WEIGHT WATCHERS VS. NUTRISYSTEM

does anyone know which is better/more effective. i have heard a lot about both & of course if you inquire with them they both claim to be superior to the other. nutrisystem is almost like an investment. i mean even though they are running a special right now & i will get a little bit of a discount through my employer i am still torn. i believe weight watchers is more economical, but i don't know if i have it in me to count points. my boyfriend wants to lose weight too so we figured we would do a program together.

does anyone have any suggestions or experiences they can share???

Thu. Aug 5, 9:53pm

Weight Watchers vs Nutrisystem

I've tried both and am now doing something different (guided by the PEERtrainer Point of No Return program). Of the two, I find Weight Watchers more congenial.

Nutrisystem is great for structure. Weight Watchers, in allowing more freedom, allows one to make more mistakes. Nutrisystem sends you entrees for three meals, a snack and dessert. You add skim milk, fruit, salad. Of course, the structure also represents restriction--for me, it began to be too much restriction after a month, but I did lose ten pounds during that month, and, unexpectedly, they sent me a cute little stuffed bear with a "10" embroidered on it. (The weight has since crept back.)

Nutrisystem also offers general "diet education" in an online program advising very light exercise. There is an online community. Counselors are available to call anytime, day or night. The problem with that for me is that having to make a call is a bit of a hurdle. I'm not inclined to pick up a phone and say "I need help." I preferred just hanging out at a Weight Watchers meeting, chatting with people about my concerns and getting information less formally.

Weight Watchers is great for information, and it is very flexible. There is an online community, and, in my area, meetings with pleasant leaders and members. Basically you can eat what you want, counting points instead of calories, and getting additional points for activities. There's an incredible amount of education going on in an informal way--a ten-week program about the psychology of weight loss, exercise, and so on, in weekly handouts at meetings and the online program has exercise videos and a great online library.

Non-members can get to a lot of the online Weight Watchers resources, BTW, and they are worth a look.

So why did I drop out? I really don't like the Weight Watchers points program. Many people like it, but I prefer to track nutrition along with calories in a slightly more precise way (don't know if it's more accurate, really). And I travel a lot, so I was missing a lot of meetings. Also, they give you a lot of tools, but not necessarily the structure in which to use them, so you actually have to act like an adult and take responsibility, which, around diet and exercise, I have not yet done.

Only with PEERtrainer's Point of No Return am I finally sitting down in week one to consider why I want to get rid of unhealthy weight--more than just wincing on the occasions when I can't avoid a mirror. (I count my calories and nutrition at Livestrong's The Daily Plate; I think there are a lot of comparable places I can do that.)

I hope this information is helpful to you!

Friday, August 06, 2010, 8:36 AM

I thought about doing Nutrisystem. I like the idea of someone telling me what to eat, at least at the beginning. It takes a lot of the guess work out of the process. Then I saw some Nutrisystem foods in a store. When I read the nutrition labels I was kinda shocked at the sodium content, etc. I guess the thing to realize with NS is that it's a lot of processed and refined food. I'm big on eating fresh and unprocessed. As far as I'm concerned, WW would be a much healthier choice. And since it's a real life eating plan, when you reach your goal you'll be able to transition to maintenance much more easily.
What I ended up doing was a whole lot of research and making up my own plan. Instead of meetings, I opted for online support at places like PT.
So, those are my two cents. I hope you pick something that works for you! Good Luck!!

Friday, August 06, 2010, 11:29 AM

It depends

Isn't that always the answer?

But as PPs said, it's a matter of what works best for you. Do you need a very structured program to stick to it? Or do you need flexibility to commit for the long-haul. One thin is for sure, you can not live on Nutrisystem forever. You can live on WW forever.

But if s structured program will help you to get off an running, go with Nutrisystem and once you've had some successes and need more flexibility, you can convert.

Friday, August 06, 2010, 3:14 PM

I heard a 40 something woman, who had to lose over 50lbs, had a weight loss coach, who was never fat, and in her 20's

Friday, August 06, 2010, 9:55 PM

article on the new Weight Watchers Momentum Program:

http://blog.peertrainer.com/tip_of_the_day/2008/12/weight-watchers-new-momentum-program.html

Thursday, September 16, 2010, 1:37 PM

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