Nutrisystem reviewsIf your search for the best in honest Nutrisystem reviews has brought you to this page, then you have found a review that tells it like it is, the good and the not so good. After all, even a product that can make your life so much easier by helping you lose weight in the most convenient and simple way possible, while delivering direct to your door needs to be explained properly for you to get the best from it. This review does just that.

You may be looking around for honest information that includes an unbiased and balanced viewpoint, but you are going to find advertisements for Nutrisystem everywhere you look. A review that pulls no punches on this cost effective diet is what you really need and that’s exactly what I’ve put together here. While a simple click is all it usually takes, it is always a good idea to read the information behind the ad before you go ahead and sign up with Nutrisystem. Knowing what is in store beforehand will help you to make the right decision. There are plenty of reviews around many websites that tell you about all its great points, but how many of them tell you about the things you should really be prepared for before you click on the ad and you then decide to sign up? Well, this one does just that, as you will see when you read through this for yourself.

For that reason, as a paid affiliate of the company it makes sense to provide an honest, unbiased review so readers have a better idea what is involved in getting on one of their diet plans that make it so easy to lose weight when you are fully prepared for it.

First a little background.

NutriSystem, Inc. is a company that provides a convenient and easy to use weight loss system for dieters and has been in business since the early 1970s. So you can see they’re a long term company that have been there helping people to lose weight for a very long time. They are well established and have been providing weight loss solutions to dieters for all that time with a high degree of success. You don’t get to be one of the most popular diet companies without providing your customers with a successful means of losing weight for all that time. Nutrisystem does just that for its customers and has been doing it for almost four decades.

What do they provide?

In the Nutrisystems package, you have over 120 ready meals and desserts that you can choose from. For this reason, you won’t get tired of serving up and eating the same foods repetitively like on some diets. The system works quite simply, in that you just order what you want from their website or you can do it over the phone.

The foods used in the NutriSystem set up use low Glycemic Index (GI) carbohydrates combined with the correct amounts of fiber and protein, while being low in fat. To make a meal, you just take any of their prepackaged meals (you may add some grocery items that they recommend, such as salads, fresh fruits, fresh green vegetables etc) set it on a plate and either microwave for a hot meal or not for a cold one, and you’re done.

One of the nice parts about this diet is you get to eat five times each day. This is especially useful in helping reduce any food cravings you might get between meals on standard diets. The best part is of course you get to keep eating all your favorite sweets and pasta. There’s no need to count calories any more and you have full access to Free Live counseling, which is available both online and via telephone.

Ok, here’s the science bit:

Low Glycemic Index (GI) carbohydrates is a measure of the quality of carbohydrates and how they impact your blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that are broken down slowly by the body are considered low on the Glycemic Index, which is good. On the other hand, carbohydrates that break down too fast cause insulin levels in the blood to rise, which then causes the body to store fat and make you feel hungry even straight after a meal. So it makes sense to ensure your food is made up of lots of low GI carbs and to avoid the high GI carbs.

The diet plans currently available:

NutriSystem offer several different types of meal plans which are tailor made for different groups. These are for:

  • Women
  • Women over 60
  • Men
  • Men over 60
  • Vegetarians
  • Type 2 diabetes sufferers

Nutrisystem Meals:

There is a really big selection of different meals, far too many to do justice to in this single review. The best way to review the particular meals that are on offer is to visit the Nutrisystem website (you can follow that link to get there) and see for yourself. Alternatively, if you want to make yourself a cup of coffee (or better, weight busting green tea!) and sit down for a good long read through all the comments on this post as many people who have written in have talked about some of the meals they liked or disliked.

Suffice it to say that in general the meals are of good quality as far as can be achieved with pre-packed meals (something is always lost in the packaging process) but they are not gourmet meals by any stretch of the imagination. As long as you are prepared for this, then you should have no problems expecting something better than what in reality are fairly average, albeit tasty, interesting and extremely varied meals.

Plus Points:

From time to time, you will find bonus offers for a variety of great deals, so keep checking back for new ad posters. The bonus may be along the lines of getting a free week (or two or even more) of food extra at no additional cost when you order a 28 day food program from NutriSystem. Or it may be a money discount on a 28 day plan. It provides a convenient way to diet that is especially suited to busy people who simply do not have the time to work on conventional diets. The food is delivered to your door and with the Select plan, which is an all-new program featuring Shrimp Alfredo, spicy Asian Beef Tips, and even ice cream!, you simply store it in your freezer. With the standard plans you can store the meals in a cool place such as a larder, pantry etc. You can just take out a meal as you need it and place it in the microwave for the time stated on the packaging and in no time at all you are sitting down to your own calorie controlled, healthy diet meal.

NutriSystem’s latest weight loss program is heavily based on the Glycemic Index being rich in good carbohydrates and low in fat.

Support

If at any time you need support, or if you need to chat online with a support person you can. Nutrisystem has their own online chat support system where you can contact someone any time of the day of you are worried about anything at all. This includes things that you might think are silly and you wouldn’t want to bother anyone about. It also provides you with a one-on-one weight loss coaching service devoted to helping you through those first few days on programThey are there to help you, even with the seemingly silly things. That’s because if there’s something even minor that is bothering you and you don’t tell anyone, it can grow into something major and stall your progress. Whereas getting it off your cheat early on can make all the difference to your chances of success. Its there for you if you need it, so use it!

The General Cost

NutriSystem will run you around $70 per week and this includes online nutrition classes, counseling and delivery of the food packages. The goal here is to promote sustainable, long term weight loss. You are provided with a week’s worth of meals including seven breakfasts, lunches, dinners as well as snacks.

Minus Points:

No review would be any good if it only told you all about the great things a system provided while ignoring any disadvantages or negatives, so this review gives it to you straight.

First up, with regards to the Select plans, you’ll need sufficient space in your freezer to store the food packages when they arrive, which is seven sets of three meals plus snacks so make sure you’re prepared for that. Other standard plans don’t need the freezer, but they will still need to be stored somewhere that is cool and dry, so a cool pantry or larder is ideal.

While the packaged meals are complete meals in themselves, they are smaller than many people are used to. Lots of people go on the Nutrisystem diet and believe that the meals they ship to you are the same as what they’re used to, then complain when they still feel hungry after eating them. You have to be aware that you can also include some fresh green vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, kale etc that you buy from the store and cook yourself to bulk out the meals. Fresh green vegetables will not add many calories or bad carbs to the diet but will aid it by providing essential vitamins and minerals while helping to curb any feelings of hunger.

The thing to realize here is that if you are used to meals of a certain size, it could be part of the reason you have gotten overweight in the first place. Large meals, especially if they are full of high GI carbs, saturated fats and hidden sugar, are a sure way to pile on the pounds. So when you are faced with the smaller meal size of this product, you really should make an effort to get used to it, because after all, you want to lose weight and one of the ways that’s going to happen is if you eat less!

Next, some people report getting flatulence (gas) after eating the food. So you might be tempted to ask, does Nutrisystem cause gas? Okay, this might appear to be a little unpleasant, but its a natural byproduct of metabolizing some protein rich foods. If your previous diet was lacking in certain foods, the body will need to adjust to the new types of food. If you never ate fresh vegetables before and start doing so as part of any diet, you’ll get gas until your body gets used to metabolizing them. To counter this, make sure you drink plenty of fresh, plain water (not soda!) which will help with digestion.

Ok, apart from that and the Nutrisystem cost, which is comparable to and in many cases cheaper than most over the counter diets, as far as Nutrisystem tips go, it does exactly what it says it does as long as you follow the plan that you decided on. Same as pretty much any diet really.

On the positive side:

You can help yourself immensely by doing some light exercise while you are on the plan as well, because its a scientifically proved fact that exercise improves metabolism and when combined with a healthy diet really does cause sustainable weight loss. Having a positive mental attitude towards losing weight also helps a lot, because when you are positive about something, there is a greater chance of success because you want it more.

Note: The author is a qualified hypnotherapist specializing in weight control hypnotherapy and while he is an affiliate of Nutrisystem, this review is comprised of his own personal views and opinions, written honestly and objectively. There is a follow up to this post that you can read at: Lose Weight with Nutrisystem Reviews as it will tell you about the latest special offers being promoted by the company as well as an update on all the extras for 2010.

NutrisystemUpdate for August 2010: As we move into August and with summer in full swing, Nutrisystem have brought out another great offer with huge discounts available on their diet plans. They are offering BIG savings on ALL 28-Day programs for the rest of the summer and that includes their LOWEST PRICE EVER on their premium, fresh-frozen program – Nutrisystem® Select®! Now is a great time to try out one of their diet plans as you can save money thinks to this offer that you can take advantage of by clicking the ad image on the left.

Nutrisystem are still giving their other highly publicized offer of 4 weeks of free food when you sign up. In case you’re wondering, you will still have to purchase one of the plans, you’ll just get additional meals in addition to what you purchase. If you are thinking about trying it, then either of these offers are pretty good ways to get you started.

Additional: Real Life Reviews of Nutrisystem

If you’re happy with the information I’ve provided about Nutrisystem, that’s great because it means I’ve done my job and provided an honest and useful information resource for you. I would also urge you to please take some time to read what my readers have to say about it as well. There are plenty of differing views from real people who have tried the various plans and had a variety of results with them. What follows are their own stories, failures and successes laid bare — all published, the good and the bad, in the name of fairness.

Add Your Own

You can also add your own story of your accomplishments or otherwise with Nutrisystem. Simply fill out the comment form at the end of the page and submit it. Comments are queued for moderation to prevent spam, but generally they are approved and published within 24 hours.

Weight Loss Tips

NutriSystem meals