My Ongoing Experience with the Nutrisystem Diet

On Monday, I'll be completing my fourth month on the Nutrisystem diet. Although the target weight might shift by 2 or 3 pounds, it looks as though I'll have attained a cumulative loss in the range of the mid-40 pounds. That, in my view, is impressive (better than some celebrity endorsers), but I have a lot more to lose and anticipate being on the diet through most of next year.

This post should not be considered an endorsement of the company's products or services. I have no financial stake in the company. What I'm addressing here is my own honest assessment and reasons for trying the system.

In part, this post is in response to the opinions of others. One unnamed relative by marriage unsuccessfully tried the company's products in the past and has a negative opinion; she and her husband subsequently had bariatric surgery, and they have been pleased with the results. I will not recommend their approach, which I regard as risky and a surrender without addressing the unresolved fundamental issues of proper nutrition and exercise. Is it wrong? Or are we simply indifferent to whatever the weight loss method, so long as it is effective?

I don't believe that I'm judgmental regarding other obese people. For example, I have a sister and a nephew whom have gained weight principally as a consequence of medication they are taking for other health reasons. I similarly remember seeing comedian Jerry Lewis whom had appeared on one of his MS telethons with a bloated appearance. I also know it is very difficult for a number of people to lose weight. There are individual differences (e.g., in terms of metabolism) that go beyond diet and exercise. But it's very difficult to get away from the fact that being excessively overweight goes beyond the social stigma and the difficulty in buying clothes; the inability to control your diet can affect your longevity and the quality of the end years of one's life.

In the case of my relatives having the bariatric procedure done, the motive was primarily aimed at improving one's appearance and sexual attractiveness. There is nothing wrong with wanting others to find you physically attractive, but in my opinion, one's general attitude (a positive self-image, good sense of humor and confidence) is more critical. Things like cosmetic surgery only address one's surface appearance; it does not compensate for one's deficient self-image. Perfection is never attainable in real life. What if you achieve your goal and discover the reality doesn't meet your unrealistic expectations? Do you go back to comfort foods and regaining your lost weight, pound by pound?

I have gone up and down in weight my whole adult life. But I've rarely purchased sugary foods or packaged snacks, do not frequent all-you-care-to-eat buffets, and the like. How is it possible that I regained nearly 90 pounds I lost on a low-carb diet from 2003 to 2004? The simple answer is: one pound at a time; I think it's a matter of slowing metabolism, in part due to an undiagnosed thyroid deficiency but also part of the aging process, and lack of consistent exercise (which I blamed on long commute times, work schedules and business travel), and also a lack of portion control.

Nutrisystem has done a good job addressing the latter issue (portion control).  I'm on a plan which explicitly plans for three heavier traditional meals and three light snacks, roughly at 3 hour intervals. The basic idea is not to overload one's stomach at once but to more efficiently spread one's calories through the day. A typical Nutrisystem meal consists of one packaged item for each of three regular meals and one snack item or dessert (for one of the 3 light snack/meals). Breakfast items include things like cereals, nutrition bars, or pastry items; lunch items include some microwavable bowls (e.g., small pasta dishes or prepared soups), packaged dry soups and nutrition bars; dinner items include a variety of pasta, meat and/or vegetable entrees; snack items include modestly sized cookies, pastries, or bars or various flavored soy chips, pretzels, and related items.

I personally find that I like the taste of the Nutrisystem items, but I don't go into meals with unrealistic expectations. For example, if you bite into a Nutrisystem cookie with the expectation of a Mrs. Fields' experience or a lasagna expecting the Olive Garden's version, you will be disappointed. You are not going to find a lot of high-glycemic (sugary) or fatty ingredients. What you will find are precisely portioned items with impressive ingredient lists, often in very subtle ways, not unlike mothers finding stealth methods for getting their kids to eat their vegetables. For example, many of the pastry items have a significant number of protein and fiber grams (e.g., soy-based ingredients).

As Nutrisystem explicitly notes, you need to supplement your diet with fresh or frozen foods, i.e., fruits and vegetables, beverages and very limited portions of other foods (e.g., breads, nuts, etc.)

Going back to the question if it's worth roughly $300 a month (including delivery): I think it's a good value, especially when you take into account that the meals are precisely portioned and quickly and easily prepared (many lunch and dinner items are ready in less than 2 minutes in a microwave). As to my relative's adverse opinions regarding the taste of the food: probably the best response can be seen in the context of a Nutrisystem website feature called the Daily Dose, a daily post message of diet/motivational advice. There is an accompanying click rewards item which you can click once a day, earning a minor discount each time you complete a fifty-click cycle. One of things you'll see when you load the Daily Dose page is the most recent aggregate click totals for the last 10 customers. I often see click totals from between 500 to 1500 clicks--meaning there are customers whom have purchased Nutrisystem items for more than a year. You don't keep customers paying $300 or more a month for a year or longer if they don't like the company's products.

I can't speak for other people. It is possible to carefully shop and prepare your own nutritious meals without paying a company hundreds of dollars a month; I did it during my low-carb phase. For me, I think the major motivation was the sobering potential risk of developing type 2 diabetes if I didn't get my weight under control. What I had been doing on my own wasn't working. Under the Nutrisystem method, I rarely, if ever, binge, and I've managed to eat under 2000 calories a day. (I did manage to lose 15 pounds over the past year before Nutrisystem, but the fact is my weight loss has picked up under the discipline of the new system.) The results are beginning to show; for instance, several months ago I had a belt which I could barely fasten, and now I'm going to have to buy a new belt. If most people looked at me, they would see still a seriously overweight man--but a man whom has lost roughly 60 pounds over the past year, easier said than done.