How Can Nutrisystem Be Dangerous?

Nutrisystem is a home meal delivery program whose aim is to help you lose weight. Nutrisystem also offers those with special needs, such as diabetes patients, a meal plan system to lose weight and control the disease. All of this may sound good, but the Nutrisystem diet plan may have some risks.

Sodium

Most pre-packaged and processed foods are notorious for having a high amount of sodium, and the Nutrisystem plan may be no exception. Most processed foods must contain large amounts of sodium to extend the shelf life and improve the taste and texture. Goulda Downer, Ph.D and registered dietitian of DietResearch.com, questions the amount of sodium in the Nutrisystem plan, stating that most diets centered around processed foods are generally high in sodium. Healthy adults are recommended to keep sodium intake below 2,300 mg per day, while those with heart disease or high blood pressure should aim for a sodium intake of just 1,500 mg per day. Too much sodium in your diet can lead to high blood pressure, a serious health problem.

Weight Management

Losing weight on the Nutrisystem plan is easy, especially for those who don't already understand how to lose weight or the nutrients your body needs. However, this can also make the Nutrisystem plan dangerous. When you follow a prepackaged eating plan for weight loss, you are not taught how to eat. Successful long-term weight loss and management means understanding how food affects your health and weight. When you are on Nutrisystem, you do not need to choose the food you eat, which makes it unnecessary to understand your dietary needs. Since it is not realistic to follow the Nutrisystem plan for your entire life, keeping the weight off after Nutrisystem can be hard. Following this type of plan may set you up for failure in the long run.

Exercise

Another shortfall of the Nutrisystem plan is the lack of emphasis on physical activity. Not only can physical activity increase your caloric burn and lean body mass, which helps with weight loss, it is also essential to long-term weight loss management. The National Weight Control Registry is a forum for successful losers to report trends in weight loss. Members of the registry have lost an average of 66 pounds and have kept it off for 5.5 years. Ninety four percent of the members report increasing physical activity to lose weight and keep it off.

Successful Dieting Stratetgies

Adopting healthy eating habits is a key to long-term weight loss and management and can't be achieved while following a plan that provides food for you. According to David C. Nieman, author of "Exercise Testing and Prescription," a successful weight loss program should have a few essential characteristics. Your plan should provide a healthy amount of calories, at least 1,200 per day for women and 1,600 per day for men, which should provide a reasonable weight loss of one to two pounds per week. Your diet should be nutritionally sound, providing all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. A diet program should not sell you a specific product or make you reliant on a food. It should also include maintenance, education and should emphasize a change in your lifestyle that centers around healthy eating and physical activity.