Demoralizing Weight Gain Spikes

My Taylor scale is very sensitive to placement; I used to place it near my apartment entryway (no carpet) but even the slightest bump could affect the readings--like a sudden 20-lh. drop. After dieting for years, I knew that was wildly improbable, and I'm not going to lie to myself. It was fairly reliable; you could weight yourself 20 seconds later and yield the same result to a fifth of a pound. So when, all of a sudden I was getting 5 different readings over 5 minutes, I was convinced the floor wasn't quite level and changed to the kitchen, which seemed more level.

So all this is a preface when I weighed in, as my custom, early in the morning after my bathroom break. All of a sudden I registered a 5-lb spike; don't tell me I'm running into the hallway problem again. But no matter how I positioned the scale, the same result stared up in my face.

To say it was demoralizing is an understatement; I've routinely had up to 6 lb bouncebacks after hitting new lows, but usually it was more of steps up to 6 pounds; I don't ever remember a 5-lb spike before.  Now this is not like I went on some carb binge the prior day. It's just that my body skipped the usual incremental bounceback to a more consolidated one. when all was said and done, the full bounceback was an above-average 8 pounds, demoralizing in part because it took me back out of that 50-lb. range I had cycled for most of my adult life, including the BMI target for my height used to deny individual healthcare coverage early in the Great Recession.

So, as I write, I'm back within 2 pounds of my low and about 3 pounds under that BMI target. My second Nutrisystem shipment arrived late yesterday. I'm somewhat confused about the monthly timing because I ran out a week ago and that was a 30-day shipment. It wasn't like I didn't have food in the apartment. (Among other things, I had a small stock of Hormel Complete shelf-stable entrees I have purchased during my recovery from eye surgery back in May). It's just I didn't even open up my first shipment my first few days, and it's not like I eat more my daily allotment.

I do allow myself an occasional indulgence. Walmart had a budget generic line Great Value. I've never really bought any chips, even before my low-carb days. I've been to Subway on occasion over the past few years (most often when moving or in temporary housing). I seem to recall they offered Frito-Lay Miss Vicky's Jalapeno Kettle Chips, which I developed a fondness for. I discovered that Walmart had 8 oz. bags in their budget line (almost hidden in their snack aisle near the popcorn section) which sells for about $1.32. During my occasional trips to Sam's Club, I'll often buy I think it's Wild Roots quinoa/chia tortilla chips. Occasionally I'll do microwave popcorn or a handful of unsalted mixed nuts (under Sam's Club Member Mark's brand).

It's hard to describe my approach to grocery shopping. I don't necessarily stick to a list. I'll sometimes walk down aisles looking for Walmart's rollbacks or clearance items.To give an example, I have a fondness for minestrone soup. So one day I noticed they had their Great Value canned minestrone soup marked down to $1/can (from maybe. $1.42/can). So I stocked up. I'm not happy they seem to be discontinuing carrying the item, but I'll take advantage of the opportunity.

I did notice in my last trip, Walmart seems to be now carrying Quest pizzas. I had heard Target is carrying them (I haven't shopped Target for years, but I was planning to just for that reason). A co-worker battling her own weight issues mentioned trying them. Now they are a bit pricey at nearly $7 for a medium-sized pie; to contrast, you can buy a large Tony's Supreme for about $2.50. (but that comes loaded with carbs).

My verdict: not bad. The toppings (I chose Supreme) are superior. Not much (if any) cheese on top. The crust came across as a little dry, crumbly and a bit bland. Nobody is going to confuse it with a slice of takeout. I've had more than my share of pizza over the years but I've almost never gone to a pizza joint, beyond an occasional work lunch with colleagues to Pizza Hut or Pizza Hut at an airport kiosk, mostly because it's an IT department staple for the very occasional work meeting or working (unpaid) overtime or upgrade activities. I've experimented a bit with cauliflower crusts, which do require a bit of an acquired taste.

But specialty food items, like low-carb, often come with a premium price. To give an example, I've sometimes ordered lower-carb bread from around $5/loaf from Netrition. I more recently discovered a lower-carb brand that Walmart stocks (I think it's Schmidt Old Tyme 647 at about 6 net carbs a slice) at just over $3/loaf. Not to mention, as I've mentioned in the past, Walmart now carries Food for Life's Ezekiel bread, in their frozen food specialty bread area, for about $5/loaf. But several weeks back, I discovered Walmart carries a Great Value 100% whole wheat bread (about 11 net carbs a slice), for about $1,50 a standard-sized loaf. The only problem? It seems half the time I go to Walmart I can't find it in stock. Now I almost never eat bread to speak of on a daily basis; I think Nutrisystem has some food items that require supplemental items, like a BBQ chicken spread, and I'll occasionally indulge in a favorite boiled-egg sandwich, a grass-fed burger, or maybe occasional turkey/chicken franks or chicken/seafood salad sandwich.

I also noticed Walmart was carrying a new selection of  "RealGood" frozen entrees, priced at about $4/above. I used to buy their chicken enchiladas regularly in that price range, when Walmart added about a buck a package. They're good, but not as big or filling as "real" Mexican food. So I decided to sample their spicy Italian sausage entree at about 9 net carbs.

How Much Credit Should I Give to Nutrisystem?

It's been almost one month since I resumed Nutrisystem. I've set a new low, almost 5 pounds inside my 50-lb. weight range since the 1980's and about 10 pounds away from my 2004 low-carb diet low. Make no mistake; I'm unambiguously obese, and even losing the rest of the 45 pounds in the range would probably leave another 45 pounds to get within a healthy range. If a healthy loss rate is 1.5 lbs/week, it would require more than a year to achieve that objective, and plateaus are a fact of life for every dieter. It took me literally months over the past year to break my last plateau. It still demoralizes me to remember how almost effortlessly I lost weight on my initial low-carb diet--almost 3.5 lbs/week until a horrible plateau. It does seem I've regained a more persistent loss track since finally cracking through the prior plateau.

I will say that I haven't lost the heavily promoted 11-13 pound first month loss, and to be honest I've occasionally strayed from the diet because the food is limited, for example, an occasional serving of pork rinds, popcorn, or canned soup. But we are talking maybe an occasional 200-300 calories, not like I'm binging on carbs or open buffet.

So do I credit Nutrisystem for my weight loss over the past month? Yes and no. Yes, I've been mostly eating their food, but I had been losing before resuming Nutrisystem, and it's not like I was eating that much more on my prior DIY diet. What's particularly good about Nutrisystem is its simplicity and variety. In particular, they offer nice comfort food twists like pizza and various pastas. Granted, no one will confuse them with takeout pizza or Olive Garden. And (at least in my specialty diet) I have a surprisingly high number of non-meat meals. (E.g., the pizza toppings are mostly packets of pizza sauce and cheese.) Not one egg-based breakfast. I'll admit my DIY diet was more generous with meat and eggs.

I'll probably stick with Nutrisystem for a few more months because I think a change of diet can benefit weight loss, and I do recall dropping up to 40 lbs. in the first few months my last go-round. (I eventually gained in all back, but that was post-Nutrisystem.