I admit that when I first started researching this diet, I was intrigued by the idea of being able to eat comfort foods like burgers, pizza, and tacos and still emerge looking like Jillian Barberie in a bikini or Marie Osmond in a little dress. Dancing with the stars stand up. Well, then I knew this was not entirely realistic. I am a mom with responsibilities and two small children. I had no coach or chef, but I would have liked to settle for looking good in a pair of jeans or not feeling mortified about going to the beach this summer. I suppose in a nutshell what I wanted to know was does the nutrisystem actually work and if so, how? What would life be like on this diet? Was the food edible? Would I starve all the time? What would it take from me to be successful? I will answer these questions in the next article.
How Nutrisystem works:The foundation of this diet is getting the correct glycemic mix to get your body into ketosis (the fat-burning state). It’s as simple as that. Foods are designed to be low in carbohydrates and on the lower end of the glycemic scale. But, the company has done, in my opinion at least, a good job of providing food that adequately conceals this fact from you. You don’t feel like you are on a high protein diet because you can eat the brownies, potato chips, cereals, cakes, etc. of the diet. – all the things that would normally be forbidden on most low carb diets.
You are asked to eat five times a day: three meals and two snacks / desserts. For each meal, you will eat one of the company’s foods. Some are the kind you assemble and some are frozen. Most are very convenient. They don’t require a lot of preparation, but you are also asked to add healthy sides. However, the company helps you with this. Each meal will include an additional suggestion. For example, the nutrisystem pancakes suggest strawberries as their fresh addition. Most foods taste surprisingly good, and eating often helps you feel like you’re not starving.
You order food online and have it delivered to your door in a large box. It costs about $ 299 a month for the entire month, but there are usually coupons that can help with this. There is also free advice and support. I didn’t want to use this at first, but found it saved my life. I highly value this feature because I know that you would pay a lot for it if it weren’t included for free with your order.
So does Nutrisystem really work? How to make sure it works for you:I spent a lot of time lurking in the forums trying to determine this answer before starting the diet. I found that most people have decent results. But, a few things separate those with exceptional results from those with only fair results.
To really lose a ton of weight, you will need to be diligent with your sides. You want me to keep it on the low glycemic side. The whole key to your success is ketosis, so nothing should be put in your mouth to prevent it. So if you’re eating the plan pizza and adding a side of fries, you won’t be as happy when you step on the scale as you would have if you added celery and peanut butter. You can get strips in the diabetic section of your grocery store that will tell you if you’ve reached ketosis.
Now everyone cheats. That’s just being a human being. But don’t let an indiscretion divert you from the path. It only takes two days to get back into ketosis, but it will delay it if you don’t return to the diet when you drop. Also, just walking briskly has dramatically increased my results. It’s about burning a lot more calories and carbohydrates than you eat. Just a little bit of exercise can go a long way with this. You don’t have to go crazy. Just take more steps than you normally would and you’ll be ahead of the game.