I sometimes hear from people asking me how long a person is supposed to stay on the nutrisystem diet. I’ve also had people ask me how long a membership is good for. This is one of the common misconceptions surrounding this diet. I find that there are some people who think you need a prescription or have to pay a membership fee while on this plan. Neither of these assumptions is true. This is a diet for which you order food from the company (and usually month to month). There are no long-term requirements or commitments, and for the most part, how long you stay on it depends on a few factors, which I’ll discuss more in the next article.
Many people stay on the Nutrisystem until they see the weight loss goal they have set for themselves: Of course, if you’re considering making drastic lifestyle changes, you’ll want to discuss this with your doctor. However, with that being said, most people just order the food until they have lost the right amount of weight for them. Since there is no commitment, you can stop ordering when you are satisfied with the results. And in general, you can look at your average weekly weight loss to determine how long it will take to get there.
And with a range of around 2-3 pounds per week for many, this is the kind of gradual, non-drastic weight loss that most consider optimal and safe. I’ve heard people describe the Nutrisystem as a fad, crash, or crash diet, but I really disagree. You’re looking at around 1500 calories per day, which is much less than some of the more drastic or overly restrictive diets. Plus, you add your own fresh foods with each meal, so you’re not just relying on the pre-packaged foods provided. I suspect they ask this to make sure you’re getting a good amount of the nutrients and vitamins your body needs from fresh food.
The shelf life of Nutrisystem foods: Sometimes when people ask me how long you’re supposed to be on this diet, they’re actually asking if food expires. Most foods are soft canned, which means they don’t require refrigeration and this gives them a fairly long shelf life. The nutrisystem select line offers frozen options (delivered to your home) and they also have a fairly slow expiration. Of course, you always want to check the expiration date (and you can usually call the number on the box if you’re not sure). But I’ve noticed that most people eat their groceries within a month of receiving their shipment, so this concern usually doesn’t come into play.
The company offers free advice, so there should always be someone available to answer these types of questions or concerns. You can usually call, participate in a life chat, or contact them online, depending on what works best for you.