15 reasons to try NutriSystem Advanced (21 reasons not to): You decide!
Written: Aug 25 '07 (Updated Jan 23 '08)
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Pros: effective, has variety, is flexible
Cons: preserved meals, is costly, small portions, not environmentally friendly
The Bottom Line: I would recommend trying this diet to get you into good habits, but everyone should weigh the pros and cons. The decision is yours.
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| mnashat's Full Review: NutriSystem Weight Loss Program |
NutriSystem Nourish has been heavily advertised lately. You can't seem to get away from it--on the television, internet, in magazines.... So, when my mother-in-law said she tried it and that it was a decent diet, my husband and I felt that we should try it. We both work and are busy and we don't typically eat healthily. The last time we went on a diet was several years ago the year before we got married, so we are not yo-yo dieters. Unfortunately, that is because we both like food. We love to eat! We like to enjoy restaurants and to eat socially and at family functions. So, I wanted a diet where we wouldn't be starving ourselves and nutrisystem fit the bill. But, there are some drawbacks. Below is a list of pros and cons of this diet.
15 Reasons to try nutrisystem:
1. You have limited shopping to do. You don't have to worry too much about which groceries you will buy for dinner tonight.
2. There are five times you are allowed to eat, so most people do not feel hungry on the diet. Meals include breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and dessert.
3. The diet is effective. In our first four weeks, my husband lost 15 pounds and I lost 7. Of course men lose weight faster than women, but I also ate all of the components of the diet while my husband chose to give up some things (like the dairy snack--he's not a yogurt fan and the salads--doesn't really like greens). He also skipped meals when he worked late. We also cheated twice a week for lunch or dinner and still lost that weight. In addition, I exercised 3X per week for about an hour each time but my husband did not.
4. There are a variety of foods to choose from so you should be able to find several meals that you like in each category. They are also changing and improving the menu repeatedly. You can even personalize your order if you choose. Note: if you get the free week, you cannot personalize it (it is pre-packaged). But, for personalizing of regular orders, you can say something like "please leave out anything with pork" (i.e., for some with religious reasons) and they will do their best to do that.
5. The diet is flexible. If you absolutely *have* to eat out for a get together, then you can, but you just do so sensibly. (i.e., lots of salad, steamed veggies, grilled meats, fruit for dessert or skip it).
6. There is no calorie counting, which is a huge pain to do.
7. The flavor of the majority of the meals is decent (see also below).
8. The diet works mainly by portion control, so you can teach yourself to eat smaller meals, yet you get all of the calories you need.
9. There is no refrigeration of the meals, so you don't have to store a month's worth of food in the cold.
10. Different individuals in the same household can have different meals, so there is no arguing about "what's for dinner," which is common in our home because we have different tastes.
11. The preparation is fast and easy. Most meals only take less than 1.5 minute in the microwave! Some meals (like the mac and cheese) can take up to 9 minutes, but that isn't bad because you can "set it and forget it" until it's ready. (By the way, I do not recommend putting the breakfast oatmeal in the microwave. Heat the water up in the microwave first and then add it to the oatmeal and let it sit.)
12. The meals are compact enough to carry with you when you need to go out to work or to run errands.
13. Unlike other programs, you don't need to go to meetings or weigh in to check your weight loss progress in front of others (if that embarrasses you). So, it is time saving and you do everything on your own schedule.
14. There are variable programs for older individuals and vegetarians. I think vegetarians need to read the ingredients, however, because sometimes the names are misleading. For example, a soup might be made with chicken-based broth, which isn't listed in the food name. In addition, men typically need more calories than women. Therefore, men are allotted extra carbs that are not in the women's diet.
15. Eating right: in addition to portion size, the diet emphasizes eating fruits and veggies with all meals. Fruits are good to curb your appetite (feeling hungry? want something sweet? have a small banana or an apple!). This is a healthy habit to have, even if you go off the diet. So it is good to get into this habit and the diet helps that.
21 drawbacks to the nutrisystem program:
1. If you really like to cook and you like fresh foods, then this diet isn't for you. Everything is preserved.
2. If you enjoy seafood/fish, then try another diet. Fish is hard to preserve and the "tuna casserole," one of the only fish meals, is not very good. The times we've cheated, I've most ordered fresh fish because I missed it.
3. Because the food is preserved, there is a high sodium content. Most nutritionists have dieters back away from sodium because it causes water retention and an increase in sugar cravings. But, the upside is that it helps make the food tasty.
4. Although the food doesn't need to go into the refrigerator, you do need significant storage space in your kitchen cabinets. It is even tougher if two of you are doing the diet at the same time and you have a small apartment.
5. The breakfasts are mainly cereals, bars or muffins. So, if you enjoy something a little salty for breakfast, the only options are the powdered scrambled eggs (3 different flavors). I like to have mine with a dairy serving: slice of low fat cheese or 1/4 cup of cottage cheese.
6. Some of the entrees are swimming in sauce, which contains calories but you can't really eat it because there is nothing to absorb it. I usually end up eating my vegetable portion by adding it into the sauce.
7. The food is highly preserved (um, obviously, that's why it doesn't need to be refrigerated), so you are putting preservatives in your body. If you like organic foods, this is not for you.
8. The portion sizes are small (and they look it!) and take some getting used to. If you eat slow, supplement with the recommended fruits, vegetables and salads, and drink between bites, then it is doable.
9. If you eat everything you are allowed to (including the dairy/protein servings, salads and vegetables), then it will take you longer to lose weight than if you just eat the meal plan portions.
10. The packaging is not 100% environmentally friendly. Each meal comes packed in a packet or box. While the boxes are recyclable, the microwaveable meal containers are not in most areas (type 5 plastic). So, if you are into saving the environment, don't use this diet.
11. When you receive the food order, it comes in a big box all mixed up. You have to sort through the breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners. Previously, the entrees were labeled in small print with the meal category. Now, the meals are color coded: blue for breakfast, green for lunch, red for dinner and hot pink for dessert. Nevertheless, the company most likely counts on people not being so organized to catalogue each item. While the dinners and lunches are usually easy to sort out, there are bars that are intended for one meal or another (bars can be a breakfast, lunch, or snack). So, if you care that you are eating the right bar at the right time, you need to sort through dozens of packages into their categories. They are now better color coded for ease, but it still takes time to sort.
12. For all five deliveries we've received so far (three for myself and two for my husband), the company has either short changed us or substituted with things we don't eat. Twice, they forgot to send the entire free week's worth of meals as part of our promotion. If you do not have the time or patience to sort through 28 breakfasts, 28 lunches, 28 dinners and 28 snacks, then you won't know if they short-changed you at all. But, I highly recommend it just in case.
13. Taste: while the food flavor is generally okay, recall that it is highly preserved and the food is sitting at room temperature, sometimes in sauces. Therefore, it is fairly mushy, especially the pasta, rice and chicken. Most items in red sauces taste okay (except the cheese tortellini for lunch--neither of us liked that one). I was not fond of the bar tastes and textures (with the exception of the chocolate chip breakfast bar and the trail mix lunch bar). However, my husband prefers the bars for the sake of convenience and tolerates their taste.
14. While your grocery shopping time is dramatically reduced, it is not negligible. You need to purchase veggies and dairy products, but not too much at one time. You are only allowed 15 grapes for your fruit serving! You also need to get breads or tortillas if you eat the burger, hotdogs or fajitas. Also, you can consider the time it takes to sort and store the foods, along with the time it takes to choose the food and place the internet order, as grocery shopping time (wouldn't you have to sort through your groceries and put them away?)
15. Because of this shopping you need to do, this makes the plan pretty costly.
16. Although they advertise that you do not have to measure, that is not 100% true. You need to measure out water or milk to add to the preparation of the meals. So, you need to have measuring cups and measuring spoons. I eyeball the 5 oz I need to add to the oatmeal. You are also only allowed 2 tbsps of fat free salad dressing (which you need to purchase) on your salads.
17. This diet is not really meant for those who have a family because the meals are individualized.
18. Unless you go on autodelivery, you need to pay shipping fees for the food.
19. If you need support, like communicating with others who are also trying to fight the weight battle, then this diet is not for you. It works on an independent basis.
20. While the phone customer service is very good (polite and helpful), they need to work on their e-mail service. Basically, if you forget to postpone, they don't send you an e-mail when your order is scheduled to ship out. They don't send you e-mails to verify when your order shipped. They don't send you e-mails to show you changed your order. They need to work on this so that you can keep track of these things. Plus, they say an order will ship out on a certain date and they have always shipped out earlier than that date. So, even if you do remember to postpone on the last day, then it has already shipped out before you can actually reschedule the delivery for when it is convenient.
21. As with any diet, you need to watch your body for changes and take vitamins. I normally take a multi-vitamin, but even with that I began losing hair. Although I did not consult a dermatologist, there was nothing else that changed in my lifestyle and so I attributed the hair loss to the diet. Several things in a diet can result in hair loss. But, since I was taking a multi-vitamin, I attributed it to the lack of omega fatty acids in the diet (since it is low fat). Therefore, I purchased flax seed oil as an additional supplement (another expense!) and the hair loss slowed. You should consult your doctor before pursuing any diet and notify your doctor of major changes. Note: nutrisystem has since changed the formula of the food to Nutrisystem Advance, which includes more omega fatty acids, so I think I was right about it. And, for more info on diets and hair loss, check out: http://www.bestdietforme.com/DietingAndHairLoss.htm
Other info:
Returns: These are fairly easy, but you need to pay to ship back to the company. You can call and ask for a return authorization number, but you must do it within 30 days of placing the order (not receiving the order). The customer service people have been helpful and we haven't had to ship anything back because they tend to replace items when they've made mistakes.
Flexible buying options: You can order directly from NutriSystem.com, where you would get their latest promotion. Alternatively, you can order from QVC.com and they have different types of packages (like weekdays only, or weekends only), but they don't offer the same promotions as Nutrisystem.com.
Diet comparison: I cannot compare with other diets totally because the only other diet I tried before was Atkins. On Atkin's, you don't have to worry about portion control and, since you are eating meat and dairy with limited carbs, it is also costly. There are clear benefits to this over Atkins, namely that your body chemistry will not change (i.e., your metabolism) after this diet, whereas it does with Atkins. This also has more flexibility than with Atkins, but Atkins is more effective at losing weight, although the change to your body may not be worth it.
Hints: You are allowed to have unlimited quantities of some items. So, for salads, you can have unlimited lettuce and cucumbers. Fill up on that before you have your meals.
There are some things you are allowed to have and you can mix and max combinations. For example, if you are allowed a fruit, a fat serving (as part of dinner) and a dessert selection, you can do something like this: small banana, 1 tbsp of peanut butter topped with the Nutrisystem chocolate chips.
For a refreshing treat, you can make lemonade with water, ice, lemon juice (fresh or concentrated) and artificial sweetener.
Some dos and don'ts for meals:
For breakfasts, do have the cranberry orange pastry, blueberry muffins, oatmeal, chocolate chip bar, nutriflakes and granola. The smoked eggs are okay.
For breakfasts, avoid the toaster pastries (too small, cardboard taste), eggs with stuff (cheese or veggie sausage), and apple granola bar. Eww!
For lunches, go for the black beans and rice, chocolate milk drink and fettuccini alfredo.
For lunches, avoid the cranberry yogurt bar and the cheese tortellini.
For dinner, do have the mac and cheese regular, chicken with dumplings, beef tacos, thick crust pizza, mashed potatoes with meatloaf and rotini with meatballs. The thin crust pizza tastes the same but is smaller, so why would you get that? For dinner, avoid the tuna casserole, zesty cajun style and chicken BBQ sauce over beef.
For dessert, go for the BBQ soy chips, Nacho crisps, oatmeal raisin cookie, chocolate chip biscotti, chocolate crunch bar, zesty herb snack mix.
For dessert, avoid the peanut butter cookie and cherry jubilee pudding.
So, you should try NutriSystem Advanced. What do you have to lose? Oh yeah, THE WEIGHT! Good luck with your diet!!
Recommended:
Yes
Approximate Monthly Cost (US$) 293.00
Food Variety Restrictions A wide variety of allowed foods
Restrictiveness of Portions Few small portions
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Epinions.com ID:
mnashat
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Reviews written: 2
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