NutriSystems? good? bad? a ripoff? DH and I are talking about it

[NMDemDist2]

and I thought I'd see if any of my DU pals have experience with them

Thanks in adavance everyone! :hi:

[Systematic Chaos]

1. If you can stick to ONLY the food they provide you...

...then I would think it's a great idea. Of course, the food is going to be substantially more expensive than if you made it yourself, but apparently it tastes pretty good. There is another program like that which I almost went on, called MediFast. But again, it was around $300 a month plus the time commitment for regular consultations. I can eat my own low calorie food and spend half that much.

[Longhorn]

2. I lost 70 pounds on Medifast in 2003

but I wouldn't call it food. The program consists of shakes, soups, and bars, and, if you wish, one meal a day of lean protein and veggies that you buy at the grocery store. It's a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD -- only 450 calories if you stick to the five shakes a day.) I was a conservative loser -- it took me six months to lose the 70 pounds -- but I also started gaining as soon as I started going back to a normal diet.

This time, I'm using www.fitday.com to count calories and I'm getting about 1500 a day. If I can't lose on that, I'll decrease by 100 a day until I start losing. It will take longer but I think I'll be more successful in keeping it off in the long run.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. Several years ago

I did NutriSystem with a good friend. We both stayed on the diet for about 6 months. We both lost weight. Both of us experienced slower weight loss than what was "projected". We both immediately gained weight when we left the diet - in both cases about a third of the weight we had lost. The food was expensive. Weekly required meetings took time and often did not adhere to expected scheduling. Sometimes we felt put down and bullied if we did not meet our weekly weight loss goals - sometimes even when we had lost weight but had not met the target weight loss for the week.

I think the NutriSystem diet is flawed because it requires the use of NutriSystem prepackaged foods. What you don't learn while you are on the diet is (1) how to prepare better foods; (2) portion control; (3) food choices and selection. Yes, these subjects are talked about - but it is not something that you have the experience of doing. You don't change your eating habits and preferences. At least not for the long-term. Those prepackaged NutriSystem foods go away after you complete the diet. That means that you are more likely to return to former eating habits. And, face it, if you eat NutriSystem chips as a snack while you are on the diet (which was an option when I was in the program) then chances are that you are going to continue eating chips as snacks after leaving the NutriSystem diet. I would not do NutriSystem again and I would not recommend it.

The Anne Collins weight loss program (http://www.annecollins.com/) was recommended to me and I have been following it. It is low cost and includes access to several diet plan options, an online support forum, etc. There are no gimmicks. And no supplemental sales pitches. You choose and prepare the foods you eat so you do learn how to make better choices, how to control portions, and how to prepare better foods. There are a variety of diet plans available - including those that make use of convenience foods. The diet plans are guidelines and can be modified and customized to meet your needs and preferences - even calorie intake can be modified based on how much weight you need to lose. Exercise is encouraged and there are a lot of resources available that help you learn how to make appropriate food selections. It has been slow but I have lost weight following this program. I have kept it off. Most importantly, I have learned to eat differently. This is a program that expects you to be responsible for your own weight loss choices. So it works best if you are self-motivated, have a buddy who also is on the diet or if you participate in the discussion forums. I have tried a number of diets and diet plans. This is the only one I would recommend. And the reason I recommend it is because it gives you the tools to change your eating habits.

[dorktv]

4. Hey AZDemDistSix!

I am also losing weight but I just went to a low calorie diet with lots of veggies and low meats, dairies and breads. :)

See you on Election Night!

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. The food isn't very tasty, in fact my husband said one particular entree

tasted like cat food. :yoiks: Practically the whole box is sitting in the spare room. He couldn't eat it. So it was a waste of $300. :-(

[_testify_]

6. The food is awful.

I got tons of it if you want to try it ;)

I'm actually keeping it around as emergency hurricane food, since it's almost all heat-n-serve.

[Broken_Hero]

7. I have no idea...

never heard of this system, nor tried it...sorry I'm no help...

[bleedingheart]

8. my coworker went on it and she actually started gaining weight

and I know that she wasn't cheating because before going on Nutrisystems she was doing really well but felt she had reached a plateau. So she bought into it thinking it would help and she was really peeved. That and the fact that the food wasn't that great.

[Faux pas]

9. Tried it for a week and ended up returning the rest of it. Someone

here mentioned that one of the dishes tasted like cat food, LOL, I believe cat food would probably taste better. If YUK is a rating, that's what I rate nutrisystem. Save your dough AZDem.

[rox63]

10. I've been on Nutrisystem since July, and have lost over 50 lbs

I started on Nutrisystem in late July, and it's the first program I've had any success with in over a decade. I've lost over 50 lbs so far, and have another 60 to go. Yeah, some of the food's not that great. But some of it is pretty good. After the first month of trial and error, I started just ordering the foods I like.

I know some folks who are following the plan without buying the Nutrisystem food. They are following the nutritional guidelines, but with their own food. Nutritionally, it's a lot like the South Beach diet. There are some web sites out there by folks who are doing it that way. Here's a couple:

http://amysmithr.blogspot.com/2005/08/how-i-do-ns-with-my-own-food.html

http://jazzman.19.forumer.com/index.php?sid=e896185e1963289f73fd338c0b5f1516

http://christinagray.19.forumer.com/index.php

[DemExpat]

11. My sister-in-law and her husband from Houston have each lost over 50 pounds

on this system!

I am impressed enough to take a good look at it myself - at least in the principles as I live overseas.

DemEx

[rox63]

14. Check bookstores for books about low glycemic index diets

Also, the South Beach diet is nutritionally a lot like NS.

[calico1]

12. I have a box full of the food...

With the exception of some of the snacks and breakfast stuff it is absolutey disgusting tasting. Strong chemical aftertaste. All the pasta dishes taste strongly of spaghettios. Remember that? If you like spaghettios and beefaroni you will like their pasta dishes. They taste exactly like that. Please save your money. If you want prepared meals that you don't need to cook for yourself and are portion controlled you will do much better getting Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones. They go on sale a lot and you can use coupons. And they taste so much better. Trust me. Do NOT waste your money on this stuff. It is vile.

[rox63]

13. Well, I've been on it for 6 months, and have lost 60 pounds

There are a few of their meals I hate, but I think most are ok. Mind you, I grew up on stuff like kraft mac & cheese, spaghettios and spam, so I'm no gourmet here. :p

Despite my success on NS so far, I've decided to try going it alone, without buying their food. I still have another 50+ pounds to lose. But the $300 a month I've been paying them is starting to be a financial strain. I think that over the last 6 months, I've picked up the skills to work a plan that is nutritionally and calorie-wise a lot like theirs. There are books out there about following a low glycemic index plan, and I've started reading one of them. I've a few weeks left of NS food, but have cancelled my automatic shipments of their food.

[DemExpat]

15. Very well done with your weight loss, rox63!

It has been so long since I lost any weight I've almost forgotten the fabulous feeling! On the one hand I am glad that I don't Yo-yo anymore since this is apparently a big strain on our bodies and therefore unhealthy, but I still long to get lighter just to FEEL lighter!

:toast: on your success, and keep us posted how going it on your own works out.

:hi:

DemEx

[FlaGranny]

16. I'll add my 2 cents to this old thread.

I started Nutrisystem 10 months ago and so far have lost 60 pounds. I'm losing at a steady rate of about 5 pounds a month (after the first month). I bought the Nutrisystem food, most of which I liked just fine, and got 4 shipments. After the first month I started making some of my own meals and after 6 months I've been totally on my own, using what I learned from the Nutrisystem plan. To lose all I want to lose it will take me another 10 or 12 months, but it has become second nature to me now because of what I learned about portion control and food combinations and how to control blood glucose. It really works. Of course, you don't need any "diet food." You can do it completely on your own, but take it from someone who has spent more than 45 years trying to control her weight, NS takes the guesswork out and if you stick with it a few months, your brain learns how you should be eating, and it becomes easier. Glycemic index and portion control are the secrets. A serving of chicken is the size of a deck of cards - PERIOD! 1/2 cup actually means 4 ounces - measured. Eyeballing doesn't work at first. If fact, when you first get those Nutrisystem foods you are totally shocked by the portion sizes. "That's all? (you think), I'll starve." But, of course, you don't. And you usually don't even get hungry if you plan your meals and snacks well.

There's an inexpensive book written by Dr. James Rouse called "Nutrisystem Nourish" that tells you everything you need to know about the program so you can follow it on your own.` The plan is completely sensible, but you've got to follow it for it to succeed. You also have to remember that fat free or low fat is never going to taste like full fat meals and whether you're using the Nutrisystem foods or your own, low fat is still low fat. Most of their foods can be seasoned to taste, but I've never found it necessary. In 4 months worth of food I only found 2 foods I just would never try again. In addition, most Lean Cuisine, Weight Watches, and South Beach dinners can be substituted for NS dinners and, to me, are comparable in taste.

[Lex]

17. I started NutriSystem yesterday. Today was my 2nd day

on the plan and I'm still learning what's what and how to make it all work in my day smoothly.

Congrats on your loss. I'm psyched to do this. :hi:

[cannabis_flower]

21. I would like to add...

I went on Nutrisystems in January and followed it until March and lost 27 lbs. I like most of the food ok (except for the tuna casserole - someone here said that something tasted like cat food - I bet that was it). However, what I found is that if you take the Nutrisystem packages to the grocery stores you can find products that are very similar and cheaper. For instance, the Nutrisystem oatmeal($1.67 per serving if ordered individually) - you can substitute Kashi Instant oatmeal (something like $3.89 for 6 single serving packets. Many of the Lean Cuisine and South Beach diet foods are also very similar to the Nutrisystems products.

As I went along I found that I got tired of eating their food all the time but it is good to help with portion control and to use as examples of what kinds of foods to eat. I am now on Weight Watchers because I like the support and I have some leftover Nutrisystems foods that I still use. I just could the points like I would for any other food that I eat on Weight Watchers.

[AZBlue]

18. I've never tried it, but just watch out for the nutrasweet.

It's a dangerous product - there's a lot on the web if you want to look into it. Consuming too much of it is particularly troubling. Nutrisystem used to be all nutrasweet but now they've changed that. I think some of their products still carry it, but it's now possible to follow the diet and avoid it. It might be something you want to keep an eye out for.

[AllieB]

19. Eat natural, whole foods

the frankenfoods pushed by weight loss plans are usually full of salt and preservatives. I know some people have had success, but in the long run dependence on processed foods is bad. Meats, fish, eggs, low-glycemic fruits and vegetables are the best way to lose weight, coupled with exercise.

[Lex]

20. I've lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks on Nutrisystem. I supplement

the program with organic fresh low-glycemic veggies and fruits and low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese.

The sodium isn't too bad and the portions are controlled (which is what I had to get myself accustomed to anyway).

The idea, for me anyway, will be to gradually shift away from NutriSystem to my own cooking.

The main thing for me was to get these fat-ass American portions out of my head and to re-learn proper portion size.

:hi: