Nutrisystem at a Glance
Summary
- The program itself: Nutrisystem offers the full package when it comes to a weight loss program, including a fairly fleshed-out meal plan, the food itself, an app for tracking your meals and thorough meal plan instructions over the course of one month.
- The food: While you’re required to sprinkle in a few DIY meals throughout the week, the majority of your meals and snacks are provided by Nutrisystem. This component could be a pro or a con, depending on how your tastebuds and body respond to the pre-packaged food provided.
- The cost: While you can choose from different tiers of the program at varying price points, they’re all relatively expensive. Still, Nutrisystem does provide the bulk of your meals for the month, so the higher price tag might be worth the convenience for some.
What I liked
- The convenience factor. There’s no denying the ease of having a majority of your monthly meals and snacks pre-portioned, packaged and delivered to your doorstep. It takes the hard work out of calorie counting and nutrient tracking.
- A wide variety of food options. Whether you have a sweet tooth or prefer pasta, Nutrisystem’s menu likely has something right up your alley. The program offers separate menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
- The lack of deprivation. While the portion sizes of meals and snacks are admittedly small (and left my stomach rumbling on occasion), I did appreciate Nutrisystem’s structure in that you’re constantly eating throughout the day, so you never feel starved or like you’re staring at the clock until your next meal time.
What I didn’t like
- The food. In my opinion, the food provided by Nutriststem was not satisfying. All the pre-packaged meals come in shelf-stable pouches, cartons or packs (although the higher-priced plans also include frozen entrees), meaning they lack the freshness of whole foods.
- The price. Nutrisystem’s convenience comes at a cost. A one-time monthly shipment of the most basic tier for a women’s meal plan costs $508.71.
- The lack of emphasis on overall nutrition. While Nutrisystem does state that its meals offer balanced nutrition, combining lean proteins, healthy fats, dietary fiber and “smart” carbohydrates, the program seemed to focus more on a calorie deficit and less on a holistic approach to nutrition.
Get $30 Off All Weight Loss Plans
- Affordable meal delivery program designed for weight loss
- 130+ menu options for all-day healthy eating
- Features high-protein, low-glycemic foods to control hunger
- Top-rated app personalizes your plan as you track progress
- Plans start at $12.14/day
What Is Nutrisystem?
Established more than 45 years ago, Nutrisystem is a weight loss program that claims to have helped millions of people over the course of its business. In 2015, Nutrisystem acquired the South Beach Diet brand for $15 million. Private equity firm Kainos Capital then acquired Nutrisystem from Tivity Health in 2020 for $575 million.
Nutrisystem’s plans are built around weight loss, claiming that on the plans, women can lose up to 13 pounds and 7 inches over the course of their first month and 1 to 2 pounds every week thereafter. Men can lose up to 18 pounds and 8 inches during their first month and then 1 to 2 pounds a week, according to the company. Nutrisystem is not recommended for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as those with certain health conditions, such as celiac disease or those with allergies to peanuts, soy and/or latex. Children under 14 are not allowed to participate in the program.
How Does Nutrisystem Work?
Nutrisystem’s weight loss program is designed to be high in fiber and protein—nutrients that help you feel full. At the same time, the program decreases your overall calorie intake via its pre-portioned meals, creating a calorie deficit. This deficit often leads to weight loss as your body burns more calories than it takes in. After the first week on Nutrisystem (which is designed to jumpstart your journey), most women consume roughly 1,200 daily calories on the program, and men consume 1,500 calories a day.
Nutrisystem offers a handful of four-week diet programs tailored to different needs, including women’s plans, men’s plans, plans for people with diabetes and plans for vegetarians. Upon signing up, users can select from different tiers that offer varying levels of customization, such as frozen meals, ready-to-go snacks, a larger menu selection and personalized nutrition support. During sign-up, you either pick “chef’s choice,” which features a curated selection of the brand’s most popular meals, or select your own monthly meals and snacks from a menu of more than 100 options.
After signing up and selecting either a one-time monthly delivery or a recurring subscription (which is significantly cheaper), a box of all your meals is delivered to your home. In the women’s basic plan—the plan I selected— the first week of Nutrisystem consists of eating only Nutrisystem-provided breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks. During the first week, you eat five times a day, adding at least four servings of non-starchy vegetables to your daily meal plan. Nutrisystem also recommends keeping activity to a minimum during this week and drinking at least 64 ounces of water daily, as well as recording what you eat and drink on the free NuMi app that accompanies the plan.
After the first week, the program introduces “flex meals” into your weekly eating plan. Flex meals consist of what Nutrisystem calls PowerFuels (lean proteins), SmartCarbs (carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index) and vegetables. An example of a flex dinner, according to Nutrisystem, is whole-grain spaghetti with meat sauce, parmesan cheese and sauteed green beans, and breakfast might look like scrambled eggs and a slice of whole wheat toast.
Once you complete your first week, you’re instructed to eat two flex breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks each week. While I enjoyed the break from the monotony of yet another dehydrated meal, I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied that despite spending more than $500 for one month of meals, I was still required to spend money on fresh groceries every week. There’s a separate plan option that covers all seven days of the week with Nutrisystem meals, but it’s also designed to be supplemented by your own non-starchy vegetables, so personal groceries are still required.
In terms of support, Nutrisystem offers a handful of resources on its accompanying NuMi app. These resources include a tracker for your food intake and goals, expert advice and informational articles. The company also claims to offer one-on-one coaching via its online chat or by phone, but I was never connected with this service.
- Affordable meal delivery program designed for weight loss
- 130+ menu options for all-day healthy eating
- Features high-protein, low-glycemic foods to control hunger
- Top-rated app personalizes your plan as you track progress
- Plans start at $12.14/day
How Much Does Nutrisystem Cost?
Nutrisystem’s current plans are outlined in the table below. If you opt for auto-delivery, you can cancel at any time after your second month’s shipment. You can also select different plans that provide five days of meals or seven days of meals (which come at a higher cost). All plans come with access to the NuMi app, and Nutrisystem’s weight loss smoothies can be purchased at an additional cost. Note: Prices are accurate as of publication.
In addition to the plans listed above, Nutrisystem also offers Partner Plans, which are designed for two people, as well as Diabetes Plans (in which you eat six times a day, and meals exclude artificial flavors and sweeteners) and Vegetarian Plans.
What Can You Eat On Nutrisystem?
Nutrisystem shines when it comes to offering a wide range of meals and snacks, many of which aren’t stereotypically “diet-friendly.”
Breakfast meals range from buttermilk waffles to apple walnut oatmeal to double chocolate muffins, and lunches include the likes of white cheddar mac ‘n’ cheese and burritos. Dinners run the gamut as well, from pizza to enchiladas. It’s worth noting, though, that the more appetizing meals are offered only as frozen entrees, which come at a higher cost. Brace yourself for small portion sizes, too—the portions, to me, were similar to that of a Lean Cuisine meal and left my tummy growling for more.
While the menu earned high marks from me, the taste of the food did not. The entrees tasted bland at best and downright unappetizing at worst—particularly the muffins, which were dry and felt like sandpaper in my mouth. However, taste is subjective—other users have found the meals to be enjoyable.
In 2019, Nutrisystem developed a list of restricted ingredients, including partially hydrogenated oils, saccharin, high-fructose corn syrup and more, according to the company. It does note that some of its food may be made with genetically modified ingredients, gluten, sugar alcohols and inherent or free glutamate—something that didn’t sit well with me.
My Nutrisystem Experience
Nutrisystem is a well-oiled machine. The program itself made the ordering process easy—I simply picked my plan and menu for the month and placed my order. In less than a week, my box of monthly meals arrived, neatly portioned and color-coded for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
The biggest drawback was that I didn’t find the food satisfying. I prefer eating whole, fresh foods whenever I get the chance. My breakfast usually consists of berries and Greek yogurt, lunch is often a turkey wrap or filling salad and for dinners, I typically pair protein with roasted vegetables. I’m no stranger to processed foods—Taco Bell will be my downfall—but eating a pouch or carton of dehydrated food for every meal (with the exception of the “flex” meals) left me unsatisfied and, honestly, a little sick to my stomach.
Additionally, I strongly believe that just because something helps you lose weight, that doesn’t mean it’s healthy. For example, the ingredient list and nutritional label for Nutrisystem’s mushroom parmesan soup with chicken—labeled a lunch meal— included xanthan gum (a common food additive), 490 milligrams of sodium and 55 milligrams of cholesterol. These numbers aren’t necessarily bad, but are far from the threshold for what the American Heart Association considers low-sodium and are higher in cholesterol than many other foods.
An ingredient list like that—which read longer than my grocery list—was a turnoff. My body craved the whole foods it was used to, and there were times during my Nutrisystem journey that I felt sluggish and foggy.
- Affordable meal delivery program designed for weight loss
- 130+ menu options for all-day healthy eating
- Features high-protein, low-glycemic foods to control hunger
- Top-rated app personalizes your plan as you track progress
- Plans start at $12.14/day
Does Nutrisystem Work?
I cannot definitively say whether Nutrisystem did or did not result in weight loss for me—I do not weigh myself on a regular basis, as I find myself often fixating on the number on the scale. For what it’s worth, though, my clothes did not fit any better than they did before, and I didn’t see a notable difference when looking in the mirror. This could be because I did break Nutrisystem’s strict rules, as I found myself so hungry after some of the small, portion-sized meals, I had to grab something just to hold me over. And my usual exercise routine of working out four to five days a week went out the window, as the processed foods on the diet plan left me sluggish (and remember, Nutrisystem actually recommends keeping activity to a minimum the first week of the program).
For many, though, Nutrisystem often results in weight loss because it focuses on a calorie deficit. If you struggle with self-control and portion sizes and don’t want to sink the time into a weight loss program that requires calorie counting and deciphering ingredient labels, this plan will likely help you shed a few pounds without much effort. In fact, compared to Whole30—which requires an immense amount of planning and prepping—Nutrisystem is a breeze. It’s also a solid option, in my opinion, for people who want to lose weight in a set amount of time.
For me, this program resulted in a moment of clarity. Focusing on the number on the scale and prioritizing a calorie deficit rather than the nutritional content of the foods that go into my body wasn’t for me. I view food as fuel, and the meals provided by Nutrisystem didn’t meet my body’s needs. That might mean I don’t hit my goal weight before I walk down the aisle (my thoughts on the societal “shedding for the wedding” pressure is a story for another time), but after eating a month of dehydrated foods from a pouch, that’s a tradeoff I’m willing to take.
Before you begin this program—or any weight loss program—do a bit of research and reflect on your goals and how you want to get there. And don’t forget to speak to your doctor about any diet program you’re interested in trying—no amount of information online can replace the guidance and opinion of a medical professional who knows you best.