NutriSystem: A Complete Review

Dog food? Please! No, it's not gourmet food, but it's definitely not dog food! My wife and I have only been on the diet for three days (I'm down 5.2 lbs - she's down 3.6!!!) and so far I like most of what I've eaten. I doctor mine up with onions, cilantro, jalapenos and other low/non-caloric goodies. I like those things so it's not like I'm trying to cover up a taste. Tried the cheesy potatoes today with a small amount of fat-free butter spray - GOOD!

A little gas, yes, so what. Sometimes a feeling of being hungry, yes, so I spread my food out through the day. I haven't had any mad cravings yet either.

I feel better and am already seeing a small difference in my appearance...in only three days! I'm excited about this program and plan to stick with it for a while. I've got some pants in the closet that I WILL get back into!

Like any diet, if yer gonna whine, complain and find everything you can wrong with it, and above all, if you refuse to put out the effort, well, I don't suppose you could expect to succeed.

I do wish I could pick the food I wanted for the free week though! And they substituted a couple of items too - that kinda irritated me. And lastly, it's kind of expensive for what it is. Many of the items could be substituted very easily.

GOOD LUCK!!

Hello, everyone! I did nutrisystem in the 1990s when you went to the center. I lost 46 pounds in 6months.Over the last 10+years it was working its way back.I have tried everything to come along.Nutrisystem worked for me before so I am trying it again-to get off just 20 pounds this time.I do not remember having any GI problems the first time, but have constipation this time.Also, I am amused somewhat with the complaints about the food. Maybe I am too busy to care or easy to please? It is great not to have to fix any meals.I would advise anyone to at least try it for a month and see how it works for you.If you need to lose a lot, see your primary doctor first, get some baseline lab work,and then compare after a month.I am not hungry on this plan and have tons of energy,continuing to run in 5K races and even dropped time. Give it a shot!

How can you people say that your a picky eater when your 50lbs over weight? Your obviously not that picky. I ordered my NS today. Need to lose 50lbs and am confident I'll get it done. When you go from gorging yourself and eating 5,000 cal a day to around 1500 you will get head aches for awhile - Hello. I would opt to suffer a while with some not so good tasting food than suffer being a fat _ _ _ !!

I started NS 4 days ago and within 24 hours of starting it I was violently ill... Extreme diarrhea and bad headaches and constant nausea... At first I thought I just had a flu bug but it has continued.. come to find out, you really shouldn't do this diet without a gallbladder... Your body just doesn't process it the same way and can make you very sick... I feel like I've been poisened... So if you do not have a gall bladder this diet is definitely not for you... I have lost 6 pounds in the 4 days but I think some of it has been lost from the diarrhea...Just a warning..

If you don't lose weight eating Nutrisystem you are definitely doing something wrong. The food is horrible and I've had better meals out of MRE packets.
I just tested the pizza with peppers and mushrooms. Its a stale cracker with tomato sauce, soggy veggies and a frightening looking imitation cheese topping.
Freeze dried food just doesn't taste good. There's really no point.

Best thing to do is make fresh pizza with fresh dough, fresh vegetables and tomato sauce. Pizza isn't even high in calories anyway unless you heap on the olive oil, meat and cheeses.

I'm afraid to try the whipped sweet potatoes and cheese now.

I am still on Nutrisystem. I started on Jan. 26th. I have lost so far 33lbs. I did take on Easter weekend & ate with the family. So, I am still the same weight I was 2 weeks ago but I am back to it again.
The customer service, however, sucks. They have Yes'd me to death on the phone. I got some people to sign up & earned their "buddy bucks". I put the codes in. The order took them & then they still billed me the regular amount. They told me they were very sorry & that they would credit my credit card. It has been a month. 3 calls & no credit later. I am sticking with it but I am no longer recommending it to people. I have gotten a few emails from people from this site because I can get you $80 off your first order but I was supposed to be rewarded for signing people up. Anyway, the food is not bad. If you know what you like then order that. I tried almost everything they have & now I know exactly what I like. No other diet has worked for me and the person who said it is just portion control is correct. Unfortunately if it is not pre-packed for me, I will overeat. Simple as that. If anyone wants to order & wants the discount, you can still email me. rpmuse2004@yahoo.com
I am just forwarning you about their customer service. Hopefully, you never need to deal with them.

I have actually just started this program, the food isn't anything specatular (but keeping in mind I didn't start it because of the great tasting food.. of course diet food isn't going to taste as good... it lacks all of the fat and sodium). So for those who are complaining about how terrible the good is, all I can do is laugh.. I don't really know what you were expecting. This is to LOSE WEIGHT.. And for those who were complaining about how hungry they felt, I really don't know how much you eat, but I feel overly full eating their meals so maybe that's a message that you're eating too much to begin with and your stomach is stretched bigger than it should be??? There has been so much success with it I think that if you suck it up until you lose the weight you want, work out and keep focused that you WILL be very successful with the plan. Don't let the picky over-critical people stop you from trying this, it really will work if you stick with it.

Holly said:
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 have now tried both diets. I have to say I like Jenny better. I thought I would try Nutrisystem due to the free week of food. I have to say, the reason Nutrisystem is less expensive is because you get less food. On Jenny you have breakfst, snack, lunch,snack, dinner, desert. Everything except for salad is there. So I guess it depends on how often you want to go to the store. I feel like I am starving on NS. I had more food avail on JEnny and lost 38lbs 4 months. I've been on NS for almost 2 weeks and have lost about 6. Even with working ot 5 days a week for 1 hour. Hope this helps!

I've been on Nutrisystems for 2 months. I've lost maybe 6 pounds. I work out 3 to 4 times per week for more than an hour. I had lost about 40 pounds on my own, but was sort of stuck at the same weight for several months so decided to give NS a try. After receiving my first order and saw how much food that you have to put with it, I was really dissappointed. Actually I felt that it was out right false advertising. To follow the nourish program, you have to supply fruits, veggies, salad, bread, fats, dairy and other things. I spend about quite a bit of time preparing all the suplimental stuff. Don't be fooled that NS supplies it all. I also noticed several items full of transfats. How nourishing is that? Watch out for the partially hydrogenated soy bean oil. I sent back all the items that contained transfats but still waiting on my replacement food. My food costs about $350 per month. After checking the frozen food section I think I will switch to weight watchers entrees or other. They are less than half the NS dinner entrees. I think I can manage portion control with breakfast and lunch. I am already eating two salads a day and fruit twice a day so I cant see much value in continuing this program. Hope this helps those busy folks like me that think that might be getting an easy solution.

I am planning on making my order tomorrow. My husbands co-worker has been on NS for 3mo. and has lost 30+ lbs. His wife has lost 17lbs. I am not surprised by the bad reviews and I'm sure some of the foods do taste horrible. But I think the reason why most people turn to NS or jenny Craig is because it takes all the guess work out. Obviously to go to the store and buy healthy, fiber-rich foods and whip up yummy meals and eat perfectly portioned amounts of food, why would that person need to lose 20,30, or 60lbs. I'm going to try NS because nothing else seems to work. It seems very "black and white". Not any room for error, if your serious.

I was looking so forward to receipt of my Nutrisystem foods. I received this four days ago and have had the hardest time being able to eat anything I've tried - so far. I'm not, usually, one to complain but, I think the way I'll be losing weight is because I can't eat the food and spent so much purchasing it that I feel I either have to eat it or not eat at all. There are actually many of the items I cannot make myself eat no matter what. I'm really very sick about it - I spent alot and just cannot eat it. I'll have to be honest and say I did eat the pizza and the lemon-blueberry bar but this is all - literally - in 4 days! I did "supplement" something I couldn't eat with 1/2 a grapefruit as I was absolutely desperate for something good to eat. I wish I had better things to say about it but, I don't and I'm sorry. At least, I see, I'm not the only one that feels this way. Good luck, and I hope you do lose weight on whatever "system" you end up using. I'll be losing because I either have to eat this food or not eat at all (unless it's 1/2 a grapefruit). And, oh, by the way, I'm not a picky eater. Sorry, Nutrisystem.

You guys are scaring me! I just ordered my NS yesterday 5-4-07, and was very excited until today when I found this site. I have 60 lbs. to lose, the food can't be that bad, is it? I mainly joined because of the portion sizes so thats ok with me. I have tried other diets but always ate too much of the good stuff too. Well I hope I am one of the ones that enjoys the food and is successful with it.

Nutrisystem has a lot of hidden beans. Would you think meat lasagna had beans? My stomach is in total constant pain. My stomach makes so much noise now I can't go to church. Buy Beano if you start the diet and have problems with beans and high fiber. The pancakes have 12 grams of fiber!!!

I started the diet 2 weeks ago, and I have lost 12 pounds. Although I have been very happy with the loss, it has been a struggle as the food is not very good. I make myself eat it because I paid a lot for it. Everything has been tolerable so far except for the Tuna Casserole. It was pureed tuna. (yuck) I am disappointed as to how much I have to purchase on my own at the store to supplement the diet. I am buying everything except for the entrée itself. I am considering sending the rest of my food back for a credit, just buy out of the frozen food section, get better food for less money, and still get portion control. After 2 weeks of this, I have proved to myself that I can have the control. It is good to read the other comments to know that I am not alone here. I wish everyone the best of luck on this diet. It definitely works if you can handle the food & cost.

Kristina,
I started Nutri Sytem last month and the food tasted so bad I had trouble sticking with it and so I gave some of the other menu options a try this month. I think I will cancel because I dread ,instead of looking forward to eating the food. I tried Jenny Craig once and the food tasted better and was a better fit for me. I lost 20 pounds

how much weight ar you expected to lose on this diet? Could it be a fast fix that you can stay on?

NutriSystem works and it's convenient. After adhering to the program for about 2 months (2 orders would equal 9 weeks of food) most people then know what a healthy portion size is, and how to add in salads, veggies and fruits to their diet. It's harder doing NS on your own, but all the great Weight Watchers, South Beach and Healthy Choice foods in the stores make it much easier.

I just started NS today. I have tried three items so far; two were awesome and the other was fine. The Mint Chocolate Crunch bars are AWESOME. Taste like GS cookies. The BBQ Soy chips are great too! Anyone who is used to being on diets and eating frozen diet meals will not mind this food at all. The Chicken with Pasta in Cacciatorre Sauce was OK, but bland. I am determined to try this dead on for a month, since I have spent the money. I want to see what it does for me. I just need to get to the store to stock up on the fruit/veggies and milk/protein products. We just all need self control - easier said than done, in this world! I hope to get down to my goal weight on this system, then maintain with Weight Watchers type mentality . . . my parents are on WW and doing awesome, but I don't have time for meetings (new baby and all), and am bad about "getting off track". We'll see how spending $300 keeps me on track! ha.

Dog food? Chemicals?

I hope I can help someone make a good decision regarding your diet options. I started Nutrisystem in mid-January 2007. I have lost 107 lbs., and I am almost half way to goal. I did this to myself, and I take full responsibility to fix my problem. I want to ride amusement park rides with my kids, fit in airplane seats and live life to the fullest again. That's my motivation. The tool I chose is Nutrisystem, because the food is excellent, convenient and reasonably priced. You will quickly identify your favorites, and some your not so fond of. We all have our own tastes... Nutrisystem provides a lot of selection. The customer service is excellent. I am learning portion control, healthy eating habits and feeling better every day.

Decide what you want to do, why you want to do it, then act. I would recommend Nutrisystem to anyone, and have done so many times. Those whom I have recommended the program to are enjoying it as well.

Blessings and strength to those who are ready to change their life for the better!

I have been on NS for 3 weeks and have lost 10 lbs. One of the diet counselors told me the avg weight loss is about 1.5 to 2 lbs each week if you follow the plan closely. I think I've lost more than that b/c I've incorporated exercise in as well. Personally, I think it's the easiest diet I have ever tried and I love that it has me eating fruits and salads. I am very picky about food and I'm used to eating lots of fatty, fried meals, but the NS food tastes great and only 1 or 2 meals have not been good so far. Plus, I was afraid I'd be hungry all the time, like with other diets I've tried, but the meals are very filling and you can eat fruits and low-fat dairy in between. I recommend it to anyone looking to lose weight, especially if you need to lose 20 to 30 lbs and don't mind doing it over 2 months or so.

What is the sodium content in your food?
I am on a low salt diet.

Worked well for me, lost about 40 pounds in 90 days. Would recommend.

http://www.my-reviews.org/NutriSystem

I was nervous starting this after reading all the negative comments. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by the program. The food does not taste bad at all (it certainly is not gourmet, but compared to the "dog food" comment it is quite good). Some of the items (raviolis and flame broiled hamburger) are quite delicious! The texture of some of the food is strange at first, but you can get used to it. Adding fruit and vegetables is easy to do also. I've only been on it for a week, but I have not been hungry or had bad gas as others have described. I also have not weighed myself since it has only been a week. Will keep you posted.

Sue said:
I read all of the comments on NS and I wonder if I did the right thing? I ordered it last Saturday, I haven't received it yet but I was anticipating it until I read all of this. I guess at this point as long as the food is edible I don't care, I MUST lose weight, that's more important than taste. I hope this is it...[...]

I'm with you on this one! I just ordered the program too but haven't received it yet. After reading the posts here I too am feeling anxious about the whole thing. The fact that so many talk of the sodium content has me concerned. Also that the foods tend to leave you feeling bloated & cause constipation! I will give it a fair try & hopefully I will be 1 of the happy ones as I too need to lose weight. Best of luck to you!

I have been on this diet for 3 weeks and have lost about 10 lbs. AS one person said, there are things you will like and things you won't like. I don't think it's that bad. The chicken and sausage cajun style dinner was really good. My son tasted it and liked it.
The worst thing I've had is the Pasta Parmesan w/ Brocolli lunch. It's horrible. I try to avoid any of the meals with pasta - it's too slimy for me. My very favorite dinner is the Chicken Breast with Basil tomato sauce. I steam zuchinni or mushrooms and pour the tomato sauce over them.
I have a very sensitive stomach and have had absolutely no side effects such as some have described.
In fact, I have mild irritable bowel syndrome but on this diet all of those symptoms have gone away. Go figure.

I've been on Nutrisystem for 4 weeks so far, i've lost 20 lbs. I've got to say i was pleasantly surprised with the food. I take 1 day off per week to allow myself to have any foods I crave (staying mindful of portion sizes).

I have to include: I have had no side effects some of the others are describing, I am trying to lose an additional 100 lbs. and at this point feel that i can do it thanks to NS. You have to exercise, eat the fruits and vegetables and yogurt. Yogurt will become your best friend. I have hit a plateau and was instructed by my counselor to switch my lunch and dinner meals for a few weeks just to kick start the weight loss again. As for the food, the following are items I dont recommend:
Soy Chips: the barbecue and nacho are ok, but I couldn't eat them.... too weird tasting
I didn't care for the plain scrambled eggs or the eggs with sausage, the cheese eggs are GREAT !!!
Other than that, everything else i've had has been from ok to wonderful. It's not for everyone, but combine this with a healthy sustainable diet like weight watchers and your on the fast track to looking and feeling great !!!!

Just received my program late today! I need to go through things & see what "extras" I need to get started & I'm good to go!

I only want to loose about 10-15 pounds, how do stop loosing after you have reached your goal weight?

I have been on this diet for 3 weeks now and I haven't been able to stick with it. My stomach has been hurting so bad with horrible gas pains. It took me a while to figure out why it was hurting so bad, it's the food. I think I am going to have to try this on my own and buy Lean Cuisine meals. I hope other people have more success than I did. Good luck!

I've been on NS for a week, and find it very tolerable. I don't worry what to eat or when to eat it or if I'm eating too much or not enough....I need the stability and guidance right now.

I agree that you just need to try lots of different foods until you find your favorites...I have tried only a couple of items that I found simply disgusting...the majority of the foods have been tolerable to actually really good. I've noticed people saying that the muffins were gross, but I guess that's all a matter of taste and perspective. If you expect the 100 calorie muffins to taste lke the 600+ calorie muffins you get at starbucks or a real bakery you're in for a huge dissapoinment. Plus, I think they have a new recipe for the blueberry muffins... still not as good as the real thing, but again...it's diet food. I don't mind them...the bars are better, though.

Don't expect gourmet meals. Again, I think it's a matter of taste and personal needs. I'm not too picky, and even when I have disliked items, I finnish them. I'm a full time student and work a full time job. The NS food is certainly better than anything served in my college dining hall!! Plus, the cost per month is drastically less than the cost of a meal plan for above mentioned crappy college dining hall food. plus it's better than eating out.

On a side note, I did try one dinner the other night (I think it was supposed to be chicken parmesan or something....) and It tasted kinda funky....I told myself to just eat it and then I'd be full...but then a commercial for cat food cam on tv. My tray looked just like the cat food. I could not stomach it. I actually think it's pretty funny.... I know I won't be ordering that meal again.

But, like I said, I'm very pleased with the program. For the cost and convenience and good portion control, I'm willing to sacrifice a little quality and try a few things I might not love.

I started the program over 2 weeks ago. I definately do feel like there is way too much sodium in the food and it has given me some headache probably due to food cravings. It really is helping me to focus on what I'm eatting incomparison to before. I must admit the first week was hard. The food isn't that great some good and some awful. I really like the muffins and the dinners but the eggs for breakfast and the salad toppers almost made me sick. The price is really high I started it thinking I will save money but I am buying just as much groceries because Fruit and Vegetables and things like yogurt for the snack because they were not included. I would suggest this diet for a month or two but after I loose the weight there's no way I could eat heathier without the chemicals and be more satisfied. I think Lean cuisines are better in the whole meal is there. So far I feel better but this could be due to working out 3-4 times a week now. If you really wanted to follow the diet without purchasing it I say try it a month and then copy with fresher store bought products.

I like the program. It works for me. Of cours you're not supposed to stay on 3 NS meals a day once you lose all your weight! By then, you'll be very familiar with what REAL, appropriate serving sizes look like, and you will be able to make healthier, un-distorted choices. One of the main purposes of the prepackaged meals, besides the conveniece, is to teach you what a healthy amount of food is.

Also, I really like he muffins. They're great if you have them with milk as your dairy for breakfast.

As far as cost goes, I think its fine. It's way cheaper than Jenny Craig or even Weight Watchers, with all of the membership and meeting fees....Nutrisystem is Great, in my opinion. There's no contract, and you can send it back if you don't like it. I think you still have to pay shipping, but that's much more of a refund than any other weight loss program gives you.

Well, these posts have been rather scary and I just ordered my first from NS and really hope the food isnt all that awful or that it'd give me more gas than I normally have! It's probably the fiber, which I normally eat alot of anyway, so this won't be anything new. I am not picky about my food, as long as it's not super awful. I am trying to get down 25lbs, to my pre-marital, pre-babies weight. Wish me luck and I will post again on here. I see this as a semi support system. Even though NS has phone support, I am hesitant about calling for support.

My pre-conceptions is that NS gives you the portions and advice about what else to add (fruits and veggies) and then after doing a month or 2, it should give me the portion control or at least know what the portions are!

I really hope this will work, not just the fact that I spent money on it, but because I value my body and life.

Wish everyone the best! Will post again!

I started nutrisystem on May 5th. I have lost about 12-15 pounds. My weight tends to flucuate a lot due to fluid retention. The food is fairly good except for a few items, I have been pleased with it...tuna casserole, yeck!!! Looks and taste like glue. I like the soups and the flame broiled beef patties. I am planning to try to stick it out for 12 full weeks. My goal is to lose 50 pounds. I am not exercising now but I lead a very active life. I do plan to start some organized exercise. I am out of town, 2-3 weekends a month and am required to eat out. This has been the hardest thing for me so far....I love margaritas and tortilla chips/salsa.

I don't think I can lose 12-15 lbs in 23 days. If I did, I'd be questioning it! But then again, my goal is to lose about 25 lbs. I hope the foods I picked will taste ok to last the month. Then I will know better for the next month. I avoided all the beef ones. I like chicken and pastas. Hope they are good.

Eating out, with family/friends or business can be tricky when on any diet.
Good luck to all!

I have been on NS for one full week and have lost 4 lbs so far. I am not an extremely picky eater so it has not been terrible- I do kind of get bored eating 2 salads per day everyday-I am looking at this as a short term plan, I don't think I would be able to continue this for an extended period. I thought the pancakes were tasty, the burger was good, I like the desserts, the dinners so far have been fine- if the food was all delicious and wonderful, then people would prob eat too much of it and not lose weight. Food on a diet isn't supposed to be awesome-if it was, there wouldn't be so many fat people. People have to change their mentality- they want to have delicious food and be full! And lose weight. Get real.

Well, my mind is ready for this NS diet. I can't wait to see and try this food! I wrote out my plan with the food and exercising and hope this will be a long term thing for me. Not that I am going to keep buying NS foods of course. After the 2 months, I hope to be able to survive and learned enough to go it alone with regular foods. Has anyone had long term success from this?

I am having a hard time with wanting to snack! I have always nibbled especially in the evening and at night. I just get a terrible craving for something...sweet, salty or whatever I shouldn't be having. When I am really tempted beyond control, I have been having an extra NS dessert/snack or extra fruit. I guess this is better than eating ice cream or chips, any suggestions? I just tried the chocolate chip pancakes and they are very good. I slice 1/2 banana and put between and on top of the pancakes and use sugar free syrup...delicious. The eggs are so much better if you cook them on the stove instead of the microwave. I have also ordered a few food items off of ebay, has anyone else done that before??