Nutrisystem Reviews – Real Nutritional Weight Loss System?
Nutrisystem is a weight loss system featuring prepackaged, low-calorie meals. According to their official website, this popular weight loss program has been around since the 1970s and continues to be one of the best-known weight loss programs today in which you sign up to receive meals by mail.
What is Nutrisystem?
Created in the 1970s, Nutrisystem is a long-running weight loss program popular across the United States. The program involves eating specially-formulated, prepackaged, low-calorie meals. You eat six small meals per day to curb hunger cravings, making it easier to lose weight.
Because Nutrisystem’s meals have fewer calories than your ordinary diet, users may naturally lose weight. Users may enhance results further by combining Nutrisystem with diet and exercise.
If you want an all-in-one weight loss program, then Nutrisystem may be the right choice. The program gives you everything you need to lose weight while taking the hassle out of cooking, planning, and shopping for ingredients.
In 2021, Nutrisystem launched its All-New Nutrisystem lineup, which includes new foods, an expanded menu, a mobile app, and other benefits.
Let’s take a closer look at how Nutrisystem works today.
How Does Nutrisystem Work?
The premise behind Nutrisystem is simple: you sign up for Nutrisystem, buy a package of meals, then eat six small meals per day.
Nutrisystem is a 4-week program. You sign up, buy a 4-week package of meals, and lose weight.
You can repeat the 4-week program as many times as you would like.
Nutrisystem ships meals to your address. The meals are either frozen or shelf-stable. You simply reheat the foods, then eat them. All meals are completely cooked with no preparation required (aside from heating).
Your Nutrisystem subscription also comes with shakes, which Nutrisystem recommends using as snacks between meals.
According to Nutrisystem, you may lose up to 18 pounds in 2 months while following the program. Some have beat these weight loss results, while others have had less success.
Nutrisystem now comes with a mobile app to enhance the effectiveness of the program. The mobile app syncs with your customized Nutrisystem plan. It also gives you fun challenges for tracking weight loss, daily reminders for your diet, and a la carte meal ordering, among other features.
Nutrisystem is more affordable than many people realize: when signing up for a 4-week plan, you pay approximately $8.57 per day for Nutrisystem. Nutrisystem also frequently has deals and promotions throughout the year.
What to Expect with Nutrisystem
Nutrisystem is a 4-week program. You eat the provided meals for 4 weeks, aiming to eat six small meals per day (including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three snacks). These meals are frozen or shelf-stable meals shipped by Nutrisystem to your address.
As you progress through the weeks, your eating habits change slightly:
Week 1) During the first week, you eat three meals, one snack, and one Nutrisystem shake per day. This is a low-calorie shock to your body, and it prepares your body for the rest of the weight loss program.
Weeks 2, 3, and 4) During the remaining weeks, Nutrisystem recommends eating 6 meals per day, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three snacks or shakes.
Although Nutrisystem provides many of the meals, you can also prepare your own meals. If preparing your own food, Nutrisystem recommends lean, low-calorie, low-sodium options.
You can customize your program as needed. For example, a Basic package gives you five days of food per week, while the Ultimate package gives you seven days of food per week.
You can also customize meals based on your dietary habits. You can choose vegetarian options, for example.
Nutrisystem also has different meal plans for men and women. The Standard program is marketed mostly towards women, for example, while the Men’s program contains additional snacks.
Each week, you can eat up to eight “Flex Meals.” These are similar to cheat days or cheat meals. You can eat less healthy meals or have more calories, although you should limit these meals whenever possible. You’re allowed to have two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and two snacks that are Flax Meals per week.
Nutrisystem Programs
Nutrisystem has multiple programs available, depending on how you want to follow Nutrisystem and lose weight:
Basic: This is the cheapest Nutrisystem plan. You get 5 days of food each week.
Uniquely Yours: This is the most popular Nutrisystem plan. You get 5 days of food per week and can customize your meal plan however you like.
Uniquely Yours Ultimate: This is the most expensive meal plan, and you get 7 days of food each week along with customization options.
If you don’t like any of the packages listed above, you can choose other Nutrisystem options, including:
Standard: Nutrisystem’s standard plan is marketed mostly to women. You get a range of meals and snacks.
Men’s: Nutrisystem Men’s has additional snacks each week. You also get meals that may be more appealing to men.
Nutrisystem D: If you have type 2 diabetes, then Nutrisystem has a plan for you. These meals are rich in protein and fiber while having a low glycemic index, which means they won’t spike blood sugar.
Vegetarian: Nutrisystem’s vegetarian plan is suitable for vegetarians because it contains no meat. However, it does feature dairy products, so it’s not vegan.
What Can You Eat with Nutrisystem?
Nutrisystem’s prepackaged, premade, fully cooked meals cover a diverse menu.
All Nutrisystem meals emphasize lean protein, low calories, and high fiber. If making your own meals, you should avoid foods high in calories or fat.
Depending on your plan, Nutrisystem will provide some or all of your meals.
The Standard plan includes four meals per day, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and one snack. You receive 5 days’ worth of meals per week. That means you need to make two snacks for 5 days, then six meals for the remaining 2 days (say, on weekends).
With the Ultimate plans, you receive 4 meals per day for all 7 days of the week, which means you only need to make 2 snacks per day.
Nutrisystem isn’t overly strict about what you can and cannot eat. However, Nutrisystem recommends eating certain foods – and avoiding other foods.
Foods to Eat
Nutrisystem provides most meals to you, although you’ll need to make certain snacks and meals, depending on your plan. When making your own foods, emphasize the following:
- Proteins: Lean meats, nuts, seeds, legumes, tofu, or meat substitutes.
- Fruits: Bananas, oranges, apples, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, avocados, and tomatoes.
- Vegetables: Spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, salad greens, mushrooms, radishes, onions, turnips, and asparagus.
- Dairy: Low-fat yogurts, reduced-fat cheeses, and skim or low-fat milk.
- Carbs: Whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, sweet potatoes, brown rice, or oats.
- Fats: Plant-based spreads, low-calorie oils, and cooking spray.
Foods to Avoid
You can make your own meals and snacks with Nutrisystem, although you should avoid certain foods when possible to maximize weight loss results.
- Proteins: Fatty cuts of meat, fried meats, and battered meats.
- Fruits: Fruit-based desserts (like apple pies).
- Vegetables: Fried or battered vegetables.
- Fats: Butter, liquid oils, or lard.
- Dairy: Full fat milk, yogurt, cheeses, or ice cream.
- Carbs: Cookies, French fries, fried potatoes, potato chips, refined bread, enriched or refined pasta, or pastries.
Nutrisystem Sample Meal Plan
Nutrisystem has 150+ menu choices for all different preferences. Here are some of the foods you could enjoy for each meal and snack of the day:
Breakfasts: Cinnamon roll, buttermilk waffles, apple walnut oatmeal, or granola cereal.
Lunches: Classic hamburger, grilled chicken sandwich, pepperoni pizza melt, or double chocolate caramel bar.
Dinners: Roasted red pepper pesto and chicken flatbread, caramelized onion and bacon flatbread, Mediterranean flatbread, Italian sausage, and turkey pepperoni pizza.
Snacks: Superfood smoothie mix, vanilla ice cream sandwich, orange cream bar, lemon zest cake, and chocolate fudge bar.
Vegetarian Options: Cinnamon roll, buttermilk waffles, cranberry orange muffin, cheddar broccoli rice, garlic cheese flatbread, spinach and cheese pretzel melt, four-cheese manicotti, bean Bolognese, veggie chili, strawberry shortcake cupcake, and chocolate brownie sundae.
Nutrisystem publishes its full menu upfront, making it easy to see what foods you can expect while following Nutrisystem.
How Does the NuMi App Work?
Nutrisystem now comes with a mobile app called the NuMi app. The free app provides meal planning guidance, a la carte menu ordering, and weight loss tips, among other features.
NuMi is available for iOS and Android. You download the app to complement your Nutrisystem journey.
Key features and benefits of the app include:
SmartAdapt: NuMi’s SmartAdapt is a weight-loss tool customized to your unique metabolism.
Challenges: NuMi’s challenges track your progress, awarding prizes, rewards, and savings on future orders.
News Feed: NuMi’s news feed features offers, contests, giveaways, and more.
Entrée Database: The app has a complete database of all Nutrisystem entrées, including a barcode scanner for easy tracking, nutritional information for thousands of foods, and more.
The Leaf: The Leaf is a daily news feed featuring weight loss tips, articles, and recipes, with fresh content added daily.
FitBit Integration: NuMi integrates with Fitbit, allowing you to sync and import activity to track your progress.
NuMi also has meal planning, shopping, and other features. It’s free for anyone to download, and some people use the app even without subscribing to Nutrisystem.
Scientific Evidence for Nutrisystem: How Much Weight Can You Lose?
Because Nutrisystem has existed since the 1970s, multiple studies have validated Nutrisystem’s weight loss results.
Nutrisystem is based on a simple idea: eating fewer calories leads to weight loss. The secret to weight loss is not complicated. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, then you’ll lose weight. Nutrisystem is founded on this idea.
When following Nutrisystem closely, you’ll eat 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day. Even if you have a sedentary lifestyle, you can lose weight while consuming this number of calories. If you exercise while following Nutrisystem, then you’ll have an even bigger caloric deficit and lose more weight.
According to the Nutrisystem website, dieters can expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week while following the program, with some losing up to 18 pounds in 3 months of following Nutrisystem. As mentioned above, some people lose significantly more weight with Nutrisystem, although the company is careful about overpromising weight loss results.
Nutrisystem frequently references this study involving 84 adults. In that study, adults following the Nutrisystem weight loss program lost twice as much weight as people following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet after 4 weeks.
In that study, the average dieter lost 18 pounds in 12 weeks while following Nutrisystem. That means half the dieters lost more weight.
Researchers have also analyzed Nutrisystem’s effect on people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers analyzed 69 adults with type 2 diabetes. They found they lost significantly more weight in 3 months of following Nutrisystem compared to a control group that received diabetes dieting education – but no specialized meal plans.
Not all science supports Nutrisystem. Nutrisystem gives you 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day. Like other low-calorie diets, you could lose weight short term, then rebound with long-term weight gain. Studies show that people following low-calorie diets have more food cravings and rebound weight gain, which could make Nutrisystem less effective long term.
Many weight loss programs are not backed by scientific evidence. Many companies don’t invest in clinical trials or research. Nutrisystem is different, as the company has backed up its weight-loss claims with real, scientifically-validated results.
Nutrisystem Benefits
Nutrisystem is careful about advertising definitive benefits, although you could enjoy all of the following benefits with Nutrisystem:
Lose Weight: Like any good weight loss program, Nutrisystem could help you lose weight. One study found the average dieter lost 18 pounds after following Nutrisystem for 12 weeks. The program has genuine, clinically-proven weight loss results. If you want an easy way to lose weight, then Nutrisystem is one option available.
Convenient: Nutrisystem ships most foods and meals to your house, taking the hassle out of planning meals and shopping for ingredients. If you want a ‘done for you’ weight loss program, then Nutrisystem is one leading option.
Customizable: Nutrisystem is customizable based on your dietary preferences. You can choose diabetic or vegetarian meal plans. You can select your meals each week.
No Cooking Required: Most Nutrisystem meals are frozen. Just heat them, then serve. There’s minimal food preparation required.
Could Improve Blood Sugar Control: Nutrisystem has plans for diabetics, including meals with low glycemic index ingredients. Nutrisystem’s meals are high in fiber and protein while minimizing blood sugar spikes. Some studies show that maintaining a low glycemic index (GI) diet could improve your control of blood sugar, making you less reliant on diabetes medication and less susceptible to diabetes symptoms.
Affordable: Nutrisystem is priced at around $10 per day. Although some find Nutrisystem expensive, others spend more eating out or making their own meals at home.
Nutrisystem Cons
Nutrisystem is popular for those who want an all-in-one weight loss program, although it’s not 100% effective and successful for all dieters in all situations.
Some of the drawbacks of Nutrisystem include:
Costly: Some people find Nutrisystem expensive. You’re paying a company to make most of your meals for you each week, so it’s not going to be cheap. Expect to pay around $300 for a 4-week plan with Nutrisystem (around $10 per day). Some find this cost-prohibitive, while others find it’s less than what they spend on ordinary groceries.
Frozen Meals: Some people like frozen food, but others do not. Eating a diet consisting mostly of frozen meals can be annoying, and many people don’t want to eat three frozen meals per day.
Low-Calorie Plans: Nutrisystem gives you 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day. This is enough of a caloric deficit to help most people lose weight, but some people find they’re constantly hungry with Nutrisystem.
Processed Foods: Nutrisystem’s meals are low in calories, although they’re highly processed. Studies show that diets rich in processed foods are linked to higher rates of obesity and disease. Most experts recommend whole, minimally-processed foods for maximum health benefits.
Minimal Specialization Options: Nutrisystem lets you customize meals with basic options, including vegetarian or low glycemic index foods. However, there’s no vegan plan, and you can’t customize it for other dietary preferences.
Nutrisystem Pricing
Nutrisystem costs around $10 per day. Plans are separated into different options for men and women. You’ll pay different rates depending on the number of meals you get per day.
Here’s how pricing and subscription plans break down with Nutrisystem.
Basic Plan
The Basic Nutrisystem plan includes three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and one snack for five days of the week. You must make an extra two snacks per day, then eat your own meals and snacks for two days a week (say, on weekends).
- Women: $8.93 per day ($249.99 per month) with free shipping
- Men: $10.39 per day ($289.99 per month) with free shipping
You can add 28 fat-burning shakes to either plan for an extra $39.99.
Uniquely Yours
The Uniquely Yours Nutrisystem plan is the most popular option, giving you more menu options and more meals than the Basic plan.
- Women: $10.71 per day ($299.99 per month) with free shipping
- Men: $12.14 per day ($339.99 per month) with free shipping
You can add 28 fat-burning shakes to either plan for an extra $39.99.
Uniquely Yours Ultimate
The Uniquely Yours Ultimate plan covers all 7 days of the week, which means you only have to make some snacks for yourself. All major meals are covered.
- Women: $12.86 per day ($359.99 per month) with free shipping
- Men: $14.29 per day ($399.99 per month) with free shipping
You can add 28 fat-burning shakes to either plan for $39.99.
Partner Plan
Do you and your partner want to follow Nutrisystem together? You can choose a Nutrisystem partner plan, which consists of the Uniquely Yours program for you and a partner. You pay different rates depending on the number of women or men subscriptions in your order.
Partner Plan: $10.71 to $12.14 per day
You can add 28 fat-burning shakes to either plan for $39.99.
Men’s Weight Loss Plan
Nutrisystem has special plans for men. We’ve hinted at the prices and subscription options above, but Nutrisystem also has a separate sales page for men, which includes:
- Men’s Basic: $10.36 per day
- Men’s Uniquely Yours: $12.14 per day
- Men’s Uniquely Yours Ultimate: $14.29 per day
You can add 28 fat-burning shakes to any of the three plans for $39.99.
Diabetes Plan
Nutrisystem offers three plans for diabetics. Each plan consists of the same frozen, pre-made meals as other Nutrisystem plans, but Nutrisystem uses low glycemic index (GI) ingredients whenever possible. Nutrisystem claims their plans help you lose weight, manage your type 2 diabetes, and lower your A1C.
- Basic Diabetes Plan: $8.95 per day
- Uniquely Yours Diabetes Plan: $10.71 per day
- Uniquely Yours Ultimate Diabetes Plan: $12.86 per day
You can add 28 fat-burning shakes to any of the three plans for $39.99.
Vegetarian Plan
Nutrisystem has a vegetarian plan that helps vegetarians lose weight. The meals have dairy products, so they’re not vegan. However, you can follow the same Nutrisystem plan while enjoying vegetarian ingredients and 90+ menu choices.
- Women: $10.71 per day ($299.99 per month) with free shipping
- Men: $12.14 per day ($339.99 per month) with free shipping
You can add 28 fat-burning shakes to either plan for $39.99.
Nutrisystem Refund Policy
Nutrisystem has a money-back guarantee. You can request a refund within 14 to 30 days, depending on your plan.
You can request a refund within the first 14 days of your 4-week plan and receive a complete refund, minus shipping. You must ship the remaining food back to Nutrisystem to receive your refund. This 14-day money-back guarantee applies to all first time 4-week Nutrisystem orders, including the Basic, Uniquely Yours, Uniquely Yours Ultimate, Diabetes, and Vegetarian plans.
Nutrisystem also has a 30-day refund policy for non-frozen foods.
You can learn more about Nutrisystem’s refund policy here.
About Nutrisystem
Nutrisystem was created in the early 1970s by an entrepreneur named Harold Katz. Harold was inspired after watching his mother’s repeated attempts to lose weight.
Katz created a weight loss clinic near his home in Philadelphia, then started opening franchises across the United States. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Nutrisystem was known as a frozen food program for weight loss, providing frozen foods throughout the country.
Since the beginning, Nutrisystem has been built on the idea that weight loss is easy when meals are provided for you. Instead of cooking ingredients and preparing foods at home, you can buy ready-to-cook meals.
Several celebrities have endorsed Nutrisystem over the years, including Dan Marino, Janet Jackson, and Marie Osmond.
You can contact Nutrisystem via the following:
- Phone: 1-800-435-4074
- Email: gettingstarted@nutrisystem.com
- Mailing Address: 600 Office Center Drive, Fort Washington, PA 19034
Final Word
Nutrisystem is an all-in-one meal plan backed by 50 years of weight loss experience. Users may eat low-calorie meals every day, then enjoy powerful weight loss results.
Nutrisystem is priced around $10 per day, and studies show the average person loses around 18 pounds while following Nutrisystem.
To learn more about Nutrisystem and how it works, visit online today at Nutrisystem.com.
