The Nutrisystem Diet Plan is quite different from most other diets. While most other diets require you to either eat less, or cut out carbohydrates or fat, the Nutrisystem Diet does neither. In fact, for most people it would probably be the easiest diet to follow – except for one small thing:the price. Success in the program relies heavily on purchasing pre-packaged meals from Nutrisystem.
The Nutrisystem Diet was designed around the GI, or glycemic index – which relates to how your body reacts to specific carbohydrates. The faster the sugar is released (high GI), the more insulin your body produces in reaction to it – making you feel hungry again sooner. This is why people like me who have a major sweet tooth find themselves feeling hungry and irritable and constantly nibbling.
The concept of Nutrisystem is simple: add foods to every meal that will lower the GI of your meal in total, and as such reduce the insulin response form your body. By doing so you will be less likely to eat unnecessarily in between, and eventually eat less in total – not because you have to, but because you will feel like it.
What you have to keep in mind is that – while your body reacts to most proteins, fibers and other nutrients in a similar fashion, it does differentiate between different types of sugars and carbohydrates.
Some types of sugar – like sucrose and glucose (commonly encountered in sweets and desserts) tend to cause a spike in blood sugar, and as a result it causes a spike in your body’s reaction (insulin production) to it. Other forms of sugar like dextrose (fruit sugar) takes longer to break down, and does not create the “spike effect”.
Exercise is – unlike other “normal” diet plans – not deemed to be necessary. If you feel like indulging in it, it will help, but the system works just fine without it. There are, however, a few recommendations about switching to low-fat milk, and adding salads and fruit to every meal.
The biggest stumbling block with the Nutrisystem Diet is the effect it’s likely to have on your pocket. Ready-made meals and groceries can be ordered from the supplier’s website – and these are necessary in order to achieve success. Unfortunately, it does not come cheap, and it can be out of reach for many people who really want to lose weight.
Additionally, if you want your family to adopt your new, healthier eating habits, it could end up costing you a pretty penny every month to feed everyone.
For those who can afford it and who are in search of an easy option, the Nutrisystem Diet offers a viable alternative to other diet systems.
Have you ever tried Nutrisystem? We’d love to hear the pros and cons!
Not sure this is the diet plan for you? Check out other diet plans in my Explanations of Popular Diet Plans series.
