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    My name is Stephanie, and I'm starting a wellness journey. Like many of you, I've been confused for most of my life about what the right thing to eat is and what kinds of things can help stave off illness and get rid of chronic inflammation.

    Join me while I cut through the bullshit and figure out how to be healthy and happy once and for all.

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    Time:
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    Not restricting calories
    Feeling: energized, not hungry, more rested
    Bloodwork: coming soon
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Nutrisystem Review: Pros? Cons? Does it really work?

August 15, 2019

First, the basics. For those of you that have been living under a rock, Nutrisystem is a diet system of prepackaged meals that are sent to your house. They are delivered FedEx to your door, and the delivery cost is included.

You eat 6 times a day. Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, late snack.

With lunch and dinner, you are providing vegetables that you go out and buy yourself to go along with the meal. Two servings per meal.

Once a week, you have something called a “flex meal” for your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Preferably not all 3 on the same day. Flex meals are supposed to help prepare you for the “real world” so you know what a proper portion size looks like and what kinds of things you should be eating.

There’s even an Eating Out Guide that lists good ideas for flex meals at various restaurants, if you want to eat out. Once a week, my daughter and I would eat at a Chick-fil-a and I would have 8 grilled nuggets and a superfood side salad that were very yummy.

It’s pretty easy to follow. Outside of the prepackaged meals, they give you examples of some proteins (Power Fuels) and carbs (Smart Carbs) that are the makeup of, for example, that one snack that you’re supposed to put together for yourself each day (for examples, see my sample meals below).

The meals are decent tasting, and super convenient. Some of the meals are downright delicious. But you may be missing out on them if you’re on one of the cheaper plans.

See, it has different systems or plans:

Basic – they tell you exactly what to eat, so the only freedom you’ll have is on veggies and your self-prepared snack

Core – you choose from over 100 foods and have access to their support online, which apparently is pretty helpful

Uniquely Yours – you choose from over 160 foods, have online support access, and can enjoy “total menu freedom”, which just means you can pick whatever you want every month. Even if it’s all frozen foods (which the other plans limit or completely exclude… and I gotta say, the frozen foods are where it’s at!)

Uniquely Yours Plus – this was what I had, and it has everything Uniquely Yours has plus shakes – it also says “experience ultimate variety”, which I’m not sure if that’s an actual menu change from Uniquely Yours, or if you’re just paying $1.50 a day for a probiotic shake (which is probably the case, but they’re supposed to be great for your digestion!)

They also have a Vegetarian plan, which is basically Uniquely Yours with any of the foods that have meat in them omitted from your choices. So you could do a vegetarian or almost vegetarian diet on the Uniquely Yours or Uniquely Yours Plus plan yourself by choosing the vegetarian meals.

They also have plans specific for diabetes, which must control the amount of added sugars that they have in the meals. And there’s a men’s plan, which is very similar but has more calories.

Here’s a sample day for both men and women as of right now:

Women:

Breakfast
Turkey Sausage & Egg Muffin (NS Breakfast)
blueberry greek yogurt (1 Power Fuel)
Morning Snack
probiotic shake OR mixed nuts (1 Power Fuel)
Lunch
Steak & Cheese Melt (NS Lunch)
arugula & spinach salad with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, & fat free dressing (2 Veg. and 1 Extra)
Afternoon Snack
cottage cheese & 2 medium peaches (1 Power Fuel & 1 Smart Carb)
Dinner
Margherita Pizza (NS Dinner)
sauteed mushrooms & green beans (2 Veg.)
Evening Snack
Chocolate Brownie Sundae (NS Snack)
Men:

Breakfast
Buttermilk Pancakes & sugar-free maple syrup (NS Breakfast & 1 Extra)
hard boiled egg (1 Power Fuel)
Morning Snack
Cheese Puffs (NS Snack)
Lunch
Hamburger w/ lettuce, onion slices, a tomato, & sugar free ketchup (NS Lunch & 1 Extra)
baby carrots (1 Veg.)
sugar snap peas (1 Veg.)
2 tbsp almonds (1 Power Fuel)
Afternoon Snack
1 packet tuna fish on 1 slice whole wheat bread (1 Power Fuel & 1 Smart Carb)
Dinner
Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo (NS Dinner)
vegetable stir fry (2 Veg.)
1 slice low-fat string cheese (1 Power Fuel)
Evening Snack
Popcorn (NS Snack)


Both of these also get three servings of “Extras” (things like coffee creamer and salad dressing) and all of the “Free Foods” (really really low cal stuff like spices, sugar-free sweeteners, etc.) that you want.




Does it work?

Absolutely. If you follow it, you’ll lose weight. I lost about 20 pounds and my husband lost about 15. This was in a month and a half.




Pros

  • I never thought I’d be interested in having someone tell me exactly what to eat. But when we first started Nutrisystem, we did the small, 1 week boxes that you can find in Walmart. They were a very set meal plan. Turns out, I liked the lack of leniency. It didn’t give me any wiggle room to cheat. So I followed it to the letter. In other words, the strictness of their meal plan is a good thing.
  • It’s very portable, so if you’re going out of town for a while or going to work, just bring some of the non-frozen meals with you and you’ll be good to go.
  • Most of the frozen foods are pretty yummy, and if you get one of the higher-priced plans, you can choose your meals. So you’re not forced to eat things you don’t like, and you’re still following their plan.
  • Extremely flexible when it comes to choosing your meals, if you get the Uniquely Yours or Uniquely Yours Plus plan.
  • They want you to eat a decent amount of vegetables. It’s not the 10 servings a day that is recommended, but it’s still a lot more than most Americans get, so that’s good.
  • The Numi app has great articles, incentives to follow your diet (think discounts on food), and a very easy-to-use food tracking diary.



Cons

  • Many of the non-frozen meals are just not great. So if you want portability AND yummy-tasting foods, you’re going to be harder pressed to find them.
  • The cost that you’re getting quoted for your monthly meals doesn’t cover the one snack a day that you’re getting for yourself, random Power Fuels, or your veggies, which brings the cost of the plan up to higher than you may have originally calculated.
  • These foods are all highly processed and many of them have sugars added to them to make them taste good. So while you will lose weight on Nutrisystem, you won’t be eating foods that are as healthy as they could be.
  • I was hungry most of the time. Sometimes I felt satiated after lunch or dinner, but not for very long.



Bottom Line

I started Nutrisystem when we were living out of a hotel room. It was really great for that. We couldn’t cook very easily and so their prepackaged meals were perfect. The strictness of the diet made it very easy for me to stick to it… for about 3-4 months.

Then something happened. Maybe it was me getting bored of their foods. I should’ve probably started mixing up what I was getting a bit more. Maybe I was getting sick of all the processed foods and it was me getting excited about eating fresh foods again. Maybe it was this blog and me deciding that processed foods aren’t the way I want to go anymore.

Regardless of the reason, I feel in my gut that it’s not a very sustainable solution for long periods of time.

So my suggestion is to stick to it and stick to it well for 3-6 months, lose a bunch of weight, and then when you start getting sick of it, use the ideas for portion control that it’s taught you to start eating fresher foods.

You’re going to lose weight, but you’re not going to be eating terribly healthy foods (except for the veggies and snack that you’re providing). Pre-packaged foods that are made to last until the apocalypse comes are NOT very healthy, even if they are low in calories. So don’t try to make this a long term solution.

Nutrisystem even states it’s not a long term solution, and the whole point of their flex meals are to get you ready for life after Nutrisystem. They give you an idea of portion control and how you should be eating, which you can then apply to fresher foods.

So I’m breaking down my rating for Nutrisystem, because YES, it will help you lose weight. But NO, the meals that they’re providing are not extremely healthy.

Weight Loss Rating:           5/5 Stars
Healthy Food Rating:         3.5/5 Stars (and it would be much lower if it wasn’t for all those fresh veggies they want you to eat)




Free Stuff

I’m giving away 5 (sealed!) containers of the Nutrisystem Fresh Fit Probiotic shakes. Chocolate flavored. ($90 value!) So if you’re interested in winning:

1. comment either here on my blog (below), on the YouTube Nutrisystem Review video, or on my Instagram Nutrisystem photo.

2. make sure you’re following me either through my newsletter here or you’re subscribed to me on YouTube or Instagram, too!

U.S. residents only, please.

5 Winners will be chosen randomly on August 31st, 2019 @ 11:59 pm, so leave your comment today!

Read the full giveaway rules here.

dietgiveawaynutrisystemnutritionweight-loss
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Nutrition

stephanie
Hey there! Please join me on my wellness journey, where I cut through the contradictory crap out there and figure out how to be healthy and happy once and for all.

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44 Comments


beth shepherd
August 17, 2019 at 1:22 am
Reply

I love your honest review and would love to try it. Thank you

 


    stephanie
    August 18, 2019 at 2:06 am
    Reply

    Awesome, good luck, Beth!

     
Ashley c
August 17, 2019 at 11:59 am
Reply

I’m glad to hear you say it’s an effective way to lose weight, but I’m so glad you point out how unhealthy it is! I’ve always thought that and never tried any of the “meal systems “ for that reason. I bet the shakes are yummy though!

 


    stephanie
    August 18, 2019 at 2:06 am
    Reply

    They’re quite good, for sure! And they mix with the water well, which was always a concern for me… I’m not a fan of clumpy shakes. 🙂

    Thanks, Ashley!

     
Darlene Carbajal
August 18, 2019 at 2:09 am
Reply

Thanks for your review! I have been wanting to try Nutri System for the longest.

 


    stephanie
    August 18, 2019 at 2:15 am
    Reply

    Sure thing, Darlene! Good luck, and if you decide to try it let me know if you have any questions I didn’t cover. Would be happy to help. 🙂

     
Rajee Pandi
August 18, 2019 at 9:32 am
Reply

great plan

 


    stephanie
    August 18, 2019 at 6:49 pm
    Reply

    Thanks, Rajee – good luck!

     
Julie Murphy
August 18, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Reply

I like your brutal honesty.

 


    stephanie
    August 18, 2019 at 6:48 pm
    Reply

    Thanks, Julie! 🙂

     
Al
August 18, 2019 at 12:57 pm
Reply

Thanks for the invite. Lost 30# on low carbs. But will listen what have to say.

 


    stephanie
    August 18, 2019 at 6:49 pm
    Reply

    I think low carbs and lots of veggies is a great way to go. Much better than Nutrisystem when it comes to health. 🙂

     
Kelly D
August 21, 2019 at 5:49 pm
Reply

I would like to try Nutrisystem. I have been losing weight and I am half way to my goal, so this would help.

 


    stephanie
    August 21, 2019 at 6:15 pm
    Reply

    Awesome, congrats on your progress!! That’s amazing. 🙂

    Good luck on the rest of your weight loss and good luck in the contest!

     
Catherine Lewis
August 21, 2019 at 9:47 pm
Reply

Finally, someone to tell the truth about the pre packaged diet meals. I want to lose the weight so I think I will do the 3 to 6 months you suggest. But since I am low income, I won’t be able to buy very much. I would love to win this to get me on my way.

 


    stephanie
    August 22, 2019 at 12:40 am
    Reply

    Thanks, Catherine! I plan on trying out all kinds of other diets out there, like Paleo, Vegan, Keto, etc. and giving my reviews on how those work for me, as well. So maybe some of those can help, too! And easier on a low income, probably. That’s a drawback to Nutrisystem… but then eating healthy is just more expensive in general, which is stupid crazy. 🙁

    Anyway, glad you liked it. Good luck with the giveaway!! 🙂

     
Ken Teubner
August 21, 2019 at 9:52 pm
Reply

I just went through a double by-pass. I weight 319 Doc says I need to loss a bunch of weight. Maybe this will be a start.

 


    stephanie
    August 22, 2019 at 12:41 am
    Reply

    Yikes, a double by-pass! Well, hopefully you recover quickly and I wish you the absolute best of luck with your weight. Feel free to follow me here (or Instagram/YouTube/etc) and maybe some of the things I learn about weight loss on my journey can help you. 🙂

    Best of luck with the giveaway!

     
sarah
August 22, 2019 at 2:18 am
Reply

It looks like a good program to start with to get a better idea of portions and then use that moving forward .

 


    stephanie
    August 22, 2019 at 4:19 am
    Reply

    Definitely! It helped me, for sure.

     
Denise birdsong
August 22, 2019 at 3:23 am
Reply

I would love this to kick start a healthier me.

 


    stephanie
    August 22, 2019 at 4:19 am
    Reply

    Good luck!! 🙂

     
Rosemary
August 24, 2019 at 12:43 pm
Reply

wow-what a great plan

 


April
August 27, 2019 at 6:54 pm
Reply

Thank you for such an honest review. Something to definitely look into as an option- I like how you said- as a way to teach yourself portion control and then branch out on your own. Thanks for the giveaway!

 


    stephanie
    August 27, 2019 at 7:09 pm
    Reply

    I think that teaching portion control is really one of it’s strong points, for sure! Good luck! 🙂

     
carl
August 28, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Reply

great selection

 


Patricia wright
August 29, 2019 at 5:17 am
Reply

I need to lose weight. I put on over 55 lbs. followed you on IG

 


    stephanie
    August 29, 2019 at 8:44 pm
    Reply

    Well hopefully some of my articles and reviews can help you out. I know that researching them is helping me. Best of luck on your wellness journey and on the giveaway! 🙂

     
Eric Rollins
August 29, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Reply

Looking forward to trying out the plan

 


    stephanie
    August 29, 2019 at 8:45 pm
    Reply

    Great! Let me know if you have any other questions about how it works! 🙂

     
Barrie
August 30, 2019 at 3:36 am
Reply

My hubby and I started the boxes from Walmart this past week. In 5 days, I’ve lost 4 lbs! There is no wiggle room, like you said, but we are determined to lose weight AND this gives us a good starting point. I am following your newsletter and following you on instagram!

 


    stephanie
    August 30, 2019 at 1:54 pm
    Reply

    Awesome!! Congrats on that loss, that’s amazing. 🙂 Best of luck to you on your weight loss and the giveaway!

    Those boxes work really well, but we got sick of the same things over and over really quick lol! Do you plan on trying a full plan?

     
Carl
August 30, 2019 at 12:56 pm
Reply

great

 


Dawn Castiglione
August 31, 2019 at 1:26 am
Reply

I’ve been with Nurtisystem for a little while now and I like most (not all) of their food choices. I do like their shakes. I have to say that’s probably my favorite aside from the egg white spinach crepe!

 


    stephanie
    August 31, 2019 at 3:35 am
    Reply

    I’m pretty happy with their shakes, too! Thanks, Dawn, and good luck!

     
Laurie Emerson
August 31, 2019 at 2:15 am
Reply

I really love your honesty review and how you let us know the pros and cons. I want to lose weight so badly and I have tried so many ways to do it. Your review has given me hope and I appreciate so much.

 


    stephanie
    August 31, 2019 at 3:34 am
    Reply

    Well, hopefully we can figure out what works together! I’ve tried a bunch of stuff, too, and I’m just tired of trying and giving up. So that’s what this blog is about.. hopefully it can help others like you out there, too! Good luck and if you ever need someone to have your back and tell you that you’ve got this, I’ll be here. 🙂

     
Paula Pennachio
August 31, 2019 at 2:20 am
Reply

This is a really nice site and giveaway thank you for the opportunity.

 


    stephanie
    August 31, 2019 at 3:33 am
    Reply

    Thanks, and good luck! 🙂

     
Shakeia Rieux
August 31, 2019 at 4:09 am
Reply

I’ve been wanting to try Nutrisystem for so very long I’m still not sure about it that’s why I haven’t yet. I did enjoy reading your post! Congrats to you and your husband!

 


    stephanie
    August 31, 2019 at 4:53 am
    Reply

    If you have any other questions about anything specific I didn’t cover, fire away. I’d be glad to help. 🙂 Good luck!!

     
Francine
August 31, 2019 at 10:34 pm
Reply

I have been wanting to try their shakes . Thanks for the chance.

 


    stephanie
    September 1, 2019 at 12:21 am
    Reply

    Good luck!! 🙂

     
stephanie
September 1, 2019 at 11:58 pm
Reply

The winners have been chosen! Notifications will go out tomorrow. Mostly just because I can’t really IM people at midnight. 🙂

I’ll announce the winners here as well (https://www.getwellwithme.com/nutrisystem-fresh-fit-shakes-giveaway-official-rules/)

 


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  • About Me


    My name is Stephanie, and I'm starting a wellness journey. Like many of you, I've been confused for most of my life about what the right thing to eat is and what kinds of things can help stave off diseases like heart disease, cancer, chronic inflammation, and more!

    Join me while I cut through the bullshit and figure out how to be healthy and happy once and for all.

  • Subscribe to My Newsletter

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    Feeling: energized, not hungry, more rested
    Bloodwork: coming soon
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