NutriSystem…It’s Baaaack!

Anyone who is over 30 will remember NutriSystem in the 70’s and 80’s.  They had storefronts in many towns.  They were like the “skinny” grocery store.  It seemed like anyone who wanted to lose weight went to NutriSystem and it really seemed to work. 

Ok so back to… “it’s baaaaak!” Most of the people I know that were on NutriSystem, back in the day, did end of gaining the weight back.  In 1997, NutriSystem began to make a comeback online and today the hype is crazy…it’s all over the place…television, magazines, even the shopping channel.

For those of you who don’t know, NutriSystem is basically a company that sells packaged, processed food divided per meal for you.  So for those of you who have EXTRA money and less time, then I guess it’s a good way to start your weight loss.  The good thing about NutriSystem is that it teaches you about portion control.  It’s all there for you.  If you only eat what you buy then you’re sure to lose weight because your calories are being cut for you and you’re training your metabolism to burn fat because you’re eating 5 times per day.  (i.e. 3 meals and 2 snacks)  Personally, I do find it expensive however like I said, it might be a good way to start to learn about portion control. 

 

In the long run though, I cannot see how this is healthy…the food is PACKAGED!!! I’m sort of in favour of CLEAN EATING and not so much packaged and processed stuff.  If you really want to change your eating and lose weight forever, you’ll have to learn to change your lifestyle and cook.  You’ll have to find out how many calories, fat, carbs and protein food contains and make it yourself.  It’s safer, healthier and cheaper.  

 

 

I’d love to hear from you, post your comments and let me know what you think.  Have you tried it, did it work, are you still using it?

Fad Diets: Maybe They’re on to Something

Atkins, South Beach, the Zone, the famous “soup” diet, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Herbal Magic, Body for Life… All of these diets have something going for them because they all work for some and not for others.  They have all seen their day and made a comeback at one point or another.  I think over the course of my life, I have tried most of them and been partially successful on most of them but managed to gain back some of the weight…sometimes all of it.

 For most of us out there with a weight problem, we look in the mirror and continuously ask ourselves the same question over and over:  “Why am I not losing weight?  I’m doing everything right…I’m exercising and eating sensibly but I still cannot get out of these size 12, 14, 16, etc… size pants?”  The answer is NOT so simple as far as I’m concerned, however, it is possible to get out of those pants and into a smaller size and become healthier and more knowledgeable along the way.  I know because I’ve done it and I will do it again.  I’ll soon be posting my story to share with you.

 In future posts, I will be asking you to let us know what you think about the different diet and exercise programs.  I’ll rate them based on what I’ve tried and together we’ll see what seems to work best and what the newest “fad” could be?

 

 

 

 

Diet vs Exercise

For years, the hot topic has always been diet, exercise or both…which is most important when it comes to weight loss and your health?  Here are the facts: 3000 calories = 1 pound.  What does that mean for dieters well…500 x 7 = 3500 so if you eat 500 less calories per day or burn 500 extra calories per day, after 1 week (7days), you should lose 1 pound.  Sounds fairly easy doesn’t it?  You would think, unless of course you are like me and have a very hard time losing weight. 

Exercise is hard work and for most requires motivation.  Eating seems like the easy route however, for many people that’s work too.  Food is comfort and easy.  It’s easy to open the cupboard when you are starving after work and eat half of a bag of nacho chips or cookies.  You don’t even have to take your coat off to do that.  On the other hand, exercise requires you to either drive to a gym or find time to workout at home.  You have to take your coat off, change into your workout clothes and prepare your mind to work hard.

 

The good thing about cutting calories is that you will probably lose weight.  I mean let’s take an example from my other posts.  NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, Atkins, you lose weight because of the calories…but are you building muscle?  The answer is NO!  In order to lose weight and keep it off, you need muscles.  By depleting calories alone, you will definitely lose weight but it probably won’t stay off forever.  As soon as you have stress in your life or go on an emotional roller coaster and start pigging out, you’ll gain it all back…Not that you should do that just because you’re working out but you have a little more room for error when you are working out because you are building muscle.

 

Building muscle will allow you to continue burning fat even after you’ve worked out however, you need to balance working out with a well-balanced diet.  You can’t just work out and eat 3000 calories a day because you’ll gain muscle which will burn fat but you’ll gain weight because you’re eating too much.  Let me put it this way…you can’t have one without the other and expect to maintain a healthy weight forever. Like everything else in life, balance is key!

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