Nutrisystem Review

If you haven’t touched a stove since your high school home economics class, Nutisystem is the leading diet for the non-Betty Crocker set. All meals, snacks, and desserts are prepackaged and easy to prepare.

Members pay for 28 days’ worth of meals at a time, choosing from a menu that includes cheese ravioli with basil tomato sauce and thick crust pizza. Nutrisystem has the largest selection of prepackaged meals out of all major diet programs, with over 160 food choices.

Is Nutrisystem Effective?

A recent survey conducted by National Business Research Institute in 2009 found that Nutrisystem customers lost an average of 30 pounds over an average of 18 weeks compared to self-dieters who lost an average of 20 pounds over an average of 13.5 weeks. If you dutifully stick to your prescribed meal plan, you’ll lose weight.

Nutrisystem Cost

Although not as pricey as Jenny Craig, a basic Nutrisystem four week plan costs $299.95. Of course, you’re required to sign up for the auto-delivery feature to receive this price. The Fresh-Frozen four week plan (Nutrisystem Select) features a wider selection of foods and will set you back $388.94. Shipping for month to month plans generally runs around $18.95 per month.

Newbies may not realize that Nutrisystem food is designed to be complemented with six servings of vegetables and fruits every day, adding an additional cost to your monthly food budget. You’ll want to factor this in when contemplating the program’s price tag, as six servings of fresh produce will add an additional $3-9 to your daily cost. If you don’t have a tight budget, you won’t be fazed by the total cost of this diet. Savvy dieters should check out retailmenot.com or couponcabin.com for special promotion codes that can save members major moola.

Nutrisystem Delivery

After you place your order, your selections arrive in six to 10 days, but priority shipping is also an option for procrastinators. If you choose to have your next month of food automatically shipped, you’ll receive a 10% discount. Dieters that place their orders with a live person via phone have complained that the customer service rep immediately launched into a high-pressure sales pitch to upgrade the member to a pricier plan. If you’re susceptible to this kind of salesmanship, it’s best to order your plan online.

Nutrisystem Food: What to Expect

Although there are several major diet programs that rely on prepackaged food, one perk that sets Nutrisystem apart is that the program allows you to tailor the diet to your age, sex, and food restrictions. Special programs include Nutrisystem Men, Nutrisystem D (diabetic), Nutrisystem Silver (seniors), and Nutrisystem Vegetarian.

 It’s a no-brainer diet—perfect for the time-crunched or dieters that view counting carbs and calories as culinary punishment. You’ll be eating often throughout the day to prevent food cravings and keep your metabolism humming. And carb lovers will appreciate that no food group is deemed evil on this plan. In fact, Nutrisystem’s low-calorie pasta dinners and chocolate snacks can keep carb lusters from falling off the diet wagon.

Because many dieters have complained that the meals are far from a flavor sensation, Nutrisystem recently added over 50 new menu items to win over naysayers, including double chocolate muffins and buffalo chicken wraps. Some Nutrisystem members have also complained that the small portion sizes and low fiber content of many of the meals leaves their stomach growling shortly after they finish eating. This is why it’s important to space out Nutrisystem meals evenly. Don’t allow yourself to go more than four hours without eating a Nutrisystem meal or snack or you’ll run the risk of breaking down and raiding the office vending machine.

The Caveats

Life on prepackaged food works in the short-term, but sooner or later you’re going to have to attend a family gathering, getaway, or office dinner, and whipping out a microwave dinner at your sister’s wedding isn’t going to fly. Using Nutrisystem to lose the bulk of your weight is a solid plan, but for lifelong maintenance eventually you’ll need to learn how to integrate food that doesn’t come in a box. Although Nutrisystem emphasizes all the food groups, the program doesn’t encourage yogurt or milk, shortchanging your body on calcium. Taking a supplement can help fill the calcium gap.

While Nutrisystem does have online support and a toll free number available to members, it doesn’t have the in-person support some dieters require (like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers). But if you don’t have problems with emotional eating and you’d prefer to be a weight-loss lone wolf you’ll enjoy the no-fuss system that requires zero time commitment.

You may find that joining the site’s online community and accessing the online tools are all you need to stay on track. Most notable: the Mindset Makeover 13-Week Interactive Strategy Tool. The week-by-week guide includes advice, tutorials, and tips to help you meet your goals.

The Bottom Line

If you’re short on time and want to lose weight without counting points or calories, Nutrisytem makes dieting automatic. There are no meetings or weigh-ins to attend, so busy dieters don’t have to slow down their lives to speed up their weight loss. But compared to diets like Jenny Craig and South Beach, Nutrisystem’s food is less than stellar. And the cost of Nutrisystem can leave your wallet feeling the burn, so make sure you can afford the monthly membership and the cost of supermarket snacks before jumping onboard.

At a glance: Is Nutrisystem the diet for me?

Yes, if:
•    You don’t want to spend time counting carbs, calories, or points
•    You’re too time-crunched to attend meetings or counseling sessions
•    You hate to cook
•    You don’t want to eliminate any “naughty foods” from your life completely
•    You’ve got special dietary needs (vegetarians, diabetics)

No, if:
•    You’re on a tight budget
•    You’re a health newbie and could use peer support or a counselor
•    You spend a lot of time dining out or attending social events
•    You’ve never found a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice frozen dinner that rubbed you the right way