Nothing is more exciting than watching the weight come off. Even better is knowing that your weight loss is as a result of committing to a healthier lifestyle. Today is check-in day for me. I started Nutrisystem one week ago with the goal of losing 43 pounds. I'll tell you at the end of this post how much weight I lost (the suspense!) What I really want to do is share some tips for those thinking of also starting Nutrisystem (or similar weight loss program.) Don't Run Away From Your Favorites I absolutely know that whether I am on Nutrisystem or off it, chocolate and frozen treats will always be a part of my life. So trying to avoid it would be futile and would most likely cause me to cheat, which I don't want to do. When writing out my meals in my Daily Planner, I make sure to include a Nutrisystem chocolate dessert for my afternoon snack. Typically I'd indulge in some sort of chocolateness around 2:30 everyday, so it only made sense to continue this, but replace the fatty high calorie version with Nutrisystem's perfectly portioned snacks. Some initial favorites are the Peppermint Cookie, and Thin Mint Crisp Bar. You may also remember that I mentioned eating ice cream religiously every night. I still can (and do) with the Fudge Bar, Ice Cream Sandwich and even the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie (which comes frozen.) All are to die for. Speaking of 2:30 chocolate snack, something I found this week is that by eating the right foods throughout the day helps me maintain a consistent energy and avoid that afternoon slump (which is probably why I would typically eat chocolate to get my blood sugar racing again.) Surprisingly, I never ran out of energy at all this past week. Plan the Food in Your Meals as You Normally Would It's easy to look at the list of Power Fuels and Smart Carbs Nutrisystem lists in the Daily Planner and randomly assign them to your meals. If it seems like an odd match now, it just won't flow when you're off the program. So I chose to make those items fit into the ideal meal. For example, for lunch one day I had the Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla knowing I needed a smart carb and power fuel to go along with it...and squeeze in a serving of veggies. So I sliced up some yellow peppers to eat and also diced some of the slices to add into the quesadilla, added a small amount of lowfat vanilla yogurt and a side of pineapple and papaya to offset the spicy with sweet. The same went for dinner one night when I had the Ginger Cashew Chicken. I chose to pair it with Soy Nuts mixed into the rice and a slice of pita bread. If the complete meal makes sense, it becomes easier to create the correct food pairings that are healthy. Be Ready for Stomach Issues If this is TMI for you, skip to the end, but it's worth the warning. If you are transitioning from being a junk food junkie (me) to a diet high in fiber, be ready for your digestive system to curse you (but then gently tell it that it'll all be worth it in the end.) By day 2, I realized pretty quickly I needed to aid my stomach a bit and quickly acquired Beano. I also plan to take Acidophilus, which you can get at any drugstore, and it is a great probiotic to help with digestive health. Eat Your "Dine Out/Take Meals" When You Normally Would Friday night in my house is always take out night. Typically it would mean Burger King or Pizza. The same goes for Saturday nights when my kids are with their dad and my husband and I are here alone (our favorite is Chinese food.) So last Friday I ate the Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza and Saturday night was the Ginger Cashew Chicken. That way my family doesn't have to feel restricted to my change of diet and I don't have to feel like I'm missing out on my usual non-cooking nights. You Won't Like Everything and That's OK Just as there are foods I am not fond of no matter what (green beans) and I typically don't like overly-saucy meals (mainly those with red sauce), there will be meals from Nutrisystem that you just won't like. There's already a few I know I won't order again, but then there are others where I said out loud "How did I not ever eat this before?! It is SO good!" If you want a heads up, the Fettucini Alfredo is outstanding! And now for my 1-week weight loss: 3.5 pounds! So I started off at 173.5 and now I'm 170. I'm so excited to start this new week knowing that by the end I'll FINALLY be under 170! I hope you are learning along the way as I am! Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog. Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! Shannon on G+ *Disclosure: Sponsored