Nutrisystem?

Expensive and worthless. Make your own food

If I were to use it, it would just be to learn how the food system works. I saw an add today that it was focused on low glycemic foods which I read about before, but I really don't understand exactly how it works. I would get the food just to understand how to eat that way and then just eat that way and stop buying the food. But that is just me.

I did Nutrisystem for a couple months - until I realized that their REAL program was something i could do on my own for wayyyyyy less money.

All you do is: Watch your serving sizes & make sensible food choices. Split your meals up into 6-7 meals every couple hours to keep your metabolism running.

I tried Nutrisystem a while back....NASTY food that is pretty high in sodium. It is REALLY expensive. You should make your own meals, learn to cook for yourself, prepare stuff ahead of time so its quick and easy....

HAD A CO WORKER THAT WAS ON THAT PLAN AND THE FOOD DIDN'T LOOK APPETIZING.

I looked into all of those programs but found out they cost 300 dollars a MONTH! I'm sorry but this average Joe cannot afford that. Then I started looking at the Lean Cuisine meals and then my thought process went: "ok, basically these programs are pre-package meals that is portion controlled. If I workout, eat the meals and try to hit my calorie count then isn't it the same thing?"

So, I've started doing that. I eat the Lean Cuisine meals which I love. IMO they are really good. They have come a long ways from several years ago when I tried it. I workout 3-4 x's a week and stay within my 1400 calories. I even eat chocolate and the good stuff too! I know there maybe push back from eating the meals but so far for me it's worked. I've lost 24 lbs so far.
I'm not a cook, I'm more of a "heater uper". So, fixing my meals really doesn't appeal to me as it's not my forte.

Don't waste your money. There are easier and cheaper ways to "do the program". Good luck!

The More I hear about it, the more I am intrigued by this program. I weighed in at 161 the other day and my goal weight is 155-150. My concern is once I hit this weight, how can I maintain it. I haven't really done alot of research into this one yet but I have heard mostly postive things.. Can something like this help maintain the weight I want with the foods they provide or is more for weight loss? Also, how expensive are the meals? (I'd probably just nee to order breakfast and lunch-- my fiance handles dinner )

Thanks for any input.

How can you maintain it? By doing just what you've been doing here on MFP. By using what you have learned here. You daily calorie goal will be = to your BMR. Think of maitentance as "dieting" with snacks. You will have "some" extra breathing room when you go on maintenance, but it's not going to be a free for all. Continue to eat mostly what you already do, sub in a few extras here & there.

I did Nutrisystem for two months and lost about 12 lbs. It was the first "diet" I ever stuck to in my life for more than a week. I did the select program and the food was pretty good actually, I thought. While I don't think you should expect to order Nutrisystem for the rest of your life, I think it's a good option for someone starting out. I can only tell you what it did for me. Since they require that you incorporate a lot of fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy and healthy fats, I started learning to love vegetables and fruit again. it showed me how much I WASN'T eating before. There are lots of ways to make the meals and I was never hungry. It taught me what a portion size is supposed to look like. It also gives you tips on healthy substitutions if you are not able or wanting to eat a meal (ie: how many servings of vegetables, which ones, how many carbs, which ones are okay, how many ounces of protein, etc.). Once I got off of nutrisystem, i fell off the wagon for a while. Not because I didn't learn anything from the program,but because I made excuses for ordering the pizza and eating half, going out to lunch, etc. It was about my lack of motivation.

I would recommend it to whoever was interested. My mom used it for a month and lost 15 lbs. She looked and felt great. Seeing the changes gave her the jumpstart she needed to keep going with a healthy lifestyle after she left the program. They have live chats with dieticians and message boards, healthy recipes, etc, just like like. It's not an unhealthy way to lose weight, so why would you discourage someone who is overweight from wanting to try something that might help them? Everyone learns differently and what works for one, doesn't work for others. I say go for it for a month or two if you think it will get you on the right track. You may like it, you may not. It may work, it might not. It worked for me and I still use the principles that I learned when planning my meals on here.

Just my two cents!

I've been doing NS for almost two years. I lost about 60 pounds, but gained back 10 after knee surgery. Their maintenance plan is a mystery...in other words, there really isn't one. Once you reach goal they say there are other plans (dinner on your own, weekends off) that are for maintaining, but I'm not sure those programs really "teach" you anything. I'm trying to get off their food (I only order about every other month now) do it more on my own so that I can really learn how to maintain eating in the "real world". Of course I have to lose this 10 pounds before I really figure out how to maintain. Once I can work out at the level I was before surgery, I think this will be easier.
The food is now awful...you'll find some you like and others that you don't...I add in lots of vegetables to "bulk" the food up. Frankly after this long I'm getting really tired of the food....bored mostly. They don't introduce new food that often and recently they discontinued lots of food and did not add that many items back in (except for some mostly frozen items that are more money). They have also introduced shakes into the plan....raised the price for the shakes and they are NOT optional...really kind of ticked me off. I'm ok with a shake once in a while, but not a mandatory part of the program.

Their food is nasty and full of sodium

Yep, I did NS too a while back and got really bored with the meals. Some of the meals were good, especially breakfasts and some lunches, but most of the dinners and snacks were less than appetizing. For a while, I ordered just breakfast foods because some were very tasty and filling.

They publish their nutritional information on their website (or at least they used to). If you browse the site and go to the "a la carte" ordering, you used to be able to click on each item and see the nutrition label. So, what some have done is model their calorie intake and macronutrient breakdown based on the NS item and find similar (and lower priced) foods at the grocery store. Mostly look for foods high in fiber and low in sugar.

I was very successful on NS, but, like I said, got bored and couldn't afford it after a while.

Good luck!
Jackie