NutriSystem Inc. is at the top of Fortune Magazine's fastest growing companies of 2007. NutriSystem began as a series of bland bricks-and-mortar weight loss centers in the 1970s, who went bankrupt in the 1990s, and are now a completely successful on-line offering (although they have just purchased a number of "Slim-and-Tone" fitness centers).

What's so good about NutriSystem?

So why? Why are so many people embarking on this diet?

The NutriSystem Nourish program is all about convenience. They sell pre-packaged (heat and eat) meals from their website and ship them to your door. They have an ongoing deal that will supply one weeks free food with every 4 week order (see the free deal here). This amounts to $280 for 5 weeks food. In an age where foods are chosen according taste, price, and convenience - it should come as no surprise that Nutrisystem is so popular. This is effectively fast food for weight loss. If you are not prepared to eat processed food (i.e. increased sodium), then this is not for you.

With the autoship option, the price gets cheaper each month, going from $280, to $270, to $260 and so on.

Jenny Craig vs Nutrisystem

Both of these diets are about pre-packaged foods and portion-controlled weight loss. Jenny Craig charges a membership fee (which requires signing a contract). Nutrisystem has no such contract and membership is free. Jenny Craig allows you to visit with a counsellor, whereas Nutrisystem only offers phone counselling.

What's not so good?

According to one survey, the average customer stays for 9.5 weeks. This shows that NutriSystem is useful for getting back on track, but it is not a permanent answer. After finishing your stint with Nutrisystem you must go back to preparing your own meals - and this is a critical time (and an issue with every on-and-off diet).

I've also seen one person complaining about food being substituted when she had requested specific meals. However this only happened during a peak time (the New Year Resolution weight loss frenzy) - and it seems that Nutrisystem were completely overloaded with orders.

Those Ads

Nutrisystem is well known for it's advertising - particular the TV commercials. One in particular featured a customer - seen catching a bouquet at a mock wedding -- wearing nothing but a bikini and high heels. Cheesy for sure - but at least the woman (37 year old Sheila Duren) was a genuine customer (via Businessweek). Although the ad did tend to portray unrealistic expections (despite the *Results not typical caption). A further commerical had a woman going supermarket shopping wearing nothing but her underwear - very tacky indeed.

What people are saying about Nutrisystem

The taste of the food is... well... a matter of taste. Here are two comments:

"I find the food very good and actually good value considering all- I am never hungry and enjoy this diet very much..."

"I couldn't stand Nutrisystem but was able to get a partial refund. I had to call them and get a return number and follow the instructions they emailed. They were really quite nice about everything, considering I told them I didn't like their food's taste and consistency."

Nutrisystem is pre-packaged food. It's never going to taste like whole fruits and vegetables.

 

Diet and Nutritional Aspects

The Nutrisystem diet is based around the glycemic index. They have options for men, women, diabetics, and vegetarians. Typical daily calorie amounts will vary from 1200 to 1500, and each days food consists of 3 meals and 2 snacks. The macro-nutrient ratios are approximately 55% carbohydrates, 25% protein and 20% fats. The have 2 additional programs for women and men over 60 - the only difference here is the addition of one months supply of a multivitamin-mineral.

A typical day might look like this (according to spokeswoman Zora Andrich).

"Breakfast is frosted shredded wheat with skim milk and a banana. Lunch might be salad with some mashed potatoes. I snack on soy chips, and dinner is vegetable lasagne"

So it seems that people do add some fresh fruit and vegetables into the mix - and indeed Nutrisystem recommend adding 4½ cups.

 

Alcohol should be avoided, but tea, coffee, and diet sodas are okay.

Exercise is fully recommended with beginner, intermediate, and advanced workout plans available.

So... will you lose weight?
Strictly follow a 1200-1500 calorie diet - such as Nutrisystem, and most people will lose weight. It's a simple formula of reducing energy intake. How long the weight loss will continue is something that cannot be easily answered. This is the same with virtually every diet - you reach a plateau and something will need to change (changing exercise patterns, lifting weights, changing nutrient ratios, etc.). However an appraisal of most opinion sites on the web show that people (a) Definitely lose weight with Nutrisystem and (b) Tend to get tired of the food after 2-3 months.