Day Five: Valentine’s Day Brings Romance and Dehydrated Burger Patties

It is the annual day of romance and chocolate. Only this year, we had no chocolate and no dinner out. We instead celebrated Valentine’s Day just before we started Nutrisystem. I think it’s a good thing we did because a delicious dinner that includes a huge serving of pasta, creamy sauce, and unlimited focaccia bread would’ve surely derailed me.

Instead we were both very good.

For me, lunch was a new entrée – Pasta with Beef (pictured above in its container). It was good, but it was not something I’d order again. I’d go for another cheese tortellini first. I was happy with the amount of pasta in the dish and there was ample sauce. I could do with less pasta and more beef, though. The sauce had a nice flavor – I detected some chili powder.

1 p.m. Status update – I feel full (but not too full). I still have my yogurt to eat.

1:30 p.m. Status update – Stretching lunch out, so I’m going to eat my yogurt now. Good thing I have a desk job!

2:46 p.m. Status update – Amazed that I’m not starving and fainting. No headache. I decide to eat my dessert, “chocolate caramel bar.” It tasted fine, but there was something about it that I didn’t like in the after taste. I enjoyed the almond bar much more than this one. I was disappointed because I was eager to try the chocolate caramel. Maybe the next bar will taste better?

3:33 p.m. Status update – My body must be getting used to not eating much because I’m still not starved. No headache. No shakes. A mid-afternoon snack still awaits me.

This week’s Nutrisystem “lesson” is to learn the difference between internal hunger and external hunger. Nutrisystem explains on its website: “Internal hunger is almost always triggered by going for a long time without eating. By contrast, external hunger can be prompted by a variety of things like places, activities, or emotions.” 

I am trying to pay attention to hunger signals, which I have tried before in the past but without success. When I'm extremely stressed, I don't take the time to assess my hunger level. The Daily Tracker helps me spread my food over the course of a day, and it's a good reminder that I need to eat more fruits and vegetables. My go to food has always been carbs.

4:04 p.m. Status update – I’m starting to get a bit hungry, but I can wait a while longer. I have an apple and PB2 waiting for me.  

4:25 p.m. Status update – Still not starved. On the first two days, I would’ve felt desperate for something to eat. However, it seems like my body has adjusted and maybe the Nutrisystem claim about keeping you from feeling hungry really works.

4:55 p.m. Status update – It is definitely time for the apple and PB2. I finish it by 5:15 p.m., and it’s time to go home for the night. On the ride home, Husband is astonished that I am not famished because he is starving.

5:40 p.m. Status update – It is nice to get home and not feel like I need to eat all the bread (and counter crumbs) I can find on the kitchen counter. Instead, Husband changed his clothes while I prepared our dinners.

We decided to both have the flame broiled burger, which is inside a little tray in the box (see above). To make the burger “come to life” you boil water and add it to the fill line in the dish and wait 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, the burger has absorbed all of the water in the dish. You remove the burger and place it on a bun (you have to buy the buns, and Nutrisystem gives you a calorie guideline when looking for a bun).

Husband ate his burger without any condiments. To my burger, I added ketchup (a serving, not a half cup like I normally do). The taste of the burger itself was fine, but even with the ketchup it seemed a bit on the dry side for me. We have several more of these burgers so I will add even more water next time. My biggest problem with it was the fact that the meat was cold. I wonder if nuking it would dry it out even more? Maybe it should be boiled in water instead?

We both ate salad. The thought of green beans again started to make me feel nauseated. I had one tablespoon of low fat Balsamic dressing with my salad (we each ate a head of Romaine lettuce).

I was full when we finished dinner. Husband wanted more food. We decided to leave the kitchen area so that we wouldn’t be reminded of food. About two hours after finishing dinner, we had Swiss Miss sugar-free hot chocolate again with a little fat-free whipped cream. So I guess we did have our chocolate on Valentine’s Day after all!