Nutrisystem?

[Brandy]

Has anyone ever done Nutrisystem?

Was the food good, did you lose weight, was it a good value?

http://www.nutrisystem.com/

[scorpioanne]

Has anyone ever done Nutrisystem?

Was the food good, did you lose weight, was it a good value?

http://www.nutrisystem.com/

I did Nutrisystem about 15 years ago. The food was what it was, some things were way better than others but I think honestly the cost of the food keeps some people on track, they don't want to waste their money.
I lost 60 pounds and had a bunch more to lose but my Dr. made me go off the diet as my iron stores got totally depleted, my hair started falling out and my fingers would go numb. I went off the diet and just watched what I ate and lost weight as easily as being on Nutrisystems. I think what it did for me was it got me on track, I saw success and I wanted to keep that up. I became much more mindful of what I ate. I think you could do it on your own if you spent the time planning what you ate, there is an advantage to having all your meals measured out for you.

[DiscoDiva]

My mom and sister both did Nutrisystem, and lost weight, but they were both unable to keep it off. I think it's because they couldn't afford to keep buying the food, and they had to start buying regular food. Once they started on regular food, they gained the weight back because they went to their old eating habits.

My mom has been on Weight Watchers for the past year, stopped losing when she reached her goal weight, has maintained the loss for at least 5 months, and she hasn't gained any weight back.

[BrownEyedGirl]

I was thinking about starting Nutrisystem....anyone else have any experience w/?

[BrownEyedGirl]

so I started nutrisystem on 1/9/06...so far, I am really impressed. The food is actually good (and I'm a very picky eater.

And you don't only eat what they send you. For breakfast you eat their stuff plus a fruit and protein/milk serving. Lunch is their stuff plus all the salad you want and a protein/milk serving. You have a fruit and protein/milk serving as a afternoon snack. Dinner is their stuff plus two veggies, plus all the salad you want. Then they have desserts (pudding, chips, carmel corn...).

The food is actually really good. So far I've lost 5 pounds! I would suggest nutrisystem to anyone that's interested.

Also, if anyone is interested, I can send you a coupon for $15 off an order...just pm me with your e-mail and I'll send it to you.

[skyblu]

Hi Bree,

I'm sitting at my computer right now with my coffee and my first ever NS meal: banana muffins. I'm excited to try other things, because the muffins are a bit cardboard-ish. Oh well, as long as it works!

I was on WW and lost quite a bit, but have a few remaining stubborn pounds and honestly don't have the time to plan out and measure everything I eat like I did on WW, so this works for my busy schedule.

Glad to hear it's working for you! I'll be back next week to let you know how I've fared with it.

[BrownEyedGirl]

Yeah, the muffins aren't the greatest...it helps if they are microwaved for 10-20 seconds. Just don't base your expectations on the muffins...you'll be surprised at lunch!

[skyblu]

You're right! I just had the chicken noodle soup and it was DELICIOUS! I also had a salad with cucumbers and lettuce, plus some lean ham for the protein, and 1 oz of LF cheese leftover from breakfast, and 1/2 cup o grapefruit juice also left over from breakfast. I'm so freaking full!

NS is letting me exchange the muffins. What do you recommend for breakfast?

[BrownEyedGirl]

If you are a cereal girl, I would recommend any of the cereals, they are all yummy. If you are home and don't mind cooking, the scrambled eggs are good to. The choc. chip granola bars are good, but they aren't all that filling. Even the oatmeal isn't that bad. Honestly the only thing I'd shy away from are the "baked goods" type of food, muffins and biscotti.

Did you order any of the carmel crunch popcorn? That is some goooood diet food!

[skyblu]

Great, thanks! I think I'll order mostly cereal, and some eggs. And yes, I did order the caramel popcorn, I'm looking forward to it!

[BrownEyedGirl]

Good choice!

[LeslieR]

Many times I've thought about doing NutriSystem or Jenny Craig (not sure I can do it now because I'm bf'ing). For me, it's much easier to have set foods that I can eat instead of having to plan my own meals. Can someone tell me how much it ends up costing per week?

[BrownEyedGirl]

I did the auto delivery option so it's only $280 for 4 weeks which is about $70/wk. You can cancel the auto delivery option at any time so I wasn't worried about that.

I probably wouldn't recommend nutrisystem while b'fing since the calories for a day is around 1,200. But after you are finished I would go for it.

If you'd like I can send you a $15 coupon. I just need an e-mail address.

[skyblu]

Also, you get one week free, so it ends up being $280 for 5 weeks. You still have to buy resh produce and some milk/protein foods, but even then, it ends up costing way less per day than if you eat lunch out and have a morning latte. Very convenient!

[BrownEyedGirl]

Okay, I have one piece of advice....Stay away from the Minestrone Soup. It is absolutely horrible. That is probably the worst food that they offer. Everything else, quite yummy.

(I'm down 7 pounds in 4 weeks!!)

[skyblu]

Uh-oh! My worst so far is the bacon and cheddar mashers. Eeeewww!

[skyblu]

Just finished my 2nd week and I've lost 6 pounds and 5 inches! Can I get a "woot"!?

[BrownEyedGirl]

WOOT, WOOT!!! That's awesome!

I just went to my endocrinologist so I'm hoping I can get my thyroid straightened out and start putting up bigger numbers!

[skyblu]

Good luck with that! I still think your weight loss is encouraging, though!

[Aug2002Bride]

My mom has been doing it lately along with my grandmother and they both have lost a good amount. My mom has been doing it for 2 weeks and lost almost 10 lbs and my grandmother lost like 7 or something her first two weeks.

[Peppy]

I would suggest Jenny Craig. I have never done Nutrisystem, but everything I have heard from people who have done both says that Jenny Craig has much tastier food (the food is very good). However, I believe that it is a little more expensive. If you go to a center, I think it is about $70 a week, and if you have it delivered to your home it can be about $100 a week. However, different meals cost different amounts of money, so you can make an effort to choose less expensive options if you want.

I am sure if you called either Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem and told them you were BFing they would tell you if the program would work for you or if you had to wait to join up. On Jenny Craig the calorie level you are allowed changes depending on your height, weight and activity level. I don't know, but they might be able to put you on a higher calorie level if you are BF.

[skyblu]

BrownEyedGirl, any word from your endo? How's NS going?

Today's my week-3 weigh-in and I'm down 9 pounds (total, of course). Feeling great!

Happy Valentine's Day!

[BrownEyedGirl]

Skyblu,9 pounds...that's really good!!! Keep up the good work! :D

I'm down 8.5 lbs as of Sunday. I got my thyroid meds changed so hopefully I'll put up some bigger numbers in the next few weeks.

So here's a personal question (feel free to not answer if you don't want)...Have you been extra gassy after being on NS? I am so super gassy it's not even funny...sometimes I've been in enough pain from the bloating and cramping that I wouldn't go work out! :o I can't attribute it to anything other than NS.

[skyblu]

OMG, you have no idea about the gas! It's awful! On the NS message boards they call it "Nutritoots", so I guess it's normal. It's just beginning to get better for me now, but the first couple of weeks, well, let's just say I'm grateful to own a dog who I could blame it on! ;)

[BrownEyedGirl]

Poor dog. :)

I'm so glad that I'm not nuts!! Now I'll be really motivated to get the next 12 lbs off...my gut can deflate! At least I'm not alone!

Do you find the NS boards irritating to be on after the fantasticness of CC?

[kwsu44]

I started NS about three weeks ago and have lost 11 lbs. so far.

I have been doing a lot of substituting of "regular" foods though, bcs. some of the stuff I just don't like - chicken salad, tuna salad and split pea soup come to mind. I thought the BBQ beef was excellent and also the rotini w/meatballs. I also love the breakfast foods, minus the muffins (I agree - they're totally card-boardy).

In terms of portion control, I think it's an excellent way to really determine what you should be eating.

the caramel popcorn is delish!

[skyblu]

BrownEyedGirl, you're not alone! And you should get a dog, I tell ya ;)
And yes, I despise the NS boards. I even thought of writing to them and asking them to switch to the CC "system"! You can't find anything on those stupid boards!

Hope you're having a great week. I got through V-Day without touching a single piece of candy. Yay! BF was sweet enough to forgo the usual Godiva extravaganza and just got me a lot of flowers instead.

kwsu44, wow! Good for you! That's awesome! I totally hear you on some of the food. Blech. But a lot of it is pretty good, too. The problem is that after a while, everything starts to taste the same, don't you guys think?

The portion control is key. At first I was shocked at how little the containers of food were, but now I'm so used to it that regular food portions seem enormous! A little trick I use when the food seems puny is to eat it on a saucer or salad plate instead of a dinner plate, and use a teaspoon or salad fork. The everything seems bigger by comparison.

So, what are both of your goals, ladies? I'm trying to get to 133 and have a ways to go (about 20 lbs).

[BrownEyedGirl]

kwsu44 11 pounds is great!! Good job. I know some of the food is pretty bad...but I've found that the majority is actually really good. The second order is much better since you know what you like and don't like so you can customize it a bit more. Be sure to stay away from the Minestrone soup...just awful!

Skyblu The sad thing is...I have two dogs...but since being with dh for 10 years, I've acquired his bad habit of giggling when trying to hide a fart...not very subtle! :rolleyes:

Valentine's day wasn't too bad, I was very good througout the day and then we had reservations at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse...but I only had a couple pieces of bread, a small filet, and here's the bad part...half a banana cream pie dessert. :o But I figure I could have done waaaaay worse, so I won't worry about it. I'll just hit the gym a little harder the rest of the week.

My goal is 20 lbs. I started at 157 and I'm down to 148.5, so I'm almost half way there.

I'm so glad you girls are on here...it's nice to have people to talk to about the diet.

Keep up the good work ladies!!

[skyblu]

BEG, hee hee, the giggling is a dead giveaway!

OMG, I LOVE Ruth's Chris! I am sooooo glad there isn't one in Boston! I went in Maui and in Orlando, and oh boy, let's just say if I'd been you, I would have eaten half the menu.

Where do you live? I see kwsu44 and I are both in MA. I love this mini-support group!

[BrownEyedGirl]

RC is sooo yummy. My co-workers were talking about it back in January and I couldn't get it off my mind so I asked dh if we could go there for valentines day...I finally got my fix so I'm pretty happy right now.

I'm in Minnesota...I blame my weight on the need for insulation. :p

[kwsu44]

I feel like I have a long way to go ... I'm trying to get to 165-170, which I distinctly recall having weighed when I was a senior in high school. Of course, even then I thought I was fat, so I think it's funny that now it's my goal weight! Needless to say ... I have many, many more months ahead of me on NS. (I'm actually quite embarrassed to actually write what my current weight is).

BEG - I will stay away from the Minestrone! I'm not a soup person in general, so it's good to know I don't have to get it. I do like the whipped sweet potatoes w/cheese that I had for lunch once, very tasty.

skyblu - I live in Central Mass. (just south of Worcester), but work in Boston.

Our mini support group is excellent!!

[skyblu]

BEG, we need insulation here too, although this winter has been soooo mild!

kwsu, I live in Newton, right outside of Boston. On your recommendation, I had the whipped sweet potatoes for lunch today. I'd been avoiding them after the HORRIBLE bacon cheddar mashers, because I thought they'd be the same, but no! I added 1 oz of low fat string cheese and the sweet potatoes were quite yummy!

I *heart* that we found each other!

Are either of you having trouble drinking all the water? I'm just not a big liquids person, and I have the hardest time getting past 4 or 5 glasses of *anything* in a day!

[BrownEyedGirl]

After hearing all the rave reviews about the sweet potatoes I was excited to try them at lunch...so I open my drawer, and realize that it wasn't one of the lunches that I brought. I was so sad.

About the water, I don't really have any problem with the water I'm starting my 5th 20oz bottle of the day right now:eek: It helps that we get free bottles of water here at work...when I'm at home I hardly drink anything. Maybe it would help to get one of those nalgene bottles, that way you have a visual reminder of what's left to drink.

[skyblu]

My first problem is that I don't even like water. I only drink one kind (Evian). So I buy the 1L bottles and take 2 with me everywhere, trying to get through them (which would be 64 oz between the 2). So I do have the visual, I just don't have the stomach! Blech. And it's not just the water. I can't drink that much of anything!

Will have to work on that.

[kwsu44]

Skyblu - try some of the flavored waters, they help me reach my H20 quota. I love the fruit water by Glaceau (I usually get at Trader Joe's or Shaw's that has a Wild Harvest). I love (in order) the peach, the raspberry, the lemon and the grape. I also love the Propel fitness water in black cherry. Oh, and Stop & Shop makes flavored seltzer that I also love, either in raspberry lime, black cherry or plain ol' lemon.

BEG - good idea on the Nalgene bottle. It seems like everyone here in my office has one, so I need to be part of the crowd. I looked on REI's website and saw an orange one that was v. cute, as was the turquoise one. So, I want to go see it in person and then get one and be one of the cool kids!

I'm on the weekends off plan of NS. So, I follow NS pretty religiously through the week and then eat what I want on the weekends. I have noticed that I'm making much smarter choices in terms of what I eat on weekends. So, before when I'd go get a latte and muffin (that are 400+ calories!), I know have either oatmeal or cereal and fruit. And coffee, must have my coffee!!

Have good eating days!

[DianeCourt]

I'm glad to have found this thread! I just had a baby in October and I'm back to my pre-baby weight....no problem there. However, my pre-baby weight is about 20 lbs over my highest "ideal" weight. I'm not breastfeeding anymore, so I'd really like to get serious about losing the weight before I get pregnant again. My problem is portion & sweets control. :rolleyes: I'm interested in Nutrisystem because everything is pre-portioned.

My question is: how do you fit Nutrisystem in when you have a family? For example, DH is 6'5" and weighs 175 lbs - he can eat whatever he wants & never gains a pound. If I'm going to to do NS, I still need to feed him what he needs & I'm not sure how that will work out, especially at dinner time. Do I just make him a meal like I'd normally make us, then heat up my diet food for me?

Also, if I choose the Auto re-order & decide I don't like NS, can I really cancel at any time with no penalty?

Thanks!

[BrownEyedGirl]

I think NS would be a good option for you. And I don't think it would be too difficult to do while having the rest of the family eating regular food. The NS food only takes about 1 - 1.5 min to heat up in the microwave and you add a couple of veggie servings (and a salad if you'd like). DH and I eat dinner together all the time now. We share the veggies and he usually just makes an "entree" for himself (I was never the cook). So if anything NS might add 2 minutes to your dinner schedule. :)

[kwsu44]

down another 1 lb, so 12 total for five weeks.

[BrownEyedGirl]

Well, I knew it would happen sooner or later. I'm completely tired of NS food. I'm down 10 pounds so I've decided to take a week off. I figure a halfway there break isn't bad. And I promise I won't eat like a pig. I'll still make healthy choices and then after my week is up, I'll pray I didn't gain, and get back on the wagon. This is the longest I've ever stuck with any diet, so I still feel good about what I've done. And my next order ships tomorrow, so I won't want the food to go to waste...that's my motivation to get back to it!

Can you tell I'm feeling a little guilty about my venture into real food land?

[kwsu44]

BEG - I totally agree. I am at the end of month one on the plan and am ready for "regular" food. I am leaving Friday for a business trip, so that will be my week off, then I'll get back on the wagon again when I get back.

Good luck to us!

[skyblu]

Guys, me too!!

I just finished the 1st month, lost 10 pounds, then was away from home last week and got a taste for "real" food. Now it's hard to get back on the wagon! All I have left to eat are the yucky things, but my next order is on its way and it has all the stuff I now know I like.

If things go well, I might do weekends off this month. Kwsu, do you get good results with that plan?

[ktsb]

Hi everybody! Can I join? I'm trying to lose about 20 lbs. I seemed to have gained after getting married in Aug. '04. How DOES that happen? :rolleyes:

I lurked while I was deciding whether to do it or not and after the "nutritoots" comment I had to post.

I'm in my third week with a total of 5 pounds lost so far. So nice to hear the gas is, well, normal. I think it's all the soy? The good carbs adds to it I imagine as well.

I don't do it completely on the weekends either. Just too hard. I do however really watch what I eat when we go out to dinner however. There are also instances, lunch and dinner, where I can't do it e.g. lunch meetings DH wants to go OUT to dinner, etc. So all in all I'm pretty happy with the loss so far. Might mean I don't get as sick of the food too. I can TOTALLY see that happening because I don't like that many of the dinner entres.

I'm also looking forward to my next months' order which is only things I like.

And yea the NS boards, stink!! Nothing beats CC.

[BrownEyedGirl]

Welcome, ktsb! I can say that the "nutritoots" do actually fade away with time....thank god!! And congrats on the 5 pounds...not too shabby after only three weeks! Good job.

Skyblu, good job on the 10lbs! Are you working out like a crazy fool or what?? It took me twice as long to get where you are.

But, I am officially back on the wagon today. I think I just needed a few days of self pity! Now I'm back on track!

[skyblu]

Skyblu, good job on the 10lbs! Are you working out like a crazy fool or what??

No, not at all! In fact, I had spine surgery a couple of months ago so I can't work out at all!

[ladybug777]

Browneyedgirl: Not sure if it's too late, but I PM'd you about that Nutrisystem coupon. Thanks.

[Oakley]

Is anyone still doing NS? I was thinking of ordering soon.

[ktsb]

No but I really need to. I stopped when I got PG. My DD is now 8 months and I so need to get rid of the belly fat. I still am really positive about the results I had with NS and still have a lot of food I should start with.

[Linz]

Anyone still doing Nutrisystem?

I've heard the food is pretty bad, is that true?

ETA: Is anyone else grossed about by the fact that none of the food needs to be refrigerated or frozen?

[Esq.]

My MIL has been very successful with NS, but gains the weight back whenever she goes back to eating normal food.

She says that she is not hungry and that she likes the food. I am thinking about trying it.

Anyone have any advice to share?

[JenInAZ]

My biggest problem with the food was that the main entrees that had sauces were WAY too saucey. I was just gross. Most of the stuff tasted ok, obviously it's not gourmet cuisine. It's nice that you can choose the food you want sent, so you can get lots of the stuff you find most yummy. Overall, I just find it a lot easier to just buy fresh meat and veggies and cook them myself. It's cheaper and healthier.