My sister lost quite a bit of weight doing Nutrisystem, but the food is really processed. She said one night she was making hamburgers for her kids as her "hamburger" was re-hydrating in water. She said she realized she could do a diet on her own for a lot cheaper. After Nutrisystem she gained most of the weight back.

I lost a lot of weight (over 50 pounds) by counting calories. I ate the things I like even desserts. And here's the secret for me...I need to log everything I put in my mouth. Every day I started a new page and wrote everything down with the calorie counts along with my feelings about my day/my weight/my life. This makes you reflect on why you want to eat when you're not hungry! At the time I was focusing also on getting at least 25 grams of fiber, along with a couple other requirements. It didn't work when I just tried to count it in my head. I found I could lose weight eating about 1500-1700 calories a day. But I belong to a gym and do mindful exercise too.

I know what I need to do. Unfortunately I went through some stressful times over the last couple years and I've gained the weight back. That's the other secret for me. I need to continue the daily log for the rest of my life but I just haven't started back up again. Plus I really like to eat out and eat more than I should.

I was at a "Swap" event several years ago where you could bring in stuff you didn't want and leave it for anyone who wanted it. A lady walked in very briskly with two large bags, left them, and walked out. They were full of Nutrisystem food, unopened. I took some and tried it, I had to agree with her, most of it was inedible and none of it tasted good.

Yes, as Dave Barry says, 100 years ago there was only one diet book - it was titled "Don't Eat So Much!"

What I learned from being on Nutrisystem for 4 years was/is.

*portion size!! We all fail at that.
*no alcoholic beverages! They trigger food cravings. (i like wine.)
*Lower sugar intake. Sugar alcohol is substituted for real sugar. They can "burn" when consumed. Read your "low sugar" labels on anything. You will likely see these in the ingredients.
*lower sodium content in the foods. True. They are portioned out to be lower sodium. Compare NS to other processed frozen food, Marie Calendar is one of the worst salt busters! Yikes!
* Eat your veggies and fresh fruit!! Repeat often! I learned to love fresh fruits 20 years ago when I was on weight watchers. We ALL struggle to eat the daily requirements of fruits and veggies. Admit it. My eating habits improve when I adhere to this rule. But I struggle to do it everyday. V-8 is one great way to get a serving or 2 of veggies in. (Large can is 2)

Yes, you have to get used to some of the processed foods of NS but if you strictly follow the program as designed, you will feel fuller than you ever thought and you will lose weight. But, like any "diet" or food program, if you fall of the wagon, you are going to gain it back.

Read the discussion group on the NS website. It is a wealth of info.

I no longer do the auto ship. I admit to NS burnout and they eliminated some of my favs. I have gained some weight back because........I drink my wine, eat too much sugar, got LAZY!!! I do need to get back on track. This was my doing...not a "program" flaw. Not any program flaw. We gain weight due to bad eating habits.

addressing the gall bladder ....i have quite a few friends who had theirs removed. They were never on a prepackaged diet plan. BAD eating habits can/does contribute to that. I would not necessarily draw a conclusion to blame NS on the gall bladder issue unless the dr. suspects.

We eat too many pre-packaged processed foods. As a whole, i believe they cannot be healthy but what to do?? I wish that I could be home every day to prepare a healthy meal..but I can't and I do the best that I can.

good luck with whatever you decide.

Sandy

We tried it and it was successful as long as we followed it rigorously. The food isn't that bad, in my opinion; you find what you like and then you order it in quantity. However, we did put the pounds back on pretty quickly when we stopped, even though we were eating healthy and walking. Now doing Weight Watchers Online (for folks who have no interest in the meetings!). We track each day by points and get to eat out sometimes.....it's working the best of all we've tried.

1,000 calories a day? Cant be healthy. Sorry.
sandy

Spend some time on this website. I stumbled across it about a year ago. The blogger is a young, busy woman with a family. She has lots of good recipes, freezer meals, crockpot meals, and make ahead meals. She is quite organized and I've liked everything I've tried from her site. And it is free!! :D
http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/

Hi Dottie, Many years ago when I was still working, I lost over 100 lbs using NutriSystem. The food wasn't great but I did OK. The problem is you can't stay on it forever. When I went off the regimen I regained the 100 lbs plus over 100 more. I believe there are two reasons it does work. Portion control is the MAIN reason it works IMO. You need to figure this out anyway so why not do it now, save the money, and have a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. The second reason is (at least when I did it) the weekly meeting; knowing I had to face someone every week and how "disappointed" she would look if I didn't lose made me less inclined to do that little tiny cheat.
I finally had to resort to bariatric surgery and lost over 150 lbs. It's drastic and not for everyone. If you want the regimen, I really suggest Weight Watchers. It's not inexpensive, either and there are the rah rah meetings (a particular dislike of mine), but you don't have to use their food and it's easier to go out either to public or private occasions where you will be eating.

Whatever you decide, I wish you success. Getting rid of extra weight be it 10 lbs or 100, will definitely help with whatever your health problem. Remember to get in the excercise; otherwise nothing will work permanently. Joyce in Delaware

From her comments portion I am presuming she is selling this vitamix stuff........another diet aid...once off! puff weight gained plus!!!!! WW seems to be the most practical. It's a hand to mouth addiction!

Eating less and moving more is the answer. If you need a little help - check out www.myfitnesspal.com. It allows you to track your food/calorie count/exercise and now they also offer some healthy recipes. When you track your foods you suddenly realize how much those "snacks" add to your hips.

It has been a way for me to keep on track. No meetings, even a phone app so no excuse for not know exactly what those extras are costing you in calories. They have a great many prepared meals, restaurant meals, etc. and if you have something new there is a place to add your recipes and calorie counts so it will always be available to you. You can be anonymous or share your info with friends.