My up-front disclaimer: I think there are more cost effective and "healthier" ways to lose weight than Nutrisystem. I just thought I would share my experience with the board. Weigh in (pun intended) with any of your own experiences.
I wanted to share my progress through about 7 weeks of being on Nutrisystem, in case anyone had ever thought about doing it. Basically, having been out of college for almost 4 years - moving from a fairly active lifestyle in college to a sedentary desk job has basically disallowed me from eating in huge quantities like I used to be able to do. In college, I was always fighting the uphill battle of trying to gain weight, always trying to get to around 190 lbs or so (I am right around 6'1). At the end of 2011, I realized it was a struggle for me to continue to eat large meals, although I keep up a pretty active lifestyle - have never done a lot of cardio, but lifted weights, played basketball and have recently gone through Insanity (and continue to supplement my weekly routine with it).
So I decided I needed a slap in the face, if you will, regarding my meal portions. I began the Nutrisystem Success plan in the beginning of 2012, and have since gone from about 207 to just about 190. I am pretty shocked at losing 17 pounds in only 7 weeks. To me, that almost seems unhealthy to lose that much that quickly - and I'm not even a "big" guy. I used MyFitnessPal for the first 30 days, noticing my daily caloric intake was at about 1500 per day. In addition, I did learn how vital regular cardio is, and I have incorporated about 3 hours per week in addition to my strength training. So that definitely played a role in accelerating weight loss.
I guess what I have taken away is that, yes I am happy about losing 17 pounds and getting to my "target" weight of about 190, but I think I have learned through experience that reducing caloric intake is in no way the healthiest way to lose weight. To be fair, I was eating pretty much in line with the Nutrisystem program which includes supplemented vegetables, fruits, etc. But I don't plan on eating vacuum sealed meals for the rest of my life. My main goal with this process was learning what an adequate meal portion should be, and I think I have accomplished that. So, while I think Nutrisystem isn't the healthiest weight loss option and not for everyone, I do think it does it's job in forcing you to learn portion control.
If any of you have beaten your portion control issues, please weigh in on any advice you can provide. I've lost so much weight, so quickly, that I'm worried about sustainability. But I think I have given myself the wake-up call I needed and feel confident planning out normal meals. Hopefully my wife won't cook as much for dinner either
[This message has been edited by Theo is a Touchdown (edited 3/1/2012 2:49p).]
I wanted to share my progress through about 7 weeks of being on Nutrisystem, in case anyone had ever thought about doing it. Basically, having been out of college for almost 4 years - moving from a fairly active lifestyle in college to a sedentary desk job has basically disallowed me from eating in huge quantities like I used to be able to do. In college, I was always fighting the uphill battle of trying to gain weight, always trying to get to around 190 lbs or so (I am right around 6'1). At the end of 2011, I realized it was a struggle for me to continue to eat large meals, although I keep up a pretty active lifestyle - have never done a lot of cardio, but lifted weights, played basketball and have recently gone through Insanity (and continue to supplement my weekly routine with it).
So I decided I needed a slap in the face, if you will, regarding my meal portions. I began the Nutrisystem Success plan in the beginning of 2012, and have since gone from about 207 to just about 190. I am pretty shocked at losing 17 pounds in only 7 weeks. To me, that almost seems unhealthy to lose that much that quickly - and I'm not even a "big" guy. I used MyFitnessPal for the first 30 days, noticing my daily caloric intake was at about 1500 per day. In addition, I did learn how vital regular cardio is, and I have incorporated about 3 hours per week in addition to my strength training. So that definitely played a role in accelerating weight loss.
I guess what I have taken away is that, yes I am happy about losing 17 pounds and getting to my "target" weight of about 190, but I think I have learned through experience that reducing caloric intake is in no way the healthiest way to lose weight. To be fair, I was eating pretty much in line with the Nutrisystem program which includes supplemented vegetables, fruits, etc. But I don't plan on eating vacuum sealed meals for the rest of my life. My main goal with this process was learning what an adequate meal portion should be, and I think I have accomplished that. So, while I think Nutrisystem isn't the healthiest weight loss option and not for everyone, I do think it does it's job in forcing you to learn portion control.
If any of you have beaten your portion control issues, please weigh in on any advice you can provide. I've lost so much weight, so quickly, that I'm worried about sustainability. But I think I have given myself the wake-up call I needed and feel confident planning out normal meals. Hopefully my wife won't cook as much for dinner either
[This message has been edited by Theo is a Touchdown (edited 3/1/2012 2:49p).]