Have any Dopers tried Nutrisystem? If so, how was the food and was it effective? I need to drop some poundage and since I live by myself and cooking for one is a pain (I usually end up with something frozen and frightfully fattening), I thought this might be a good option. Thoughts?
I haven’t tried it but two things stand out.
1)Follow the Meal Planner provided, and combine Nutrisystem® foods with grocery items for a healthy, balanced diet.
- Enjoy delicious, good-for-you Nutrisystem® meals for as little as $11 per day!
Pretty costly and you still need to buy and prepare some of the meal.
I’ll vote “not sustainable.” What happens when you reach your goal weight and don’t have NutriSystem sending you food anymore? What are you supposed to do when you’re at someone else’s house or in a restaurant? You won’t have learned a thing about managing your food habits.
A Weight Watchers Monthly Pass is $40, and you can go to as many meetings as you want, use the online tools (which include scads of ideas and recipes), and make your own food for MUCH less than $11/day. (Yikes!)
Disclaimer: I’ve lost 55 pounds since April 7 on WW and am now a total WW shill.
I tried it a few years back and it was one of the very few things that helped me drop weight. I think I lost like 20 pounds in the first 6 weeks or something. The loss slowed, but it was steady and consistent loss, and I never plateau’d, which had always been a problem for me on other programs.
I loved the convenience of it. All you have to buy is random grocery items to supplement the meals, and you’re set. Admittedly, it was a little pricey (almost $300 per month) but they knock off 5% per month if you use the Auto-delivery feature.
I would bring my meals to work, to people’s homes, etc. I don’t eat out a whole lot anyway, so restaurants weren’t a huge deal. There is a maintenance program when you get to your goal weight using “real” food. Just like with anything else, if you are committed, you will find a way to make anything work.
I would love to go back on it, but it’s too rich for my blood right now. 
I was given a box of Nutrisystem food by an ex-dieter. I thought I might hold onto it for the next power outage we have. The items were all things I could buy versions of in the grocery store, such as dehydrated cup-a-potato-soups, and weird stuff like dehydrated meat patties. The calorie and food counts were comparable to the grocery store items. They didn’t taste very good to me, though. The grocery store has far better selections. It would be very easy to put together your own diet comprised of grocery store frozen meals, plus some supplemental veggies, yourself. But you wouldn’t have the motivation that comes from following a commercial program which you paid good money for. If you decide you might want to try the program, be sure to try the foods before you commit, in case they’re not to your liking.
If you have a Big Lots in your area, go hunt through their food section. They often have Nutri-system food. This will give you a chance to see what it’s like, and even try some of it.
One thing you should be aware of, a lot of the “meals” are small breakfast bars and instant cups of soup. It may be exactly what you need, or the portions may be too small.
Some of the meals require additional items. For example, you buy bread to go with the chicken salad. They provide a pouch of dressing with turkey, your provide lettuce to make it a salad.
Costco sells it, and you can look at a complete sample menu here. (Warning - pdf.)
Thanks! It’s not looking particularly appealing nor a very good value for $11 a day. Maybe I’ll look into Weight Watchers…
The “buy it yourself” part makes in not worthwhile overall. You end up buying tons of salad, milk, etc.
The program helped myself and my ex roomie lose a decent amount. He was a difficult one as far as diet success went.
As far as the quality of food goes, it ranged from pretty good to downright wretched. If you’re able to pick and choose the entrees, and you can afford the rest, I’d say go for it. Otherwise, go with something more economical and long term, like Weight Watchers.
I tried it a couple of years ago. There was a special selection of food supposedly for diabetics. It contained a whole lot of food that diabetics should not be eating, like starches and sugar. After two months on this diet, my diabetes was out of control, along with my blood pressure and cholesterol.
And I had gained weight.
A friend of mine did and she blogged about it. It was HILARIOUS. She definitely lost weight because the food was so terrible she could barely eat it. She took picture of the packages, the directions, the steps and the end result. Some of that stuff looks like you could drop it on the enemy.
Not to sound bitchy, but… duh? Of course the portions will be small and often feel “too small”. You’re trying to eat on this system to lose weight.
Sorry, I didn’t mean “too small” as in calories. I was thinking of bulk. For example, some diets call for lots of fresh fruits and vegatables, to make you feel more full.
The one thing I remember was the so-called pizza. It was like eating a crunchy yarmulke.
I don’t know anything about Nutrisystem, but I do have a tip for cooking for one. If you can cook but feel it’s too much effort just for yourself, cooking in bulk and freezing as single portions can be a huge help. Things like chilli, stews, casseroles, curries and many pasta sauces (bolognaise etc) freeze pretty well, so you can cook up a big pan - 5 or 6 portions at a time, eat one and freeze the rest. Then for the next meal, you just need to cook the rice/pasta/potatoes/whatever and microwave something out of the freezer.