In my quest to lose 30 pounds (let’s just ignore the fact that I tried last year and weigh the same as I did last january). I’ve been looking at nutrisystem and it looks like a decent plan. At just under $300 per month, the price sounds a bit steep, but broken down it’s only about $10 per day for all three meals and a snack.
So the question for the dopers is…has anyone tried it, did it work for you, would you recommend it, would you say I should never visit their website again and forget they exist? Guide me!
I’ve been on it for about five weeks now and have lost about 21 pounds*. The food is pretty good and you add things like salads, fruit/veggies, etc. I did say in the weight loss thread that I wouldn’t recommend the tuna casserole, but overall, I’ve had no complaints! (I love the ravioli, as a matter of fact!)
I’m glad I’ve started on this–I’d recommend it, because it’s really been working for me. The portions are smaller than they appear on TV, but with the things you can add to your meals, you do get enough to eat.
NOTE: Not necessarily enough to satisfy the need to simply keep on tasting! But you don’t go around starving. I take a few liberties sometimes–an extra low-cal snack, or an extra slice of whole wheat bread. If I really MUST have a no-no, I eat one or two, figuring better to ease the craving with a couple of Cheetos rather than a whole bag–and I don’t feel so deprived!
*I lost a lot that first week because I had so much swelling in my ankles and feet, which decreased dramatically in a few days on the program. So I lost 12 pounds, mostly fluid. IOW, results not typical!
Thanks for the info. I’ll try it out and see, if I don’t like it I’ll just cancel. But a month can’t hurt anything and hey, maybe I’ll be lucky and lose 21 pounds too!
(for those that have seen me post in the eating disorder threads, don’t worry. I’m not trying to get to an unhealthy weight.)
I lost more than 30 pounds by just eating more whole fruits and veggies, and more things with less toppings. If you like salads, go with vinaigrette, not sour cream dressing. Eat some carrots, celery and a few grapes before and after every fatty food. It sounds like you are eating more, but once the proportion of fresh increases and prepared decreases, weight loss is inevitable. IMHO
I do stuff like that when I remember. My problem is I’m terribly lazy. I can usually manage a good healthy diet for about 2 weeks. After that it becomes very easy to say, “I’ll go to the store tomorrow and stock up on good food, I’'ll just stop at El Pollo Loco for some chicken nachos for now.” Problem is, I don’t get around to getting the healthy stuff at the store. So at least for a while I need a system like this where my month’s food supply is dropped at my door.
I’ve tried it as well, and I didn’t really like it.
PROS: It’s easy, it doesn’t really cost that much, the food is edible, and it works if you stick to it.
CONS: You still have to buy a bunch of outside food, so that adds to inconvenience, and makes the cost not quite as low. The food is mostly MRE style - and not that great. I found it tough to stick to - because I would run out of the veggies and snacks and I would get hungry and eat something else.
Basically it comes down to (a) watching what you eat, and (b) portion control, portion control, portion control. If that’s what you need - and it sounds like it from this paragraph - then it should work for you. Your real problem is going to be getting over your laziness to go buy the healthy side dishes that are not included.
This was what discouraged me. I had this idea that I could clear out everything in my house and start fresh with what they send me. Then I looked at the menu and you have to supplement their food, e.g., buy bread to go with their tuna salad, etc. As soon as I buy my own stuff all bets are off. I figured that wouldn’t teach me much about restraint and reasonable portion sizes.
Thanks for the input guys. Sounds like something I should try out and see how it goes. Having to buy supplemental food will be a pain, but if I have the basics I might be ok. Barring this working, my next step is to win the lottery and hire a private chef and personal trainer.
Bumping this since I just ordered four weeks’ worth of food. ** Antinor01**, how did it work for you? I have a feeling you may have answered in the Weight Loss thread but I haven’t looked there.
I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been with no end in sight and I am tired of arguing with myself about eating or not eating junk. So tired. Tired enough that I just want someone else to tell me what to eat for awhile. I know it will be really hard because food is a companion to me and there won’t be much and not what I want but I have to do something.
I got on Synthroid recently and they have been testing thyroid levels and the next test will have glucose and cholesterol included. Those numbers will tell me if I am in serious trouble or just on my way there. I know I am quite uncomfortable and low in energy.
So is it really hard? I went for the diabetics package even though I wasn’t diabetic as of about a year ago; I figured it can’t hurt. I don’t have high blood pressure so the full day’s worth of sodium won’t be detrimental. Do the regular meals and snacks keep your hunger level or is it unbearable? If unbearable, do you get used to it?
I did it for about five weeks and lost 10 pounds. But combining the meals with the outside food is a hassle and you just kind of get tired of their food.
Thanks. I tried to pick things that wouldn’t require any supplemental stuff like dairy (although I may be compelled to add vegetables just to change it up).
Wouldn’t it be cheaper and easier to just buy a bunch of WW and Healthy Choice frozen meals? That’s what I did/do. I supplement it with ungodly amounts of tuna and it’s basically just counting calories.
I am automatically always going to buck Nutrisystem. My mom was on it and she said it was one of the most miserable experiences of her life.
I actually didn’t get around to ordering it yet. I’ve been doing ok, I had lost about 10 pounds doing healthy choice frozen dinners. I got off track a bit but am hovering at about 7 pounds down. I really need to get back to it next week.
I didn’t try Nutrisystem, but I wonder how well it works for sustainable weight loss. What’s the plan to keep the weight off once someone stops ordering the food? Is there any permanent change, any new healthy habits?
If I were a more in control person, maybe. I can’t trust myself in a food store right now. And I don’t want to have to think about it to count calories. I just want someone to supply what I should eat. I am assuming it will be miserable!
There is one diet that is a diet “to the stars” that delivers food as well if that is the main bonus for you to have a system like that. it’s supposed to be fresh food - I can google it but it may be crazy expensive.
If you add up the frozen meals and snacks, it seems more expensive than Nutrisystem. The foods not great, but you don’t notice if your hungy enough.
I’ve always had good results following Atkins if I want to lose some weight because it’s an easy diet for me to follow. But I gained 15 lbs on a cruise last year that I can’t lose. Well, I lost 5 lbs. I have a really screwed up metabolism from years of past eating disorders and dieting.
I might give it a try for a month. There is a $50 off coupon on the site and if you go to their message board get someone to send you the Buddy Bucks coupon for another $30 off.
Gigi, did you ever try Atkins? Once you buy all the food, it’s easy to follow. The trouble is if you don’t have the right food around you cheat. I found it super easy to follow and your never hungry.
But a month can’t hurt anything and hey, maybe I’ll be lucky and lose 21 pounds too!