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I have had more than a few friends do Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig over the years and none of them were successful. Short term maybe, but most could not even get through the initial phase either because they thought the food was disgusting or they were eating more than they should as far as the snacks went.
I think a lot of people see the commercials for Nutrisystem and think it is going to be easy because the commercial tells them it is. Only a major mind shift and lifestyle change will allow you to succeed whether you start out on these type of plans or go it alone.
The thing about Nutrisystem commercials is that they show the food displayed and it is supposed to make you want to eat it. thanks to my picking out a few items ala cart, I was able to try a few things. I picked a chicken and rice package.. and yes the package looks delicious. However, opening it up, it was gray rice. ugh! I didn't even want it.. I had 2 other items that I donated to the Thanksgiving food collection box.
anyway, why would I want that when its not appealing, when I can make my own delicious fresh stuff? And why would I want to indulge in the ingredients that they are displaying? I really do not want nor need Bars! Shakes! Cookies! no thanks! I suppose maybe the frozen food might be a bit better, but I don't feel comfortable them shipping frozen food in a FedEx box and I don't know how long that food stays frozen.
I know why nutrisystem makes you lose weight - the food is bad and you wont eat it.
I've never been a fan of prepackaged meal plans. Too often there's a disconnect between the dieter and the behavior modification component of these diets and the dieter becomes reliant on the meals and novelties while not learning portion control. that's not the fault of the diet, of course, but it's far easier to eat the five per day prepackaged 1300 calories meal plan ad infinitum than prepare your own food.
I've never been a fan of prepackaged meal plans. Too often there's a disconnect between the dieter and the behavior modification component of these diets and the dieter becomes reliant on the meals and novelties while not learning portion control. that's not the fault of the diet, of course, but it's far easier to eat the five per day prepackaged 1300 calories meal plan ad infinitum than prepare your own food.
Actually it is a fact that nutritionists say that our traditional 3 meals per day is not optimum, and that perhaps 5 smaller meals per day would be an improvement.
It stands to reason that spreading out your dietary intake not only evens available energy throughout the day, but also probably places less stress on your digestive system by placing lighter loads more frequently rather than big loads that may be overloads.
I know right now that I finished my healthy (I presume) breakfast of cereal, milk and fruit perhaps a half hour ago or 45 minutes, I really want to head over to the gym for today's workout, but I still feel a bit bloated just from that small meal. -- I will admit I have the bad habit of eating only breakfast and dinner. I thank the gods that PS lives in a different country! She sounds like a woman who could kick this man's butt!
I'm reminded of the typical snake diet, like a boa constrictor. It catches and eats an entire animal in one meal. Snakes have split lower jaws to allow them to expand their heads to swallow large prey, and the lower jaws with backwards facing teeth can be worked alternately to haul in dinner. Then the snake can go off for as much as a month and digest their meal at leisure. -- I guess that's the exact opposite of what we humans need as our ideal nutritional plan.
I counted 42 different high-sugar breakfast cereals at my local Wal-Mart today. 42 !
The least-busiest aisle was produce and the biggest queue was at the pre-cooked lunch counter.
The 300lbs lady in front of me at the check-out was so fat she was in a motorized wheelchair provided by the store to help her shop because walking was too much of a strain.
She had her son with her who I would say was about 14-years-old and he must have weighed 200lbs.
Her final bill came to $96 dollars - there wasn't a single piece of vegetable or fruit among what she'd bought and virtually everything was food which didn't need any preparation other than opening a packet.
I guestimated 75% of the people in the store were obese.
There just doesn't seem to be a lot of shame about being fat in America these days.
Well, here's a few other observations:
It was Wal-Mart, that's why.
Also, being in air conditioning, causes people to eat, un-necessarily. No one eats a hot pizza on a 100 degree day unless they're in air-conditioning.
And, the whole purpose of breakfast is the best meal of the day, advertising, was to get people to eat subsidized crappy sugary grain. A black coffee and boiled egg are just fine.
Middletwin, it's probably true that most cereals are stuffed with HFCS but surely there are some cereals that are not.
I'll not claim my own favorite is perfect: Kashi Organic Autumn Wheat (little biscuits) but I note the ingredients: organic whole grain wheat, organic dried cane syrup, natural flavor.
I'm not totally impressed by organic stuff, I'd buy it even if it didn't say organic, that is not one of my food selection criteria.
More importantly, it is the nutrition facts panel that tells the story you need to read to understand what you are eating. And even more importantly, read the suggested serving size!!! That's where so many manufacturers sucker people into over-eating and into eating more product and buying more product.
Serving size: 29 biscuits (54 g, 1.9 oz). Okay I measure about 2.1 oz. Close enough for government work!
180 calories, 10 calories from fat, total fat 2%, saturated fat 0%, trans fat 0%, polyunsaturated fat 0.5%, monounsaturated fat 0.5%. Cholesterol, sodium: none. Potassium 180 mg. (My blood pressure is fine.)
Total carbohydrates: 43 g. (various statistics on fiber...) Protein 6 g.
I could go on and add my 8 ounces of 2% milk and a banana. I don't bother. This is far better for me than what I used to eat:
toasted bagel slathered with cream cheese, 2 oz. lox and a slice of onion. Mmmmmmm!
toasted bagel with 2 slices of bacon, fried egg, mayonnaise, sliced tomatoes and lettuce. Mmmmmm!
I think you can see where I'm coming from. You don't need to read all the ingredients to perceive that my milk, cereal and banana is more healthful than my delicious but nutritionally challenged choices of bagel + tons of fats, cholesterol, gawd knows what. Before I switched to cereal for breakfast my breakfast diet was a dietary mess!
I changed. I don't need a chemical breakdown to know that I did myself a big favor by switching to cereal. It doesn't take a nutritionist to see that, you can tell just from my description.
Actually it is a fact that nutritionists say that our traditional 3 meals per day is not optimum, and that perhaps 5 smaller meals per day would be an improvement.
It stands to reason that spreading out your dietary intake not only evens available energy throughout the day, but also probably places less stress on your digestive system by placing lighter loads more frequently rather than big loads that may be overloads.
I know right now that I finished my healthy (I presume) breakfast of cereal, milk and fruit perhaps a half hour ago or 45 minutes, I really want to head over to the gym for today's workout, but I still feel a bit bloated just from that small meal. -- I will admit I have the bad habit of eating only breakfast and dinner. I thank the gods that PS lives in a different country! She sounds like a woman who could kick this man's butt!
I'm reminded of the typical snake diet, like a boa constrictor. It catches and eats an entire animal in one meal. Snakes have split lower jaws to allow them to expand their heads to swallow large prey, and the lower jaws with backwards facing teeth can be worked alternately to haul in dinner. Then the snake can go off for as much as a month and digest their meal at leisure. -- I guess that's the exact opposite of what we humans need as our ideal nutritional plan.
I actually eat about six times per day.
That's not my issue with nutisystem or the other diet.
Middletwin, it's probably true that most cereals are stuffed with HFCS but surely there are some cereals that are not.
I'll not claim my own favorite is perfect: Kashi Organic Autumn Wheat (little biscuits) but I note the ingredients: organic whole grain wheat, organic dried cane syrup, natural flavor.
I'm not totally impressed by organic stuff, I'd buy it even if it didn't say organic, that is not one of my food selection criteria.
More importantly, it is the nutrition facts panel that tells the story you need to read to understand what you are eating. And even more importantly, read the suggested serving size!!! That's where so many manufacturers sucker people into over-eating and into eating more product and buying more product.
Serving size: 29 biscuits (54 g, 1.9 oz). Okay I measure about 2.1 oz. Close enough for government work!
180 calories, 10 calories from fat, total fat 2%, saturated fat 0%, trans fat 0%, polyunsaturated fat 0.5%, monounsaturated fat 0.5%. Cholesterol, sodium: none. Potassium 180 mg. (My blood pressure is fine.)
Total carbohydrates: 43 g. (various statistics on fiber...) Protein 6 g.
I could go on and add my 8 ounces of 2% milk and a banana. I don't bother. This is far better for me than what I used to eat:
toasted bagel slathered with cream cheese, 2 oz. lox and a slice of onion. Mmmmmmm!
toasted bagel with 2 slices of bacon, fried egg, mayonnaise, sliced tomatoes and lettuce. Mmmmmm!
I think you can see where I'm coming from. You don't need to read all the ingredients to perceive that my milk, cereal and banana is more healthful than my delicious but nutritionally challenged choices of bagel + tons of fats, cholesterol, gawd knows what. Before I switched to cereal for breakfast my breakfast diet was a dietary mess!
I changed. I don't need a chemical breakdown to know that I did myself a big favor by switching to cereal. It doesn't take a nutritionist to see that, you can tell just from my description.
It's time for me to leave for my workout. Bye!
The boiled egg or nothing at all for breakfast may be a better idea than grain for those who don't work out, though. If life gets in the way, and we can't stick with work-outs, food choices get critical.
As an aside, grain aka cereal is how we get cows to make weight faster for slaughter. So people who eat grain then go sit in their cubicle or sit in class, are eating like the cows in the pens.
This all makes sense though, that bogus food pyramid was developed not by Department of Health but instead by the Department of Agriculture!
The boiled egg or nothing at all for breakfast may be a better idea than grain for those who don't work out, though. If life gets in the way, and we can't stick with work-outs, food choices get critical.
As an aside, grain aka cereal is how we get cows to make weight faster for slaughter. So people who eat grain then go sit in their cubicle or sit in class, are eating like the cows in the pens.
This all makes sense though, that bogus food pyramid was developed not by Department of Health but instead by the Department of Agriculture!
If you eat grains in moderation, as with anything, you're not going to get fat, whether you work out or not. Moderation = the serving size of a cereal box, for example. 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of pasta, and so on. You won't go wrong if you pay attention to how much you're eating.
Nothing at all or a boiled egg would get old (to me) really quick, not to mention if something is going to be put into my mouth it mind as well be something that sustains me. An egg? Not even close.
That's not my issue with nutisystem or the other diet.
That's quite good! 6x/day! It just doesn't suit me or perhaps it's just a body rhythm thing. Or maybe by eating twice a day I've superimposed my will and created that rhythm in my body.
Upon further thought, I'm just annoyed by Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig, annoyed by their commercials. I think they could improve the commercials by adding a bit of PSA to them by advising in the commercial that you should also get some exercise "To get even better results from our product!" I'm annoyed that the commercials give the appearance, "Just eat this and you'll be as skinny as our TV model!" They seem to be implying that if you just buy their product you'll be thin and prim.
Other than presenting a calculated plan that presents the correct number of calories plus a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, and the right nutrients your body needs for a balanced diet, I can't see any reason why you can't do that for yourself. I guess, "Ooooo, it's too hard! I don't want to think" is the only excuse.
Myself, I don't like nuke food, even nuke food + real food. I eat a wide variety of foods I make from fresh, whole ingredients including a wide array of fresh vegetables. I don't need some TV diet.
Just for fun I visited the Nutrisystem site and plugged in my height, weight and gender, and their basic plan $10/day says I'll lose 13 pounds in my first month. Is that good? I'll admit I had expected more excessive promises. Is 13 pounds too much to lose in a month? That's about 8% of my body weight. Off hand I wonder if that is a bit more steep than is healthy. But I would have no problem if my gym promised me I'd lose 13 pounds in my first month if I worked out 3 times a week. (LOL, do both and lose 1/6 of my body!) Actually it makes a hella lot more sense to combine a healthy diet and exercise and lose the 13 pounds from the combination. BTW that 13 pounds puts me back in the BMI normal range, top end.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Middletwin
The boiled egg or nothing at all for breakfast may be a better idea than grain for those who don't work out, though. If life gets in the way, and we can't stick with work-outs, food choices get critical.
As an aside, grain aka cereal is how we get cows to make weight faster for slaughter. So people who eat grain then go sit in their cubicle or sit in class, are eating like the cows in the pens.
This all makes sense though, that bogus food pyramid was developed not by Department of Health but instead by the Department of Agriculture!
I did a bit of research and discovered that all my cereal, milk and banana are carbohydrates. I also learned that carbs provide longer term energy depending on which kind. It looks like my breakfast contained a variety of carbs. I was headed for a gym workout. In fact I did that (spent an hour there) and I feel great! And better, couple hours to dinner and not hungry yet.
I'm also trying to reestablish my old habit of always working with a glass of water at my desk. I would sip it even when not thirsty. I'm doing that right now. It might even make good sense because I think my exercising probably releases things into my bloodstream that would benefit by a pass by my kidneys. Also, I have a history of kidney stones (15 years ago) and my doctor says drink water! Lots of water! That can't be bad advice even for people with no problems. Increase your kidney function for almost free!
Quote:
Originally Posted by riaelise
If you eat grains in moderation, as with anything, you're not going to get fat, whether you work out or not. Moderation = the serving size of a cereal box, for example. 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of pasta, and so on. You won't go wrong if you pay attention to how much you're eating.
Nothing at all or a boiled egg would get old (to me) really quick, not to mention if something is going to be put into my mouth it mind as well be something that sustains me. An egg? Not even close.
Those grain portions sound about right to me. And you make a good point about following the package recommended serving size! I might be a few percent over on my cereal, but the RDA does not take into account weight, it assumes average weight and LOL average gender. For pasta I serve about 1.8 oz of uncooked amount, turns out about a cup. Cooked rice about 1 cup. You make a good point that it is not only what you eat but how much you eat. Even what might be considered bad foods may have a place in our healthy diet if eaten in moderation.
Even "junk food." I see no problem with eating a Big Mac, even with fries. Just not every day, and just not two each and a couple liters of soft drink.
In closing, there's another common denominator I've seen in my overweight friends: massive consumption of soft drinks, even artificially sweetened soft drinks. Honestly I don't know why this is harmful, all I see is that my most physically damaged friends are also big consumers of soft drinks!
Perhaps somebody can explain the soft drink connection to me.
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She sounds like a woman who could kick this man's butt! 
