Nutrisystem-Thoughts?

I was wondering if anyone has done nutrisystem and what their results/thoughts on it are? I understand that its important to learn to cook healthy, manage portion size and all that; however, I lead a very busy life right now and have a crazy work and class schedule. I am considering doing this for a few months until i find my groove in this whole process. Hopefully I can get into the habit of working out on a regular basis and then eventually incorp. cooking healthy and all that....one step at a time for me!
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Replies

  • dogo187
    dogo187 Posts: 376
    do you have one day per week that you can prepare all your meals in advance?

    if you do then i suggest that you take advantage of it and get really focused on how to prepare healthful food...

    i always cook a few meals in advance and store in the freezer so that even if its been a crazy day i know that i can walk in the door, pull something from the freezer, heat it up and we can eat something that ive prepared, i know what has gone in to it and its not full of salt and preservatives...

    it does take some time to set yourself up, but its well worth it in the long run...plus a whole lot cheaper!
  • I tried Nutrisystem before and it did not work for me. I personally thought the food was horrible. Not only do you have to purchase the food you also have to purchase, bread, fruits, veggies, etc., and truthfully it got really expensive. But, if you want to give it a try by all means do. It does work for some people. Just not me. I personally like eating "regular" food and learning to eat by what is available to me.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You don't have to eat healthy food to lose weight (not that I'd put any of the prepackaged foods in the healthy category) but you do need to eat less to lose weight. Focus on your portions and getting more fruits and veggies in as snacks. There's no special diet foods that you need to be able to lose weight. I eat at Wendy's at least twice a week and have the kids hamburger meal. 470 calories of sodium laced grease but it still fits in my budget.
  • sabrakay1
    sabrakay1 Posts: 45 Member
    I have also tried Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig. It does get expensive and it did not work for me. I gained weight and the food is not all that great.
  • Hyermi
    Hyermi Posts: 6 Member
    I tried it. I lost 20 pounds in about 3 months. I think my brother lost 60 on it. It was pretty simple to use. I ended up quitting and gaining it back for a couple reasons though. I didn't like the taste of some of the food. Notice how I said some of the food. Some of it is fine. You just have to learn to customize to what you will actually eat, which I didn't. Also you have to bring you food everywhere and not eat what everyone else is eating. In some situations that stunk. Finally, it is expensive to keep up.
  • I have not tried it, but had friends who did..very expensive and the food did not look too appetizing, anyway.
    They lost a little or none at all and lost a lot of dough...no pun intended
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I had considered it but the food looks repulsive. Yuck - no wonder people lose weight with it.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
    I have not tried it, but had friends who did..very expensive and the food did not look too appetizing, anyway.
    They lost a little or none at all and lost a lot of dough...no pun intended

    We must be friends. Ended up throwing most of the food away (along with whatever it cost to buy the food).

    ***I did stick with it for 6 weeks or so. So It's not like I gave up in a few days.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    I did it a few times. I always lost, but regained when I tried to transition off. The food was highly processed and got boring really fast. Also, do a web search for "nutri toots". A lot of people experience some really nasty side effects from NS foods.
  • I tried it a few years ago. It costs about $300 a month and you still have to add your own foods. It works, but if you have a family, you are also preparing meals for them. Once you start eating normal foods again, though, the weight comes back on. My suggestion would be to control your portions and eat what everyone else does.
  • MelisRunning
    MelisRunning Posts: 819 Member
    I tried it. Lost about 30 pounds. Gained it all back and then some. It was expensive and the food was terrible. Plus, you have to buy certain food above and beyond what you purchase from them. I hate to be negative, but in this instance I would encourage you to be patient and learn to fix healthy meals and measure your portions.
  • I tried it, lost a bunch of weight, but wasn't able to keep it off since I had no idea how to do it on my own. I wouldn't recommend it. Plus, most of the food tastes GROSS D:
  • freddykid
    freddykid Posts: 265 Member
    I did it and lost 20 lbs 2 years ago, really all it did was teach me that my daily portions of food were too big. Some of the food is horrible, some is really good. Key concept with it you need to be ready to eat less.
  • I have never done Nutrisystem but have done Jenny Craig...3 times. Same idea. It worked for me when I was doing it. Worked great. Food is actually pretty good. Expensive, but pretty good. However, it inevitably gets old, especially if you have a lot to lose, like I did. And, every time I've done it, I've gained everything back. Everything. Sometimes, plus more. It's just not a long-term solution.

    That said, this is just MY opinion and for some people, I'm sure it could work. I'm not one of them.

    Good luck.

    ETA: I think Jenny food is generally thought of as quite a bit better than Nutrisystem food...as I'm seeing a lot of comments saying NS food is terrible. If the food wasn't good, I don't know how it could ever work...
  • I did it a few times. I always lost, but regained when I tried to transition off. The food was highly processed and got boring really fast. Also, do a web search for "nutri toots". A lot of people experience some really nasty side effects from NS foods.

    oops, forgot about THAT...heard THAT too...my mom did Alli and had THAT too...
  • Ohhhh lord, thats the last thing I need HAHAHA healthy eating has some side effects of its own, dont need any extra :)
  • 1PoisonIvy
    1PoisonIvy Posts: 933 Member
    I thought about it, but the meals are so high in carbs that I passed.
  • BalenciaLynn
    BalenciaLynn Posts: 411 Member
    i used nutrisystem once, the food was horrible.
    It was over expensive
    I found preplanning meals and freezing them or making for a week at a time was more cost friendly and it helped me.
  • I did try it....for all the same reasons as you. It's not worth it in my opinion. I thought the food was good. It gets expensive though. You have the food they send you, but you have to buy extra stuff also. So all the veggies and fruit you need, you gotta buy it. Any bread you need, you have to buy it. Needless to say, I quit after just two months. I only lost about three pounds during that time. I've lost more doing it this way....just tracking everything and working out more.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I have a couple of friends that tried it, along with my dad. Yep, they lost weight, but when they stopped, they all gained the weight back. Its very expensive, one friend told she spent $300/month, don't know if that's the norm, but it's definately more than what I spend on food in a month.
  • Angie_1991
    Angie_1991 Posts: 447 Member
    I know that everyone is different, but my aunt did this and once she stopped it...the weight came back....I personally wouldn't do it because I wouldn;t want to waste the money........
  • TammyLynne71
    TammyLynne71 Posts: 184 Member
    I have a friend who does it. Why I don't know cause she give me a brown bag of the foods every month that she does not care for. With how expensive they are why get them if u are not going to eat them.
    I have tried them that way. To me there is a blant taste to them. A few days ago I tried one thing that was called a chicken breast on its package. Not sure I would call it that. The sugar grams in it are not that bad for what I saw. But to do the foods every meal and snack your salt intake would be above normal.
    I give them to my hubby to take on the road. He is a truck driver and there is a microwave in the truck. Helps us save money when he is on the road.
    I would use that money to do once a day cooking and package my own meals for the week.
    Hope this helps.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
    do you have one day per week that you can prepare all your meals in advance?

    if you do then i suggest that you take advantage of it and get really focused on how to prepare healthful food...

    i always cook a few meals in advance and store in the freezer so that even if its been a crazy day i know that i can walk in the door, pull something from the freezer, heat it up and we can eat something that ive prepared, i know what has gone in to it and its not full of salt and preservatives...

    it does take some time to set yourself up, but its well worth it in the long run...plus a whole lot cheaper!

    This is good advice for people on the go. Sunday is a good time to prepare a batch of food that will last for a few lunches or dinners during the week. You can also keep some individual-sized frozen meals on hand (I don't eat them every day, but I will own to eating a frozen meal about 4 times a week, usually lunch). Dinners can come together quickly with whole wheat pasta and and veggies (use frozen if you're pressed for time). It can be done!
  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    Been there, Done that,twice
    It works, but you can learn portion control with
    Smart ones or Lean Cuisine and have more choices
    EVERYTHING works, if you stick to the program
  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
    My general motto, is do not listen to any weight loss plan that is trying to sell you something. They are in it to make money, not to have your best interests at heart. While it may or may not work... your better off with out
  • LEC1978
    LEC1978 Posts: 7 Member
    I tried it for a while but had little sucess. It is expensive, and you do have to buy and prepare different meals/salads/protein servings to add to the prepackaged stuff. So it also was not even the time saver I had hoped it would be. It was basically just like supplementing your diet with Lean Cuisines and granola bars. Except that most of the NutriSystem food is not quite as tasty as Lean Cuisines. :) Now I also try to cook meals in advance and freeze them. Generally cheaper, healthier and tastier than any prepackaged stuff you could buy.
  • TriClaudia
    TriClaudia Posts: 51 Member
    I work in the same office as someone who used Nutrisystem. I thought it looked disgusting, and she hated it. At the same time I was looking for the same concept. I just wasn't successful at the whole planning, cooking, portioning. I felt like I needed help. I looked around and found a meal plan that was just that -- meals. They were frozen, delivered weekly, didn't involve program fees or talking to someone whose job was to sell me more stuff or a higher level plan. The food is delicious -- not supermarket freezer fare. It is not inexpensive. But there's also no commitment. Hopefully it's ok to say -- I used Bistro MD. I've enjoyed it and lost almost 50 lbs since February; so no outrageous claims here. I won't bore you with my whole journey. This plan met my needs. I hope you find something that works for you. Feel free to message me if you'd like to know more. Oh, the nutrition info is in the database here for a lot of their meals.
  • skinnyforhi
    skinnyforhi Posts: 340 Member
    I tried it for a while but had little sucess. It is expensive, and you do have to buy and prepare different meals/salads/protein servings to add to the prepackaged stuff. So it also was not even the time saver I had hoped it would be. It was basically just like supplementing your diet with Lean Cuisines and granola bars. Except that most of the NutriSystem food is not quite as tasty as Lean Cuisines. :) Now I also try to cook meals in advance and freeze them. Generally cheaper, healthier and tastier than any prepackaged stuff you could buy.

    That's so true! You have to go grocery shopping anyway for accompaniments to the meal. Did you ever sit there wondering, "What goes with a Nutrisystem cheese pizza" and find yourself thinking "A Domino's cheese pizza?"
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
    From experience, Nutrisystem tastes gross, nothing like home cooked meals and portions are small!! Not to mention it is more expensive than what you'd spend on yourself for groceries. In addition to that, you have to buy fresh produce. Not worth the $$$ in my opinion. You could spend less money and invest a bit more time and get much more, health & budget wise, than you could buying Nutrisystem.
  • BogQueen1
    BogQueen1 Posts: 320 Member
    The food is so vile and disgusting on more then one occasion I think I broke down in tears. Pathetic? Perhaps, but it's REALLY REALLY bad. I got through 3 days and sent it all back. I mean really who wants to eat 'pizza' that you can keep in the cupboard! That is NOT real cheese, it's processed garbage crap and I couldn't force it down my throat.

    Just my 2 copper! :bigsmile: