I'm thinking of trying it. Would Love any advice/opinions.

Thanks

I did NS for 1 month (following thier plan) and then used 1 months worth of food in conjunction with my own food/eating habits, and transitioned into eating my own food. NS allowed me to get my portions under control and helped me realize how/when/what to eat. I lost 10lbs on NS, then during the transition I lost 15 more, I have been on my own calorie/portion plan for 3months (total dieting time so far with NS and my plan has been 5 mo) and have lost a total of almost 45lbs. If your portions are out of control, it is a good way to help get them back into check and visualize what ACTUAL servings are.

BUT, you can totally do this without spending $280/mo for prepackaged food. I wish I would have listened to my body more before buying. There are some tips I will share with you:
when you sigh/yawn during a meal, STOP eating, your body is telling you that it is done.
Use a SALAD plate during meals, and dont PILE it full, just about 75% of your plate should be covered.
Dont eat ALL carbs or proteins, get a GOOD balance of ALL things in your diet.
FRESH FOOD is better than processed. Avoid highly processed foods (i.e. anything pre-packaged for convenience) they are FULL of chemicals to make them CHEAP and EASY.
WATER, WATER, WATER. Fat cells become rubbery when the body is dehydrated and it makes them HOLD fat. WATER will not make you FATTER, it will (for a few weeks) make you pee a lot. Start your day with a 12-16 oz glass water to get your metabolism going.
Get a food scale for your kitchen
Use a calorie counting program like fitday.com or diet power (cost, but there is a 14 day free trial, if you want to buy let me know I can get you a discount)

Feel free to PM me for more help/support or anything else you may need

MOST OF ALL GOOD LUCK TO YOU ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS

I agree with alot of what Gonna say, except for the part about the reasons to drink water. I find that I do drink alot of water since I started my new way of life, but that is because I am actually thirstier. I really don't believe the "fat cells become rubbery" statement. Yes, your body will be less efficient should you be dehydrated, and that might translate into slower weight loss. But I don't think that flooding your system is going to make it any more efficient that it would be with enough water.

My advice would be to read posts, blogs, and websites of people who have lost a substantial amount of weight, and see what has worked for them. For me, it was a combination of eating less and moving more. The "moving more" part was critical. I hated to exercise when I started, now I can't imagine not doing it.

In answer to your specific question, I know that some people have had success with the nutrisystem/Jenny Craig style programs. Alot of people have had success without them. They are fairly expensive. If you have enough money to do them (I don't) they might benefit you. If you would have to struggle to pay that much don't dispair, you can still lose weight by educating yourself, changing your habits, and eating less and exercising more.

Aces- I have it in my budget to try Nutri System--I can't see doing it long term as the hubby still has to eat--if i was on my own I doubt that I could afford it. The gym I go to is Slim-n-Tone and they are affiliated with Nutri System. I looked into Jenny Craig but the closest is over an hour away and you have to do the weekly check in.
GonnaLoseit- I want to do NS to get the portion control under control and to get on a schedule--I am a visual person ans I think it will help me to get things more in line.
Tealeaf--all I know about water is that when I did WW several years ago, if a drank 6-8 glasses of water a day I lost--when I didn't I didn't -- I do agree with the moving more--when I went to WW my life was so busy with my kids I didn't do anything but drive them to and from places--now I am an empty nester and I have started the gym and I want to get an elliptical for home--it's the piece of equipment that works for me--steppers hurt my knees and I just can't seem to get into a treadmill. A bike works for me but I like the allover workout the elliptical does...

The problem both I and my friends have with packaged diets like NS or JC is that they aren't very adaptable to real life. I want to lose weight, but I also want to have a life, which includes eating out with friends, going out for drinks on a moment's notice, traveling and eating hotel food, etc. Sure I could lose weight if I lived in a bubble where all of my meals were packaged and pre-planned and I had no feelings that would make a chocolate chip cookie irresistable. But I've found, that a diet isn't what I need to lose weight. If I could stick to a diet plan, I probably wouldn't need one in the first place...meaning, like many of us, my issues are around mindless eating, and eating more calories than I need each day, not because my body craves the energy, but because my brain wants to numbness that sugar and fat provide. What's worked for me, is a food journal, keeping track of my calories every day, eating everything in moderation, and working on changing my emotional eating patterns.

Also, it's good to have a few extra glasses of water each day, but not good to overdue it and cause added stress to the kidneys. Remember that fruit and vegies are largely water, so you can keep your body hydrated by not only drinking water (tea, calorie free drinks) but also with the foods you eat.

hi, i too joined nutrisystem last week and i am waiting for my food to arrive. i was a bit concerned with the taste and if that would affect my dedication. i figured that not only would it show portions but also make it simpler to get a jump start. no thinking involved!

good luck to you.

jkurdock--you'll have to keep us posted--I am signing up next week. It's not something that I will stay on forever--but I really think it's what I need to get me on track..

Hibiscus--once I get started on it the water does me good because I replace the regular coke that I have the tendency to overdose on. Diet drinks don't work for me as they just make me crave the real stuff. I have always been told--if you are thirsty--you are already dehydrated.

DIET - 4-letter word.

D id
I
E at
T hat!

For the record - do not fret about drinking too much water. Realize that the average inactive person needs about 64 oz a day to break even. If you are really active - like an athlete - you should drink about 128oz a day. In order to get anywhere CLOSE to stressing out your kidneys you need to drink about 320 oz (that's 40 glasses folks - who here drinks that much, huh?). Water Intoxication is something athletes are usually concerned with when they drink too much water in a small amount of time without any salt/potassium to balance electrolytes.

If we are posting on this board there is a pretty good likelihood this is not something we need to be worrying about.

Drink your water. The human body is about 60% water and the muscles are about 75% water. Pretty much EVERY major process in your body depends on water... You are right, jules, if you wait until you are thirsty you are already dehydrated and if you stop when your thirst is satisfied you have only had about half the water you need...

Just remember: the first thing affected by dehydration is your brain.

'nuff said.

Thanks for the info Daisy....

jules, i am going to keep you posted about nutri system and please do the same. it will be good to have someone to discuss the food and the program with. good luck to you.

keep in mind the food takes almost a week to ship to you. i've been mentally preparing for it - i wish it would just get here already! maybe tomorrow. i've been eating like i am going to the electric chair just waiting for it!

I have lost about 175 pounds on Jenny Craig. After a lifetime of increasing obestiy I COULD NOT do it on my own, despite being perfectly "educated" about what I needed to do. I needed structure and personal support and to have the majority of the food decisions taken out of my hands for a while. These programs are not magic but for those who need what they offer, they are a godsend. There are also a lot of tools that help you start thinking about the reasons you overeat and how to restructure the way you think about food, activity, stress, etc. Jenny Craig DOES have a program where you do not have to go to the center -- it's called Jenny Direct and you have your consultations over the phone. You can call 1-800-JennyCare for info. The main differences between JC and NS, from what I have heard, is that the JC food is MUCH better, and of course JC offers one-on-one consultations each week. You can use it for "accountability" and "check ins" if you like, or you can treat it as 20 minutes of "me time" every week, whatever suits you.

I just edited your email out of your post. This is a public forum and you are leaving yourself open to megaSPAM. We use the PM feature to exchange emails.