Complain about a product or service

NutriSystem Day 21: Tired, Hungry, Not Much Lighter

Weight loss has slowed and Joe is haunted by thoughts of giant bacon-burgers

By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.com

October 18, 2007

Nutrisystem • NutriSystem Leaves a Bad Taste in Many Mouths • Consumer Complaints --- 28 Days of Nutrisystem • Day 28: Mission Accomplished • Day 26: Hold the Eggs • Day 21: Tired, Hungry, Not Much Lighter • Day 14: More Energy, Fewer Pounds • Day 11: Logistics Prove Difficult • Day 5: Cardboard Soup • Day 1: A Brave Beginning --- • Weight Loss News

After 21 days, I'm three-fourths of the way through my test of the NutriSystem diet and while it's still easier to follow than when I began, I'm not ready to declare it a success.

A week ago I was losing weight at a torrid pace while I had more energy and was rarely hungry. Apparently the struggles of dieting come and go.

This past weekend started off great. I went on a four-mile run on Friday evening, was able to stay out late with friends and had a productive day Saturday. But after a long work week while running longer distances about every other day, it caught up with me Saturday night.

I promised a friend that night I'd play shuffleboard with him at one of our local watering holes. I was ready to go to bed by midnight and had to rely on water to satisfy a growing appetite as I'd already eaten my daily allowance. Then the next day, while watching football at a friend's house, I had to leave, after only two hours, in the middle of the game because I was so hungry.

So far this week I'm still generally hungry. It's like even when I do have the small portions in my stomach, I could go for an enormous burger, preferably with lots of bacon, tomato and mayonnaise, at any moment.

But with one week left, I'm not about to cave in.

I also have not had nearly the energy I did last week. Although I'm planning to run tonight, it will be my first serious exercise since Saturday. I never went that long even when I was off the diet; I just haven't had the energy to do much more than walk back and forth between my apartment and my office.

I even turned down watching a movie with a friend last night because I was coming down from the coffee high which sustained me during the day. I should add that I'm not a regular coffee drinker.

After perusing NutriSystem's online forums, I found that many of the other dieters also say that their energy and hunger come and go.

Despite this week's struggles, there was a success this morning when I was able to tighten my belt by one notch. That's at least an inch off my waist. I've had the belt for about a year and a half and have always used it on the final notch – sometimes barely.

I was somewhat disappointed to see that I only lost one pound in the last week to 179. While it's great that I'm in the 170s – a feat I haven't accomplished since college -- it's a huge drop from the four or more pounds I lost the previous two weeks. While I suspected the initial weight would burn off easier, I fantasized that I could continue to lose weight at that pace.

Next week I intend to share video of some of the stranger foods in the NutriSystem diet and on Thursday, I will check in with Dr. Henry Fishman on my final day eating NutriSystem.

But who's counting?

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.