Nutrisystem or Medifast?
Let’s talk about diets and dieting. Have you tried all kinds of things in order to lose a few pounds or a few tens of them? Have you ever yo-yo dieted before? Have you gone crazy with gym and food and came right back where you started after you stopped going crazy? I think most of us did at one time or another. I definitely did and will in the future, unless something helps me stop this vicious cycle. And that something might just be a meal delivery kind of diet that I have been very interested in lately. So interested, in fact, that I recently ordered Nutrisystem and then Medifast a month later to give them both a try and decide which one I would like to stick to for a long haul.
Lots of meals from Nutrisystem and Medifast for comparison
This will be my honest review of both. A small disclosure though: while I ordered an entire month’s supply of Nutrisystem, I got only entrees and shakes from Medifast. I understood that before diving all the way into one, I should just start with a taste first.
Thrive by Medifast shake is delicious
Let me start with Nutrisystem since I dove into it all the way. While Nutrisystem offers many plans, I went with flexible Uniquely You because I could choose whatever meals I wanted (out of about 160!). My plan includes choices of food, microwavable entrees ( not just ready-to-eat foods), and online counseling from dieticians and nutritionists. My box of food included breakfasts, lunches, 2 snacks, and dinner per day for 28 days. I found some coupons and also got 7 free protein and probiotic shakes and 10 snacks.
Perfect packaging for shipping from Nutrisystem
My frozen part of the order arrived in two days and the rest came another two days later. Everything was packaged in recyclable containers and clearly marked. I had enough food for the entire month and was looking forward to starting right away
All those Nutrisystem meals have to be frozen
Now comes another disclosure – my goal is to lose some weight, maybe 6-10 pounds, but overall I am in a decent shape and pretty active with high intensity training 5 days a week. That being said, I never planned to get on any diet 100% of time, I was just looking for healthy options to substitute some of my meals, especially in the evenings, which is when I tend to overeat.
Dinner for two and snacks from Nutrisystem
Nutrisystem was a bit much for me, so I ate the meals when I needed something healthier, but not all 4-5 meals per day. The system comes with first week’s Fresh Start box, meant to be consumed first to jumpstart the weight loss journey, but I didn’t stick to it very strictly.
Lunch wrap from Nutrisystem
Pretty much I ate some breakfasts, some lunches, snacks, and a few dinners in three weeks. I also drank all 7 protein shakes and loved them after my workouts.
Nutrisystem starter probiotic shakes
Three weeks later I feel great and enjoy 3 pound weight loss, which is right along the lines of what I wanted. I can see Nutrisystem working great for people who are ready to be diligent and eat only delivered meals plus their own fresh produce, which Nutrisystem recommends to add to their meals.
Breakfast cereal from Nutrisystem
I absolutely love the simplicity of the diet and the relaxation when you don’t need to count calories. Most meals have between 100 and 300 calories, with some entrees getting up to 350.
I wants to taste this, mom
Daily calorie count is around 1,200 per day for women, which is too low for me, but very optimal for serious dieters.
Some Nutrisystem meals are very tasty
As Nutrisystem advertises, you really get to eat pizza, pasta, steak, mac & cheese, desserts, and other decadent meals, but they will be modified and low in calories.
Egg muffin for breakfast from Nutrisystem
You will, however, get sufficient amount of fiber, protein, and healthy fat without added sugars, preservatives, and artificial flavors. This enables dieters to lose weight while not feeling hunger striking every hour on the hour.
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While all that sounds and is good, I do see myself having problem with staying on microwavable and ready-to-eat food all the time. I am a cooking from scratch kind of gal, so bland repetitive food would cause me to derail in a month or two.
Cozy pancakes for breakfast from Nutrisystem
I am saved from that because I use the food as substitutes and a way to modify my diet without it getting too overwhelming. In my opinion, food can and should taste better, so there is definitely room for improvement for Nutrisystem.
Diet bars don’t look like diet anything at all
Now let’s look at Medifast, which is a direct competitor of Nutrisystem and is very similar. My experience with it is a bit different as after learning my lesson of ordering too much food, I got only 12 meals and protein shakes from Medifast.
Medifast delivery has arrived/20OFF LLC
The box arrived promptly and it was just one as nothing needed refrigeration or freezer. The coffee mug that came with my order arrived broken, but a quick call to Medifast customer service took care of it and the new one is arriving. It’s worth noting that all Medifast plans get counselling included, while with with Nutrisystem only the top 2 get that. Overall though, Nutrisystem has more plans to choose from, including for vegetarians and diabetics.
Marlo is ready for some Medifast shakes
This is what I think about Medifast food so far – its entrees look and taste better than Nutrisystem’s. To be fair I admit that I am not trying breakfasts, lunches, or snacks as those are not my goals.
Medifast Flavors of Home meal lineup
I have been on my dinner program for a couple of weeks now and love seeing 4 pounds melting off as I go to bed full, but not stuffed to the brim. While the portions are small, I still feel satisfied thanks to flavorful meals with plenty of protein and fiber.
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Pasta from Nutrisystem or meatballs from Medifast?
My main problem with Nutrisystem is the bland taste of all foods. I definitely can’t say the same about Medifast. Even though the diet gets worse reviews for food taste than Nutrisystem, my experience is different. All the entrees I got are a bit like pot roasts, meat and vegetables swimming in rich sauce with a bit of healthy fat. Nutrisystem is very strict about fat and so you won’t find any trace of it. Medifast food is not as salty and has more flavors due to various seasoning, which again is missing in Nutrisystem meals. This puzzles me – spices don’t add calories, but they do wonders for taste, so why not use more spices?
Diet meal plans are great addition to the kitchen
Over time I might get tired of those microwavable foods too, but I love them for now.
After workout shakes from Medifast
And Medifast Peanut butter chocolate shakes are smoother and better tasting than Nutrisystem chocolate protein shakes, so that’s a win too.
Medifast shake tastes better than the one from Nutrisystem
I am thinking about expanding my Medifast assortment and trying different meals, so my view of it might change, but for now I’m sticking with Medifast.