The Nutrisystem diet is a calorie restriction program in which you plan and buy your daily meals online and then have them delivered to your home. The meals give you a specified amount of calories and nutrients that will help you lose weight over time. Because you are limiting the amount of calories you eat, you will lose weight without having to exercise as long as you strictly adhere to the diet.
Exercise DVD
The Nutrisystem diet does include an exercise DVD that the company encourages you to use in conjunction with your meal plan as a way to speed your weight loss. However, it is not a mandatory part of the system that you must follow to see results. Instead of using the exercise DVD, you can simply eat the meals and use the system's online support group to motivate you toward your weight loss goals.
How It Works
You may wonder how it is possible that you can lose weight without exercising. According to research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, the method of weight loss you use does not change how much weight you lose as long as you are consuming fewer calories in a day than you burn through daily activity. The 2009 study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" found that as long as you have a daily caloric deficit like the one created with the Nutrisystem diet, you can expect to lose weight.
Importance of Support
The same Harvard study found that participants who followed a support group program had the most significant weight loss after two years. The Nutrisystem diet includes free counseling services, as well as online tracking tools to help motivate your progress. Meal planners and psychological makeover tools are also included in the package to help you change how you consume food, regardless of if you exercise or not.
Use of Exercise
Though exercise is not mandatory in a Nutrisystem diet, it may still be useful to undertake some increase in physical activity when using the program. Even light exercise will help you create a larger calorie deficit than diet alone, translating to more weight loss. Additionally, starting a workout program can help you keep the weight you lose off more easily when your programmed meals come to an end at the completion of the diet, and it can improve your overall cardiovascular health and reduce your risk for certain diseases.
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