NutriSystem

A couple of months ago, I made the commitment to lose a few pounds. I have dieted once before using the Atkins method. It worked well for me as I lost around 25 pounds within a couple of months, and kept it off while on the diet. Since I am a red meat kind of guy, the diet came pretty easy. I did miss the bread and potatoes, but filled up every day on beef, cheese, nuts, etc.

After being on the Adkins diet for several months, Terri and I vacationed for a week in Charleston, South Carolina. I went off Atkins that week and gained 10 pounds in that one week. That seems to be the problem with that diet. Works well, but when you go off your body is very efficient at turning carbs into fat.

So now, several years later I need to diet again. Atkins is out since my doctor wants my cholesterol very low to guard against another stroke. Nutrisystem seemed like an easy diet. I saw Dan Marino holding a nice looking hamburger, and he lost 20 pounds in a single month. And you get to eat 6 times a day. I can do that!

Off to Costco to buy my first month supply of prepared Nutrisystem. My first mistake was assuming that Costco actually had the food. After paying the discounted rate, the clerk pointed me to a door where my order would be delivered. I asked the guy at the door if I would need a cart. He just smiled and shook his head. Then he went through the door and picked up an envelope and handed it to me. In that envelope was a Nutrisystem card that I could redeem online and get my order shipped to me. By nightfall the card was redeemed.

Nutrisystem delivered the order to my front door in about a week. Just as they promised, 1 extra week was delivered as part of my first order. I sorted it out and prepared for a new experience starting the next day.

First, the hamburger that Dan Marino advertises. Since all Nutrisystem food is non-refrigerated and non-perishable, there was no bun, tomato or lettuce. The dieter is expected to provide those essentials. The beef patty is another story. It comes in a cardboard box, inside a plastic tray and envelop. Preparation of the patty is to boil a small amount of water and pour it in the tray with the patty. The patty will then regenerate and heat. The flavor is not bad, but it is not nearly as appetizing as the one Dan Marino had in the advertisement.

Nutrisystem dinners are nasty looking, but taste pretty good. Entrees like meatloaf with mashed potatoes come in a plastic tray ready for the microwave. They taste fine, but always make you wonder how they can package the food with no refrigeration. The potatoes do turn a shade of tan, but are otherwise fine. The portions are small and when eating a Nutrisystem dinner, I know what Americans in Vietnam prison camps were thinking when they augmented their rice with insects. I have been tempted also.

The pizza always displayed in Nutrisystem ads are the worst food on the menu. First, the dieter has to put it together by spreading the sauce over pizza crust and then sprinkling cheese (that looks like plastic shards) over the pizza. After microwaving the meal, you are treated pizza that has the texture of a cardboard. Not the thin cardboard used in cereal boxes, but more like the thick cardboard used to box up appliances. It is very tough, hard to eat, and really not worth the effort.

Breakfast meals are okay. The pastries are pretty tasty, but just short of delicious. Cereal tastes like store-bought brands. Powered eggs with vegetable sausage is surprisingly good and easy to prepare. Pancakes are good (both of them). The oatmeal is horrible. You could patch your foundation with the stuff, but at least you know something is in your stomach when you finish. I couldn't eat all of the oatmeal they sent me.

Lunches are substantially soup. Black bean and tortilla, black bean and rice, split pea, and other flavors. All taste great.

Snacks are the only reason to try Nutrisystem. You get 2 a day and they are all very good. If I had the choice, I'd buy the snacks and leave the meals.

The one commonality for ALL Nutrisystem food is they are high in fiber. Even the chocolate pudding has a healthy dose. All that fiber puts a strain on your digestive tract, not to mention your friends, family and neighbors.

After two months of being mostly on Nutrisystem, I have lost 25 pounds. It was not as easy as Atkins, but probably a much healthier diet. It did train me to eat smaller portions, and that is something I can use as I go off the diet. I will be interested if that helps me keep the weight off over the next few months.