Nutri-System

[Moderator1]

I think we've done this before but I'm old and can't remember, so we'll do it again.

My son has his father's genes and has gained some weight. To his credit, he wants to nip it earlier and not end up completely like me. I'm trying to be active and eat better than I have been, so far so good. He wants to try Nutri-System, which seems expensive to me. I also have no clue how it tastes.

So that leads to my question: Anybody done it? Does the food blow? Is it enough food to keep you from wanting to eat the boxes, too?

 

[Mahoney]

A co-worker brought on a NutriSystem "pizza" one day. It appeared he was putting the contents of a colostomy bag onto a stale convenience store cookie. If all the meals are as bad as that, I imagine the reason you lose weight is because looking at your food makes you ill.

 

[a_rosenthal]

Your son is probably young enough that if he just cuts out pop/soda and works out for 30 minutes a day, he'll be fine in no time.

He's probably too young to need a gimmick diet.

 

[Jack_Kerouac]

Nurti-System stuff looks completely inedible to me. I'd lose weight if I starved myself, too. My family swears by Weight Watchers, since it involves changing your lifestyle rather than dieting. My wife has lost 25 pounds in 14 months, and my dad lost 70 pounds in 11 months six years ago and has kept it off. I haven't done it myself, but I've lost about 10 pounds accidentally since my wife started, just due to her healthier food choices for our family.

 

[forever_town]

My mother went on Weight Watchers years and years ago. She was about 175 when she started on it and lost at least 35 pounds if I remember correctly.

NO diet is going to have long term effects unless it's accompanied by an exercise regimen.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Worked with a woman who did Nutri-System. She did indeed lose a bunch of weight. Got lots of compliments, bought new clothes.

A year later, she was as big as ever.

 

[WriteThinking]

My brother tried Nutri-System once, and hated it. Couldn't stand the food, and said there wasn't enough of it.

Of course, he is the one who delivered to our family -- over a hearty holiday dinner one night many years ago now -- this exasperated and immortal line regarding the rules of this touchy topic:

"If you like it, you can't eat it." ::)

 

[Boom_70]

Its crap - loaded with sodium and all kinds of preservatives. It works because the total calories are so low. The only good thing about nutrisystem is that it gives people a track to follow.

Buy him "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips - its a complete workout/ proper nutrition program who's principles are very easy to follow.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Burgers, pizza, lasagna, hot dogs... POT ROAST!

 

[93Devil]

Nothing keeps the weight off of me better than playing hoops a few times a week.

The hard part is finding a decent game. I am playing in a nice 35+ league once a week. I just need to find another.

No open gym in the college? Lunch time hoops?

When I worked in a college athletic department we played every day at lunch, and I was in the best shape of my life.

 

[21]

A temporary and unappealing fix to a lifelong challenge.

Get him a gym membership and a nutritionist, or send him over here, we'll whip him into shape.

 

[Moderator1]

He was in terrific shape for a while because he ate carefully and he ran regularly with his dog. I'm hoping that's what he'll do again. The dog will love it, which is an added bonus.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Nothing keeps the weight off of me better than playing hoops a few times a week.

The hard part is finding a decent game. I am playing in a nice 35+ league once a week. I just need to find another.

No open gym in the college? Lunch time hoops?

When I worked in a college athletic department we played every day at lunch, and I was in the best shape of my life.

During the winter, about 15 to 20 guys, including me, rent out a college gym on Saturday mornings, before the college's team practices around noon. Games start early, but we get in three to four hours of running. It's a 35 + crowd. Good games. Good for a lot of the guys, because they have families and can sneak out and get in the run early before they have to settle back into weekend family life. I'd never do this if I had to organize it -- someone else did it -- but if you can find a similar situation, and you have a core group of guys willing to toss in a little money, it is totally worth it. We send an e-mail each week to see who plans to be there, so we can plan. There are about 5 guys who are "alternates" and get asked if it looks like there won't be enough players. We try to get 15 or less guys so no one has to sit more than one game.

 

[dreunc1542]

Nothing keeps the weight off of me better than playing hoops a few times a week.

The hard part is finding a decent game. I am playing in a nice 35+ league once a week. I just need to find another.

No open gym in the college? Lunch time hoops?

When I worked in a college athletic department we played every day at lunch, and I was in the best shape of my life.

During the winter, about 15 to 20 guys, including me, rent out a college gym on Saturday mornings, before the college's team practices around noon. Games start early, but we get in three to four hours of running. It's a 35 + crowd. Good games. Good for a lot of the guys, because they have families and can sneak out and get in the run early before they have to settle back into weekend family life. I'd never do this if I had to organize it -- someone else did it -- but if you can find a similar situation, and you have a core group of guys willing to toss in a little money, it is totally worth it. We send an e-mail each week to see who plans to be there, so we can plan. There are about 5 guys who are "alternates" and get asked if it looks like there won't be enough players. We try to get 15 or less guys so no one has to sit more than one game.

We do that on Sunday early in the evening. I love it because we'll play for a few hours. That especially helps since my shot is pretty rusty, but by the 3rd or 4th game it comes around.

 

[93Devil]

Nothing keeps the weight off of me better than playing hoops a few times a week.

The hard part is finding a decent game. I am playing in a nice 35+ league once a week. I just need to find another.

No open gym in the college? Lunch time hoops?

When I worked in a college athletic department we played every day at lunch, and I was in the best shape of my life.

During the winter, about 15 to 20 guys, including me, rent out a college gym on Saturday mornings, before the college's team practices around noon. Games start early, but we get in three to four hours of running. It's a 35 + crowd. Good games. Good for a lot of the guys, because they have families and can sneak out and get in the run early before they have to settle back into weekend family life. I'd never do this if I had to organize it -- someone else did it -- but if you can find a similar situation, and you have a core group of guys willing to toss in a little money, it is totally worth it. We send an e-mail each week to see who plans to be there, so we can plan. There are about 5 guys who are "alternates" and get asked if it looks like there won't be enough players. We try to get 15 or less guys so no one has to sit more than one game.

Yes, a location and a solid group of guys is tough to find, but once you find it, it's awesome.

I was playing at a local health club, but I got tired of guarding guys who lets just say were not shy about showing off their penchant for a thug life.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Nothing keeps the weight off of me better than playing hoops a few times a week.

The hard part is finding a decent game. I am playing in a nice 35+ league once a week. I just need to find another.

No open gym in the college? Lunch time hoops?

When I worked in a college athletic department we played every day at lunch, and I was in the best shape of my life.

During the winter, about 15 to 20 guys, including me, rent out a college gym on Saturday mornings, before the college's team practices around noon. Games start early, but we get in three to four hours of running. It's a 35 + crowd. Good games. Good for a lot of the guys, because they have families and can sneak out and get in the run early before they have to settle back into weekend family life. I'd never do this if I had to organize it -- someone else did it -- but if you can find a similar situation, and you have a core group of guys willing to toss in a little money, it is totally worth it. We send an e-mail each week to see who plans to be there, so we can plan. There are about 5 guys who are "alternates" and get asked if it looks like there won't be enough players. We try to get 15 or less guys so no one has to sit more than one game.

Yes, a location and a solid group of guys is tough to find, but once you find it, it's awesome.

I was playing at a local health club, but I got tired of guarding guys who lets just say were not shy about showing off their penchant for a thug life.

When I first moved back to NY, I had no $$ and couldn't afford a health club. I signed up for the Carmine Street Gym, which is a city run gym. I'd play ball there and there were games during which I be the only player on the floor who wasn't an ex-con. They didn't know a thing about me, other than the way I looked, and they called me "college boy," as in, "Yo, college boy, pass me the f'in ball." I am not a really big guy, but I could play a little. Basketbrawl games like that are good for you...to a point. It definitely toughens you up, and teaches you how to drive or get a shot off knowing you are going to get mugged anyhow. It even gives you a sense of how to draw contact and still hit your shot in a more normal game. But yeah, a steady diet of getting the **** kicked out of you on a basketball court is not that much fun.

 

[93Devil]

****, that I don't mind.

It's listening to a bunch of stupid idiots argue about the score or a foul for 15 minutes of a 30 minute game.

That and everyone trying to establish cred when they got the ball.

Yeah, you missed your first seven shots, but the eighth one was sweet. Now go talk into a cell phone that isn't even turned on.

 

[MartinEnigmatica]

Burgers, pizza, lasagna, hot dogs... POT ROAST!

Bad, bad, bad, bad...BAD!

Boom was right, it's loaded with sodium and preservatives, and I would never do it again. You sit there online and order specific amounts of each meal -- if you have 30 dinners to choose from, you go for 5 of lasagna, 5 of whatever else; same for breakfast and lunch. It arrives in several giant boxes; just a ton of food finely arranged for space maximization.
But the meals aren't even complete. Somewhere in one of the boxes will be a tiny booklet that becomes your vague guide for eating. It never just says, "Grab a package that's labeled BREAKFAST'. It suggests you make that, and add other food, like fruit, milk, bread, vegetables etc to get your daily requirements. It's not just 'make the eggs'. It's 'make the eggs, then get your own fruit, measure out 8 oz. of milk', and 'make the soup we gave you, then cook a potato and wash the green beans'.
So you basically have half of a "healthy" diet, and a mediocre-at-best guide to fulfill the other half. It's just stupid.

 

[HC]

Count me as another vote for Weight Watchers. It's common sense and easy to follow. Better yet, if you're not into going to meetings (like me) you can do the program on line.

 

[MacDaddy]

Yet another endorsement here for Weight Watchers. It really makes you think about what you're eating. My wife and I did it before we got married and were very pleased with the results. The first couple of weeks were a pain in the ass (of Weight Watchers, not being married) because I couldn't eat as much as I was accustomed to, but once you get used to it it's fine.