Is Nutrisystem Worth It: Good investment, or Too Expensive? (2024)

Is Nutrisystem worth the investment? Price is one of the biggest considerations when considering any diet. It’s important to ask yourself whether the considerable time and money you put into a weight loss program is worthwhile. We’ll attempt to answer the question, “is Nutrisystem really worth it?” by considering the following:

You can view all Nutrisystem offers here.

Nutrisystem: Here’s What You Get

In deciding whether Nutrisystem is worth the money, let’s first look at what you get for your money. First, you should know that there are four plan options. All plans include 4 meals per day including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack. Men get those same 4 meals plus an extra snack each day, so their plans cost a bit more. All Nutrisystem plans start with the Body Reboot program, which includes bars and shakes, and you’ll track everything on the NuMi app.

Here are Nutrisystem’s four plan options:

1. Basic: This is the most economical way to do the diet, but there are less flexibility and food options. A lot of people don’t like the lack of menu choices, and therefore users might say it’s not worth the money
2. Core: This is the most popular plan because it’s still economical, but includes 100 foods on the menu and unlimited customer support
3. Uniquely Yours: This is the best-rated plan as it adds more menu variety including frozen foods. Even though it’s more expensive, users are likely to say that it’s worth the price
4. Uniquely Your’s Plus: Everything in the “Uniquely Yours” plan plus 4 weeks of shakes with protein and probiotics, but it costs more.

The foundation of every Nutrisystem plan is the monthly delivery of their pre-portioned, packaged foods that are high in protein and fiber and low in bad carbs for fast weight loss of up to 13 pounds in the first month. Recently they also started offering an optional DNA test kit, but the jury is out on whether it’s worth the expense.

Here’s what’s included in your first month’s delivery:

Really the main difference in plans is just menu variety including frozen foods in better plans. Now, let’s talk about the price tag.

The Price Tag:

Like all meal-delivery diets, the cost of Nutrisystem can be intimidating as you are literally paying for a month’s worth of food all at once. You’ll still have to supplement their meals with fresh fruits and veggies, so while Nutrisystem does replace most of your meals, you’ll still have to account for some groceries in your monthly food budget.

You should estimate that this diet costs about $10-12 per day or $350 per month plus the expense of groceries. So, is it really worth that? You can click below to learn more, or find a coupon:

Ok, now let’s look at arguments on both sides to decide whether Nutrisystem is really worth the money:

7 Reasons Why Nutrisystem Is Worth It

Consider the following when determining the cost of Nutrisystem:

1. Economical: While Nutrisystem appears costly, it’s not a significant extra expense because Nutrisystem will replace most of the meals and groceries that you currently pay for
2. Time is money: Nutrisystem will significantly reduce the amount of time you currently spend planning and preparing meals
3. Efficient: Did you know that we waste half of the food we buy? Nutrisystem’s prepared, pre-portioned meals can be considered a more efficient and cost-effective way to eat, as the food is already portioned and no food should go to waste
4. Structure: Have you tried other diets and failed? You might need more structure in your diet. The math says that if you follow Nutrisystem and don’t cheat, you’ll lose the weight
5. Usually Works: Most users are happy with their weight loss results and say it’s worth the money and effort
6. The cost of Nutrisystem is inexpensive compared to other meal delivery diets like South Beach and Jenny Craig
7. An Investment: Being overweight is expensive. Whether you are talking about the extra health problems associated with obesity, potential missed work, or superfluous food purchases, being healthy saves money!

Although being on a diet or weight loss program can seem expensive, think of it as an investment in your health.

5 Reasons Why Nutrisystem Is NOT Worth It

Ok, we’re not here to just cheerlead for Nutrisystem. Skepticism is often a good thing, so let’s play devil’s advocate. Here are some reasons why Nutrisystem may not be worth it:

1. Restrictions: With Nutrisystem, you are basically told what to eat and when. If you aren’t good with such a structure, you might resent the menu limitations
2. Do It Yourself Instead: If you have not been on a diet before, consider a more DIY weight loss program like MyFitnessPal or Weight Watchers. At under $20 per month, you’re not risking much!
3. Food Taste: Bad reviews have called Nutrisystem “return of the TV dinner.”
4. Too Expensive: While this diet does replace most of your current meals, you’re still going to have a $300+ charge on your credit card bill. Can you live with that?
5. Commitment: This isn’t a 30-day diet, and canceling after the first month can be a hassle. If you just want to lose 10 pounds for a wedding, you might not want to commit to 3-6+ months

Ok, those are fair points. Now, back to the fact that Nutrisystem replaces most of your current groceries. Let’s talk about how it’s possible to spend less while on Nutrisystem.

How Nutrisystem Can Actually Save You Money

While on Nutrisystem you’ll spend less at the grocery store and at restaurants. In addition to saving you hours of time on meal planning and prep, their prepared meals replace most of the meals you’re paying for now.

Here’s how Nutrisystem can save you money each month:

1. Cost of Groceries: They say that groceries cost the average woman about $250 per month, and the average man about $300 per month. (source) Let’s estimate that while on Nutrisystem your grocery bill is cut in half, which means it will cost $5 per day for supplemental food.
2. Cost of Dining Out: Most people eat at restaurants less frequently while on Nutrisystem, so this is another area of potential cost savings. The average meal outside the home costs about $13 per person, so if you eat 1-2 fewer meals out while on the diet, the savings can add up
3. Cost of Alcohol: Alcohol isn’t good for any diet, including Nutrisystem. That’s why they ask you to only consume 1-2 alcoholic beverages per week. Reducing your alcohol intake is healthy and can also save you a lot of money!

You still have to buy food: Although spending in these areas is reduced while on Nutrisystem, it’s not completely eliminated. They do ask you to supplement their meals with fresh fruits and vegetables and allow for several “flex meals” each week consisting of one breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack on your own.

If you are currently spending $400+ per month on groceries and dining out, you can see how being on Nutrisystem could result in significant cost savings. I would estimate that while on the diet your current food spending should be cut in half. In some cases, these savings are enough to pay for the monthly cost of Nutrisystem.

Related: Is Weight Watchers worth it? | Is Noom worth it?

So, Is Nutrisystem Worth It?

Even though most users say that Nutrisystem works, about 1 in 5 people fail on the diet. That’s because no single diet will work for everyone. A diet should be compatible with the unique needs, personality, and lifestyle of the person. While having discipline is important in reaching any goal, you shouldn’t have to change who you are to fit the requirements of a diet.

So, the better question to ask is, “is Nutrisystem worth it for you?” Consider both the pros and cons we mention above and imagine whether this diet will be compatible with your life.

If it is, then you will likely lose considerable weight, which will be sustainable if you stick with the program. Many people find that the first month, Turbo 13 Fresh Start Body Reboot is good motivation because you can lose 13 pounds in the first month. That kind of result makes negatives like food limitations and potential expenses more than worthwhile.

The Nutrisystem plan isn’t for everyone, but it’s biggest strength is convenience. People who don’t like structure and wish to have more freedom in what they eat can consider the WW diet, which has no prepared meals or restrictions but requires you to count points.

We hope that this article helps you decide whether Nutrisystem will be worth it for you!

If you do consider joining, we have an exclusive coupon here: