Nutrisystem Alternatives – Which is Best?

People struggling to lose weight tend to pin their hopes on almost any diet plan in the market that promises them quick results. The truth is most of these are fad diets that will probably cause more damage to your body than you can imagine. Nutrisystem diet plans have been in the news for their affordability, efficacy, and customizability.

Nutrisystem is one of the leading diet programs today that help dieters lose weight steadily. It offers precooked, prepackaged, low-calorie, specially-formulated meals right to your doorstep. Diets like South Beach diet and Medifast have been trying to establish their hold on the industry as Nutrisystem alternatives. It remains to be seen whether they can prove to be more reliable and effective than Nutrisystem plans. 

What makes Nutrisystem so popular for weight loss purposes?

Convenience:

If you find yourself hard pressed for time or not interested in preparing food at home, you should try Nutrisystem for its healthy offerings. You can trust them to provide you with low-calorie, nutritionally-rich meals for an entire month. Nutrisystem even allows you to complement their meals with fresh foods from your neighborhood grocery if you want. By outsourcing your meal-management tasks, you can get more time for other household chores and enjoy ready-to-eat, healthy meals at the same time.

Efficacy:

With Nutrisystem meal plans, you can expect to shed almost 2 pounds in a week. Reports show that women lose nearly 13 pounds and men about 18 pounds in the very first month. This is possible because the meals are low in calories which are a prerequisite for losing weight quickly.

Ease-of-use:

Nutrisystem meals contain foods that are low in GI or Glycemic Index and rich in proteins and fiber. Daily protein intake is about 75 grams which helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. This, in turn, helps to curb hunger pangs and burn belly fat. The good thing about Nutrisystem meals is that you can eat restaurant-inspired menus with additional protein and fiber-rich veggies. There is no need to sacrifice foods that you like to eat for the sake of losing a few pounds.

Number of meals:

Nutrisystem focuses on teaching dieters the importance of eating smaller meals more often. So, it recommends eating six meals, including three wholesome snacks during the day. This practice helps the body to lose weight faster. 

Variety:

Meals can be shelf-stable or frozen; this means you can simply heat them in the microwave before eating. There is no need to cook anything at home. At the same time, you can enjoy the advantage of home-cooked healthy meals. For instance, breakfast can include multigrain cereals with fruits and skimmed milk. Lunch may be a turkey or chicken sandwich made with whole wheat bread. Dinner can be salmon baked with salad and brown rice. During the day you can have snacks like cheese and whole grain crackers, protein shakes, and even dark chocolate. So, following a Nutrisystem diet means being able to eat regular foods in moderation and making healthy food choices. 

Money-back guarantee:

You can enjoy a money-back offer when you opt for Nutrisystem meal plans. This means you can claim a total refund if you are not satisfied with the results.

What are the Nutrisystem Plans?

Basic:

This is guaranteed to help you lose weight as you are provided with 4 daily meals, including a snack. Men are given an additional snack in this meal plan. When you choose the Basic Plan, you can access a variety of ready-to-go menu options like chicken noodle soup, lasagna, or even cookies. You can access the NuMi app for free and record your meals, activities, drinks, and weight loss here.

Uniquely Yours:

This lets you access unlimited frozen food options such as steak and cheese melts or turkey sausage and egg muffins. All you need to do is put these meals in the microwave and heat them before eating. This plan also lets you enjoy sweet treats like chocolate brownies. It is completely customizable and users can pick out their preferences from more than 150 choices. You are free to choose both frozen and shelf-stable foods. Uniquely Yours plan ensures you get complete access to their app and guidance from experts.

Uniquely Yours Max+:

This is Nutrisystem’s best offering by far because it is scientifically-formulated. It is clinically tested to be safe, promotes healthy weight loss, and prevents yo-yo dieting. The app personalizes your diet plan to make sure you get the right quantity of food to satisfy your hunger and also burn fat at the same time. This plan gives you access to unlimited premium frozen meals. It is completely customized and you get to select from more than 160 menu options. 

Medifast and South Beach diets have been pitched by some as alternatives to Nutrisystem. Both aim to guarantee quick weight loss results, but neither is sustainable in the long run. The South beach diet uses a phase process where dieters start a restriction phase for 14 days when they do not indulge in any carbs. The idea behind this is to stop sugar dependency and kick start the metabolism to start fat-burning. Though this diet claims to boost heart health, it is excessively low in fat which can be harmful and counterproductive. Low-fat diets lower HDL or good cholesterol which can improve cardiovascular health. Moreover, being restrictive by nature, it may not work for people who have suffered or are suffering from eating disorders. This diet is basically for the insulin-resistant, sedentary individual, not athletes or people with high levels of activity.

The Medifast diet program provides ready-to-eat, nutrient-dense, and wholesome meals for dieters but you are expected to prepare at least one lean and green meal at home.  So, it is not as convenient as Nutrisystem which relieves you from meal preparation chores completely. Besides, Medifast encourages rapid weight loss that may be hard to sustain once you quit the diet. It can guarantee positive results but may be hard to stick to. Given these downsides, it is clear why Nutrisystem continues to be a good choice for most dieters.