Nutri System vs Weight Watchers (NutriSystem, supplements, systems, stomach)

[cbags]

Experiences?

How bad/good does the food actually taste?

A friend lost 40lbs on NS in about 3 months plus 20-30 mins cardio/day. I've done weight watchers before and that works if you follow it properly. I'm ready to get back in the swing of things and just wondering if I should try NS this time.

I'm moving somewhere thats pretty rural and expensive for groceries. So I was thinking that having my meals mailed to the house might be a good idea.

Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

[andreaspercheron]

I'd be curious too. I have friends who have done both and both had success. I had a thought about the NS plan. I wonder and have wondered for a long time, if you eat their foods, do the plan then what happens when you go off of it? Does your body freak and start craving normal foods again? I always thought that if you "ate" a certain diet food like that or took supplements to lose weight that when you stopped, your body didn't know how to work not being on those things. It's just a theory I have. Anyhoo, if anyone has experiences I'd like to know too!

[ShepsMom]

How much does NS cost??
I bet ya it's more expensive then your local grocery store food. What does NS offers that you can't get at the store???
I think you better off buying food yourself, just watch what you eat, it will be cheaper too. When you get off ANY diet, and start eating like you did before, you will gain everything back.
You need lifestyle change, no diet will help unless you maintain your eating habits AFTER you get off the diet. And how about the exercise?
This is as simple as it gets. Don't waste $300.00 a month on something that probably not going to help you in a long run, unless you stick to the healthy eating for the rest of your life, but then again, you can do it yourself without NS or any other "System" out there.

[kaykay]

Been there, done that with both them. And yeah, they BOTH worked. Any good diet will work if you follow it. That's the big "if."

At the time I did Nutrisystems, my dh and I both did it and we both lost about 35 pounds pretty quickly. We both kinda "hit a wall" at that point. We just couldn't bring ourselves to consistently eat their food anymore. Of course, again, this was many years ago and the program has changed a lot. At that time, it was my understanding that you were allowed to eat the equivalent of 700 calories a day! That is VERY low to do consistently. Now current wisdom is that following that low a diet for any length of time may contribute to gallstones etc. So it's also my understand that the Nutrisystem diet is no longer that rigid calorie-wise.

I know people who have also done well with Jenny Craig. It just depends on you and your needs. If having some more "pre-done" meals would help you stay the course, then Nutrisystem or Jenny might be just the ticket.

All that said, however, I prefer Weight Watchers. It's flexible in the diet plans, (essentially no food is forbidden but you are counting calories, which they translate into "points.") You also have the weekly accountability of weighing in if you attend their meetings. And lastly, I think it trains you better for "eating in real life" after you get off the initial "diet."

As to the earlier poster's question about what happens to your body when you start eating food "in the real world" again~~nothing. I honestly don't think it's a problem.

The deal is, if you are prone to put on too much weight for whatever reasons, you are probably going to have to discipline your eating from here on out in whatever way you are able to. Otherwise, no matter what diet plan you use, you'll be doing it or something else again. Shepsmom mentioned this as well above and it's true. However, I do believe a "program" can help you lose weight. It gives you accountability (and that's BIG!) and helps keep you focused, etc.

[Suzet2262]

In my long years of dieting, I did try Nutri System. God the food was so disgusting!!!! I couldnt even stomach the thought of eatting another meal, so I threw it all out. I didnt care how much it costs, it was gross. More power to anyone who can stomach the food. My hats off to you. IMO, Jenny Craigs food quality is much better. I really enjoyed their food. I went to weight watchers once..lol. So I cant tell you from personal experience, but friends who have been on the program, really liked it. It is all a matter of preference. But it is very true, what you do after the diet is over, is probably more important than the diet program itself. Good luck to you, in whatever you decide.

[southward bound]

I'd be concerned about the ingredients in these foods and what they do to the body behind the scenes, so to speak. Weight loss is one thing, but what is it doing to your innards and overall health?