Weight Loss Tips

NutriSystem Reviews

Posted by lose weight | Tagged as: lose weight

138 Responses to “NutriSystem Reviews”

1. # John Hansford
   
   

   Thanks for the review of this program. After I read it three months ago, I signed up for a month supply of Nutrisystem diet meals on their Nutrisystem for men plan and everything went pretty much to plan. I was a little taken aback by the small meal size just like you mentioned here, but even so I don’t think I really appreciated the difference with what I was already used to.

   That taught me something that I was overeating for too many years it became the norm and sure, that was why I had become so overweight. I’ll be honest here and tell you I needed to lose 80lbs. I really didn’t think it would be possible and figured i would need more time than just a months to do that in. Well, in the first month I actually lost 34lbs and I was totally amazed. I signed up for another month supply really fired up about how good I did. In the second month I lost a further 25lbs and I felt I was really on a roll. So I signed up for another month and lost another 12lbs.

   Okay, I didn’t hit my target but I still felt I had to write in and tell you and your readers that losing this weight has probably saved my life. Would I recommend Nutrisystem to anyone else? Hell, yes! I have only one complaint and that’s it sure is hard getting used to eating half sized meals, but I succeeded and now I only eat small, regular meals but home cooked instead of buying in so much junk like I used to.

   Thanks for that review cause it made me decide to do the right thing for me. It may not be for everyone, for sure. But I believe it can work on anybody who can alter their way of thinking toward meal size and of course what’s on the plate, cause it worked for me.

   John Hansford

2. # Tesmer
   
   

   Identifying where you are currently failing to lose weight is the hardest part, but I agree with your conclusions as to the benefits of the Nutrisystem diet. It is a very convenient diet and for busy people with busy schedules in their daily lives, it sounds the perfect solution to losing weight while not wasting precious time messing around with complex diets, calorie counting and all the paraphernalia that goes with them.

   I am going to do some research of my own as well, but your review is about the most comprehensive I have seen anywhere yet.
   Thanks!

3. # Aaron
   
   

   I went on the Nutrisystem diet two months ago and chose my own customized plan because I wanted to make it as doable for me as I could. Well, I started a little shakily to be honest and just like you said, I found the meals smaller than I anticipated. Sure, I knew I had to eat less if I wanted to really lose weight, but in the first week I cheated some and thought I’d blown the diet. But when I weighted myself after 7 days I was surprised to find I’d lost 4lbs. That inspired me to grit my teeth and go for it with renewed determination.

   At the end of the month, I had lost an amazing 15lbs and that’s without doing anything extra like working out or suchlike. So far I’ve stayed the same weight for the last month just by watching what I eat and sticking with the smaller meal size that I got used to the month before with the Nutrisystem meals. I’d recommend it to anyone who isn’t a quitter cause it worked for me and I don’t see myself as all that much a determined guy, I’m pretty average really.

   I am always looking for additional tips when it comes to keeping the weight off and you’ve got them in spades here at this site, thanks!
   Aaron

4. # Lisa Mills
   
   

   Thanks for your honest review of Nutrisystem and its pluses and minuses. Any tips or advice that can help is always appreciated.

   Lisa

5. # lose weight
   
   

   Aaron, that’s really great that you lost 15lbs overall. I know the meal size is really something that gets a lot of customers when they first open them up, but if folks can get past that then they’ll lose weight as long as they don’t cheat.

6. # lose weight
   
   

   Thanks Tesmer, the whole idea of the diet is based around convenience so if you have that measure of determination then you can succeed at losing weight with this diet food delivery plan.

7. # Dean
   
   

   Hey there, Nutrisystem was a total failure for me I have to report to you, sorry! The meals were too small and I felt hungry all the time so I ate peanut butter sandwiches between the meals. I’ve tried plenty of diets and the same thing happens every time. How can I have a diet and still feel full after eating and still lose weight?

   Thanks, Dean.

8. # Beth
   
   

   I bought the Nutrisystem for women plan last summer and stuck to it for a month. I found it a little hard at times, especially in the early days cause I felt hungry a lot. Its funny after reading your review that this is normal, but at the time I didn’t put 2 and 2 together and get 4! I thought there might be something wrong with me, but now I see why I felt hungry. Yeah, a real duh moment!

   I still lost weight and I’m glad I did it cause it worked out pretty cheap as I didn’t have to buy my regular groceries so one cost balanced out against the other. I lost 14lbs in that month and I dropped three dress sizes, so it was worth it for me.

   Oh yeah, your review is very well written. I think it is the most honest review I have read so far and wish I found it last year before I went on the diet cause it would’ve helped me a lot, I think. You really raise some great points here, thanks for the post.

9. # David
   
   

   Good information and a really good review of the Nutrisystem diets, thanks for posting that. Losing weight has been so challenging for me that the more information I have the better as I’m considering this product but I’ve been sitting on the fence as to whether to take the plunge or not. I believe I will try it now that I have read your assessment as it appears to be something that will fit with my own busy lifestyle. I can totally identify with what you are saying here as I really don’t have the time for regular diets and all the time consuming stuff that goes with them. There are so many ideas out there and a lot of them are conflicting, but yours is the most obviously honest review I’ve read so far.

   I’m looking forward to coming back and learning some more to help make a difference to my body weight. David

10. # lose weight
    
    

    Dean, sorry to hear you didn’t lose any weight with this diet. I have to be a little in your face here and ask if it ever occurred to you that you need to eat less if you want to lose weight? You say you tried lots of diets but they all failed, including Nutrisystem. You have to realize that in order to lose weight you need to eat less and you have to train yourself to get used to smaller meals. Hate to say it, but its just plain common sense, when you think about it.

    You didn’t mention anything about your lifestyle, but maybe you should also consider exercising if you really can’t do with smaller meals. That way you will at least burn off more calories and drop some weight.

11. # lose weight
    
    

    Thanks Beth. Its good to hear from people that have done well with this diet and stuck to it for success.

12. # Jonas
    
    

    I tried Nutrisystem last year and was a little surprised, as you mentioned, by the small meals as I believe many have also done. I succeeded in losing 12lbs over the course of the month, which I feel was a pretty good deal. I was worried I might put the weight back on once I came off the diet, so in the meantime, I’ve found that increasing the amount of exercise each day and watching what I eat greatly increases my fat burning and does seem to have kept my weight stable since then. Thanks for a great article!
    Jonas

13. # Georgiana
    
    

    Both my sister and myself tried Nutrisystem three months ago and the results were really weird. We both were overweight and needed to lose around 40lbs each. Well, my sister was a real champion and she actually lost 30 of those in her first month. I was a total failure and only lost 8lbs over that same month. What gives? We are both very similar in build and height, only two years apart in age, my sister is younger, and neither of us smoke or drink much. So howcome she lost all that weight and I didn’t?

    She went on it for a second month and lost another 16lbs so she ended up losing even more than she needed to and looks fabulous now! I didn’t because I was so upset and gained back every pound I lost plus now I’m 8lbs heavier than when I started.

    I read your Nutrisystem review and I enjoyed reading it as it is a good article. I learned some thing that I didn’t know before, or maybe I just didn’t want to know them. Like the problem of feeling hungry between meals and sure enough, I snacked on potato chips. How’d you know that LOL? I guess if I had been s little more determined and had the will power that my sister obviously has, then I would’ve done better I think.

    I will try the diet once again, but this time I will force myself not to cheat on it and try figure out how to stave off the hunger. I read more articles on your blog and I think I see the other problem I have which is I don’t do any exercise. My sister has two dogs that she takes for long walks every day, while I sit around in front of the TV. Hey, how’d you know that too LOL???

    So lets see if I can do it better this time around and I’ll try go for walks with my sister and her dogs cause she only lives in the next block. Thanks for the advice, I think you may be a life saver!

    Georgiana

14. # lose weight
    
    

    Jonas, the small meals are a real stumbling block for many people when they are not expecting it. When you know what is coming, you’re better prepared for it and can cope so much better. Congrats on losing 12lbs, by the way!

15. # lose weight
    
    

    Georgiana, I’m glad to hear you are not giving up and giving it another go. You’re right in that your sister had a big boost in walking her dogs every day because its that extra exercise that really helps your body burn off the excess fat and when you combine it with a healthy diet, you will lose weight. Just don’t have any potato chips in the house this time LOL!

16. # Christian
    
    

    It’s pretty awesome having tried Nutrisystem and lost a load of weight because of it, as I believe it probably saved my life. I was way overweight and my doctor told me that if I didn’t lose weight soon, my heart would likely give out. I made the decision there and then to do something positive and found Nutrisystem online.

    I always tell people when they ask me what kind of diet I went on to lose, like over 40lbs over a two month period. They are amazed but I’m not really amazed because I was determined to make it work and I stuck with the plan, no cheating! After the first two weeks I’d lost around 16lb I started to do some exercises every day too.

    I believe that combining the diet with the exercise is what made it so successful. Start with the basics and get used to small meals, then start light exercise and build it up each day, doing a little more. I walked some, then went for a swim every day to start, then after I started feeling stronger, I started simple stuff like skipping, running on the spot and using a stepper machine my wife had. I never once set foot inside a gym, and I probably never will. Waste of time when you can do most of that stuff at home. I also took multivitamins just to be sure. But I also know that the thing that made it all happen was doing the Nutrisystem diet plan because it forced me to put all my attention on it because I’d paid for the thing! Funny how money can be a motivator, even to lose weight!

    Anyways, wanted to say thanks for the review cause it tells it like it is.

17. # Leonore
    
    

    You have created some really good and usable weight loss tips here in this blog and then I came across this Nutrisystem review. Well, all I can say is you have got it pretty accurate! I tried there plan almost a year ago and failed miserable. I thought it was all the fault of the the company for sending out such small meals. I was hungry after eating them, so I bulked out on salted peanuts. I guess that was pretty stupid, but I’d cleared out all the junk food out of my home before the delivery of food from Nutrisystem came. I was pretty determined to make it work at the start, but I became dissatisfied.

    Now I realize the mistake. Too late but maybe not too late to try again. I guess I just didn’t understand back then what you are saying here in your review that part of the reason I was overweight was cause I ate too much! How crazy not to make the connection, but I didn’t probably cause I didn’t want to believe I was eating myself fat.

    Now I understand it better – those smaller meals are small for a darn good reason! Yes, eat less to lose weight really does mean you have to eat less and not eat to make yourself full. That’s how so many people get obese cause they don’t know that!

    Thanks for your honest review, it really made me think differently now that lightbulb has finally switched on inside my brain!

18. # lose weight
    
    

    Christian, that’s a really motivational story thanks for sharing it with us. yes, motivation is the key to making something work because you have to want it enough to get past the obstacles like the temptation to cheat. And yes, adding exercise to the diet is absolutely the way to ensure success.

19. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey, you’re welcome Leonore. I’m so glad you have “seen the light” LOL and understand why their diet meals are the way they are.

20. # Jack
    
    

    Great review buddy! Nutrisystem worked for me too even so I didn’t lose as much weight as some. I still lost 10lbs and for me that is the first time I ever lost any weight on any diet! Take it from me, you are right about the good and the bad on this diet. But for me those small meals were worth putting up with cause it trained me to eat less and watch what I eat from then on.

21. # Deters
    
    

    You know this post and its motivational as well as educational qualities made me think of a quote. It’s something like: “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

22. # marc
    
    

    Hello! Your post NutriSystem Reviews is so good that I would like to translate it into French, publish on my french blog and link to you. Is that ok? Regards

23. # Theresa
    
    

    I will be receiving my first shipment of Nutrisystem today. I’m excited. I’m worried about the smaller meals as I’ve read here, but I understand that I need to train myself to eat smaller portions. I recognized why I have failed in my previous attempts to lose weight. But I hope that this time will work if I can stick with it and include a little exercise (currently activity level is nil). I’m aiming at losing 80 lbs (at least)! Wish me luck guys!

24. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey Theresa, you sound really positive and determined and you are right that a little exercise every day goes a long way when you’re losing weight. So here’s wishing you all the best of luck, even though you probably know deep down inside its not luck you need, but the qualities you already have in abundance: determination, persistence and motivation coupled with knowledge and understanding. A winning formula, so go get ‘em!

25. # Hansford
    
    

    Its sad to say it but obesity is a major problem of this generation. A recent report states that there were 6.5 billion obese people in the world in 2006. The medical expert who undertook the study says, over 155 million kids in the world are obese. This is one of the rising problems that have to be controlled. It depends on each individual. They have to take necessary steps to reduce their weight. Obesity is a preventable issue, if people cooperate with certain diet plans such as that provided by Nutrisystem and others and adapt to the habit of doing exercise every day.

26. # Rick
    
    

    There are now, however, some very effective products that were designed to deal with these very complex issues such as convenience and diet food delivery. They work with the body to give you control over your eating habits, help to metabolize (break down) you food better, control blood sugar, and help you lose weight quickly and safely. Nutrisystem is one such weight loss diet product that appears to be highly successful, although I haven’t tried it yet, I’m certainly considering it. Thanks for the honest review my friend!

27. # Joe N.
    
    

    Nutrasystem: “Real food for real guys,” that’s what the TV ad says. Don’t believe it. The food is awful and the portions are tiny. But it’s a lesson in what an overweight person needs to know.

    It’s a lot of work, a lot of calorie calculations, a lot of cooking, shopping and preparing.

    The food they send tastes like cardboard or mush.

    If you really want to loose weight, it’s all down to calories in, calories out. Smaller portions, lots of exercise – a complete change of lifestyle. Nutrasystem just figures for people who eat enormous portions and never exercise.

    Here’s what you need to do: 1) quit your job, 2) eat like a bird, and after two weeks you’ll loose five pounds. OR pay pay for Nutrasystem, be hungry all the time, miserable, and cranky. And yes, loose a few pounds.

    If you truly appreciate food – “real food for real guys” – this ain’t the diet for you.

28. # Joe N.
    
    

    Meant to write:

    1) quit your job in order that you can 2) exercise aerobically five hours a day and 3) eat like bird.

29. # lose weight
    
    

    I hear what you’re saying Joe, but the problem is that if you want to eat “real food for real guys”, you are not going to lose any weight unless you work out like an athlete. Its a tough call and this is not the only solution, of course.

    Nutrisystem is for people who don’t want all the hassle, as you say of all that calorie counting, shopping for just the right foods, then all the preparing and cooking. Its fast, convenient and helps for people who lead busy lives and probably eat high calorie, high GI carb, tasteless cardboard flavored MacHamburgers (you know who I mean) and fries every day, so a switch to Nutrisystem meals is probably a big step up the flavor ladder for them!

    Yep, the meals are small there’s no getting away from that. If you want to lose weight and not exercise, you have top eat smaller meals that are low calorie with low GI carbs.

    Nutrisystem is not for everybody for sure. There are other diets out there and some work better for some folks while others work better for other folks. But cost for cost, for busy people who want convenience as a priority in their diet, its a pretty good shot at losing weight.

30. # Callum
    
    

    Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for pointing out all the good and bad things about Nutrisystem. I decided to give it a try last month and I’m real glad I did cause I lost 14lb just switching my diet to theirs and I’m real happy about that. It wasn’t so hard like some folks here said about getting used to the small meals, cause I took your advice and added some vegetables to the main meal – in fact I used broccoli and carrots mostly and it really helped and they fill you up and taste good if you don’t overcook them! I also started eating an apple and a pear every day with lunch cause I heard they are real good for you so I wasn’t feeling hungry through the day at all.

    Now that my month is over, I try and eat a much healthier diet than I used to and still eat my fruit every day instead of the donuts and cookies I used to eat and I feel tons better, more energy and don’t feel so tired any more. A week in and I have not gained an ounce!

    I’d tell anyone to give this a try and get them to read your stuff here first cause if it helped me, it sure should help others too!

31. # Lenny A
    
    

    First day of NS, oatmeal was good with orange in the morning, turkey dog on wheat bun, a little mushy but good taste, with an apple, mint fudge bar snack was great with 1 cup skim milk, meatloaf and mash for dinner was pretty good had with salad, and will have a NS cookie later with another cup of skim milk. I cant believe i will only eat 1313 calories today.

32. # Lauren
    
    

    Hey everyone!… I just started Nurtisystem 2 days ago and I’m actually feeling great so far. Not too hungry either! I’m only trying to lose about 25 pounds for the summer and hopefully keep it off by watching the portions and the calorie intakes. The only problem I have is the times I eat my meals. I’m in college and i have classes early in the morning and I don’t get home till the late afternoon. I try to grab the Nutrisystem breakfast before class, but I don’t have time to eat the lunch, so when I get home after 3pm I eat the lunch and a fresh fruit (orange or apple) usually. I was wondering if I don’t get the protein or dairy in the morning could I come home and have the protein/egg along with the Nutrisystem lunch and fruit then? Or is that too much. I know its all going to the same spot. But is it cheating/less effective by having a different eating schedule? Thanks!

33. # ADDIE
    
    

    I want to take the plunge into the NutriSystem, but having been a yo yo dieter for years ( I have pants ranging from size 6 to 16) I am well aware of the effects once you get “off” a diet. Has anyone done the Nutrisystem, gotten to their healthy weight and maintained it? Can you comment to what is like after you get off the diet ? How hard is it to get back to cooking your own meals and maintaining the weight off.

34. # Jonas
    
    

    Addie, I commented awhile back in here that I lost 12 lbs last year on Nutrisystem and I have not put any weight back on since. You have to be strong both while your on the diet and when you come off it – its up to you and nobody else can do it for you as the guy who writes this blog says.

    When I came off the diet, I was careful what I bought at the store and never again picked up anything that was processed,, you know pizzas, cakes, biscuits an supermarket brand ready meals etc. I went for fresh stuff mostly and cut down on bread and pasta too.

    I made myself a promise not to go back to my old eating ways and that I would do some light exercise everyday, like walking in the fresh air and I go for a swim some days too — nothing too strenuous only stuff I enjoy doing! I stick to that promise to this day and have stayed slim and looking and feeling good. You can do it too if your determined enough!

35. # lose weight
    
    

    Addie it will only be as hard as you make it on yourself. When you have gotten used to eating less and healthier food, the trick is to just get determined and be tough with yourself! When you shop for groceries, avoid the stuff you know is bad for you — just don’t buy it! If its not there at home in your refrigerator or pantry then you aren’t tempted to eat it! Instead buy fresh fruit and vegetables and use your own good sense as to what is right for you. You’ll know instinctively what is right for you and what is not.

    But its up to you to make your decisions and stick with them, because no one else can make them for you!

36. # Tina
    
    

    I lost 5 lbs in 3 weeks by supplimenting nutrisystem lunches and dinners and eating raw fruits and veggies. I bought the prepackaged nutrisystem from Big Lots and saved alot of money! I love the southwestern chili. When it cooks in the microwave at work, everyone says, what’s that? It sure does smell good! For breakfast I have either a low-glycemic energy bar or glucerna cereal. I could not find the NS breakfasts at my local Big Lots. Otherwise, I would have bought those too. I hear the muffins are really good. Low-glycemic means low in refined carbs and sugars. Once you eliminate these, you lose weight quickly. I lost alot of water weight the first week. I also exercise 20 min/ day using a Denise Austin Cardio boot camp DVD. It gives me a great workout in a short amount of time so there are now excuses!

37. # Clara
    
    

    Hi Addie, I just saw this and felt I had to write in. The last thing you should worry about is what will happen when you finish a diet. If you start worrying that you will put the weight back on again, then you are much more likely to do exactly that.

    Instead, its much better to get yourself into a positive frame of mind and convince yourself that you will stay slim and look great after you finish your diet! Tell yourself that every day, over and over how great you will always look and how slim you will always stay! It works!

    I did that after I finished Nutrisystem almost a year ago and I am still teh same weight today as I was when I finished my one month plan. I lost 21lbs on that diet and after it finished, I took a friend’s suggestion that I constantly tell myself how great I look being so much slimmer and how happy and grateful I am to look so wonderful.

    Does it sound a little like vanity? Okay, maybe it does, but I look at it more like having a healthy respect for my own body and I am in control of what I eat and how I look and nobody else is going to take that away from me.

    You can do it too, because its really so easy. You know you will lose weight with Nutrisystem, because its designed that way as long as you stick to it. Be determined and be strong for yourself and what anyone else thinks is not important – its what you think and believe that counts for everything to do with your body. Anyways, go get ‘em girl!

38. # Shirley
    
    

    I finished a month on Nutrisystem at end February after being talked into it by some friends and I was feeling fat after the Christmas food binge! I decided I would only weight myself at the start and then once at the end of each week.

    Well, at first I wasn’t convinced it was doing me any good cause in the first week i only lost 2lbs and I was feeling hungry a lot. I would of quit but for having a freeszer full of the stuff and my friends were you know supporting me real well. So I kept at it and was really surprised I lost 4lbd the second week.

    I was feeling better and actually could get into clothes I wore last summer already, so I kept going. I lost another 4lbs in the third week and at the end another 5lb, so I felt wonderful and was so pleased with myself I got some new clothes for this summer already 2 sizes smaller than I wore last summer!

    Someone here was saying they were worried they would put all the weight back on again when they finished. Well, honey don’t just stop when you finish this diet!

    I started doing some swimming four times a week or sometimes five and i believe that really helps too. Any exercise you can do is better than sitting in front of the TV fretting your going to put it back on, cause if you do that, sure enough you’ll get your wish!

    You just spent all that money and went through a month getting used to smaller meals, so keep eating the same size meals from when you finish and keep away from the sweet stuff (you know what not to eat!), plus get yourself doing some some exercise and I promise you won’t put it back on.

39. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey Tina, that is absolutely the way to go with this diet. Adding veggies to the meals makes them more filling and exercising burns off the excess calories to make the weight drop on a more permanent basis. Congrats on losing that weight!

40. # lose weight
    
    

    Clara, thanks for those wonderfully motivating words. 21lbs is a lot to lose and I have to say congrats to you for losing it and keeping it off all this time.!

41. # lose weight
    
    

    Shirley, that is a really inspiring comment and I’m really glad you took the time to write it. Plenty of people will get a great deal of motivation from hearing you say how you not only lost weight with Nutrisystem but also worked with yourself to keep it off. its so important to get a good dose of high self esteem and a positive frame of mind going to make sure you get what you set out to get! Congrats on losing those 15lbs by the way!

42. # Kim
    
    

    No one seems to comment on the actual taste of the products. I have read other reviews that say the food is very high in sodium. I am very interested in starting this program but am concerned about the high sodium content. Anyone out there care to address my concerns? I would appreciate any help.

43. # Cath
    
    

    Hey Kim, I know some people talk about high sodium levels in some meals, but I think they’re talking about the “eat like a man” plan where there are pizzas and stuff that I can’t see how they’re low calories, but I’m no expert. But I remember the meals I had tasted pretty normal for me, I mean not particularly salty and certainly no worse than the ready meals and processed meals you get in the supermarket. I don’t know what the actual sodium content is cause I never kept any of the packaging and it was about 8 months ago when I did a month of diet meals. I think if your worried about too much salt, I’m sure you can contact their support and just ask and they’ll tell you.

44. # lose weight
    
    

    There is a customer services contact number on the Nutrisystem website “contact us” page (I don’t think I can publish it here) as well as a contact form where you can address any concerns about the specific makeup of any of the meals they provide and they will tell you what you need to know.

45. # Lynn
    
    

    I’m a frustrated Weight Watcher dieter about to start Nutrisystem. None of your advice comes as a surprise, it’s just having the will power to follow the rules! LOL I’ve started exercizing by taking a long brisk walk, just to get into the habit.

    My question: do coffee, tea, or diet sodas count as water? I’ve seen conflicting research on this and wondered what Nutrisystem says about it. I drink a lot of tea (no cream or sugar except a little creamer in black tea, but I drink a lot of green) and some diet soda. Can I count those?

46. # Lynn
    
    

    I have another question. A month after I start NS, I have two week long trips, one to my son’s college graduation and a cruise. I won’t have access to a fridge or microwave for either. I plan to really watch portion size and what I eat, but it won’t be NS. Am I likely to just gain back everything I’ve lost?

47. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey Lynn, walking is great exercise so do as much as you can! Green tea is good for you, but tea and coffee, even though they are liquid will also dehydrate you a little. The jury is still out on whether they count or not with many conflicting arguments, so I personally just count plain water or fruit juice (apple) as my quota.

    Soda, even if its diet is bad, bad, bad!

    Diet soda contains aspartame and this artificial sweetener has been linked with cancer and even some say they were a possible cause of Gulf War Syndrome (because the wood alcohol in aspartame turns to formaldehyde at temperatures upwards of 86F and the troops were flown in a certain cola by the caseload that was not cooled – temperatures were over 90F most of the time — anyway, that’s another story, if you are concerned search aspartame danger or aspartame formaldehyde in google). But diet sodas are also bad for dieters because those same artificial sweeteners increase your appetite and make you want to eat more! So they may be low sugar, but they’ll make you want more food.

    As for your second question, what you eat is totally your call. If you want to stay at the post Nutrisystem diet weight, you are really going to have to be careful what you eat, so although it won’t be NS, you can make sure most of your food is home cooked prepared from fresh ingredients, lean meats, fish or vegetables and use your own common sense as to what is right and what is not. You’ll find you’ll have a better idea than you think!

    Oh, and keep walking and doing as much exercise as you can without it becoming a chore — I mean you have to enjoy what you’re doing so choose activities that bring you a lot of fun. Swimming is excellent, and if you have some friends that like to play some sports like volleyball or badminton or tennis, anything that you will enjoy, then join in and have fun knowing it is doing you the power of good!

48. # Danielle
    
    

    My husband and I did Nutrisystem for two months and we both met and exceeded our weight loss goals. This is the first diet I have actually ever been on so I was a little apprehensive about starting and sticking to it. It was SO EASY!! Yes..they are smaller portions..but that was defintely how we put on the excess weight that we did..so we knew that going in. I have to admit that I felt hungry for a bout the first 5 days..and then I had to remind myself to eat. The food…although not gourmet..was decent..some of the entrees were even really good! We especially loved the Rice and Bean combinations. And the desserts…..oh that peppermint patty..out of this world!! I honestly felt guilty eating those at night and then I would remember..these are part of my diet!!! I lost 20+ lbs. and my husband lsot almost 30 lbs. We look and feel great! I don’t usually do reviews and/or posts..but I just have to share our story and recommend this program to others!!!!

49. # Dorian
    
    

    I tried Nutrisystem last summer and liked it a lot. The food isn’t as bad as some folks say and I think a lot better than is made out by folks who probably failed through their own fault — maybe they couldn’t get used to eating less, like they didn’t really want to lose weight, just get the product and then complain!

    But I lost 18lb in a month on this diet and I’ve never done so well at anything before this. I learned to eat less and I still do. Consequently I never put any weight back on after the diet cause I was careful what I ate and I took a friends advice and started swimming four days a week.

    I read this article and yeah, I can totally identify with what the author is saying on every point. Anyone can lose weight with this and keep it off if they stick to the diet and then after just be sensible what they eat and get some exercise too. Thanks for the article!

50. # Sal
    
    

    I’m considering having a go but was put off in the past buy all the hype and so many articles just passing off as sales pitches. But now i read what you’re saying plus all the folks that have left their own reviews here and I can see this is not like all the others. This article is actually the most honest I’ve seen yet on this Nutrisystem topic. So thanks for telling it like it is and publishing everyone’s opinions too – good and bad… I like it a lot, thanks!

51. # Regina
    
    

    I always learn something new and this article was a real eye opener. I wish I’d found it before I started with the NS women’s plan last year then I might have been a little better prepared for what I was getting.

    The first problem was I really underestimated the amount of food that was delivered. Sure, I knew it would need a big space in my freezer, but I shoulda made more room! I had to get my neighbor to store some in her freezer! Anyways, I did ok, but was hungry a lot and just like you said it, I snacked on potato chips! I even knew i was doing wrong but I couldn’t help myself.

    So I didn’t lose as much weight as I know I could’ve and at the end of the month, I was still 6lb lighter than when I started but I wasn’t real pleased with that. Like I said, if I’d read your article first, maybe I wouldn’t of snuck in those packs of potato chips and maybe lost more weight. Who knows. Anyways, this is a really great article and I hope it helps a lot of folks do better than I did. You never know, I may be tempted to have another try at this!

52. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Regina, you snacked on potato chips and you still lost 6lbs? That is something to celebrate, so be pleased about it LOL! I hear from folks who get quite a shock at the volume of the month supply of food. So yes, everyone — do make sure you have plenty free space in your freezer!

53. # lose weight
    
    

    Sal, I’m glad I’ve set things right with you on this diet plan. Your right too many sites hype it up and just try and sell you when they should be informing you about as much as possible that you need to know about before you get your credit card out.

54. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey Dorian, congrats on losing 18lbs — that is quite something. And keeping it off too. You are a true champion and a great example to anyone who thinks they can’t do it. They can if they want to and you proved it to yourself. Awesome!

55. # Lesley
    
    

    Hi, I am thinking of trying the nutrisystem diet and have a few questions I hope you can answer. My husband and myself like to eat out on the weekends, is there a guide that tells you how to order when eating out, can I eat out on this diet? Also can I drink coffee with milk and sugar on the nutrisystem diet? Looking forward to your response.

56. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Lesley, the short answer there is you have to ask yourself how much do you want to lose weight? Eating out is ok if you want, but expect restaurant food to add calories and negate some of the good work you are doing on the NS diet. If you really must eat out, choose obviously low calorie menu items such as salads but watch out for dressings — they are loaded with calories. Meals with vegetables are better but watch out for sauces — again loaded with calories. Use your common sense and you’ll be okay. You could even be proactive and ask the waiter what they recommend as the best menu items for dieters!

    As for milk and sugar in your coffee, milk is fine but the sugar will have to go I’m afraid! I personally made the switch from sweet, creamy coffee to black and natural and you know, it wasn’t long before I came to prefer it this way. I can’t abide artificial sweeteners anyway cause they’re downright dangerous to health. But you know, if someone gives me coffee with sugar in it now, I spit it out in disgust LOL

57. # Gerald Jones
    
    

    Hi, I just read through this monster with all the comments etc and it took me awhile, but at the end of it, I can honestly say it was worth the time spent reading it! What a great resource of information on this diet — I’m floored by so much on both sides, good and bad!

    I lost 21lbs on NS over two months last fall and I have never looked back. My weight stayed off cause I made sure I never went back to my old eating ways and I also cycle a few miles every day. It keeps me fit and I love watching the world go by at a pace that I can take it all in — not like in the car where it all flies by so fast. Anyways, I just want to say thanks for writing an accurate and honest assessment of NS and also thanks to everyone that wrote in and added to the mix.

58. # Sparrow
    
    

    I have been on Nutrisystem for over 4 months and have lost 45 pounds. It has worked for me, but I have also been very strict about sticking to the program. Making sure that you supplement with ALL the vegetables and fruit is important to help stave off hunger.

    My one comment is that in your review and in several of the comments you and others complain about all the space it takes up in your freezer. Only the “Select” program foods require freezer space. The standard program foods do not require freezing or even refrigeration.

59. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Sparrow, losing 45lbs is a real achievement, congrats! Thanks for pointing that out about the freezer space problem. Yes, you are right I didn’t point out it was only Select that needs the freezer — my mistake for not making that clear! I’ll update that right now, thanks!

60. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Gerald, I’m beginning to wonder what is tougher, doing a month of NS or reading through this post and all the review comments lol! 21 pounds in two months is great going, congrats! Cycling is great exercise but for anyone thinking about taking it up, remember to start slow and build up the distance you cycle. If you try to do too much too early you’ll have aching legs and some saddle soreness to deal with!

61. # Janet
    
    

    Let me share my experience with you. It is not nearly as positive as the review above. But it will serve as a buyer beware for those who may have a similar experience as me.

    Nutrisystem’s food is subpar and mediocre to say the least. Beware that if you are unhappy with or have any digestive issues while using the product, you need to complain immediately. Do not wait to see if you system adjusts. The counselors will try to get you to keep eating it, DON’T!

    I had the first month of food all was well. The second box gave me stomach cramps and gas that made me not fit for public. I thought it was just my system and the stomach issues were my fault. I now had an entire box of food. So I gave a few weeks worth to a co-worker who had encouraged me to give Nutrisystem a try in the first place and the food I gave her caused her the same issues despite her having been on the program for more than 3 months with no gas or stomach issues.

    I called their so called customer support line that told me basically “so sad, too bad” it had been two months and there was nothing they could do to compensate me on what was a 300 dollar loss for me. Obviously, I received a bad batch of food products. They even said to not eat it and destroy the product.

    Seriously, I feel they have a faulty product that they acknowledge as hit or miss and will not stand behind.

    DO NOT waste your money on their product. Weight loss is hard enough without having to deal with issues like this!

62. # lose weight
    
    

    Janet, that is a disturbing story for sure. The gas that people often complain about is usually not serious and is as described in the review.

    But certainly if you get gas and it is coupled with stomach cramps, then it is more serious and you must report it as soon as possible as you could have a contaminated meal in there. Get on to the company ASAP if you get anything serious like this.

    On the flip side, something like this can happen with any food product — it happens with supermarket ready meals too on occasion. While it is a bad experience, it is not the norm and you shouldn’t be lead into mistrusting a product solely based on the occasional complaint. If you did that you’d never eat anything from a supermarket or ever visit a restaurant again! You must make up your own mind on this.

    Remember, complaints always sound much louder than praise because that’s what fires people up. You only have to read a newspaper to understand — its nearly always bad news because bad news sells!

63. # Brenda
    
    

    Janet, I really loved to hear your opinion and I’m sorry you had a bad experience with NS.

    But to hammer on to folks that they shouldn’t pay money for a system that does work when yours is just an isolated case just came across as complaining. Plenty of folks don’t like to hear endless complaints, which is probably why we read this blog and not some of the others that are just nothing but complaints from people who are looking for someone to blame because it didn’t work for them.

    Sure, you had a legitimate problem and it sounds like you got a bad batch of meals in your order. So why didn’t you get on to the company right away? Instead you used your co-worker as a guinea pig and gave her a bad stomach too! That’s so irresponsible.

    Sorry, you don’t have my sympathy for that. I have used NS for two months and my meals were fine. They weren’t gourmet, but its a diet for heaven’s sake and I lost 16 pounds which makes me very happy and I would recommend this diet to any of my friends.

    Got to give credit for the author of this blog for having the guts to even publish your rant. Most would have just deleted it!

64. # Simon
    
    

    It’s a rare find a site like this where people are actually talking and debating the pros and cons of such a high profile diet product as Nutrisystem. I read with interest the problems suffered by one reader who had stomach cramps and you have my heartfelt sympathy for your misfortune.

    However, I believe “misfortune” is the operative word here, for it appears the vast majority of readers that have written in have given positive reports from this product. I must glean from this that, as the author has mentioned, this must be an isolated case and it is true that a bad batch of meals can affect any company including the large or small supermarkets or indeed any food outlet including restaurants. Even the fast food giant with the “golden arches” brand has had its fair share of complaints leveled at them for selling sub-par meals and food that was contaminated.

    This is just a fact of life that we have to accept as food is prepared by humans and as humans we are prone to errors occasionally. To expect any food company to consistently produce a 100% perfect product every time is not feasible. However, I think you will find that for most customers of this product in particular, the experience has been a positive one and it has fulfilled its expectations and they have lost weight from its use.

    The author’s review is well written and I have to say the most truthful and informative I have read to date. I enjoyed it. Kudos to you. Simon

65. # Glenda
    
    

    Two months ago, I went on the silver plan seeing as I’m over 60 and it was better then I expected, although I found many of the meals to be a little on the bland side. Some were really tasty too, so I guess it was a mixed bag for me. I didn’t mind the small meal size, I was determined to lose 10 pounds so I didn’t cheat. I nearly got there, made it 9 pounds at the end of that month and I’m pleased with that result.

    I’m real sorry to hear about your problem Janet. That must have been really awful. I guess you can’t be 100% sure of anything these days cause so much is processed in big factories and you never know what you will get. But for me, I was fine and didn’t suffer gas any more than the normal for a human body

    Thanks for a great review and its good to see so many folks write in and share their experience here.

66. # Mohamed P
    
    

    I recently lost over 60lbs and went from size 42 waist to a 34 over a three month period on NS. Exercise was a huge factor too, but I think what we eat and when is a big factor. It was a little tough going at first cause it made me re-think my way of eating cause I was doing it all wrong before. Soda was one of the thinks that helped me gain weight, so that was the first thing to go!

    Now to maintain my weight, I try to eat 4-5 smaller meals with plenty of fresh vegetables. Also, I now eat my main meal of the day in the early afternoon and taper off with two smaller ones later in the day. I now know that this helps get the metabolism going and keeps the appetite under control.

    Obese people may eat less than I do, they may skip breakfast but then drink sugary sodas all day. They also snack on greasy junk food and gorge before their main meal and also up until bedtime. Thats just telling your body to store fats and metabolize food at a slower rate.

    I’m glad I broke free from that way of eating and I think doing NS for three months really taught me that I can eat smaller meals and stiff feel satisfied. This is a good diet to change your perception of food and how to be more disciplined with meal size as well as what goes onto the plate! Great review of this diet, by the way!

67. # lose weight
    
    

    Simon, thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you gained something from this rapidly growing discussion.

68. # lose weight
    
    

    Glenda, you’re welcome and congrats on getting so close to your target and power to you for being upbeat and pleased with your result!

69. # lose weight
    
    

    Mohamed, that is an incredible amount of weight to lose over a sustained period, so well done! You are definitely on the right track by exercising and eating healthily, this way you should not gain that weight back and may even continue to lose a little here and there over time.

70. # Jon
    
    

    Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on Nutrisystem as an option to lose weight. There are several different companies that provide a similar service by delivering diet meals to your home and so far, this one seems to be the best on features although it does cost a little more than some. I guess you get what you pay for and when it comes to food, you can’t really take any chances.
    Thanks for a tell it like it is review and these comments are awesome!

71. # Adrianne
    
    

    You have a real talent for writing! I’m stunned at the amount of information you managed to cram into this long article.

    I had some pretty good success with Nutrisystem last fall when I lost 21 pounds over two months. The first month was pretty tough cause I cheated a little in my first two weeks and only lost 3 pounds. But you know its funny… I saw the scales when I weighed in and i was so happy that I’d lost something even though I’d been stupid and ate a load of popcorn in the evenings that afte that, I stopped eating popcorn and started losing more weight. At end of the first month, it had turned into 12 lbs and I was so happy I signed on for a further month!

    Well, after I finished, I never ate popcorn again to this day! I was determined that I was never going back to that fat person I used to be and now I feel great. I go swimming with my friends four times a week and we all marvel at how much more energy we all have. I would definately recommend this to anyone who wants to lose weight!

    You’ve done a fabulous job with your review and it must be popular cause look at all the people who came in here to leave their story… me included. Thanks you so much!

72. # lose weight
    
    

    You’re welcome Jon and give my regards to your colleague and wish him well.

73. # Colette
    
    

    Well I did a month on NS in March this year. Over the 4 weeks, I did lose weight… 12 pounds! I was thrilled by this cause I never lost anything with any diet before. And I read what the other folks had to say in here before I started to write this. Seems most folks agree with me its a pretty easy diet to do. I liked most of the meals, especially the vegetable lasagne I think was my favorite. Sure, there were a few in there that I though, hey, pretty bland. But overall it was better than anything I tried before. And it worked out pretty inexpensive when I worked it out. I would spend almost that much on my regular food, pretty much the way you tell in in your review. So I hope you publish this cause I’m now a big fan!

    Colette

74. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey Colette, I’m really glad to hear you did so well. And do you mean your a big fan of Nutrisystem, or a big fan of my site LOL

75. # Robert Schoenrock
    
    

    I began NS 2 1/2 weeks ago and have already lost 10 lbs. Like EVERYONE else, I initially thought the portions were entirely too small. I wondered if I had recieved the woman’s version instead. Now, I have adjusted to the size of the meals. I have the hardest time with lunch. The soups seem bland to me. I add broccoli or zucchini in with the soups to make them taste better. Several of the desserts are outstanding. I plan to stay on for two months as I have about 30 more lbs. to go! Thanks for sharing this great information site. It’s nice to see others being successful too.

76. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey Robert, that’s great to hear. Adding some veg to the soups is a good idea and one that NS recommends if you have trouble with feeling hungry. Yes, it also adds some taste to the more bland ones! Good to hear you so positive and doing great!

77. # Sharon
    
    

    I have Hypothyroidism, and it’s a nightmare trying to lose weight. My medication is being adjusted, but I’m afraid to spend the money on something that may not work because of the metabolislm issues I face. I have to fight for every ounce I lose, and eventually give up-just can’t get past the 10 pound mark. I eat healthy as a vegetarian, so even the meal sizes don’t scare me. Any advise?

78. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey Sharon, a former partner of mine also suffered with hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) and had similar problems with weight. Part of the solution according to her doctor was constant tampering with the dosage of thyroxine (medication) which I’m sure cause more problems than it solved because if the dosage was altered and was slightly too high, she would become more much more active, sleep a lot less then be tired because of the lack of sleep. Too low and she was tired all the time and lethargic and it was at those times she gained weight pretty easily. It took a lot of tinkering but eventually the doctor settled on “as close as he could get” with the dosage, which was not perfect but at least reduced the symptoms of lethargy and tiredness and her weight stabilized.

    Eventually, she teamed up with some co-workers and went swimming four times a week and that helped a lot. They all pushed each other to swim more lengths of the pool and it became a sort of competition between them who could swim the furthest! That led to them also joining a yoga class which was also very beneficial.

    All the while our diet together was very good. Back then I was still training with nutrition but I knew enough to be able to buy food that was as healthy as possible. I was the person nobody wanted to shop with because I would read every label of everything I picked up (still do!)! If there is something I don’t like the look of I tend to slam it back on the shelf in disgust, like a grumpy old guy!

    So if you ever see me in a grocery store, walk the other way lol!

79. # Connie J
    
    

    Hi there, I am a also a NS success story and after reading your review and what the other folks are saying in here, just wanted to add my own brief story. Well, I had been gaining weight pretty bad after the breakup of my 12 year marriage, till I got to the stage where i just woke up one morning and said to myself, enough is enough. I just found the strength from somewhere to get out of my depression and decided i should lose the weight I’d put on and start dating again.

    Well, the scales were not kind to me and I needed to lose a huge 30 pounds. Didn’t think I’d do it either, but i went on NS for one month and was shocked that I lost 18 ponds in that month! I straight away signed up for another month and I did it! Lost a further 14 pounds so i ended up 2 pounds better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. So yeah, if anyone is doubting this plan, stop dreaming and start doing! It worked for me and I did nothing special. Just stuck to the diet right through.

    Not all the meals were great and some were pretty bland, but I didn’t care about that. It was a load better than eating a plate of rabbit food like some diets! Anyways, that’s my story and I’m happy to say i kept the weight off eight months on now. I look good and feel great and have my confidence back and a new man who appreciates me too. Am I happy? You bet!

80. # Mathi
    
    

    I have been considering Nutrisystem as an option for losing weight to the tune of around 20 pounds. I have read all these people’s views and in balance it sounds far more positive than not. The cost doesn’t really bother me although I hadn’t taken into consideration the fact that this system actually replaces all normal meals. This means it can actually work out very inexpensive on balance. I will follow one of your links to their site and will most probably give this a try for a month to see if I like it. Thank you for your candid review and a similar thanks to all of your contributors who have made this one of the most comprehensive I have ever seen.

    Mathi

81. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Connie, that is a really great story! Congrats to you on both fronts – a successful weight loss project that has lasted the test of time and a new relationship to bring you happiness. That’s really wonderful to hear!

82. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Mathi, I’m so glad you got so much from this. Yes, its really great that so many people have written in to tell their story and give us all a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints. Its a great mix and shows that good things can happen when you put in a little effort and reap the rewards. I wish you every success with your project.

83. # Jeana09
    
    

    Hi guys,
    I felt I had to write in and tell you all that I am still amazed at the results I got with NS. I went on the diet in January for two months and lost an incredible 16 pounds. It was incredible cause I never lost an ounce on any other diets I tried, so you can imagine how knocked out I was by this result!

    I decided I was never putting it back, so I started exercising regular. I joined a gym and workout four days a week. I also go jogging and other stuff that I find I now enjoy. At first, you know I didn’t think it would work because I tried more then 10 different types of diets and even tried pills for losing weight, but none of it was any good. But NS gave me the smile on my face again for sure and I’m fitter and stronger than ever, plus I look totally great in a swimsuit!

    Thanks for your great article and also thanks to everyone who wrote in here — it gave me the motivation I needed back then and I still read through your stuff to keep me on track!

84. # Mike
    
    

    Hey there everyone, just wanted to add to this discussion here. I had a month of Nutrisystem food and while I wasn’t all too impressed by the food itself, I can’t say anything real bad about it cause I actually lost 9lb in that month without doing anything special. All I want to say is that if they can figure out how to improve the texture of some of the meals that can come out of the microwave looking and tasting like soggy cardboard, then they would impress a whole load more folks. That’s not saying all the meals were like that, just some. There were some really good ones in there, so if they can make some meals good, why not all of them?

    Anyways, that’s all I really want to say and not to sound like a grumpy guy complaining and such, cause like I said, the diet worked for me all the same. So come on Nutrisystem, I know you can do it, so make with the quality stuff in all your meals and you’ll beat out any competitors for sure!

85. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Jeana, I’m so glad you have done so well and its no wonder you are so happy if nothing else worked before you tried Nutrisystem. You’re doing all the right stuff now, so keep it up and congrats!

86. # Victor
    
    

    I chose the Nutrisystem for Men diet and tried it for a month. I liked some of the meals, while others I felt were a little bland. But overall the quality was better than average I guess for this kinda diet. It was pretty good for me and I lost 10 total, so I was pretty happy about that.

    On the downside, I didn’t really get the point of including pizza and similar in the meals — this is supposed to be a diet, right? I think if your gonna do a diet tailored for men, then make it a diet with good, wholesome meals that taste good and have good texture. Like home cooked meals would be. Pizza is garbage food and including it in a diet I think is a little stupid. But that’s just my opinion. Guess everyone has theirs.

    Anyways, thanks for the great review and the chance to put my own two cents in about what I thought of it.

    -Victor

87. # Pam
    
    

    I have not started Nutri-System but am seriously considering it. I have recently gone off anxiety and depression meds after having gained 35 pounds! I would like to ask those of you who have done this program and gone off, if after you went off the plan did you gain back the weight and then some? That is what is holding me back. I want to be assured that what I do lose when I religiously stick to the program won’t come back when I’ve reached my goal and proceed to go off the plan. Thanks. Any info would be appreciated.

88. # Jeana09
    
    

    Hi Pam, I was just reading through this again and saw your question, I had to answer. For myself, I never put the weight back cause I was determined that was not happening, period! But I can’t say for everyone cause we’re all different, only for myself. In my own comment that’s back a few, I said I joined a gym, stared running and stuff cause I believe exercise is the way to keep the weight off. You don’t have to go crazy, but just keep active.

    You know, I was pretty depressed before all this, and that’s why I was trying everything I could get my hands on to lose weight bit nothing worked. You know, I believe I needed to get my head straight first and I don’t mean taking happy pills or seeing a shrink. I mean getting getting my head straight inside of me. The decision to try NS came after I had what I hear folks say is a moment of clarity. I suddenly realized all my anxieties, depressions fears and all were coming from inside me, not out there. So the fix was also in me, and I just made up my mind that I was going to be in control on me from now on instead of letting life control me. You know it worked — and it worked so well i knew I was on the right track.

    Sure, I was still amazed when I lost all that weight with NS, but I also knew a load of it was coming from me and now I enjoy exercising, getting outdoors and breathing the fresh air. My depression was gone, I felt and still to this day feel great and I proved to me that I could so it.

    Once you prove it to yourself you can do it, then you can do amazing things. Even something as simple as going for a walk in the fresh air takes on a whole new meaning when you start believing in yourself and wanting to have a better body, a better way of life. I’ll never go back to my old, bad diet of bad food and I will never put that weight back.

    Pam, if you believe you can do it and you want it bad enough, then you’ll do it and you’ll never put the weight back either. Cause your the only one who can put that weight back — nobody else can do it for you, same as only you can keep that weight off by eating right and living right.

89. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Pam, I think the answer to that lies in you. I hear a lot of people say they did this or that great diet, lost weight, then as soon as the diet ended, they went out and ate themselves fat again. Why would anyone want to do that? I think there is a feeling of liberation both because the restrictions of a diet have ended and there is the need to celebrate that plus the feeling of exhilaration for losing the weight. Sure, celebrate… but just once. Then instead of going back to your old diet which you know full well will make you gain weight, stay eating healthy stuff. Its easy enough to keep it up after eating a diet. Eat smaller meals. Exercise – that’s an important one. Some daily exercise, even if its just light, like going got long walks does you so much good you can’t imagine! It lifts your mood, specially if its a sunny day and brings you right up. When you feel good, you don’t even think about eating high calorie snacks. You think health and health is what you’ll get!

    So don’t worry about putting weight back after a diet. Cause “after a diet” doesn’t mean you have to go back to your old eating habits. Stick with the good way of eating that you spent a month or two training yourself to get used to and you’ll never need to slip back into old, bad habits. Bottom line was summed up by Jeanna perfectly just now. Its only you that can make yourself either get fat again, or stay slim. You choose!

90. # Lauren
    
    

    Excellent write-up on Nutrisystem – the best I’ve seen anywhere and I mean it! I signed up for a month Select plan three months ago and I was actually quite taken back by the quality of the majority of the meals. Sure, there were some that I thought were a little bland and some of the main meals left me feeling hungry, but their desserts were really good, so I wasn’t really disappointed at all. I lost weight too… 11 pounds in four weeks which I was really happy about! Its a really good diet plan and a friend of mine is doing the same plan right now. She’s two weeks into it and has already lost 7 pounds and you could say she is more than pleased with how its going. Great diet and thanks for the great article and the chance to say my piece with everyone else.
    Lauren

91. # RG
    
    

    I’m seriously considering signing up, I think my biggest concern is that the majority of the food is frozen. Does a months shipment fit in a standard size freezer? Also, I work in the afternoon and likely won’t be home when the food is delivered. Does it need to be put away immediately or is it packaged so that it can wait until I get home?

92. # lose weight
    
    

    Hey RG, its only the Select plans that the food is all frozen. If that’s the plan your aiming for, it will all go in a domestic freezer, just make sure yours is empty before the shipment comes. You should probably arrange to have someone to take the delivery especially if you live in a hot climate, maybe have a neighbor help out there. Regular plans are not frozen and can be stored anywhere, although preferably someplace cool. You can check with the company via the contact page on their website and they’ll tell you exactly how much space you’ll need and any other details you need to know.

93. # Tammy
    
    

    I’ve been offered a chance to get Nutrisystem for free as I am a weight-loss blogger. I’m doing some research to see if I should give it a try, and I came across your site.

    I found it somewhat alarming that you wrote, “Fresh green vegetable will not add calories” in your review. Do you really believe that vegetables don’t have calories? Really? All vegetables have calories! Even that fabled “negative calorie” celery has calories (so no, we don’t burn it off by digesting it, sorry). I think that it’s a bit misleading to give advice that is based on a blatantly false idea. Guess what? You could gain weight if you ate nothing BUT vegetables if you ate too many of them (might by hard to do, but possible!). Too much of any food can cause weight gain. This is even more possible with higher-calorie veggies like potatoes, and if people add butter, oil or margarine to their veggies.

    So maybe you will consider editing that bit of false information out of your post. I hope so.

94. # KellyW.
    
    

    Thanks for this well written article, perhaps you can give me some advice.

    I just started the program and am wondering if you or anyone else had trouble restraining from ripping them all open and nibbling? Not because of the portions but out of curiosity of the taste and not being able to wait 28 days to taste them? It sounds kinda funny but it’s true. I can only resist so long. lol.

    Also I wonder would it be okay to eat a day of dinners then replace the dinners with the missed item the next 3 days? Due to the issue above I really want to taste 4 of the dinners so I can edit them in my next shipment ASAP (and Im curious) but if I eat one for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack, can I just eat a breakfast, lunch or snack entree for dinner the next 3 days to even it out or will I screw it up?

    Any suggestions?

95. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Tammy, thanks for pointing that out. I have made a minor adjustment as the statement is still valid although I will not edit it out of my review, I will amend it slightly to read: “Fresh green vegetable will not add many calories” – you see I only mentioned adding green vegetables, which are so low in calories that they will not upset the balance of the main meals by their addition in reasonable amounts. I made no reference to adding any other kinds of vegetables such as potatoes, which I and my readers are well aware are higher in calories. So if we are slinging the “let’s get our facts straight” kind of mud, then please get yours straight first. By including that in your comment, you put the idea in people’s heads that I wrote it and I did NOT write that.

    People are sensible enough to only add a small amount to the meals in any case. Who on earth wants to eat a plate full of cabbage? No, it will only be a small additional amount, and this is recommended by Nutrisystem themselves.

    I welcome any constructive comments here and will publish them as I believe everyone has a right to their voice. If I have made any glaring errors in any of my articles, I similarly welcome sensible and accurate corrections via these comments, just please don’t make it sound like you are a zealous teacher lecturing a naughty schoolboy!

96. # lose weight
    
    

    Kelly, I hate to say it, but you really must resist the temptation to open the meals before you are set to eat them. They are set out like that for a very good reason and that is to balance your food and nutrient intake for each day. If you go eating the meals out of turn, you will upset that balance and risk your diet’s success. Please, remember you have just paid for a top rated diet plan and you are doing it because you want to lose weight — so please don’t jeopardize it by giving in to your curiosity!

97. # Margs
    
    

    I am considering Nutrisystem too but I am disappointed that the “Select” version is not available in Canada. Will this be an option that will be coming soon to Canadians?

98. # lose weight
    
    

    Hi Margs, I’m sorry but I don’t have the answer to your question. The best thing you can do is contact Nutrisystem via their website contact page and ask them directly.

99. # Angie
    
    

    I am a wife and mother to 4 children. I am considering the NutriSystem program, but wonder how how other people have done on the program while still having to cook and prepare meals for a family.

100. # shirley
     
     

     I have been on Nutrisystem program 10 days and have struggled to eat all the food required per day and I have not lost an ounce. I started at 165.4 and weighted this morning, 165.4. I called yesterday to cancel next shipment and told them I couldn’t eat the food (tried to be positive and not cut down food, as a gourmet cook, I do have strong food issues). They tried to get me to take 1/2 order or they will charge me $52.00 to cancel. I was not told that or shown that when I started this diet. BE VERY AWARE OF CONTRACT IF YOU SHOULD TRY THIS DIET.
     I STARTED THIS DIET BECAUSE A FRIEND HAD GOOD RESULTS.
     BEFORE I STARTED NUTRISYSTEM I LOST 14.2 LBS IN 5 WEEKS DIETING ON MY OWN. (SO I CAN LOOSE WEIGHT).

101. # Tiffany
     
     

     After reading the commenter who is a chef and didn’t lose any weight after 10 days that there is something very, very wrong with that.

     Why does a gourmet chef even need to use Nutrisystem’s diet?

     Come on for heavens sake, you should have known what the food was gonna be like — nowhere close to the kind of quality you must be used to!

     And you say that you lost weight with your own food, did you? So what stopped you doing it again?

     And you paid for two months? Now I really don’t believe you would do that. Any sensible person tries something for the first month and if they don’t like it, they part company. You want to pay for two months straight off — even on someone else’s recommendation you don’t do that unless you tried it before and you know for yourself its good.

     You sound to me like a person who is looking for someone else to blame cause your overweight and you probably write that same comment in a dozen other websites cause your sore at the world when you should really be looking to yourself to take responsibility for your weight. A gourmet chef ought to know a thing or two about diet and nutrition, so you never needed to use NS when you coulda easily done it all by yourself.

     You get no sympathy from me cause it just sounds like your getting at the company for maybe another reason. I hope the blog owner prints this like he had the guts to print your negative self serving rant.

     Tiffany

102. # Dave
     
     

     Hey Shirley, are you serious? Sounds to me like you are pretty mad at NS but then hey, your a chef right? Since when does a chef, who knows plenty about food and what’s good and what’s not, need to eat packaged food from a company like Nutrisystem?

     I don’t buy it. I tried NS for a month late last year and even my unprofessional pallet knew the food was not gourmet rated, but it wasn’t so bad either. It was a diet that I lost a total of just 8 pounds in that month. But was I complaining to anyone who would listen and asking for my money back?

     Hell no! I was so pleased that I could even lose anything!

     Listen, if you’re a bricklayer and you want a wall to be built, do you go pay another bricklayer to do it for you? If you’re a car mechanic and you need to change the oil, do you go pay another mechanic to do it for you?

     No and no.

     So why does a chef need NS to lose weight? Doesn’t make sense. And what’s with all the uppercase typing-shouting? Do you think that will make us take more notice of your complaining and whining? No to that too!

103. # Henrietta
     
     

     Hey Angie, I’m a busy mom of three boys all under 10 and I saw your question here and felt I had to write in.

     I managed to do a month on Nutrisystem last fall and also cooked and prepared all the food for my boy’s and husband while sitting down to the diet for myself. It wasn’t so bad either. Now I’m a fair cook if I do say so myself and I always make home cooked meals for my family. No packaged stuff from the supermarket, its all home made from fresh meat and vegetables. So my guys are used to good food.

     But while I was eating the NS meals, often the boys would ask why mommy was eating something better then what they got! It used to make me laugh so much and I had to tell them that mommy was having special food for girls to make her pretty. They were okay with that cause they didn’t wanna look pretty like girls!

     But I stuck to the diet and I was amazed that each week I had lost between two and four pounds and at the end the total I lost was 11 pounds!

     So yeah, you can do it and its not hard, really. Just be creative with your answer when your kids start asking the questions !

104. # Olivia
     
     

     Hey Angie, I saw your comment and wanted to put your mind at rest. As a mom of four young kids who tried Nutrisystem and got through it while losing 18lbs over two months on the diet, I can tell you that it is not just possible but definitely worth doing!

     I just prepared the family meals as usual and had mine ready the same time as theirs so we all sat down to the table together and ate as a family. I think my Italian background helps as we believe in the strength of the family and always eat meals together. No TVs are allowed anywhere near the dining table so as a family we talk to each other and this bonds us and makes us strong. I never had to make up stories for the kids as to why I was eating different stuff to them. I just told them straight out that mommy was on a special diet so she could lose some weight to get into that new dress that papa bought her!

     The only thing that sometimes bothered me was that I always cook healthy meals for my family and that meant they were eating better than me with a lot of the meals. NS are okay, but nothing to get all worked up over for sure. I’m not being conceited but I think my home cooked meals are better! But I stuck to the diet and lost the weight and you can do it too, especially if your family support you through it.

105. # Alice
     
     

     Well I see that your article on NS is rather good as it talks about lots of interesting aspects to the program that I never knew about. In any event, was curious whether you could choose your own menu from the plans and I see that you can. This is really important for me as I never want to get bored with a diet. NS looks right for me, so I’m gonna give it a try and hopefully I’ll lose weight. I need to lose about 16 pounds to get back to a decent figure. I don’t want to be skinny, so that seems about right for me. Wish me luck!
     Alice

106. # Sheila
     
     

     I just started NS yesterday, but I have to say, after two days on it, I’m having a hard time fitting in all the food. I have yet to feel hungry and find it strange that I am eating every two hours to get in the required meals, fruits, vegetables, and fat. But as a “bored eater”, I find this eating every two hours thing good. I’m just eating the right foods now. I’ve been very pleased about the taste of the items so far and am so glad to have such a variety for my meals. One of my problems with dieting before was that I would get tired of eating the same things over and over. My only complaint is that it’s not cheap eating healthy. I just went to the grocery store to get all the fruits and vegetables I need for the next week, and I spent over $60 just for me. That, on top of the $299 for the 4 weeks (plus one week free) seems mighty steep – but, if I loses the weight, it will be worth every penny spent. Plus, I know I’m eating healthier than I was before.

107. # Matthew
     
     

     Just wanted to drop in and say how much I enjoyed your article on Nutrisystem. I was successful when I went on their silver plan for men in the Spring and even though I was about 20 pounds overweight when I started, i got rid of 15 of them in the month and I was very happy with that, as you can imagine.

     To all of you who have written in and complained about this or that, I say you cannot have given it your best shot. But to those who shared your successes here, I say many congrats to you all cause I’m now one of you. This stuff sure works when your determined to make it work and I’m living proof of that!

     Thanks for allowing us to share our thoughts with each other.
     Matthew

108. # Adrian
     
     

     hi everyone, just wanted to join all the success stories here with my own briefly. Nutrisystem sent me a delivery of food that when I first saw it I was really not sure I did the right thing. But I guess I was in the frame of mind that, well I’d paid for it and I was gonna do it no matter what!

     Well, I got a pleasant surprise that the meals were better than I was expecting. Not great, but better lol! But the real pleasure was on weighing in at the end of the first week to see I was already 4lb lighter than when I started. That gave me so much of a boost that I got all the way through the food and ended up an incredible 14lb lighter at the end and my 38 inch waist is now 34 inches. Oh yeah, I could get into the pants I was wearing 4 years ago! Can’t tell you how good that feels!

     I see there are some folks that had a bad time with this. All I can say is you must have been doing something wrong. Cause I did nothing out of the ordinary except eat only the food out of those boxes and I couldn’t believe how great it worked for me! I guess you get out what you put in, same as most things. Anyways, thanks to the author of this blog for the review and thanks to everyone who wrote in to share their experiences. It makes me feel better to know there’s a whole bunch of folks who are doing as good as me out there too!

109. # Nichelle
     
     

     Hi everyone, I’d like to add my own experience to this Nutrisystem group. I had two months on the select plan and in that time, while I only cheated once or twice when my daughters stupidly left some candy bars in the fridge, I still lost 21 pounds and was so happy. That was early in the spring this year and so far, I’ve been real good and kept my weight the same by eating small meals and all fresh stuff which I never did before.

     It has totally changed my life. I went on vacation to the Caribbean for the first time and was confident to wear a bikini on the beach. That’s something I haven’t been able to do for over 10 years cause I was always overweight and looked 10 years older than my real age cause of all the fat. Now I look and feel great and you know, cause I eat less now I never get that horrible bloated feeling I used to have all the time.

     Would I recommend this to anyone else? Absolutely! While not all the meals were great and some were a little bland and lackluster, most were fair to good and I think if you are determined enough, your gonna stay with it and succeed cause you just have to!

     Anyway, to the author of this blog, thanks for the honest review and a great collection of comments from folks that have had all kinds of experiences with Nutrisystem, good and not so good! Let’s hear from some more of you, please!

110. # Chris Lamar
     
     

     This is exactly the kind of honest info on Nutrisystem I’ve been looking for. I’ve tried to find unbiased info on the popular diet systems but its hard cause too many websites just write sales talk and no real info on what is really happening with real people. I just started working out with weights and now I want to get on a good diet for the first time as I need to lose about 16 pounds. I want to do it the right way, and that includes eating and exercising. From what I read here on your blog, you agree with my own ideas on that, so finding your review of Nutrisystem was a real bonus for me. Thanks for making it useful and on the level man, I appreciate it!

111. # Oliver
     
     

     Well the silver plan i tried three months ago worked pretty well for me. I’m 67 and not as mobile as I used to be, so I needed a convenient kinda diet that was easy for me to use. Nutrisystem’s silver plan was perfect for me and the meals were a load better than I expected after reading that some folks found them bland or boring. Sure, it wasn’t perfect but what diet ever is? I stuck it through and can say that I really enjoyed eating most of the meals and some of the desserts were exceptional – for a diet, anyways! I lost 15 pounds in that month and can say without any hesitation that I would do it again if I had to with no problems! And a BIG thanks to the owner of this site for the great review by the way!

112. # Irene
     
     

     Hi, I was really happy with Nutrisystem after being on the diet for three months through the early part of this year. I lost a total of 34 pounds in all from the time I weighed myself before I got started. At first I found it tough getting used to eating such small meals, but I got used to it and then it was just a natural thing for me. Some days I didn’t even want the snacks cause I just didn’t feel hungry in between meals anymore. Got to say it was a good experience for me and their support was real good in the early days when I needed help getting through the feeling hungry stage. If anyone is not sure about it, I can say its worth it to lose weight and didn’t even cost much once you figure you don’t spend any money on regular food for the whole time your on the diet.
     Irene

113. # Wallace
     
     

     I discovered plenty of beneficial diet ideas on this site and now I find this great review of Nutrisystem! That company has been advertising on TV and I often wondered if it was any good. Seems a lot of folks are writing into this one site for some reason and I wanted to read them all to figure out why. Now I know — it’s probably the most honest review and collection of real customer assessments I’ve seen online. It made it easier for me to make my mind up about that company and I believe it must help a ton of other people out there struggling with weight loss to see there really is a solution that looks like it works for most of those who wrote in.

     Thanks for telling it like it is, both to the author of this blog and all the folks who told their own personal stories.

114. # Nicole Mills
     
     

     I feel like I’m constantly looking for interesting things to read about a variety of aspects of losing weight, but I manage to include your blog among my reads every day because you have honest entries that I look forward to. I was seriously considering trying one of the Nutrisystem diets until I saw some websites that had tons of complaints from customers about a variety of things they were finding wrong with the company and its diets. I was quite disheartened by all the negative mud slinging that I found. It was only when I read your review here and then all the comments by real customers who had a mixture of great success and failure that I realized that most of those complaints were from people who just need to complain about anything and everything. Most of their failures were self inflicted — I can see that now. So many people complained they were always feeling hungry but they didn’t mention they probably used to eat like ravenous pigs before they went on the diet and expected to still eat like greedy pigs and lose weight! Unbelievable!

     Your reviews do contain some people who didn’t succeed and of them, some even had the guts to admit they approached the diet wrong or were misinformed before trying it and were unprepared, not knowing what to expect. I admire the honesty here and I put far more faith in what you have provided here than in anything else I’ve read online.

     This is what we, prospective customers, need from a review — not a collection of empty complaints but constructive criticism where its needed and truthful and accurate information about what to expect so that we can go in with our eyes wide open and be able to get the full benefits from the diet plans. Now that I’ve read this, I’ve changed my mind and will take another long, hard look at Nutrisystem as a viable means to lose weight.

     Sorry to go on a bit, but I think some things needed to be said. Thank you so much for your review and for all the people who wrote in with their honest assessments, successes and even failures. Its a really great motivator when you can actually believe what you’re reading for a change!

115. # Cheryl
     
     

     Hey everyone, it looks as though this place is something of a magnet for successful dieters! Well, I guess it attracted me too, cause I also had a really good experience with my Nutrisystem diet and I just had to join you guys and tell you about it.

     I tried NS last year in the fall with the standard womens plan cause I got a good discount and when I worked out the full cost it was even cheaper than paying for my normal food for a month, so I jumped at it. Like a lot of folks, I thought the meals were rather small, but I just went for it and you know after the first two or three days, I didn’t feel at all hungry between meals. Some days I didn’t even feel I needed the snacks, so I skipped them and saved them for another day. By the end of the month, I had 11 of them left!

     I lost 14 pounds over the month and dropped two dress sizes, but it was probably nearer three as I used to really squeeze into some clothes before I started the diet. I was and still am amazingly happy with the results. I still eat small meals to this day, I guess in part because I found it so easy to adapt to the size of the Nutrisystem meals, so I haven’t put any of the weight back. Not a single pound of it!

     Thanks to Nutrisystem for making it so easy to lose that weight and thanks to this website for providing such a great resource and a place to yell about it from the rooftops LOL
     Cheryl

116. # Danny
     
     

     You wouldn’t believe it but I’ve spent ages searching for some info on Nutrisystem that would help me and after reading a ton of what amounted to little more than hyped up ads, I find this gem amongst all the garbage!

     At last, an unbiased review that actually tells me what I need to know about Nutrisystem diets instead of just trying to sell it to me. You’re a lifesaver! It was a really great read and has definitely helped me to understand what this diet is all about. Now I am interested in trying it for real as you seem to have attracted a lot of successful dieters who wrote comments here, so there must be plenty right about it.
     Thanks,
     Danny

117. # Peter Macdonnell
     
     

     Being pretty overweight and over 60, I decided to try Nutrisystem silver plan starting in May. I already read your review, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect and it was pretty much as you said. Small meals was right! I thought there was no way I would be able to get used to them. So I tried one of your tips you wrote in another article about eating slowly and putting the fork down after each bite. You know, it actually worked! I deliberately put less food on my fork and only had small bites, chewing them over real slow and concentrating on the taste and texture of the food.

     I would love to tell you and your readers that your tip was the answer to a problem they all need to know about. The meals really do fill you up when you eat real slow like that! I lost an amazing 16 pounds in that month doing just what you said and I never felt hungry or even needed to cheat by reaching for the potato chips!

     Thanks for everything. Peter.

118. # JOANNA
     
     

     I want to loose 40 pounds. i ordered the NS yesterday and I’m so excited! wish me luck!! im determined to change my eating habits and start a new life.

119. # lose weight
     
     

     Hey Joanna, here’s wishing you all the best for your success!

120. # May
     
     

     Hi I just finished reading your website and I’m very impressed by what I have read. You have a good, in depth knowledge of your subject and you put it across very well, so that anyone can understand it easily.

     I actually do have some questions for you though. Do you think you’re intending on performing a follow-up posting on this review of Nutrisystem? Are you going to keep updating as well? I can see there are plenty of comments from people who have tried or are thinking of trying NS, so I guess that part of this post stays pretty well up to date.

     Anyway, keep up with the posting and keep us up to date with any new developments from Nutrisystem as I’m sure your readers will be only too pleased to hear about them from you.

     May

121. # Leigh
     
     

     These are really interesting comments from your readers, and so many! It took me ages to wade through them all but I’m glad I did. It looks like most folks have had a positive experience with NS. I have to agree with them.

     I lost 10 pounds over a month with their Silver plan as I’m another senior member of the “need to lose weight” club and I’m very pleased with the result. I read somewhere that 1-2 pounds a week is recommended, so I guess I succeeded in the eyes of the experts too! I found most of the meals to be perfectly acceptable, with only a few that I thought were below par but certainly none were so bad I would ever feel the need to complain. Overall, I was very happy with the plan and I would most certainly recommend it to any of my friends if they were interested in this type of diet.

     Oh, one last thing. I don’t know what other people spend on their weekly groceries, but as I live alone I get to keep a very sharp eye on what I spend. I was quite taken aback when I sat down and did my sums. The overall cost of my Nutrisystem Silver plan was actually slightly cheaper than what I would otherwise spend on all my food in a four week period. So I spend less, don’t have any cooking to do and lose weight. Now that is a pretty good deal!

     Thanks for the chance to add my comments,
     Leigh

122. # Anamika
     
     

     I want to start with NS but my concerns are :
     (1) I am a vegetarian and dont have much of a sweet tooth. When i look at the meal plans for vegetarians, they dont have a select plan that means no frozen food. Plus they have a whole bunch of sweet stuff which i dont think i can eat.
     (2) I am an East Indian and consider myself a very good cook. So am being a bit skeptical about the taste of the food although by now my palette is fairly non-Indianized.
     (3) I know all the basics of healthy eating and successfully lost 40 lbs by just eating healthy and power-walking. But after the birth of my daughter, i am unable to go back to the gym as my husband travels for work and i just dont find time for doing things for myself.
     (4) Finally, when i spoke to someone from nutrisystem, she said something about the “Maintenance Program” to follow if you stop the nutrisystem plan. Has anyone tried that ?
     (5) Whats the hidden cost of cancelling auto-shipping plan ?
     Will really appreicate inputs from all you helpful people out there. Thanks!!

123. # Peter Macdonnell
     
     

     Anamika, I have the feeling that this may not be the diet for you. You say you are a very good cook and used to fine foods and as such you would, I’m sure find the menus from Nutrisystem a little lacking in many areas. I will be honest with here and stick my neck out with my own opinion if the author doesn’t mind publishing it!

     NS is mainly for folks who have been used to a pretty unassuming diet, shall we say and have gained weight through poor eating and often also through lack of exercise and are looking for an easy way back. NS is designed to be simple, convenient and fast while providing reasonable food that is nutritious, balanced and low in calories and suits people who have little time for all the work that goes into a regular diet.

     When I hear of people who are good cooks and are used to preparing and making their own, healthy home cooked meals talk about dieting with NS, I wonder… why they would do that?

     I believe that they are setting themselves up for a big fall because there is no way you can compare NS meals to wholesome, home cooked meals and you would be left feeling that you’d paid for a pile of food parcels that resemble the processed garbage that is sold in supermarkets as “ready meals” for lazy people who can’t be bothered to (or simply won’t) prepare fresh foods and cook real meals for themselves. Admittedly, I am one of those people who can’t be bothered to cook for myself, so I talk with experience!

     As for not being able to go to the gym, I think that is not a very good excuse for not exercising. There are ways to exercise all around you that do not have to be strenuous, such as walking in the fresh air, gardening, running up and down your stairs etc. I got those ideas just by idly browsing this very website as the author does provide an extraordinarily comprehensive selection of ideas for losing weight naturally that I’m sure you’d find something to suit you amongst.

     On your other points, I can’t really comment but I think this point alone is enough for you to consider looking elsewhere for your means of losing weight.

     I hope this helps you with your decision.
     Peter

124. # Carter
     
     

     If everybody is interested in hearing success stories from NS customers, then I guess this may or may not qualify quite in the same way, but I’ll tell you my story and see what you make of it.

     I am 72 years old, a vegetarian and live alone. In the last few years, I had steadily, albeit slowly gained weight until I reached the point where I had to do something about it. I am not much of a cook and to be honest, cannot be bothered to go to all the trouble to cook meals just for myself. I believe many people who live alone will share this trait. So I have been existing on ready meals from the supermarket, Chinese take out, pizza and the like. Not a very healthy diet to say the least. despite my age, I still get some exercise every day by going for long walks and swimming at my local pool where they have special rates for seniors.

     I heard a lot of good things about Nutrisystem and when I saw they had a dedicated vegetarian plan, I decided to give it a try. After all, it could be no worse than the food I was already eating and at least it would make me cut down on the calories! Well, the food was as I suspected. Not great but not bad either. I stuck it out, didn’t eat anything else besides the food packs and actually did lose a total of 12 pounds over the course of the 28 day diet.

     The cost overall was very affordable considering I wasn’t paying for my usual lackluster fare and as I paid on my credit card (yes, they do still give them to use old’uns!) it spread the cost over the month. My only real beef was that I believe that the weight I lost was likely down to my regular exercise than their food. Granted, I wasn’t eating the poor diet I had gotten used to, but I could have bitten the bullet and made my own food for a lot less and still lost the same amount of weight. Sure, the NS meals were convenient and easy, which is why it appealed to me. And sure, i already said that I can’t be bothered to cook for myself. So in one sense NS was a success for me, but on another, I know that if I had taken action and not been so lazy, I could have cooked my own meals that I’m sure would have been superior and still produced the same result. There you have it, folks.

     Thanks to the author of this website for allowing me to add my story to the collection here. It has been an interesting, albeit long read, to say the least!

     Carter

     PS: Anamika, you asked for opinions and I think I agree with Peter that NS may not be the right kind of diet for someone such as yourself who is a good cook. Being vegetarian too, I believe I could have done better myself and felt more could be done to improve their vegetarian diet meals.

125. # Leo
     
     

     Hey, I just wanted to say I tried NS last summer and lost 26 pounds over two months. I was amazed at how easy it was to do that with very little change to my lifestyle except I made a point of taking my dogs for longer walks twice a day instead of the short one I usually did in the morning. Probably thanks to that, I kept the weight off to this day, so I’m real pleased I tried it and it worked for me.

     That’s a real thorough review you got there and I guess you’re a popular writer cause of all these people writing in. Thanks for putting this out there for everyone to see cause the more that know what to expect from NS, the less will fall, I reckon.

126. # BB
     
     

     My entry is inquisitive, not informational. I need some answers if anyone has the time

     I’m a 60-yr-old female, 4’10.5″ tall, 43 lb overweight (according to the charts). BTW, the charts agree with the weight I was as a slim, fit 20-year-old; so I may need to weigh even less than the charts suggest now that I am older and not fit.

     My caloric needs to maintain my ideal of 92 lb are VERY low (only 900 to 1200 calories per day….yikes!) given my age, activity level, short stature, small build and bone structure. I certainly would want to add fresh fruit and vegetables, avoid beef/bison fed anything more than grasses or hay, avoid anything genetically modified, and avoid food additives, sugar substitutes and colorants that are often believed to be unnecessary and perhaps harmful. I need primal nutrition, perhaps unavailable in a packaged diet plan. Every calorie I eat must be nutritional! It’s just so hard to make family meals AND my special meals, too.

     1.) On average, how many calories does your program provide each day?

     2.) Does your program suggest low GI grocery choices?

     3.) Do your meals contain sweeteners other than cane sugar or natural fruit juices? If so, what are they?

     4.) Do your meals contain flavor enhancers such as MSG, MSG precursors or others?

     5.) Are your beef/bison used in your meals from animals fed only grasses and free of antibiotics and growth hormones?

     6.) Is your fish farmed or wild?

     7.) Do you have a program that would be useful for someone with gluten intolerance or celiac disease?

     8.) Is brown rice on the menu in your entrees or mostly white-wheat flour?

     9.) Are any of your desserts made with only cane or fruit juice sweeteners (not to include high-fructose corn syrup, fructose, splenda, aspertame, stevia, saccharine etc)?

     FINALLY:
     Does anyone think sacrificing optimal nutrition for awhile to lose weight would be a good idea for an old, unfit short lady?

     I’m tempted to give it a try, because I’m so tired of counting calories and researching nutrients to make every bite count!! Maybe if I lost the weight I’d have more energy to take better care of myself.

     Thanks, y’all!
     BB

127. # Roland
     
     

     Hey BB, some exceptional thoughts here. Are you sure this is the right way to look at it? It sounds like you are putting up a lot of barriers with your questions and if you are really so concerned about additives and sources of foodstuffs, you should re-think your objective.

     Nutrisystem provides ready meals and this type of meal will, of necessity, include some additives including sodium (salt), although only they will know if there is any MSG in there. I suspect there probably is, but don’t quote me on it.

     My own thoughts are that perhaps the best diet for you would be a totally natural one that you source and prepare yourself. get hooked up with a good nutritionist and devise a good, fully nutritional diet that will control your calorie intake while not omitting any essential nutrients.

     Hopefully, this allows you to make just a little better informed decision. –Roland

128. # lose weight
     
     

     Hi BB, it seems you have some pretty in-depth questions there. I think they would be best put directly to Nutrisystem support as they will answer your questions and concerns and you’ll be getting it straight from the horses mouth rather than relying on opinions that may or may not be accurate. Here are some ambiguities that will probably arise:

     Different programs provide different levels of calories per day, while they offer low GI carbs with most meals, but not all, so you’ll need to be more direct with them. Its also best to ask the company direct about additives and sweeteners, as well as the source of their ingredients because they will know what goes into their own food.

     As to your question about sacrificing optimal nutrition to lose weight, this is a sticky one that will have a lot of differing opinions, I’m sure. My personal feelings are that you should not reduce nutrition to lose weight, but if anything to enhance it while combining a good quality diet with regular albeit light exercise to suit yourself and your personal circumstances. There are several good articles in here on different forms of exercise and many of them won’t even seem like exercise! My grandmother is 97, eats very well although she is of very small build but still runs for the bus at her age! She exercises every day although they are very light and involve mainly walking and just moving and stretching her arms and legs to keep everything mobile.

     So I don’t think age so much as mental attitude are responsible for preventing anyone from exercising to some degree, but a good, balanced and healthy diet is hugely important for maintaining a good level of health.

129. # Patti
     
     

     I tried Nutrisystem in July 2010. I found the food inedible. Supposedly one of their best selling dinner sections, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, was downright gross. It tasted horrible but I got about halfway through it before I gave up…and I could still taste it the next day…ewww! Each of the Nutrisystem meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and dessert) has some form of fiber in it. I am a high fiber eater (at least 20 grams per day) but my body could not take the type of fiber in these products. I was constantly bloated with stomach pains and awful bowel movements. Many fake flavorings, too. There were some meals that tasted “ok” but nothing that I wanted to eat again. If you have taste buds, this may not be the plan for you. Oh – the cost. I spent at least $100 per week at the grocery store for my “fresh grocery additions” on top of the $300 I paid for 28 days worth of Nutrisystem food – that’s $700 monthly! A family of 5 could live on $700 in groceries per month. My advice is to see a nutritionist, learn a few tricks and try eating non-processed foods. I liked the idea of having prepared meals so much that I have started cooking large meals on the weekends and freezing my next week’s worth of lunches and dinners in Rubbermaid Take Alongs (they are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe). It is working out very well so far. I also suggest Food Network’s Ellie Krieger – her web site has great, healthy recipes that include all of the nutritional information! Having daily goals regarding calories, fiber, fat and sodium plus keeping a daily good log are essential. Good luck to all no matter how you choose to lose weight. God Speed.

130. # lose weight
     
     

     Patti, you say you spent $100 a week on fresh vegetables. Where on earth did you buy them? Nobody spends that much just on vegetables!

     Granted some of the meals are not wonderful, but its also possible you got a bad meal in there and you should have contacted NS direct straight away if it tasted bad, rather than wait and then complain about it in my blog where nothing constructive will come of it.

     Dietary fiber is just that – I doubt that was the cause of your bloating and stomach cramps. More likely it was tied to that bad meal you ate.

     Their support people are very helpful and will fall over themselves to help if they believe they have sent anyone a bad meal. Its not good for their business to have unsatisfied customers and they will go a long way to make amends if you contact them right away. Leaving it and then complaining to potential new customers is not the right way to go about it. You have to be strong, take responsibility and direct your complaints to the company, and not my readers!

131. # Patti
     
     

     Terry,

     Your “Nutrisystem Reviews” post suggests that although you are PAID by Nutrisystem to moderate this blog, you are willing to post reviews that are not positive. I appreciate that you posted my comments (as all I wanted to do was share my experience with others), however, it wasn’t necessary to make assumptions that I ate a “bad” meal or that the fiber in Nutrisystem products cannot cause bloating, abdominal pain, etc. I’m quite old enough to know what “bad” or spoiled food tastes like, and unless you’ve earned a medical license, please refrain from making medical judgments about my experience.

     Regarding the fresh grocery add on items required for the women’s basic plan, for a seven day period they consist of:

     - 21 fruit servings;
     - 21 dairy or protein servings;
     - 21 vegetable servings;
     - 7 servings of fruit OR vegetable;
     - 7 fat servings.

     I do not live in an agricultural area; all of the fresh fruits and vegetables in my local grocery store are shipped in and are generally expensive. I purchase apples, oranges, etc, not kiwi fruit or other very pricey specialty fruits. I even avoid grapes because they are so expensive. I don’t pay extra for anything marked “organic” either. I buy pre-packaged salad mixes. My typical dairy/protein choice is yogurt, and it isn’t cheap. There there’s fat – typically in the form of salad dressing for me – again, not an inexpensive item (plus I usually have at least two or three flavors of dressing on hand at a time).

     That’s a total of 77 servings of food per every 7 days period that must be purchased outside of the Nutrisystem basic women’s plan. At about $100 per week (as I spent) that averages out to be about $1.29 cents per serving. That is NOT unusual for fresh produce/dairy products. Think about it this way – per each 7 days period I ate 28 servings of Nutrisystem food plus 77 servings of fresh grocery add on items. Nutrisystem food accounted for only 26.6% of my weekly food intake.

     I am a well educated professional. I can add. Just because Nutrisystem didn’t work for me, and I have taste buds, doesn’t make me a moron. Moderate, don’t attack.

132. # lose weight
     
     

     Hi Patti,

     I apologize if my response to your comment appeared unfair. From what you wrote, I believed it was plausible that you could have eaten a bad meal and said so. I didn’t “attack” as you put it, merely pointed out what looked a probable cause. $100 a week also seemed a large bill for the grocery items, which are not obligatory, only recommended. Also, NS does have good support that you can contact with any problems which is what they are there for. Its important to contact them immediately if there is anything you think is wrong. They want to help and right any wrongs because its good for their business to have customers that succeed.

     I also agree with other customers who have pointed out that you can do a lot better if you prepare and cook low calorie meals yourself. A big proportion of the articles I have written for this website are dedicated to natural ways to lose weight and on more than one occasion I have made it clear that a visit to a good nutritionist is probably the best way to design a personalized diet plan that is far better than any “off the shelf” diet.

     Not everyone will agree with everything I write in here, that’s human nature and weight loss is not something that is exactly the same for everyone, so there will always be differences of opinion. Which is why I believe in fairness and will publish comments whether positive or negative.

133. # Angela
     
     

     I can see both sides here. Patti, you didn’t like NS food and that’s your opinion, and we’re all entitled to that cause its a free country. Terry, you have to do a little defending of the product if your an affiliate. I don’t know the rules but I bet your bending them some to even allow negative reviews, and that’s probably losing you some sales, so I got to hand it to you for being fair and honest here.

     For my own opinion, I thought the womens plan was very average but I didn’t beef it up with all the extra stuff. So for my $300, it was a pretty inexpensive diet that I lost some weight with. I didn’t come close to some folks here, but i was happy to lose 9lb in the month for doing nothing special and just eating what was mostly small meals that varied in quality from pretty bland to some that were even pretty good.

     I would not recommend it to anyone who loves tasty, good home cooked food or to anyone who is already a good cook. I noticed some other folks say the same and its true. If you can cook, you should go see a nutritionist or read up on nutrition and start cooking your own healthy meals to lose weight.

     I would recommend it to anyone who is like me and can’t cook past making waffles LOL and anyone who is already eating a bad diet of fast or junk food.

134. # Ned
     
     

     I really like this site cause there’s plenty of honest discussion that real folks are writing in with. Makes a difference from all the contrived so-called reviews I read about on other sites that all seem to give such a glowing report of the NS diet that they just cannot be all real.

     So whats my story?

     Not a glowing report, that’s for sure, but it isn’t so bad either. In fact I lost 12 pounds by going on the mens vegetarian plan and you can’t argue with results. What I want to say is that while the majority of the meals were pretty okay, there were some that could of been better. I realize its a packaged diet and you can’t really expect too much from that, cause your going to lose something in the packaging process. I just hoped it would be better than it was, is all.

     When you look at the pictures of the meals on their website, they look real tasty and inviting. In reality they don’t look as good as their promo images. Saying that, the promo image of a Big Mac looks great but the real thing is a let down! So I guess the lesson is don’t believe all you see in pictures cause the camera certainly can lie!

     What I got out of the diet was a result in a drop in my weight and I didn’t find it too hard to stick pretty close on the diet meals. I cheated once or twice by drinking some beer and eating popcorn while watching the ball game. If we’re going to be honest here, might as well admit to it! But the rest of the time I just ate the food they sent me and told myself it was for a good reason.

     So my advice to anyone thinking about Nutrisystem as a diet to lose weight is that you can do it. Just don’t expect the meals to be wonderful, cause they are not. What they are is okay and if you stick with it pretty much then you’ll lose weight cause if I can do it, I think anyone can.

     Ned

135. # Doreen
     
     

     Hi there, I found you on Google and wanted to write in cause so many other folks have too and you wrote a really good review. Well, I finished a four week course of Nutrisystem meals just two weeks ago and I was really happy with the diet. I didn’t feel the need to snack on anything, so I guess your not right about the potato chips with this customer lol! But I did lose an amazing 14lbs in that time and I’m really happy! I didn’t have any issues with the meals and thought them all quite nice, actually. I was quite amazed that you could eat such nice desserts and still be on a diet. I started doing some swimming three times a week about halfway through the diet cause I heard that its good to get some exercise too and I’m sure that helped me. I still do that and so far I haven’t put on any weight. Its a great diet and I don’t want this to sound like an advertisement, but it really did work for me. Sorry for the cliche, but its true!
     Thanks,
     Doreen

136. # Kim
     
     

     I have been looking at the comments and the biggest complaint I see is small portions. After looking over the grocery list, my husband (who is doing the program with me) and I went out and stocked up on tomatoes(unlimited), cucumbers (unlimited), mushrooms, (unlimited), and so on. See my point? When we are unsatisfied with how we feel, we drink another bottle of water and fill up on unlimited selections. The first day was the only day that I felt unsatisfied because as yet we didn’t know what to supplement our fridge with. I hope this helps. I am really looking forward to the scale at the end of the week!

     No, not all the selections are my favorite but it sure makes up for it in convenience! I am also not tempted to cheat because we have eliminated temptations from the house. The family has been very supportive as well. When we go visit the kids we pack up all our meals, hit the Walmart in their town for fruits and veggies and bottled water and we’re good to go.

137. # Eva
     
     

     So I tried the Nutrisystem for women plan in May for 28 days after I read this review and decided it was worth a shot. I lost 7 pounds in that time. At first I thought I could’ve done better but then I read 1-2 pounds a week is the norm. So I guess I did pretty well after all.

     The food was passable but nothing really stood out for me as being great. But nothing was really bad either. So it was an okay diet and I don’t think it was expensive at all. Like someone else further back, I didn’t buy all the extras to go with cause I figured If I needed to eat more I probably wouldn’t lose so much weight. So the cost was fine and I loved it was so convenient. Not having to cook was great for me cause I hate cooking! I live alone, so not having to go to the store to buy groceries was also great and I think I even saved some money that I would’ve spent on junk.

     I was starting to feel great too so three weeks into the diet I joined a local Pilates group and we meet three times a week and I even made some new friends. So yeah, this was a great diet for me that worked and so far I have not put any weight back on. Thanks for putting me onto this I’m so glad I found your review. Indirectly I actually got more than what I expected!
     Eva

138. # Cindy
     
     

     I got to say Nutrisystem was good for me. I went on their womens vegetarian diet in April and I was pretty surprised at how good the meals were after I heard from folks saying they were bad. I didn’t find them too small either and so I didn’t have to bulk them up with anything. I’m a pretty active person and don’t have time to cook and stuff, so the convenience was just what I needed. I lost 11lbs on that diet and if anyone asked me to recommend it, I sure would. Thanks for your review – its pretty accurate and honest and its good to see so many folks writing in here.

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