The food tastes, smells and looks foul...
I signed up for Nutrisystem's program over a year ago on a whim... They had a 40% off with 3-months automatic delivery deal. The worst mistake I've ever made. I was 127 lbs, hoping to lose 10 pounds or so and I thought this will save me time (no cooking required) and will help me achieve that goal in 3 months. A year later the food is still collecting dust in my pantry. :( Quite frankly Nutrisystem achieved what I thought was impossible: they produced a variety of dishes that are equally offensive to all your senses at once: your sense of smell, sight and your taste.<br /><br />I have to say that their breakfast items and snacks are okay... Nothing tastes particularly good, but they are edible... Some of the muffins, scones, etc were very dry so I had to soak them in milk. Yes, that added calories to my "meals", but at least I could swallow the food. I ate all 3 months' worth of breakfasts and snacks without much of an issue. My deal also included their shakes, which were okay, but nothing great, so I still have some of those.<br /><br />The real issue was with the lunch and dinner items. Aside from the portions, which were laughably small (and this is coming from someone who is not obese, just needed to lose a few pounds... I just can't imagine anyone 200 pounds or above not passing out from a "lunch" that consists of a tiny can of soup (120 calories and literally 6 spoonfuls...), there is also the issue of taste. NutriSystem lunches were either salty or tasteless. There was hardly any other taste. But generally the lunch items were still less offensive than the dinner "dishes."<br /><br />I have to admit I was only able to try 6 of their dinner dishes, and I could not finish any of them. Let me share one experience that might stay with me for the rest of my life. On day 3 of my diet I had already substituted 2 meals with other food because I simply couldn't eat what the "chefs" at NutriSystem had planned for me... After a long day at work I got home and unpacked my dinner for the day: Chicken and Dumplings. How bad could it be, right? Well... Brace yourself. I cracked open the vacuum seal to let the meal breathe in the microwave when a strong smell hit my nose. It was absolutely rancid. I was afraid to look at it. I warmed my "chicken and duplings" for a minute and then took the mystery package out of the microwave. As I opened the lid fully, I saw a brown stew with runny liquid on top of it. The smell intensified. I was scared to taste it at this point but my hunger got the best of me... Big mistake! I will not elaborate on the combination of sensations that hit me when I bit into the hard dumplings, sprinkled with overcooked chicken shreds floating in a light brown liquid of unidentifiable origin... Suffice it to say that I had to flush it down the toilet and somehow it looked better and more fitting in the toilet bowl than on my dinner plate. It was among the top 3 worst things I've ever tasted in my life...<br /><br />It is hard to imagine that anyone could stick to this diet, though if one had the willpower to empty their fridge, their pantry and all other food storage areas and kept nothing but NutriSystem at home, I am sure he or she would lose weight. But starvation is not a good idea and one would need to starve because eating this putrid junk is probably not an option. Don't get me wrong, I understand that diet food is not necessarily gourmet food, but I have eaten pretty much every dish available from Lean Cuisine and 90% of them tasted good! So my expectation for NutriSystem was similar... And I was extremely disappointed. I've never in my life had food that tasted as revolting.<br /><br />Please skip their food, your stomach (and your eyes and nose) will thank you for it... If you are looking for diet food that actually tastes good, I recommend buying a bunch of things from the store in advance and creating your own diet plan with food that actually tastes good. Special K cereal for breakfast, Lean Cuisine for lunch and dinner, and a piece of fruit or some trail mix as a snack will contain about the same amount of calories that most prepackaged meals do but the taste will be many times better. The price will also be similar. Good luck.
Rating: 2 stars