Nutrisystem?

DaniDoll57
DaniDoll57 Posts: 72 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I decided to try out that little box from Walmart that has the 5 day portions of food for the Nutrisystem diet thing. For those unfamiliar, it provides breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. But the plan is to eat the breakfast, eat a health snack a couple hours later, lunch with two veggie servings, snack a couple hours later, dinner with two veggie servings and then your final snack that they provide.

I was thinking of doing this for two weeks (kind of to see if I lose the seven lbs they advertise in the two weeks time) and then just fill in the meal plan with foods of my own that I buy, make, etc, as long as it fulfills the nutrition requirements.

My question is: does this method of dieting seem to be a positive route or not so much? I think the focus of it is to keep your metabolism high by eating every few hours instead of gorging on large meals three times a day. If that's the lifestyle change I need to be making, I just wanna make sure it's not one that will harm me further down the line.

Replies

  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited June 2016
    It definitely won't harm you, but it also doesn't really help much to eat a little several times per day or bigger meals three times per day, or a giant meal once per day when it comes to losing weight. All that really matters is your calories in vs calories out over time. If this helps you maintain a calorie deficit it should work fine for you.
  • DaniDoll57
    DaniDoll57 Posts: 72 Member
    So really it's just the idea of if it keeps me from overeating calories by snacking/eating lighter amounts during the day, then yay for that. But it doesn't make a difference metabolism wise if I eat all my calories in one meal then nothing for the rest of the day.
  • Rihn0
    Rihn0 Posts: 2 Member
    Use Greg O Gallagher nutrisystem. With this system you can control your appetite and is very useful even if you want to drop some BFP or gain muscle. And you can eat what you want(with moderation of course and while you willstay in your daily calories and macros).
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited June 2016
    Opinion: This place will work 100 times better.
    Learn to choose healthy meals and snacks. I eat every 3 hours.
    You WILL lose weight using this site. You just HAVE to log everything.
    I opened my diary and the thought that someone could look keeps me in check.
    Walking 20 minutes a day is what really boosted my metabolism. (have to break a sweat).
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    DaniDoll57 wrote: »
    So really it's just the idea of if it keeps me from overeating calories by snacking/eating lighter amounts during the day, then yay for that. But it doesn't make a difference metabolism wise if I eat all my calories in one meal then nothing for the rest of the day.

    The only thing that matters is how many calories in total you've consumed in a day. Not when you consumed them. :)
  • TehLaughingDog
    TehLaughingDog Posts: 200 Member
    I mean if you want to eat that then are able to keep yourself from eating within your calorie confines when you lost weight sure it could work.

    My mother, though I love her, is a huge fan of dieting fads, systems, and any other dieting gimmic. In high school before I gained any weight she bought a massive years worth of meals from nutrisystem. So basically she stopped grocery shopping and had my family all eating those because she didn't want any temptation in the house because she was trying to drop down in to the low 100s (she's 5'8"-9"). Honestly, I thought those things were absolutely disgusting. Food shouldn't look grey imo. So we all started eating elsewhere when we could which often meant unhealthy for my mom and stepdad while for me I started eating at friend's houses, not eating, or when I had money I'd buy my own groceries. I think she still has those things around the house somewhere and it's been 9 years lol.

    If you can do it and would be happy more power to ya. But I don't think dieting needs to be punishment. Maybe they changed their food since 2008 though and it's better quality.
  • Witchdoctor58
    Witchdoctor58 Posts: 226 Member
    Nutrisystem, as with any system strictly followed, will keep you at a deficit. However, the quality of the food is poor and it tastes really nasty. I did it for one month, and because the snacks were sugary, I found myself binging on them, eating five at a time.
    You are far better off planning your own meals, with quality ingredients.
  • Witchdoctor58
    Witchdoctor58 Posts: 226 Member
    Also, seven lbs in two weeks is dangerous. Most of it will be water weight anyway. Aim for 1-2 lbs/wk of true fat loss, and remember that if you work out (which you should do to avoid muscle loss on this restrictive diet), muscle weighs more than fat so the numbers might not change but body composition will.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,224 Member
    DaniDoll57 wrote: »
    So really it's just the idea of if it keeps me from overeating calories by snacking/eating lighter amounts during the day, then yay for that. But it doesn't make a difference metabolism wise if I eat all my calories in one meal then nothing for the rest of the day.

    As of yesterday, I've lost 87 lbs in 11 months and I usually only eat twice a day. If it helps control your hunger eating many meals a day, eat many meals a day. If you aren't hungry very often, but are forcing yourself to eat multiple times only because you've read/been told that it will keep your metabolism high... Don't. It's not true. Spread your daily calories out over however many meals it takes you to be satisfied.
  • jahillegas_51
    jahillegas_51 Posts: 143 Member
    Witchdoctor58 wrote: »
    Nutrisystem, as with any system strictly followed, will keep you at a deficit. However, the quality of the food is poor and it tastes really nasty. I did it for one month, and because the snacks were sugary, I found myself binging on them, eating five at a time.
    You are far better off planning your own meals, with quality ingredients.

    I agree, I never tried this program. However when I tried to diet on a super strict meal plan, I noticed my tendencies to binge rose.

    I really like IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros). Layne Norton provides some great content on YouTube explaining how it works. He does a much better job than I could with typing on this forum. If you need some help locating videos I can message links to you.

    Best Wishes on your weight loss journey....can't wait to see the results:))
  • campbell3913
    campbell3913 Posts: 64 Member
    I lost weight on Nutrisystems, but gained it back. I didn't change my habits or diet doing that and honestly most of the good isn't good.
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
    edited June 2016
    It'll work to help you lose weight but unless you plan on using their program, for the duration of your life; you'll gain all of the weight back & usually 10 pounds more. If these companies were successful at helping us keep the weight off, nearly everyone who previously used them; would still be at their goal weights & these companies would've gone out of business. They're actually designed to help you, gain more weight; then they helped you to lose! They do this with a limited variety of food choices & under eating via a caloric deficit, that is lower than what's healthy/sustainable; which then results in bingeing & quitting, for awhile. The client (victim) then gains all of the weight back, plus more but doesn't forget that the weight loss company (legal criminal) helped them lose weight, like a loan shark helps 1 pay a debt; only to create a larger debt of their own. So the victim obtains Stockholm Syndrome & keeps returning to their abuser (weight loss company), for more help; worse off than before each time!
  • jahillegas_51
    jahillegas_51 Posts: 143 Member
    campbell3913 wrote: »
    I lost weight on Nutrisystems, but gained it back. I didn't change my habits or diet doing that and honestly most of the good isn't good.

    What did you do after nutrisystem? Did you go back to eating what you did before? I think I may have an explanation for why that occurred.
  • jahillegas_51
    jahillegas_51 Posts: 143 Member
    FridayApril01st2016 wrote: »
    It'll work to help you lose weight but unless you plan on using their program, for the duration of your life; you'll gain all of the weight back & usually 10 pounds more. If these companies were successful at helping us keep the weight off, nearly everyone who previously used them; would still be at their goal weights & these companies would've gone out of business. They're actually designed to help you, gain more weight; then they helped you to lose! They do this with a limited variety of food choices & under eating via a caloric deficit, that is lower than what's healthy/sustainable; which then results in bingeing & quitting, for awhile. The client (victim) then gains all of the weight back, plus more but doesn't forget that the weight loss company (legal criminal) helped them lose weight, like a loan shark helps 1 pay a debt; only to create a larger debt of their own. So the victim obtains Stockholm Syndrome & keeps returning to their abuser (weight loss company), for more help; worse off than before each time!

    PREACH!!! The companies market weight loss, which piss me off. Focus on fat loss, I can stop eating and drinking water and I will lose weight. We want to lose FAT not overall weight...sorry mini rant hahaha.

    They market fat loss, like its this big a** secret formula to success to deepen their pockets.

    Life goal: put every single one of them out of business:) Have a good Monday!!
  • DaniDoll57
    DaniDoll57 Posts: 72 Member
    Thank you guys all for your input! The Nutrisystem starter box came with this little booklet about the meals and the six meals a day. (Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, dessert.) I pretty much took that booklet and have just been preparing my own meals following that essential idea. So far it's working; I've lost almost 10 lbs this last month but that was definitely without the actual Nutrisystem food. (The dinners I could barely choke down. Ugh.)

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