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Morgan Wins Big
Former contest winner shares her story
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Morgan lost 108 lbs.* on NutriSystem and won second place in last year’s “Elect A Loser” contest. She was since featured in the NutriSystem TV infomercial, and in several magazine ads nationwide.
Here’s what she had to say about the experiences.
How did you decided to enter the contest?
It took me a long time to decide to enter the contest last year. I thought I might be embarrassed to be the “poster child” for the “formerly fat .” Part of allowing myself to put on so much weight involved not really looking at myself or acknowledging how much I really weighed and how much fat I really had on my body. I thought that if I entered the contest, I would have to acknowledge to the whole world how much weight I had really gained, and I wouldn’t be able to pretend that I had always been at a normal weight. My sister (also on NutriSystem) and my counselor, Mike, encouraged me to enter the contest and I decided it was time to allow myself to accept credit for the weight I had lost and the effort I had made. I saw it as affirming my current life and a kind of self-acceptance—acknowledging that yes, I really had weighed 247 lbs., but that it is ok to celebrate losing weight and becoming healthier.
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| “This is a lifetime change we make one meal at a time, and we are never more than one meal away from success on any given day.” |
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What did you
think when you heard you had won second
place?
I was thrilled to be chosen as one
of the prize-winners! It felt like
a wonderful acknowledgment, by my
peers, of the change I had made in
myself. I especially loved that I
was chosen by those people who truly
understood not only what it feels
like to be overweight, but also all
the ways that weight affects our lives.
They were the people who understood
what it takes to make the changes
necessary to lose weight and I felt
supported and applauded by my NutriSystem
companions on this never-ending journey
toward a healthier, more active lifestyle.
What was it like
going to California to be featured
in the NutriSystem infomercial?
Doing the infomercial was a lot of
fun, and I felt very glamorous to
be dressed and made up and in front
of the camera. I also felt very pampered
to be staying in a lovely hotel—it
was wonderful! I really felt special
and enjoyed the attention and fuss
that was made over us. But most importantly,
I wanted to share what NutriSystem
had meant to me. If anything I could
say would help one person to feel
that they were ready to make a change
in their life, then it was worth it.
I wanted to pass along some of the
encouragement that had been extended
to me when I needed it.
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“Before starting NutriSystem, I can count
at least 12 diets that I tried—some good and some crazy.
Some were mostly protein, one was mostly fruit, and
one was just a liquid diet. And then there were some
that I don’t even remember because they were so nutty
that I couldn’t stay on them for more than a day or
two (all the grapefruit and cottage cheese you can eat
loses its appeal after the second day!). Finally, about
20 years ago, I just gave up on diets because I felt
they didn’t work.”
That was Morgan’s perspective before she
started NutriSystem. Now, after losing more than 100
lbs.* on the program, she’s a firm believer in the healthy,
balanced weight loss approach.
“I chose NutriSystem because it was healthy
and didn’t cut out any of the important food groups.
Plus, it was so convenient. I am at a place in my life
where I have a lot of obligations and responsibilities.
Through the years, I had developed the bad habit of
skipping breakfast and lunch because I was too busy,
but then eating all evening long—but of course all the
wrong things—because I didn’t take time to have on hand
the foods that I know are good for me. I didn’t have
time to prepare healthy food from scratch.
“I had always said that if someone would
prepare and bring me good, healthy food, every meal,
that I would able to follow a healthy diet and eat the
way I wanted to eat. I just couldn’t seem to find the
time to cook for myself. So when I saw the NutriSystem
plan and realized that it met my requirements for healthy,
balanced meals AND convenience, I was convinced that
this was a plan for me. It was a program I could feel
good about using to lose weight and keep the weight
off.
“And because of the wide variety of foods,
I have never gotten bored. I especially like the muffins
for breakfast because I find they really seem to carry
me through without hunger until lunch. I also love the
new Whipped Sweet Potatoes for lunch, and have a lot
of favorites for dinners—Honey Mustard Chicken, the
BBQ Chicken Fillet, and the BBQ Beef Beans and Rice.
Plus, I’m thrilled with the new desserts! The Honey
Mustard Pretzels, Caramel Crunch Popcorn, and the Nacho
Soy Snackers are really great and very satisfying when
I need a treat to feel I am not being deprived.”
But does she feel like an inspiration or
a role model for others looking to lose weight?
“Actually, no—I just don’t think of myself
in that way. I know that if I lost a lot of weight using
NutriSystem then anyone can do it. It really isn’t that
hard—you just do it one meal at a time, and then one
day you look up and see that the weight has gone. I
know there are thousands of others who have done the
same thing, they just haven’t entered a contest yet
or gotten their pictures out there for everyone to see.
“For anyone who has a lot of weight to
lose, I would encourage you to use all the tools NutriSystem
offers—the website, the Daily Dose, the daily Clicker,
etc. I would also encourage people to find a goal other
than weight loss to look forward to—something they may
have always wanted to do but may have put off because
of their weight or thought they might get to it “some
day.” For me, it was being able to run agility courses
with my dog, but it can be anything. If you have something
else interesting and exciting to look forward to and
work on while you are working toward your weight goal,
you will have a much higher chance of success. It makes
it easier to maintain enthusiasm and focus during some
of the tempting times that can derail you.
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