Nutrisystem
Lose weight with meals conveniently delivered to your home.
QUICK FACTS
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- Established: 1972
- Founder: Harold Katz
- Headquarters: Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
- Stock Symbol: NTRI
- Accessibility: Online, Phone
- Diet Type: Low-fat, Low-calorie, Meal Delivery, Portion Control
- Gender: Male and Female
- Celebrity Endorsements: Melissa Joan Hart, Marie Osmond, Dan Marino, Jillian Barberie, Terry Bradshaw
- Get started by saving with these Nutrisystem Coupons
BACKGROUND
Nutrisystem is one of the most recognizable names in weight loss and has rightly earned its place among the top diets. Founded in 1972, Nutrisystem has helped millions of people lose weight on its convenient portion-controlled meals. This program takes the guess work out of dieting and many people find it to be an easy approach to healthy weight loss.
The brand is one of the first diets to earn its marks by offering a hassle-free way to lose weight with its meal delivery service. The diet plan takes care of the majority of grocery shopping, cooking and portioning by delivering meals and snacks that are calorie-controlled and pre-prepared. All you have to do is heat and enjoy, supplementing with a few fresh grocery store items. Nutrisystem originally offered pantry-ready, but in 2009 added a fresh-frozen line of meals; combined the two lines offer more than 150 menu options.
Nutrisystem is currently based on its SUCCESS program, which focuses on flexibility, maintenance, taste, and satisfaction.
Most health experts agree that the Nutrisystem diet is healthy and nutritionally sound. The meals in the program are low in saturated and trans fats and sodium. All the foods are portion controlled and rely on a balanced approach by offering low glycemic index eating, to control blood sugar, that is high in protein and fiber, for satiety. All of these features make up the Nutrisystem SUCCESS program.
There are a range of plans at varying price points that are tailored to suit different nutritional needs, with those specifically for men, women, teens, diabetics and vegetarians.
Plans and meals are selected and ordered from Nutrisystem's website or by phone. You'll receive 28 days worth of food that comes in pantry-ready and or frozen containers that you simply heat before eating. Some grocery purchases will need to be made for items like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grain bread, fish, and more.
When you sign up with Nutrisystem, you'll also receive a Mindset Makeover behavioral guide, a 13-week online plan to help you better understand your relationship with food. It provides steps for taking control of your eating habits. Nutrisystem customers also have online access to health information, community support, weekly newsletters, smart phone applications, and tracking tools.
In addition to the proper eating, Nutrisystem encourages 30 minutes of exercise every day or using their interval workouts called “My Daily 3.”
Nutrisystem Videos
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PRO
Makes it clear what you need to do to lose weight
More than 71 million pounds lost by Nutrisystem customers in the past decade
Features more than 150 meals and snacks
Customizable
Provides balanced nutrition
Promotes exercise
Convenient
Vegetarian and diabetic friendly
Promotes weight loss at a healthy rate
Complimentary access to registered dietitians and weight loss counselors
6th Most Popular Diet in 2012 at DietsInReview.com
Named "Best Convenience Diet" in USA Today's The Best of Diet & Fitness Magazine, 2013
CON
Meals may leave you feeling hungry
May be cost prohibitive for some
Limited flexibility for eating off plan (i.e. restaurants)
USER REVIEWS
A sampling of feedback and experiences shared by our community.
I tried nutrisystem in 2008 and lost 28 pounds. It was the only diet I ever went on that actually worked,yes it is a little expensive, with the veggies and dairy but if you stick to it it works. - Lori 6/28/11
I've been on NS, the diabetic program, for 3 months. I've lost 35 pounds and my blood sugar has come WAY down (from mid 200's to low 100's). And I don't find the food unpalatable at all. You can customize your order, so anything I don't like I just don't order again, and anything I like I order more off on the next shipment. Customer service has been excellent, and there is a huge member support that is extremely helpful. Plus, I AM learning how to eat properly to keep the weight off when I reach goal. Yay, Nutrisystem! - Betty 6/16/11
it absolutely works if you follow it correctly. It is easy to follow as well, but the food is horrible!!! There are only a few things that are tolerable, and even if you customize your order you will get extremely tired of eating those same things over and over. They have a plan where you get these other foods added that are frozen. They are WAY better, but you only get a couple of weeks worth of it then your back to eating the other horrible food. Totally not worth it. I've tried it three times because I did lose the weight, but I couldn't handle the food. - Whitney 5/17/11
The portion sizes are sooo small. It's not possible to just grab and go. To feel satisfied you have to add fruits and lots of vegetables. It's not as mindless as I thought it was going to be. Fruits and vegetables are expensive. Overall it works because your fat/calories are so restricted and because no one wants to wstet all the money they spent on the program. I didn't mind the food. I have don't have gourmet taste or anything. No worse than the frozen/dried meals in stores now. I will probably not buy another month worth of food. Could have probably lost weigt eating lean cuisines, protein bars etc. I think nutrisystem is a good jump start to a diet and healthier eating. - TB 1/21/11
See our in-depth Nutrisystem review completed in 2010.
Leave Your Own Review and Rating
DIET and NUTRITION
Whenever people sign up for a meal delivery diet, the big question is "What can I eat?". With Nutrisystem, there are more than 150 meal and snack options to choose from, to include pantry-ready and frozen meals. Muffins, roasted vegetable pizza, stuffed shells, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup, chicken parmesan, and tacos are just a few of the entrees, while snacks include bars and pretzels. Dessert isn't out of the picture with options like oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate, ice cream and whoopee pies. All of this is complemented by a few grocery purchases, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Each Nutrisystem meal is pre-packaged and prepared to the appropriate portion size. Many items are ready-to-eat but some require heating.
All of the Nutrisystem meals are low on the glycemic index and contain a balanced proportion of quality carbohydrates (55%), good fats (25%) and protein (20%). Meals are also low in sodium and trans fat. All of this allows customers to maintain blood sugar while maintaining a feeling of fullness, or satiety, between meals.
The women’s program contains about 1,200 calories and the men’s contains about 1,500 calories per day. Each day you’ll eat three meals and and two snacks with the addition of six servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. You can either custom select your own meals or choose an automated favorites meal and snack menu. Pantry-ready foods do not need to be refrigerated; however, fresh-frozen meals ship in a cooler and must be frozen until ready to prepare.
A typical day on the Nutrisystem SUCCESS program includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, one snack and a dessert. Below is a sample menu from the Nutrisystem Select option, which features some fresh-frozen items:
Breakfast: Granola Cereal or Honey Wheat Bagel
Snack: Hummus or an orange
Lunch: Red Beans and Rice or Chicken Tacos
Dinner: Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes or Sweet and Sour Chicken
Dessert: Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies or Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
In December 2012, Nutrisystem announced the addition of two dozen new and improved meal options to their menu.
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Stuffed Egg
- Cheesecake Bar
- Spicy Kung Pao
- Margarita Pizza
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Cinnamon Streusel Muffin
- Chicken Parmesan Melt
- Stuffed Apple Pie
- White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
EXERCISE
Nutrisystem sees exercise as an important component to lifelong weight management and encourages members to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week (or 30 minutes five days a week).
The addition of the “My Daily 3” program has helped users achieve their workout goals. The program is made up of three 10-minute interval activities each day, allowing even the busiest of schedules to easily make fitness a priority. Nutrisystem customizes a fitness plan for each customer, based on an assessment taken online, and encourages your doctor to sign off on it. An example plan for a woman looks like this:
SUN: 20 minute hike, 10 minute bike ride
MON: 10 minute treadmill, 10 minute stationary bike, 10 minute rowing
TUE: Total body circuit training workout
WED: 10 minute walk before each meal of the day
THU: Total body resistance band workout
FRI: 10 minute walk before each meal of the day
SAT: 10 minutes stairs, 10 minute treadmill walking, 10 minute stationary bike
Members receive a two-week personalized fitness plan with guidance on how to increase their activity as fitness level improves and the weight loss journey progresses.
When you eat Nutrisystem's meals, you will lose weight without exercise. However, your weight loss will be more effective and sustainable if you incorporate a consistent exercise regimen. You will see faster results, have less trouble keeping the weight off, and enjoy better overall health. Find an activity you enjoy and that interests you. This will keep you motivated and looking forward to your workouts. There are online forums available to dieters for tips and suggestions from other members. Below are just a few examples of some popular choices:
- Zumba
- Aerobics classes
- Walking with a buddy
- Kickboxing
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Biking
- Swimming
- Jogging
- Fitness video games (example Nintendo Wii Fit)
NUTRISYSTEM FAQ
Common questions asked about the NutriSystem program by our community. Click each to see the full answer.
What meals are on the menu for NutiSystem D? - Mike 5/25/11
What is the cost of NutriSystem? - David 6/4/11
Can you buy a sample of NutriSystem? - Sandy 7/6/11
CONCLUSION
Nutrisystem is a well-recognized and successful weight loss program that has helped millions of people lose weight and improve their health. It’s been calculated that in the past ten years, Nutrisystem has helped people shed more than 71 million pounds. Its convenience and portion-controlled meals are delivered to your door every month making it easy to eat healthy as you lose weight. The company has implemented many ways for members to gain support as they lose, transition, and maintain. Members are also being taught how to cook for themselves throughout the process and have access to support at all stages of the process. Exercise components to aid in faster loss and maintenance have also been added to make the program more well-rounded and allow for long-term success. While weight gain after ending a diet is common, Nutrisystem puts a lot of components in place to ensure customers have as much success during as they do after.
Nutrisystem has added many support elements so that individuals will feel comfortable to seek advice and assistance once they are past the pre-made meal stage. All variations of the Nutrisystem plans fall under the SUCCESS program and tailored to each individual, whether that be diabetes, vegetarian, men’s needs, women’s needs, budget needs, or any other issues.
NUTRISYSTEM RESOURCES
Nutrisystem Channel on DietsInReview.com
NutriSystem Review at Everyday Health
Common Misspellings
Nutri System, Nutrasystem, Nutra system, Nutresystem, Nutrisystem.com, Nutrisytem, Nutrisytem, NutriSystem
DietsInReview.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.
Author
Featured Diets
Related Diets: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Medifast , Nu-Kitchen Fresh for NutriSystem, NutriSystem Advanced, NutriSystem Advanced Silver , NutriSystem D, NutriSystem Flex, NutriSystem for Men, NutriSystem Select, Glycemic Index
User Feedback
(Page 1 of 12, 229 total comments)Janice
Can I order on my food stamp card? I would like to join and place an order and I heard I can order on my food stamp card. If so can someone get ahold of me and take my order?
Mel
Most of the food is GROSS. Limited items. You are better off making and portioning your own foods. Example egg beaters 3 slices turkey bacon is the same cal as most of their breakfasts. Lunch healthy choice soup tuna no mayo etc. dinner grilled chick with steamed veges. Better tasting and way less expensive. I lost more weight this way and satisfied. Snack 100 calories packs skinny cow ice cream.
posted May 29th, 2013 8:46 pmdiane coy
I still feel very hungry on the program.
posted May 25th, 2013 3:30 pmBelgarion
Lost 50lbs, Keep in mind that as with any diet programs, exercise plays a huge role. I have ate other foods while on the program and I would watch to portion size and if I over indulge , I would make up for those days with a harder workouts over then next few days. The system works, if you stick to the program, how much you lose and how fast depends on how much you exercise.
posted May 23rd, 2013 7:58 pmOh ya, the food is not bad for prepackaged.
emily
Have tried many diets, this was the simplist and gave the best results. Didn't have to worry about shopping for the right foods, planning meals - just followed the plan and learned how to eat the right portion sizes. Broke the habit of skipping meals and eating out (which was adding tons more calories than I thought). Food is good, results great.
posted Apr 18th, 2013 2:22 pmGina St. Aubin
The first plan that's worked for me yet. I couldn't be happier with the results. Even when I think I'm going to struggle through events, the program gets me right back on track. I love Nutrisystem.
posted Apr 14th, 2013 4:37 amBarbara Rispinto
I was surprised how easy it is to follow this program! I like most of the food. I couldn't loose weight no matter how hard I tried, Nutrisystem is a blessing for me!
posted Apr 13th, 2013 7:04 pmBridget Reed
I have been on it for 8 weeks and have lost a little over 16lbs! I am loving this and it is changing my eating habits!
posted Apr 11th, 2013 4:19 pmSarah Rainwater
Ive been on Nutrisystem for almost 5 weeks and am down 10 pounds. I like some of their foods a LOT. There have been a couple of things I might not order again but thats trial and error, the same as if I was shopping at the grocery store. I am never hungry and I feel great.
posted Apr 10th, 2013 5:55 pmLindsay
I've lost 30 pounds on Nutrisystem in 4 months and it has been easy, delightful and delicious!
posted Apr 9th, 2013 5:38 pmamberm
I have been on this program for a little over 5 weeks, and it has literally changed my life. I've never felt hungry or like I'm suffering, and the results are happening quickly. After spending thousands of dollars on other plans that didn't work for me personally, I've finally found something that works for me. In just 5 weeks, I've lost almost 16 pounds, 9 inches, and 3 points off of my BMI. I am very happy on Nutrisystem, and will continue until I reach my weight loss goal.
posted Apr 9th, 2013 1:38 pmJai Merrill
I've been on the standard Nutrisystem Mens plan for the past 10 months and I've lost 50.1 lbs. (from 217.5 lbs to 167.4 lbs). I'm quite happy with it. I find the food to be pretty good myself. Some of the shelf-stable food is better than others and some I really like a lot. The frozen dinners actually amazed me at how good they are. My expectations have been totally exceeded.
posted Apr 9th, 2013 6:02 amTara Kramarsky
I've been using Nutrisystem for 4 weeks now and have lost 9 pounds (this past week I stayed exactly the same). I like having the food ready to go but also having the luxury of knowing I CAN go out to eat and order the right foods. Most of the food I have tried, I have really enjoyed. I would definitely recommend Nutrisystem to a friend!
posted Apr 9th, 2013 12:57 amBeeb Ashcroft
I am part of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program, which means I have been receiving complimentary food to review for the last 10 months. I'm a 5' 4" female who started the program at 164 pounds - I've lost 35 pounds since starting last June, which puts me at a healthy weight. Now I'm just working on getting more toned and athletic. One of the things I like about the program is that, for me, it's similar to what I cook myself when I have more time - preparing meals ahead of time, portioning out meals for the freezer, and so on. My weight has yo-yoed back and forth over the years because I often put my health on the back burner when I'm swamped with work or other commitments. Nutrisystem has given me a stable framework to eat regular, well-portioned meals no matter what's going on in my life. Having that structure for almost a solid year has really given me a lot of insights about how I eat and what I can change for the better, and helped me build different habits in the rest of my life - for example, how I behave at parties or eating out. It's been a real eye-opener and, for me personally, a really life-changing experience.
posted Apr 8th, 2013 11:54 pmMary
Been on Nutrisystem since July 2010. In 5 and 1/2 months I lost 40 pounds and an additional 13 pounds stepping up the exericse. Food is great! Follow the plan and YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT! Best diet plan ever!
posted Apr 8th, 2013 10:23 pmKatie Sexton
I love it! I have been on the Nutrisystem diet for going on 2 weeks now. If you follow the guide they send you, plus online guides and you use all of the tools that are available to you, including the dinning out guide, then you can make the plan work! I have a bad time being able to say no when it comes to yummy mouth watering foods that are full of fat and no good, but I have found the community and being able to use all of the tools to my advantage to work for me.
posted Apr 8th, 2013 10:15 pmNicole Fisher
My husband and I have been on Nutrisystem for several months and are loving it! The foods are great - our favorites are the breakfast burrito, steak and cheese melt, chicken enchilada and red velvet whoopie pie - yum!
posted Apr 8th, 2013 10:04 pmWendy Larson
I've been doing Nutrisystem for 3 weeks now and I've lost 7 lbs! My husband has lost 10! I'm never hungry and the support system is amazing. It's the healthy way to diet and learn about keeping the weight off for good.
posted Apr 8th, 2013 9:58 pmChristina V
I've been on Nutrisystem for almost 4 weeks so far and I really like it. The foods have such a large variety to choose from. Most of the time it's hard to tell that its even diet food! I like the portion sizes to teach correct amounts of food with each meal too. It's really easy to follow with the daily planner they give you too so you can check off meals as you go. my kids even eye my food begging to try it because it looks to yummy. haha.
posted Apr 8th, 2013 9:38 pmRachel
Program will help you lose up to 2 pounds a week and most of the food options are great. It's also very convenient.
posted Apr 8th, 2013 9:25 pm