NutriSystem: A Complete Review

They used NutriSystem on Celebrity Fit Club. I think it's great for really super busy people that have no time to think about nutrition. But I also think there is value in learning how to eat regular food healthily, instead of relying on prepackaged foods.

I lost 80 pounds with nutrisystem. I now find other convienence foods that are similar to nutrisystem and eat the same "extras" -vegetables, fruits, etc. I am still losing weight all though not as fast. Also there is a book to make your own food if you prefer. Also if you use the message boards you can learn how to stay on the diet without the prepackaged foods. I got kind of tired of the dehydrated lunches and could find cheaper alternatives to the breakfasts. However I loved the dinners. Also the nice thing is when things are prepackaged they are portion controlled. If I cook for myself I tend to eat more.

I started nutrisystem two weeks ago, and so far I am quite happy with it. The dinners are wonderful, I will probably continue to order them a la carte after I'm off the program. The lunches are not so good, I've sent much of it back. I've found a few things I like for breakfast, and supplement it with my own favorite.
Doing this, I've lost 10lbs since I started. It has gotten me back on track after I started regaining already lost weight. I don't know how it would work if you have a family to cook for and eat with, but being single, it works well. I could never have most of these dishes because I'm one person and couldn't eat it all, how do you cook lasagna for one?? Now I get a great variety. We'll see how I feel about it 3 months from now, but so far I'm loving it.

Hello TJ - I can say that I just started the NS. I like it so far and I joined to get onto eating normal. I had only been eating dinner for years - coffee in the am. Never a problem before but not that I've reached 40+ it is difficult to keep the weight in check - I have a husband and 2 boys and I love to cook for them. They have been supportive of my NS foods and they understand what I'm trying to accomplish. It might be hard for others to cook up a nice dinner for the family and then eat their NS dinner but if you have the support it is worth it. This would be a great alternative for a single person though!

I ordered the food from Nurtisystem and frankly I think it tastes like dog food. I have never tasted dog food--so I am left to wonder if dog food tastes better.
It may be convenient, but that all it is. I'm going back to making my own food and good old fashioned portion control.

I am on week 2 and hanging on by a slim thread. The food is absolutely horrible and the time between breakfast and lunch is hard. Also, have any women had any menstrual problems after starting this diet (i.e. early cycles). I have read that a lot of women had this on the South Beach Diet.

I've been on NS for 1 week shy of 3 months. I have lost 28 pounds. In honesty - it is a very easy program, the food is tolerable and the online tools are fantastic.

I am thinking about starting NS. I have about 20-30 lbs to lose. How many lbs per week can someone expect to lose?

Thank you

I just started the program, 2nd week, and there are benefits and there are weaknesses. It's convenient, if you can stand to stomach cheddar mashers. But it's also expensive if you take the time to find equivalent foods at your local grocery store. In fact, you can find the exact same product, under a different label, at a better per serving price than what you can get from N-S. So here's the deal, if you need someone to dole out your single serving meals, one at a time, because you don't have the strength to only take one serving size from a box that holds 15 servings . . . you need N-S. But if you can hold onto the idea of smaller, balanced portions and servings . . . you can do better quality wise and price wise by buying the stuff locally. You have to go to the store to buy all the other support items (fruit, salad, dairy, protein, fats and carbs), why not just get the main course items too? I'm going to . . . .

I tried NutriSystem for months, and even though I admit I lost weight, the food was so foul tasting that I couldn't stomach it any longer. I spent so much money on the program and usually ended up eating the fruits and vegetables that I had to buy anyway. I think I would throw out more than I consumed. Everything tasted like chemicals. Who needs that? I ended up finding low-cal, whole grain recipes similar to the meals offered through NutriSystems and have continued to lose the weight.

For anyone thinking about using this diet, you should either have absolutely no taste buds or you will end up hating the food and wasting a lot of money. Do yourself a favor, if you can cook, use the internet to find good, healthy recipes and use them and forget about the chemical factory!

NutriSystems should be ashamed of themselves for pushing chemicals onto unsuspecting consumers. But then again, buyer beware!

I have been on NS for 10 days and have lost 13 lbs. I am starting to worry that I am loseing the weight to fast and it might not be healthy. However I feel great and I seem to have more energy. I like NS because of the portion control. I keep the food in boxes in my computer room. This works out very well as it keeps me from looking thru the kitchen cupbords and grabing unwanted snacks. It is expensive. After this month is up I am going to try to pre cook two weeks worth of meals on my own and see if I can control the portions myself. I am very happy with it so far.

I just started Nutrisystem. Breakfasts seem to be okay but how can you mess up cereal? The lunches...a bit harder for me to take. While not bad, not my taste. Dinners okay although I have only had the pizza and chicken patty. I figure I will try to keep on it for about 2 months. I am concerned about the amount of sodium, so I don't want to stay on it too long. If anyone wantes to try it, I will say this... I am a VERY PICKY eater and a junk food junkie...to the point where that was all I was eating, that and Burger King, so the taste/consistency may be a problem for me but I keep thinking if I can lose 20 pounds, I'll be thrilled and be able to do it on my own as I have done it before. I'll keep you posted on weight loss and if I stayed with the program or wolfed down a pint of Ben and Jerry's.

I have been on NS for 10 days now. Frankly, if I only had the bars for breakfast, lunch, and then the chicken patty for dinner I might be able to handle this. Unless they can assure me that they will not substitute my requested meals for what ever they decide to drop in my box, I will not continue another month. I have had to send more than half my first order back, yet to receive my exchange. I have to admit that I agree with the post that said that the food taste like dog food. Not sure what it taste like, but have started to wonder if the dog's food may be better. I'm going to try another month, if they send the correct order! Wish me luck!!

I've been on NS for about 2 1/2 months (with a nice long 10 day vacation in there where I wasn't so good). I've lost about 18 lbs which from everything I read is normal and healthy. Loosing too much weight too fast is unhealthy and unmaintainable.

The food isn't bad. You really have to experiment and try different stuff. There are a few things that are just horrid, and others that are really good. Avoid the Muffins like the plague.

To reply to the guy with the bleeding and gas. NS uses a good deal of Sugar alcohols in their food. Especially the bars, muffins, and Nutripeptide stuff (not 100% sure about the NP, but pretty sure). Some people have a lot of problems with sugar alcohols, those who do often find themselves using the bathroom a lot more and filled with a lot of gas (Salad does this to a lot of people too, especially those used to eating McDonalds 3x a day and haven't eated anything green other then a slurpy in 5 years).

I just started NS today. So far I'm not too pleased with the food but I will hold on since I paid for two weeks of food. The muffins are horrible. I'm hoping I will find something that tastes okay.

The food quality is really low but it makes sense because they are so cheap. You pay for what you get. I would rather pay more for better food quality. The food was made with cheapest material. They are canned food and have HIGH sodium. I never finished all the food and throw away some of them. The only food I think are ok are the desserts and snacks. I am used to eating high quality and organic food. I got headaches after eating the NutriSystem food (probably because of the sodium). If you eat 1200 calories a day and eat healthy fiber rich meals 5 times a day, you can lose weight. If you know how to do portion control, buying your own food is the best way since you can control the quality. You can send me email at susi98012@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks for a well rounded & objective overview of the nutrisystem plan. I appreciate your research and hand work.

I started NS 8/7/06 I was on it about a week and started to get Migranes and sweats. I am 49 years old and I have had problems with migranes. I believe there is something in the pre package food that is causing the migranes and sweats. I tried from 8/7 to 8/23 I stopped on 8/24 and I do not have a headache but still do have the sweats. I believe these will also go away as my body cleans out from the ingredents in the pre packaged food. I did feel that the salt also was not good for me. But I did like the ease and the meals were good. I love Chocolate but the only thing that was even close to settling my craving was the choc drop candy and choc cake.

Hey Everyone who wrote in to this site, Thanks!! I was thinking about trying NS diet, but now that I have read all these very helpful reviews, I am going to try a different approach. I think I'll buy some Smart One Weight Watcher meals for when I can't take the time to cook. The rest of the time I'll try my darnest to watch the portions and eat FRESH foods:):):)

I'm 6'2" and start NS 10 days ago at 217. I have lost 4 lbs. I think most of the food is good, though I am not a picky eater. The muffins are the worst though... blech. I have had awful gas problems as well.

The biggest problem I have is that you have to supplement so much. I don't mind supplementing with some fresh fruits and salad, but the convenience (and reasonable expense) is lost with all the supplements required. I find myself staying VERY hungry (not sure they have this diet well planned for a guy of my size). To be fair, I look back at my daily log and find that I haven't eaten a dairy here or a low GI carb there, but I was really expecting this to be more convenient.

I've been on NS for 10 days and have lost 8 lbs. I have literally tried everything else, but this seems to work. Some of the foods DO suck, but that's why they let you customize your package. Order the "variety pack" the first time, then go back through and order what you like!

I just started NS today and I opened the eggs and cheese and thought "This is eggs and cheese?" I put it in the microwave with water and POOF! It really was eggs and cheese! It was soooo cool :) I like the entertainment factor I get when I put something in the microwave and guess what it will look like when it's finished, hehehe. I'm a young girl that doesn't need a lot of calories to survive and even though I've read some bad comments, not everyone can be pleased. So I am eager to be the person that this works for. I think it's all in the mind.

I have only been on Nutrisystem for 4 days and have lost 5.5 lbs ! I am only on it to lose 17 lbs and it's a great way to kick start yourself. Some of the food is great and some is lousy, but the diet DOES work. I think it's because of the low carb aspect as well as SMALL portions.

Whoever said the food gets cheaper every month on the auto program is mistaken. It's every 4th month you get 10 percent off. I don't know who could stand to eat their food for that long though. It's very expensive for what you're getting. The portions are so small I have to put on my reading glasses on to see them. Whoever reads this before they order the food - DON'T GET THE EGGS!! I'm a meat eater but I would avoid all the meat dishes. They look and smell like dog food and just a guess, that they taste like it too - they're pretty bad. The best is the pasta dishes, especially the raviolli with basil. The soy chips are good too.

I am starting NS on tuesday (after labor day weekend) but I do not have the time to microwave my lunches since I will be returning to college and work. I definitely do not have the time to snack so I was wondering if it would be okay to replace snack with dessert and when it's time to eat dessert I can snack (by eating a salad). Time is my concern.
Thanks.

I am considering trying this diet. Has anyone tried Jenny Craig? I am interested to know how the food compares with Jenny Craig food.

I appreciate your input

I started Nutrisystem September 4th. The food is questionable. I did not realize the sodium content was so high - probably not good for someone with high blood pressure. Upsets me that nothing is mentioned about that on their site or in the printed information that came with my first order. I am going to try and learn how to cook lighter & healthier before I stop the plan, but I don't expect to be on it more than 2-3 months. (we'd go broke if I did it longer!) The breakfast options are terrible, lunches are OK, and most of the dinners have been quite good. I do find myself hungry in between being I haven't been supplementing. I guess I'm at about 60/40 in favor at this point, but its only been a week. I'm keeping track of the things I like and will ONLY order those for the next month. I guess it comes down to learning self control and portion control.

Hi all,

Both my wife and I are medical professionals and we decided to try the diet. Although we saw weightloss we found our GI System (digestive system) to be disrupted. We both seperately suffered from gas, bloating and diaherria, some on the nutrisystem website call this Nutri-toots or nutri-squirts. Either way very unattractive. Additionally we suffered severe headaches..this lasted for approx 2 weeks.

We took an inpromptu survey of collugues, patients and those on the nutris website and found almost all the individuals asked suffered with the same issues. I discussed this with a friend who is an obesity expert (speaks nationally) and diet MD who doesn't like fad diets, but did state that Nutrisystem was the poorest way to loose weight b/c people didn't stay on the diet. Moreover, they were sick due to the sodium, fillers and fluctionation in sugars their body was use too. He stated that Weight Watchers is the only diet that works long term, they have the highest number of individuals sticking to the diet, etc. Also we compaired the $1.42 Weight watchers meals at the store to the nutrisystem, almost identical foods give or take 100 calories or protein on each. The real key to the diet as we've learned is the high protein low carb...that's it. It's low carb as in low sugar...check it out for yourself.

So all in all my thought is, go with Weight Watchers, it's working much better for us, no headaches or stomach issues.As well it's easy for us as we're very busy and don't always have time for a meal so we just get the prepacked WW stuff...works as good if not better.

I guess I will be one of the few to rave about the NutriSystem program. I've been on the program for 6.5 weeks and lost 8 pounds (Start weight was 145). I absolutely love the food. The first month, I did throw a few things out (like the southwestern chicken, blech), but overall I've been extremely satisfied and love the convenience. The chocolate raspberry and fudge graham bars for lunch are heavenly -- it's like eating a candy bar! The dinners I've loved too, especially the flame broiled beef patty (tastes like it came straight off a BBQ, plus you add a whole wheat bun, so you don't feel totally carb deprived). Overall, I've been a bit hungry and have had a few cravings, but I've let myself have a "cheat" meal now and then to stay sane. I say go for it, especially if you are working like myself and don't want to spend your days worrying about what to cook.

I just called NS today to place my order for the first time. I am really scared after reading all the reviews. However, I feel this is a last resort for me. I have no self control when it comes to portions and I will eat until I am full so I figured this diet would be my best bet. And the cost of it all really concerns me. I am a single mom and money is definitely an issue for me. I have been going to the gym for a while though, and have lost about 20 lbs and several inches but I just don't feel as though it is coming off quick enough as I have been doing this for about 6 months now. Does anyone out there know of any diet other than "low carb" which would be inexpensive as well as effective in helping me lose this weight.

I started nutrisystem 2 weeks ago...trying to lose 15 lbs. Has anyone ever done this program and not lost weight? I have not lost one pound in fact I have gained 1 lb. I exercise on an eliptical machine or swim laps 3 times a week and have been strictly on the system with 2 eat out dinners where I really tried to eat the same things but in a restaurant. What's up with me??? I keep drinking more and more water - and yes the foods give me gas - but I don't mind the taste - I was starving before so eating is great. But it is driving me crazy that everybody loses and I don't. Boohoo.

HORRIBLE! I had diarrhea and stomach aches EVERY DAY while I was eating this food. I didn't even make the connection for a month because I didn't think it could have been the food. So I went off for a few days and the problem stopped immediately.
the CHEMICALS used in this food to preserve shelf life are probably what did it to me.
Some of the food I received was old - the meals in a cup tasted old and stale and would not mix properly.
Oh yeah - I didn't lose a singe pound either, despite eating next to nothing. total waste of money. I would not recommend this diet to anyone. The only redeeming factor in this whole thing was that it helped me to learn portion sizes.

I am a man who started NS on July 19, 2006 and after just over eight weeks I have lost 31.2 pounds (243 to 211.8) and my body fat has gone from 33% to 27.5%

Keys to this (or any) program...dedicate yourself to do it and do it right. No excuses, no acting like a baby ("I can't eat this, don't wanna exercise, blah blah blah"), just do it!

Follow the program, exercise, read the message boards (invaluable for support and ideas for creating meals) and you have to lose weight.

If you are serious, it works...period! If you wanna "try it"; "see if I like it" or some other half-hearted attempt, you are setting yourself up to fail.

It's your choice!

I was on Nutri-System for 3 months and my results were amazing. I am a small person, only 5'1" and was weighing in at 155! After 3 months I went dropped down to 120. I ate the food, added fresh fruits and vegetables and exercised. I did notice more weight loss when I exercised regularly. Also, my favorite form of exercise if weightlifting (I hate cardio) so to get down to 120 I thought was excellent since muscle weighs a whole lot more than fat! The best thing was I went from wearing a size 12, down to a 4! I have gained some weight back since I hvae stopped ordering the food but not much really, I can still wear the size 4 jeans. I really recommend this diet for the convenience, also anyone starting out on a "lifestyle change" this program helps to make it a little less scary.

I just started the plan yesterday (lost 3 lbs first day!), and feel sort of like I did when I first started on Atkins. The power of this plan for me is the portion control, leading to a calorie intake that will probably be half of what I normally eat. Put that together with moderate exercise, and I home to lose up to 60 lbs. The eggs and pot roast I've tasted so far was pretty awful. The granola bar and chocolate raspberry wasn't so bad.

I have lost 104 pounds on Nutrisystem. I am a diabetic and it was recommended to me by a doctor. Three weeks into the program I had to reduce my diabetes medications by 1/3. I hadn't lost much weight yet, this was completely due to the system of low GI carbs. I'm totally sold on the NS plan.

The great thing is that once you are familiar with the plan you can still follow their meal plan with your own food. I still get an autoship of NS food but it lasts me more than 2 months.

There are a lot of simple ways to fix up a dinner you don't like, like adding Tabasco or a dab of FF sour cream.

NS is infinitely preferable to weight loss surgery. I urge anyone to give a try on their own instead of being talked out of ordering because of a few bad reviews. The NS online support board has a wealth of information on how to work the program - unlike Weight Watchers where you have to be a paying member to get online support.

Nutrisystem was wonderful for my getting portion habits under control. Also I got used to not having loads of salt on my food and acquired a taste for little or no salt. I lost 30 pounds and got down to a weight I hadn't been at for a decade. It helped with my diabetes and blood pressure and I felt so much better. The down side of NS was having to buy more food at the grocery anyway, veggies and fruits, and I felt like I was spending a fortune on food just for myself. The NS food constipated me and I heard this complaint a couple of times elsewhere. I didn't like the breakfasts, there are just too much sweets, sugar sweetened cereal, granola bars, muffins, and I'm one that doesn't eat a lot of sweets. The lunches were pretty good and the dinners were too. The snacks were so-so but filling. I would go back on it if I could easily afford it. No plans are 100% perfect and I actually do recommend Nutrisystem for anyone just thinking about it.

I've been on Nutrisystem for a week and have lost 10 lbs.

My review of the food: I really enjoy most of the lunches and dinners. Some are just not my taste, and others really need to be reviewed and changed (beef and orzo, YICK!). They are mostly casserole-type dishes with some kind of meat, veggies, pasta and a sauce. The hamburger patties are surprisingly good for being freeze-dried.

The breakfasts: I like the cereals, oatmeals and the chocolate chip granola bars. And nothing else. Those muffins ARE NOT FOOD. I can't believe NS even put the Lemon Poppyseed muffins into circulation; they're horrible. The pancakes are okay; I didn't have to fight to get them down, but they're not my first choice.

Snacks/Desserts: Avoid the Chocolate Fudge Cake. That is not food, either. Everything else has been pretty good - the cheesy garlic cracker stick things are EXTREMELY good. The soy chips aren't as good as those I've purchased in the grocery store. Pudding's great, dessert bars are great, the Almond Biscotti is wonderful.

Not only do you eat the food they send you, but you supplement with small amounts of protein, fruit, veggies, salads, dairy, fats, and complex carbs. I've found that this is a bit more expensive than I anticipated; this week alone, I've gone through three heads of green leaf lettuce (you're required to eat salad at lunch and dinner). All the other veggies I purchase are either frozen or canned. I do purchase fresh fruit, but you can also substitute 1/2 cup juice for fruit servings.

I'm on the "Under-30" plan and I can tell you this - I've never eaten so much in my life while still losing weight. I'm really amazed. I am literally full all day long and have no desire to cheat whatsoever. This is coming from a chick with zero willpower - I'm not tempted by anything that's forbidden because I'm just not hungry enough to really want it.

What's more - after a week on NS, I have lost all cravings for candy, sweets, and sodas. I now only want to drink water and maybe Crystal Light with an occasional diet Coke. If you knew how I ate before, you would be as shocked as I am.

It's only been a week, but so far I have very, very few complaints about NS and I plan to stay on as long as I can.

Well, I am just starting today. The TexMex Beans and Rice was HORRIBLE. I am sending that back. I am 45 and I would like to lose 20 pounds. I will stay in touch.

Made it past day one. The hot dog for dinner saved me. I think I really need to do the snacks.
I ate dinner super slow last night. I am not weighing myself yet.