Nutrisystem was the first diet with a food delivery component that came to public attention. Nutrisystem has been in business for 30 years and has been a publicly-traded company since 1999.
Nutrisystem combines a structured diet plan with individual counseling. Counseling and advice takes place via email or phone, on the dieter's own schedule, making Nutrisystem easy to fit into a busy lifestyle.
The Nutrisystem meals themselves are either ready-to-eat or microwaveable. The individual dieter is responsible for purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables. Meals are delivered every four weeks.
The combination of individually proportioned meals and freely available dietary advice seemed to work very well for our testers. See more details of our study below.
Our staff of experts have rated a number of products in this category and have listed their recommendations.
Other Spellings: Nutri System, Nutra System, Nutrisystem, Nutrasystem
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Based on the success our testers experienced and the 0% dropout rate, we give the Nutrisystem plan a must buy recommendation.
Pros: The prepackaged food is great for a busy lifestyle. No planning required. Excellent variety and excellent taste. High level of support. 0% dropout rate.
Cons: Testers found some meal items they didn't like and subsequently didn't order that particular menu item. Some testers indicated they'd feel more comfortable with in-person support meetings.
The Nutrisystem program seems to be engineered to fit easily into a busy lifestyle. A lot of the responsibility of shopping is removed, and the support meetings take place on the dieter's time rather than on the organization's schedule.
A combination of controlled eating and social support has been proven to be much more effective than dieting alone. Unfortunately, for many dieters, the support part of the plan can be cumbersome and inconvenient. The Nutrisystem plan makes this aspect of the program simple.
Our testers were extremely satisfied with the Nutrisystem program. 75% of our test group stated they intended to remain on the Nutrisystem diet and felt confident they would continue to lose weight.
None of our testers abandoned the Nutrisystem program, unlike the other programs tested. Our staff was quite surprised by this development -- we expected at least a 10% dropout rate. But our testers were able to integrate the Nutrisystem program into their lifestyles without difficulty.
Nutrisystem offers two choice packages: choose your own, or take the "favorites package." The favorites package is recommended for those just starting out. After the dieter has the opportunity to learn what he or she likes and dislikes on the menu, the choose your own option is recommended.