<p>Okay, so I did the math and a plan like NutriSystems costs ~300 dollars a month (28 days), it ends up being about 11 dollars a day. Since they send you breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a desert every day, it sounds like a pretty good deal. </p>
<p>I don't really need to lose weight (though it wouldn't hurt :-) ), but it sounds like a good plan just to keep a college student fed. The food is delivered to your door...</p>
<p>but wouldn't a month's worth of food take up a lot of room in a tiny dorm room ?
I don't think the food is sent daily.</p>
<p>It would be hard to store it since the majority has to be refrigerated or frozen. It sounds like a good idea, but it's really not.</p>
<p>Nutrisystem food makes college food look gourmet. My mom eats that crap, and she complains about it all the time. Awful, no variety, etc. I know at college concern about eating healthy goes by the wayside and decent food is often hard to come by in most college cafeterias, but eating processed, extremely salty food straight out of the microwave for every meal is going to screw you up, and it doesn't even taste good.</p>
<p>Trima is right...that stuff is NASTY.</p>
<p>I'm on Weight Watchers right now, and that would be something that would be VERY easy to do in college because all you have to do is get a nutritional guide for whatever you want to eat and figure out the Points Value. (And you can find a lot of nutritional guides online now.) Plus, on WW, you can eat whatever you want (within reason)...and I think it's only about $30 a month or so (not sure, my mom pays fees for our whole family).</p>
<p>nutrisystem does not have to be refrigerated. I know 2 people who have tried nutrisystem - one a friend of mine the other my daughter's friend - they both canceled it very quickly. </p>
<p>With a $300 budget one person can eat quite well without resorting to nutrisystem.</p>
<p>Nutrisystem is nothing more than pre-packaged, pre-apportioned meals where you know (if you're diligent) how many calories you take in a day. Of course, if you add anything to those meals in any way, you change the calorie count to an unknown quantity. </p>
<p>It is basically a grotesque waste of money. You can lose a lot more weight if you just buy a pedometer and walk everyday, cook your own meals, and choose foods that are healthy and are not chock full of extra sugar. Any nutritionist can tell you that. Also, if you just get a decent amount of sleep every day (8 hours minimum), that expedites the process.</p>
<p>it's a scam dude. Like a free ipod.</p>
<p>I know this sounds absolutely absurd, but you could try the old-fashioned way of staying healthy: exercise and eat less, healthy food?</p>
<p>I'm a runner, so I'm pretty skinny. What I do when I'm out of season is just eat 10-20% less and while I gain a few pounds (no more than 5) I still stay in shape. Just cutting back on your portions will ALWAYS keep you healthy (unless you are type II diabetic) whereas these silly fad diet programs work maybe 2% of the time after doing away with your cash. Besides, if you eat less, you spend less! So get healthy AND save money! ;)</p>
<p>^That works if you're already healthy or you only have a few pounds to lose...but if you're like me and morbidly obese, you need some sort of plan to stick to or you just go straight back to old habits.</p>
<p>I heard it described this way once and thought it was rather true: "Food is my drug of choice." And it's just as addictive as any drug.</p>
<p>I used to be fat. In fact, I used to be the heaviest kid in my class: now, I am one of the skinniest. Not from anorexia or fads, but from persistence and lots and lots of time. In terms of a plan, you need to make a plan for yourself. If you don't get into it, you'll never become healthy. The only way to get into it is to build your own strategy.</p>
<p>Calling food a drug is, sorry and no offense, just another excuse I hear for people to put off losing weight another year. I understand, and I, too, panic when a girl dumps me or I am having a rough week in school- I'll enjoy that extra slice of cake to help me feel better. You just have to know when to stop...</p>
<p>We tried one that was delivered frozen, weekly (BistroMD.com). It was expensive and took up freezer space but there was variety and it was as good as and better for you then most "quick" meals. Best intentions aside, shopping for, storing, and preparing nutritious meals is less likely to happen then bowls of cereal and ramen.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Calling food a drug is, sorry and no offense, just another excuse I hear for people to put off losing weight another year. I understand, and I, too, panic when a girl dumps me or I am having a rough week in school- I'll enjoy that extra slice of cake to help me feel better. You just have to know when to stop...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You really shouldn't generalize...I've lost just shy of 30 pounds, and I still believe it to be true.</p>
<p>You're also at an advantage in that you play a sport. Not all of us have the ability to do that. Also realize that it's easier for guys to lose weight than girls...something to do with hormones or something (I can't remember the exact reason, but I'd be happy to look it up).</p>
<p>I ALSO highly doubt that just because you were the "heaviest kid in your class" means you were morbidly obese. I am. That's not something you get past just by "knowing when to stop." It's a mental thing as much as it is physical...it's not something you can just stop. It takes years to get this way, and often times it takes months to years to get in to a healthy lifestyle.</p>
<p>Which is why I LOVE Weight Watchers...it has taught me good habits. I've tried other "fad diets", but as soon as I went off them I went straight back to old habits. With WW though, I've actually learned when I'm hungry and when I'm just bored, and it's slow (but steady) weight loss so that I've HAD to learn good habits.</p>
<p>I'm not trying to offend you, iceburns..just saying that you REALLY shouldn't generalize. It almost never works.</p>
<p>I told you... it took me years to lose weight. Literally years. Time is on your side, luckily we all have plenty.</p>
<p>It's okay to not play a sport. You'd be surprised at what can be accomplished by taking baby steps daily for a year. I had a friend who was also overweight (not by much, though) and he just started walking around his neighborhood a few years ago. Within months he was much lighter, all from just walking. Take it as a good excuse to cherish that warm California sun for just 15-30 minutes a day and, in a month, you'll be surprised at how good you feel.</p>
<p>I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop giving me "workout tips"...I've already told you I've lost almost 30 pounds recently, and I'm walking 1.5 miles a day on my home treadmill. It's not like I just sit around and do nothing.</p>
<p>I hate the "warm California sun", btw. XD It's never warm, it's effing HOT.</p>
<p>Why don't you just eat the college dining hall food? Is it that bad? Or is it just cheaper to go for the Nutrisystem?</p>
<p>If its for weight-loss, health reasons, its much better for you to eat at your dining hall. You just need to ration your portions, watch your macros, and overall, eat clean. </p>
<p>You can even count your calories, and shoot for a 500 calorie deficit in order to lose weight. Multiply your weight by 15 to give an approximate maintenance caloric intake, and make sure you take in less than that amount into your body each day, preferably not less than 500. That will allow your to lose about 1 pound a week. </p>
<p>Plus, you should consider a diet higher in protein and low in simple carbs. Limit your intake of white bread, pastries, white rice, pasta, etc., and get more calories from lean sources of protein such as fish, chicken, or eggs. Also, get good fats into your diets from sources such as nuts and fish. Aim for a protein/fat/carb ratio of 50/30/20. </p>
<p>Of course, you can cut out little things easily. Don't put mayonaise on your sandwiches. Eat whole wheat bread in place of white. Oats in the morning instead of sugary, processed cereal. Drink diet soda or water instead of regular soda. Eating six small meals keep your insulin level steady and prevent you from eating too much in one sitting. It also keeps your metabolism high. Never skip breakfast, since that is when your body needs the nutrients the most.</p>
<p>As for exercise, you should start a weight lifting regime. More muscle means higher basal metabolic rate, which means more calories burnt. Your body will need to spend more energy just to maintain bodily function since muscle requires more nutrients and energy than fat. Of course, cardio burns alot of calories, so you want to fit that into your routine. 2-3 times a week should be good.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, feel free to post them here or PM me. Good luck.</p>
<p>Okay, well when I wrote this post, I didn't really have weight loss in mind (nice bonus though). </p>
<p>What I was thinking was that it sounded like a good way to have relatively healthy (compare to marshmellows, dry ramen, oreos, and doritos, which are what i'd be eating instead) around when i needed it, and it doesn't have to be refridgerated. </p>
<p>I realize that this is not the overall best choice. And I appreciate your advice about excersing and staying fit and cooking your own healthful food, but that's really not what I was getting at there.</p>
<p>HGFM,</p>
<p>you are one of my favorite posters and I always make sure I read your posts.</p>
<p>I'm really happy for you and I hope you are happy for yourself. Next year at college, please try to take a pe class every semester...it's not at all like high school gym, it's not all team sports or calsitenics, it's more like getting a personal trainer...you go at your own pace and only measure your improvement against yourself. And, just like WW, it's really good to have a plan to follow as a daily part of your life.</p>
<p>NutriSystem isn't healthy. It's processed and chemical-laden and the last thing your body needs.</p>
<p>If you want to eat healthily, especially if you're allowing yourself a $300/month food budget (which would actually be more, since on NutriSystem you also have to buy dairy and veggies and fruit and whatnot), just buy real foods. Fruits, veggies, whole grain breads, etc. Try to cut down on processed stuff and you'll do wonders for your health.</p>
<p>boysx3...thank you!</p>
<p>I'm very happy...I haven't been doing as well lately, but I'm trying to get back on track.</p>
<p>I think i'll lose some weight next year because I won't have a car with me, so I'll have to walk or bike everywhere ('cept to the airport, for which I'll take a bus). I'll probably have to go off WW but I'm going to try really hard to make good choices about what I eat.</p>