Hi everyone -

Its been ages since I've been here - but now I'm determined to get back into the swing of things -

I have been unsuccessfully starting and stopping every diet under the sun - and have decided to give Nutrisystem a try - my youngest son will be off to college in August, and I'll be on my own - since I HATE HATE HATE to cook and hate going to the grocery store even more than cooking, I thought this might just be the ticket.

Is there anyone here who has done Nutrisystem or is there a thread for Nutrisystem dieters? I looked, but didn't find one - anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone doing Nutrisystem!

Sueg

I am on Jenny Craig, which is a similar program with two big differences: First, if there is a center in your area you can have face-to-face consultations (the other option is Jenny Direct, which is over the phone). The second difference is that the JC food is WORLDS better than the NutriSystem food. There are lots of NS refugees on JC! I've lost 170 pounds on JC and recommend it highly.

As long as we are doing pros and cons, the pros for Nutrisystem over JC are:

~You don't sign any contract, and there is no membership fee. All you pay for is food. If you buy 1 week worth of food, and decide you don't like it, you only paid for 1 week of food.

~The NS website has their own "forum" similar to this one where the NSers discuss things amongst themselves.

~NS has free counseling-where you can talk to a counselor at any time via email, telephone, or live online chat with a counselor. (See their website for more info) You can go directly and chat online with a counselor if you are having trouble, or have a question about something.

So, there are some good things about NS as well.

ACK! Nothing flips me out more than ~CONTRACTS~ !!!

As for the face-to-face, I live in a fairly remote area - 42 miles one way to civilization - so I'm not big on that aspect!

I'm just hoping that the convenience of the Nutrisystem will keep me on the straight and narrow.

I'll have to hop on over to the NS website and see about their forum - didn't realize they had one - thanks for letting me know!

Sue g

The JC contract isn't awful -- there are different levels -- and they always have a trial membership where you can give it a whirl for minimal cost. If you go to the main web site there should be a link to the current offer.

I've done Jenny Craig and have a good friend who did Nutrisystem. We both lost weight (and gained it back LOL) so in that respect I am sure either could help you meet your goals.

To anyone interested in JC for their one on one couseling I would suggest you talk to people in your area who have used the services. The professionalism and expertise of the counselors varies greatly from one location to another. You may or may not see any benefit from it. I visited several centers (I traveled a lot when I was on program) and found that the sessions were sometimes as simple as a weigh in, a quick "how did you do this week" and a menu check. Others were very involved and helpful.

As for their contracts there are different levels. But, make no mistake, they are there to push their products and you are going to hear a sales pitch almost every week. If they aren't trying to sell you on the higher membership they are pushing a cookbook, or a pedometer, or a water mug.

JC food is good and I did enjoy the program but I found the services that I paid for (via the contract) were lacking and it wasn't isolated to one location. The constant sales mode turned me off but the straw that broke the camels back was when, mid-program, I found out that I was pregnant. When I talked to my counselor I let her know that my doctor had advised that I needed to postpone the program until after my pregnancy. She explained that they couldn't technically allow pregnant women on the program anyway - but then went on to tell me that I could still buy the food and follow the plan, I just couldn't have an "official" session each week. I declined and she continued to push. Less than two weeks after that last appointment the woman was calling me at home encouraging me to come in and buy the food. Clearly her interest was in my purchases, not my health or weight loss.

So, back to your question - I think Nutrisystem will serve your purpose. JC can be a good program but don't shell out too much cash before you've really checked out the location in your area.

I've done them both: In both,
The counselors don't have to have done the program (as with weight watchers) and when I was complaining about some of the meals, they hadn't even tried them yet....this was a bummer I did get good support from my counselor, but the fact that they hadn't had a weight problem was a bit discouraging.
My husband is currently on Nutrisystems, you buy 4 weeks you get one free, which isn't a bad deal, the shipping is free in most cases also. The food is decent, no complaints on most of it.
Like stated either one will serve your purpose. All said and done, I chose Weight Watchers. To me it's more real life eating. With either Nutrisystems or Jenny, once you are done with the program , I didn't feel the maintenance part of the program was very real!
Julie

That is one thing that I do love about WW, I am glad that you mentioned it. The counselors and meeting leaders are usually "lifetime members", meaning that they used the program, made their goal weight, and are maintaining their weight losses.
I do not do NS or Jenny Craig, but if I were to choose one over the other, for me I would probably choose NS, just because I could do everything online, weigh in at home and record it online, and not worry about any contracts. This is just what would work for me, however. Everyone is different, and in the end you have to choose the plan that works best for your needs, and lifestyle.

since you said you don't like to really cook or go grocery shopping you might try to buy your groceries online and get prepared meals or whatnot. I've heard of a couple of good online place to buy your groceries (you can do a search for them) and then just pay to have them shipped.

hi , im still a newbie to this site, anyways i have just joined nutrisystem for the first time im 28 and have over a 100lbs to loose i love the food very flavorful in my opnion,i have been on it 2 weeks lost as of friday7lb, i add my fruits vegies, and wheat bread i also add everynight mini low fat beg of popcorn, ( gotta have it) only a 100 calories a beg, i think its a good program i get my food within 4 days of order and its filling once u add yr vegs or fruit and im satisified,im sticking to it, i tried all the other programs and didnt care for them.

THanks to all for your input - I agree that WW is probably the most realistic way to go, but I REALLY hate cooking....since my youngest will be leaving home in a matter of weeks, I'm looking forward to having an empty refrigerator! I don't mind running to the grocery store to pick up some yogurt, veggies and fruit, or throwing a few chopped peppers and onions in a pan (well, depends on the weather how much I do or don't mind going to the grocery store) - I really dislike the heat, and much prefer to run from the airconditioned car to the airconditioned house - give me winter any time -
Which is why I opted for NS - for a while anyway, till the funds give out - and then maybe I'll have a sense of portion control, etc. It rather seems to me that NS is very much like WW or even southbeach - in that you're allowed 'good carbs' - but its the convenience that I'm looking for - I'm ok on a diet, but when it comes to having to prepare food, well, then it becomes a problem.

As for JC - I went on their website the other day - and was reminded what turned me off in the first place - NO PRICES ANYWHERE - I think I had called last year or so because there are no prices on the website - so you have to call to get an idea how much the program cost - and was given a very vague answer by customer service - I'm pretty sure it was the JC program that I called. Anyway, it irritated me that I couldn't get a straight answer out of the customer service girl, and so I dropped it.

I'm looking forward to getting my NS meals - they should be coming some time this week - just in time for the rains from Dennis! Need to figure out a way for the UPS guy to leave my stuff without it getting soaked.

Sue G

Hi Sue and everyone - I hope this post finds you all doing very well.

I realize this is probably a moot point since your foods are coming (or probably there by now) but I wanted to post because you sound a LOT like me. I've tried every diet in the world, it seems, from Atkins to WW to Cabbage Soup, et.al. The trouble for me was... I hate to cook too! I just abhore it. Standing there chopping veg or mixing different concoctions or dealing with the hot oven in the middle of Florida summer. I also hate all the cleanup. Therefore, I'd find that I could only stick to a diet for so long because, not only did I hate the prep and cooking, but I hated having to prepare meals to take with me to work.

As far as WW goes, I do think it is a good program in theory, however, it disturbs me too. I had a good friend who did WW and I started going with her. She reached her goal weight (bless her) but I noticed that whenever we went out or were together, no one could drink or eat anything without her spouting off a full run-down of the point values. She was also very obsessive about counting points and writing stuff down. I understand that this is part of the program, but it was SO unsettling to see her eat a potato chip and write it down immediately! It truly was a compulsive behavior and, I'm sad to say, it eventually drove us apart and me away from the program because I couldn't stand it. However, through her and others who reached their goals, I began to understand that you HAVE to be obsessive in order to make it work and to stay at your desired goal weight. You have to keep track of points and write things down. I already suffer with compulsive eating disorder, so another compulsion on top of that was NOT what I wanted. I also found it quite disturbing that a lot of people would only eat vegetables all day just so they could go to the pub and drink themselves into a stupor but not go over points. I just didn't think that was a good concept at all.

So, rght now, I'm doing a diet called Medifast. Now I haven't done a search on it over this site, but I was surprised to see that it isn't mentioned very often. In a nutshell, it is a 5 to 1 meal replacement system, the meal replacements being anything from a shake to pudding to snack bars, chili, oatmeal, chai latte and all sorts. Each day, in addition to your 5 meal replacements, you also have a measured out "lean and green" meal, consisting of veggies/salad greens and a lean protein. You can also do the complete program, which is 5-6 meal replacements a day and no extra food. I've been on the complete program for exactly 2 weeks today, I've lost 15.5lbs and I've never cooked a thing. I don't have to write things down, I don't have to worry about binge attacks and I don't have to count anything but my water intake. (I try to drink 80oz a day). It's the easiest plan I've ever been on because you simply open a packet and pour hot or cold water into it. And, they're good! I'm not going to go into all the transition and maintenance stages to save space, but they don't just drop you once you reach goal and the meal replacements can be used forever if you want. They're even safe for children!

I should also mention that it's been around for over 20 years and is clinically proven to show results if you follow it - the research was done by Johns Hopkins University Medical Staff.

Anyway, I don't want to turn your thread into off topic stuff, but I felt it would be helpful to tell you about this plan. I think it's against the rules to post outside links, but they do have a website. Just google Medifast diet and it will come up.

I wish you every success in whatever you choose to do!

Alisha

Well, any plan (not just WW) can be done in an unhealthy way. (As you mentioned eating veggies all day to save points up for drinking that evening.)

This is the same with any plan-WW, calorie counting, Atkins...you can make unhealthy choices on any plan, by bending the rules to your liking. I count calories-I could easily live on a salad during the day and save my calories for chocolate ice cream and wine this evening, but I choose not to do that. I make healthy eating choices, and I am active. Someone on Atkins could avoid veggies and lean meat like the plague, and eat bacon and full fat cheese all day. It is bending the rules to "legally" eat badly on whatever plan you are doing. Just like someone on a low fat diet downing an entire box of Snackwell's devils food cookies because they are fat free. There are always going to be people that do that-but you can't blame the plan, it is the individual that is choosing to do this.

I count calories, and I journal everything that I eat. I do not find it obsessive at all. I have made it a regular part of my life, just like showering, exercising, and paying my bills. I don't make a fuss when I write down my intake. I just do it, and in a couple seconds it is done, and I move on. Altogether it only probably takes 5 minutes out of my entire day.

I was tossed between jc and ns and now I am more confused then ever. YOu ladies make a great point about contracts. I don't like them either. I am 34 with a 3 1/2 year old. I lost 40lbs on weight watchers 4 1/2 years ago and agree the program is the best. I just can't get motivated to do it again. I was thinking about doing ns until i get back to my goal and then go back to weight watchers as a maintenance because i am a lifetime member and would not have to pay to weigh in or attend the meetings. Weigtht watchers is a lifetime program that you can live with but i am a mom and was looking for not counting calories. Thanks for your ideas ladies. Any comments to help me make my decision would be great!

I am starting NutriSystem this Friday (my food arrives Thursday) I would love to have a buddy, if anyone else is just getting into it.....