Weight loss is my next option

My sister and her family (husband, son, and daughter) are all on NutriSystem, the plan that sends you ready-made meals.

She says she is losing weight, feeling better, loves the meals and the time saved not having to cook, and says she plans to stay on it the rest of her life.

She has been on NutriSystem a few months, but I would like to know if any of you have tried this. I am interested in any comments or info you can offer. And if you or a friend have tried this plan for a longer period of time, let me know what the long-term results are/were. You may pm me, if you would like.

This is a great forum!

Blair, your doctor doesn't know what he's talking about. Mask fit doesn't have anything to do with your size. I currently weigh even more than you do, and the Ultra Mirage Full Face mask fits me just fine. Everyone's face is shaped differently, and so different masks fit different people. You just need to keep trying different masks and different sizes until you find one that works! Don't give up! And once your CPAP treatment is working, you will find it much easier to lose weight.

I just want to co-sign what some others have said about giving priority to your cpap treatment. Success in that will balance out your system and help you find the energy to increase your activity as you modify your intake. That advice did not come from me, it came from a sleep doc at Cleveland Clinic. That advice you received to lose the weight to get a mask that fits better, if not accompanied by advice to help you at this moment, was irresponsible. Were they advocating no cpap treatment till you lose that amount of weight? If so, that tells me they were okay with you risking heart attack, stroke, cognitive impairment, fatigue, dangerous excessive daytime sleepiness, and all other effects of untreated apnea rather than be bothered with helping you find solutions for your condition as it is right now. Whether cpap therapy will not be needed IF you lose weight is irrelevant at this time. Go with what you know, and that is to treat your OSA. Then have your OSA monitored as you lose weight to KNOW what your needs are and not presume. Who knows, maybe someday you will be one of those whose weight truly was the only cause of their OSA. It does happen sometimes. Till then, go with what you know. The idea is to get healthy, and that takes a wholistic approach. Cpap therapy + eating healthy + increased activity is the ticket.

P.S. This pep talk was for myself. Thanks for giving me the occassion to formulate my thoughts to reinforce what I already know I need to do.

Kathy

Alisha wrote:I am interested in any comments or info you can offer. And if you or a friend have tried this plan for a longer period of time, let me know what the long-term results are/were.

I lost 115 pounds on N/S back in 1986. I was a junior in high school when I hit my goal. Kept it off for a couple of years and then I went to college. It crept back on so slowly that I didn't even notice it. I think it is a fairly good program, but what is a person learning by eating pre-packaged food? Portion sizes, I guess. I think it is still all about eating a certain amount of calories. So if they are spending about $70 a week per person to eat about 1400 calories per day, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy your food at a grocery store?

Kimberly

Kimberly wrote:
......."I lost 115 pounds on N/S back in 1986. I was a junior in high school when I hit my goal. Kept it off for a couple of years and then I went to college. It crept back on so slowly that I didn't even notice it. I think it is a fairly good program, but what is a person learning by eating pre-packaged food? Portion sizes, I guess. I think it is still all about eating a certain amount of calories. So if they are spending about $70 a week per person to eat about 1400 calories per day, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy your food at a grocery store?".......

Kimberly, the son and daughter are grown and living in separate households. They all work in their family-owned business, often working more than 40 hours a week, often taking work home, and apparently N/S is a much needed time-saver for them. I don't think cost is their main consideration, but I myself spend much than $70 a week on groceries (we are charged 10% tax on food here).

I should have been more specific in my questions. Do you think this is a healthy diet? How long were you on N/S and did you continue to lose all the time you were on the diet? When you went off the diet, did you start craving certain foods again and was it difficult to limit your portions as I presume N/S had done for you? Whatever you can remember will be helpful.

Thanks Kimberly and anyone else who has knowledge on N/S.

Well, the food is okay. I'm a "Minnesota bland" girl. Some people like their food, some don't. It does all have some sort of funky "preservative" taste. Back then, pretty much everything was freeze dried and I just had to add hot water.

I think I lost pretty much each week, I was on it for maybe a year and a half. What I found to be particularly hard was going out to eat or any of the social functions involving food. (Although you can eat your meal ahead of time and just have a side salad with N/S dressing.) With other plans you can just journal it and count the calories/points.

In addition to purchasing their food, you will also need to supplement it with fresh fruit and vegetables. I think that health-wise, it's pretty good. I'd suggest that you buy a week's worth of food to see if you like it. QVC also sells it. You can even find it on eBay for pretty cheap.

That is one good thing about N/S -- no thinking involved. I had three shelves set aside for my food.. one shelf for each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner). All I had to do was grab something from the appropriate shelf.

Kimberly

Thanks, Kimberly. A thorough report and I appreciate this info on N/S.

Regards,

I thought I'd add my two cents on the diet issue. I've had good success the past few months, and the secret to that success is frozen dinners. I know, it sounds loony, but here's the explanation. I'm single, and its very hard for me to cook just for myself. I buy single-serving frozen dinners of various sorts. Some of them are the "Lean Cuisine" type, others aren't. The ones I buy are all under 350 calories per meal. I can get many different types of meals in that range, including pasta, chinese, and mexican, so the fare doesn't get to boring. I have one of the dinners, a vegetable, fruit, and water or a no-calorie drink, and it makes a satisfying meal. They're quick, they're easy, they're portion controlled, and perhaps best of all, they're under $2 each. Add fruit as snacks, and I've been able to stay pretty satisfied on under 1200 calories per day.

I have an appointment with my Medical doc Today, I was going to see what his opinion was asp well- Thanks Blair