You have probably seen the infomercials for Nutrisystem Advanced on television. From regular people to celebrities like Marie Osmond and Dan Marino – there is a lot of hype. So what does this program entail?
I began the Nutrisystem program in September of 2007. I am currently down 50 pounds since that point, and here is my experience with the program and the food.
First of all, Nutrisystem is a reduced calorie, portion controlled program. That is why it works. The Nutriystem foods are formulated to have a lower impact on your blood sugar, so every item has a combination of protein, fat and carbs. Even the chocolate bars have protein and fiber in them! This does help keep you full, surprisingly so. Plus, you are to eat something every 3-4 hours, which also keeps your blood sugar stable – a key in controlling cravings.
For women with less than 100 pounds to lose, the average calorie allotment for Nutrisystem is around 1200 per day (if you are a man or have more than 100 pounds to lose, there is more food you add). You will eat three meals and two snacks spaced through out the day. Many people are under the assumption that you only eat the Nutrisystem food. This is not true. You need to supply your own fresh produce, dairy/protein items and a fat serving. For women with less than 100 pounds to lose, you add a protein/dairy serving to breakfast, salad and a dairy/protein at lunch, afternoon snack of fruit and dairy/protein, dinner includes a salad (or fruit), two servings of vegetables and your fat serving.
If you only at the Nutrisystem foods, you would only be consuming 800-900 calories per day, which is a starvation diet at best. When you receive your box of food, there is a daily meal planner enclosed which tells you what to add to your day.
A typical day for me would be:
Breakfast:
Nutrisystem pancakes
Blueberries (added fruit item)
1 cup of milk (added protein/dairy item)
coffee
Lunch:
Nutrisystem Fudge Graham bar
Flame grilled boca burger (added protein/dairy item)
salad with low cal dressing
Snack:
small skim milk latte
strawberries
Dinner:
Nutrisystem Thick Crust pizza
steamed broccoli (added vegetable servings)
applesauce (fruit or salad option)
1/3 ounce of cashews (fat serving)
Snack:
Nutrisystem Chocolate Crunch bar.
There are over 100 menu items to choose from, so you should be able to find something you like to eat. I am fairly picky, and with my autoship, I select only the items I truly like.
Breakfast items are typical, such as cereals, granola, pancakes and pastries. I found the cereal portions to be too small to really fill me up. The only cereal I order now is the granola, which I mix with yogurt and top with fresh strawberries. The pancakes are very filling, and have 10 grams of fiber! You can either top them with low cal maple syrup, or fruit. Be aware that the pastries contain some sugar alchols, and many people report that these items give them gas.
Lunch items are very portable. There are pastas and soups in little lunch buckets that are microwaveable, and dehydrated cup lunches as well as meal replacement bars (best for traveling). Personally, I am not a fan of the lunch bucket entrees, as they taste very processed to me. I do really like the lunch bars.
Dinners are a wide variety of tray meals (or what I like to call the ‘sauce’ meals), dehydrated meals, or toastable meals (like the pizzas). I have found that I don’t care for the tray meals. They are too saucy for me, and all have a similar taste that I can’t quite put my finger on. A little artificial tasting. The Chicken and Dumplings entree is the exception, though – tasty. I do really enjoy the macaroni and cheese, and the pizzas. You can get very creative with the pizzas – topping them with all kinds of veggies, turkey pepperoni, barbecue sauce. That’s part of the fun.
The dessert/snacks are probably my favorite thing on the menu. They are a good size for an evening munch. The Chocolate and Mint Crunch bars are my favorite, as well as the White Cheddar Soy Crisps.
Many people also are concerned about the price with Nutrisystem. This is understandable, but also varies depending upon your diet before. If you eat out a lot and spend a lot of money on junk food, Nutrisystem can actually save you money. If you eat mostly at home, and have a large household – it might be more for you to eat Nutrisystem foods. The list price for a 28 day supply of food is $327.00. When you sign up for the autoship program, you get 10% off of this price, and after your third month, the discount increases to 15%. You can also log into the Nutrisystem web site and participate in their Daily Dose program, where you can click each day and after 50 clicks – they send you a $10 coupon.
You may also earn referral bonuses (the Buddy Bucks program). For each new customer you refer that places an order, you receive a $30 coupon to apply to your order. So you can see how these discounts add up. Only you can decide if the program is worth the money.
Once you reach your goal (or whenever you choose to do this), you can move to a maintenance program. Nutrisystem offers several different options choices of what types of food to order and how often.
Overall, I feel that Nutriystem is a good plan. It is working well for me, and I am introducing my own foods in, and eating Nutrisystem foods other days. Filling out the daily planner each day will teach you proper portion sizes and how to plan your meals so that they are balanced. The key is to use Nutrisystem as a tool to create a better lifestyle for yourself. Take advantage of all the site has to offer, from the bulletin boards, to free access to dietitians and counselors. You can leave the Nutrisystem program with a clear understanding of the way you need to eat for the rest of your life to maintain your weight loss and live a healthy life!
