Nutrisystem for Women - Good Idea?

CynGetsThin

I'm thinking of doing Nutrisystem - Basic 4 Weeks for 28 days...mostly because they have a half off sale going on right now.
Anyone tried this before? If so, what results did you see and how fast? Good? Bad? Neutral?

leonardk09

I've heard that a lot of the Nutrisystem products contain a lot of salt (mostly because they are all processed). Sodium is the end all be all of weight loss. You want to avoid going over the 2500 mg mark per day at all costs, haha. I wouldn't recommend Nutrisystem. I've also known several people who have tried it and said it was a waste of money, bad food, and just overall not worth it.

A_New_Horizon

I haven't personally done Nutrisystem, but my aunt did and lost 65 lbs over 1.5 years. She looks amazing. It worked for her, but it doesn't mean it will work for everyone because my grandmother tried it with no success.

tlcAK

I've tried it for 3 months. Lost 10 lbs and learned a lot but as soon as I got off of it I gained it back... don't know why

kimmerroze

The draw about nutrisystem is that the meals are all planned out for you, so you dont' have to cook.

This is the reason people gain the weight back once they go off of it. When everything is planned for you, it doesn't give you the opportunity to grow and learn and cook for yourself.

if you don't learn how to portion control, and cook low calorie for yourself what good is it going to do you to lose that weight (pay tons of money doing so) just to gain it back because you didn't learn how to do it yourself?

I say no. But that is my opinion, all they are creating for you is a calorie deficit, you can do the same thing, and cut out tons of the sodium you would be ingesting if you ate all their processed meals.

Heatherbelle_87

The draw about nutrisystem is that the meals are all planned out for you, so you dont' have to cook.

This is the reason people gain the weight back once they go off of it. When everything is planned for you, it doesn't give you the opportunity to grow and learn and cook for yourself.

if you don't learn how to portion control, and cook low calorie for yourself what good is it going to do you to lose that weight (pay tons of money doing so) just to gain it back because you didn't learn how to do it yourself?

I say no. But that is my opinion, all they are creating for you is a calorie deficit, you can do the same thing, and cut out tons of the sodium you would be ingesting if you ate all their processed meals.

Agreed. Losing weight is a lifestyle change not a diet. If you dont learn new & better habits you will be on pre-processed packaged foods the rest of your life, or gain it all back.

CynGetsThin

Thanks for all the great feedback. I know diets don't work. I had success with Slim Fast years ago and ended up gaining all the weight I lost back as soon as I ended the program. Also I tried Jenny Craig and only maintained. I'm still curious to see if I can jumpstart my weight loss for a month and then have a plan ready in action to keep my calories/food at bay after coming off the program.

Atlantique

I tried it once a few years ago. The portions are TINY, as they expect you to round out every meal with your own fresh veggies and dairy products. When you consider how little food they are actually providing, it's fairly expensive even on a half-off sale.

Some of the meals are actually quite tasty, while others are just horrible.

But even so, it's very highly processed as you can tell by the fact that their products don't even need to be refrigerated and will keep for years. That's more than a little scary!

The one thing they have going for them is convenience.

CynGetsThin

@Atlantique -- WOW. This is the MOST helpful comment thus far. It's good to know that the portions are tiny and that they expect you to round out every meal with your own fresh veggies and dairy products. That means even though it's convenient, it's not as easy as it seems! This will help me make my decision...

Surgnurs

Read the fine print first. If you don't order a second month, they charge you $50 to cancel. I am on my 2nd month and really like the convenience of it. But it is pricey after the second month.

carmenstop1

My brother did nutrisystem a couple of years ago, he lost about 70lbs in 3 months. Within a year he gained at least 85lbs back! Another friend of mine saw him lose the weight and did it too, lost about 25lbs and gained all of it back for sure, maybe more! Unless you learn portion control for yourself, I don't think it is worth the money.

mommachef

I tried it before.

Yes, it works for many. I did lose on it. But, as was pointed out, you DO still have to buy additional groceries to round out their program. The foods are really hit or miss, too.

suzooz

I tried it once a few years ago. The portions are TINY, as they expect you to round out every meal with your own fresh veggies and dairy products. When you consider how little food they are actually providing, it's fairly expensive even on a half-off sale.

Some of the meals are actually quite tasty, while others are just horrible.

But even so, it's very highly processed as you can tell by the fact that their products don't even need to be refrigerated and will keep for years. That's more than a little scary!

The one thing they have going for them is convenience.

I second this!

I tried it a few years ago, when my friend was doing it. I lost some weight on it, but couldn't sustain. Some of the food items were really good -- some I couldn't stand. I also got very bored with the routine.

And I agree that the portions were small. Many times I was very hungry in the afternoons after eating one of their "lunches".

I have found that actually cooking my food helps in my weight loss. I'm not saying that I actually cook alot, but there's something magical about slicing your vegetables, and doing a stir fry, or grilling the chicken that is actually quite therapeutic. .