Is Nutrisystem a good program?

[ThaiDie4]

I'm looking to lose maybe 15lb. over like 2-3 monthes... I want to lose it the healthy way and make better choices about my food. I'm not "overweight" but I know that I would be in better shape if I dropped a few pounds, plus the obvious vanity reasons for wanting to be thinner.

What I lack, is self displine. I know how to eat healthy but I eat like 75% of my food from my meal plan because I am in college... our choices consist of Wendys, Sbarros, and Chic Fila A, so you can see that temptation lies everywhere... I give in almost all the time! Over the summer I was thinking of trying Nutrisystem. Has anyone here tried it? Is it worth the money (like around $300 a month, I'd want to do it for like 2-3 mo.)? Is the food good?

I realise its a lot of processed stuff, but thats why I don't plan on staying on it for long, just to drop the weight and then when I come back to school in the fall I'm going to be buying my own groceries instead of doing the meal plan. Hopefully by then I'll have a better idea of correct portion sizes and balanced foods. I just like the idea of having my meals pre-determined, its quick and easy to do, and I'd be less likely to deviate from the plan if I'm paying all that money for it. Any thoughts?

 

[negrogesic]

It is much cheaper and healthier to prepare your own meals...

Buy healthy foods, eat them, exercise, and you will easily loose the weight...

 

[KStoner6tb]

Call Dan Marino or Larry the Cable Guy and ask them if it worked, haha.

It ain't worth it man. You say you want to learn more about portions or whatnot; I understand that. But, it's more what/when you eat than how much. A little (free) research on the internet or books beats out paying for overpriced food/advice.

I heard it was closer to 400 bills a month also.

 

[ThaiDie4]

It is much cheaper and healthier to prepare your own meals...

Buy healthy foods, eat them, exercise, and you will easily loose the weight...

Oh yeah, I hear you, that is definently the ideal way to drop the lbs. in my opinion as well. My deal is, I REALLY am lacking in self control, I wasn't kidding about that! Everyday I tell myself "Ok, I will choose healthy foods today" and I don't. Or I'll snack when I don't need to. I feel like Nutrisystem will at least get me on the right track to learning how to plan out my meals and eat appropriate sized portions. I mean, as I mentioned before, I definently know how to eat well and exercize... I used to run cross-country, and I was a vegitarian who stictly followed the food pyramid and I was so healthy. So I learned a lot of good habits, my problem is that now that I'm out of that routine, its not so simple just to pick it all up again without some kind of guideline to start on. I'm not trying to argue with you or anything, I didn't start this thread just to expect people to agree with me... I grealty appriciate the input, but for now I need something a little more structured than just eating healthy foods and exercizing. My idea is that with Nutrisystem I'll get out of the habit of running to junk food, because I'm not going to shell out $10 for McDonalds and Twinkies when I've already paid for my meals for the next month.

 

[negrogesic]

^^^Well even on nutrisystms, you'll have to say no to your friends when they're going out to get fast food. This might be difficult when your dinner is some frozen meal you have to put in the microwave, which can't taste especially good...

Maybe you could spend one day and cook up some big batches of healthy food and freeze it, in predetermined portions. Of course, this sounds like alot of work...

 

[Perpetual Indulgence]

Losing weight is easy. Maintaining weight loss is the challenge. Whatever method you use to lose the weight is the one you need to keep as a permanent life style change.

Nutrisystem gives a person portion control. You don't have to cook and it is convenient. Are you going to learn to replicate the meals or do you buy their stuff for a lifetime?

Learn to make eating well a priority. Read labels. Don't buy processed foods. Eliminate the artifical. Pay attention to serving sizes. Learn to meal plan and cook. We always have extra meals in the fridge. I make extra at each dinner. Sundays I make a big batch of whatever to have in various forms through out the week.

I would try Weight Watchers if you haven't a clue where to start when it comes to healthy eating and cooking. They give you tools on how to eat decently in the world beyond your kitchen. They provide structure and support.

EXERCISE. It is another motivation to eat well AND makes it easier to enjoy food that you really don't want to modify and rid from your diet. My personal faves: pizza, chicken wings and beer.

I slowly made changes in my lifestyle over the past 3 years. I enjoyed researching nutrition and exercise then putting into constant practice. Having a husband who is into the same lifestyle and loves my cooking helps immensely.

When I was in college, I did DietCenter. They had menus to cook from plus pre packages foods and vitamins. Yeah it worked. I felt deprived and fell off course many times. I recall eating a lot of white rice and rice cakes. The weight came back after I stopped following the program.

 

[Dave]

Nutrisystem is silly. You basically pay someone to starve you. I can't stand watching those commercials. If you learn about healthy eating, including portion control, and incorporate a well-balanced workout, you will be able to get the results you want without making some lazy corporate twats rich.

/me heads to the Pet Peeve thread

 

[randycaver]

I think Jillian Barberie is lying.

 

[ThaiDie4]

Thanks guys for all the input. You all raise good points... I guess it this point I need to think about it more, I'm kind of re-considering now.

PI, I like the Weight Watchers idea.. I actually did WW when I was a junior in high school, at that point I was going through some emotional shit and had gained a lot of weight in the summer and got to a weight of 155lb (I am 5'4, so that wasn't good). I did it for 4 mo. and got down to 125lb. but then fell off the wagon after spring break and gained some of the weight back. I'm not as big as I was, but I would still love to be back at 125.... I guess I'm just afraid to try it again because I'm scared I'll fail again and just get dissapointed.

 

[michael]

i knew a guy who lost well over a hundred pounds on nutrisystem. i forget how long it took him.

he never really learned how too keep the weight off though, and ended up gaining it all back. he used to bring meals with him if we were going to have food. all i can remember about them is how small they seemed. they didn't seem overly gross.

i'm working on 5+ year old memories though.

my advice to you would be to learn how to cook and to learn proper portion control. for what the prepackaged food costs a month you could eat like royalty (small exaggeration) cooking yourself. you are going to have to learn some dietary self control sooner or later. it will be as easy to cheat on nutrisystem as any other diet would be. if your impulse control is that bad what makes you think some diet plan is going to change it?

you'll have to do that work yourself.

 

[treezy z]

i don't know much about nutrisystem, but i will say that if you're smoking weed and/or drinking it will be very hard to follow any diet program.

 

[ThaiDie4]

lol well i dont smoke weed, and i limit drinking to like 5-6 drinks once or twice a week... < thats harder than it sounds bc im in college.

 

[euphoria]

I'd second on the weight watchers. I think that's the best "diet" program out there simply because it teaches you how to eat real food in control, not eating fake stuff.

 

[ThaiDie4]

True that, it worked very well for me. I def. learned a lot about balanced eating and portion control. I ended up quitting tho

Where I ended up giving up on that program, was the fact that it was so fuckin annoying to have to count your points all day, measure all your food, look up what you were going to eat before going out to make sure you didn't go over your points, etc. It made eating too much work!!! I felt so weird around all my friends\peers because I couldn't just eat like a normal person. I suppose with any diet you will have to make sacrifices though, and maybe my problem is that I haven't been willing to make any!