I've lost almost twenty pounds after a month-and-a-half on NutriSystem. I'm not a paid shill. I figured I'd post my thoughts about it, in case others are considering it.
There are many, many diets and weight-loss programs out there. I'm not an expert on any of them; I'm just a guy who wanted his pants to fit again. Here are the things that made me choose NutriSystem:
- It's easy: they send me food, and I eat it. I don't have to count calories, carbs, fat grams, etc. I don't have to spend time preparing special meals.
- It's not a radical diet. The basic idea is to eat small portions, and avoid saturated fat and "bad carbs" (sugar, white bread, etc.). You supplement the food they send you with fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals. It's normal food.
- No meetings or counseling required. I'm sure social support is great for a lot of people, but that kind of thing is a big negative for me.
It works for me because it takes advantage of my laziness. I don't have to plan meals. I don't have to look at nutritional labels. I don't have to spend time cooking, other than popping something into the microwave for 90 seconds. All I have to do is pull my next meal out of a box every few hours.
Despite the fact that I'm eating only about a thousand calories a day, I rarely feel hungry. On the plan, you eat a meal six times per day, so even though the portions are small, you always feel like you've just eaten.
Some people complain about the cost (over three hundred dollars a month), but it's actually cheaper than the company cafeteria and restaurant fare I used to eat daily.
Some people simply can't stand the food. I'm not a picky eater, so I don't mind. With the extra fruit and vegetables, I'm actually eating much tastier food than I did when my meals came from restaurants. It may not be the best-tasting food in the world, but it's not bad, and I like the results.
I recently took a week-long vacation, and ate "normally" during that week (that is, I didn't eat the NutriSystem stuff). I didn't lose any weight that week, but I didn't gain any either, so I'm optimistic that I'm developing good eating habits as a result of the plan, and will be able to keep the weight off when I reach my goal.
I've lost about twenty pounds so far. I've got about thirty more pounds to lose to reach my goal weight. I'll let you know if NutriSystem gets me there.