureka!" moment.

I got my first shipment on May 11, 2005, and I dropped my first 40 pounds* surprisingly quickly. Overall, I lost a total of 70 lbs.* and have finally been able to keep the weight off.

My favorite part of the program is the food—it is so good. The fact that the food is prepackaged is what really made everything come together for me, though. It taught me a lot about portion control, for one thing. In fact, my brain and my stomach now have firm "set points" of portion control. I used to find comfort from feeling miserably full. Now, if I eat too much, I just feel miserable. NutriSystem helped to "rewire" that part of me. It's kind of scary to think that I once thought that eating cheesecake until I felt sick was a reward. I didn't think it would ever be possible, but I can now sit down with a huge piece of my favorite cake in front of me and stop when I've had enough.

Also, the fact that I only had to make one decision—to do the Man NutriSystem program—made it easy for me. I just knew what I was going to eat throughout the day every day. The program really made it all so easy.

The online tools were great, too. The online diary was my biggest support tool—I used it nearly every day. Knowing I had to type into my online diary what I ate that day really kept me going. Plus, reading success stories is so awesome and motivating and following the conversations on the bulletin board was also helpful.

And my family has been so supportive—much more so than when I was doing the silly diets. It's been a huge benefit that when I was with family, or at work, or with friends, they respected my weight-loss effort. I was never encouraged to cheat. That was amazing and wonderful.

Now I'm definitely more active and energetic. I also smile more. I think I walk a little taller and I'm more willing to look people in the eye. I feel strong, capable, and confident. There have even been a few times when people who hadn't seen me for a while would have that look of surprise and amazement that always made me smile (and scream, "Woo-hoo!" while dancing a jig in my head).

There are some days when life is harder than others, but I ultimately learned that I didn't have to run to the fridge and try to "drown" my feelings with food. That has become the most empowering reward. I'm now excited for the future in a way that I haven't been for a very long time and I'm convinced I wouldn't be where I'm at today without NutriSystem and all of the support I've gotten.

Thanks to NutriSystem, I'm no longer "forty and fat," I'm forty-one and fabulous!

—Nachole