I Thought I Had it Figured Out

I am fascinated by weight loss. I love reading about it. I step on the scale every day. I love hearing people talk about it. I love to discover what works for some people and what causes other people to fail. I read books and magazines on the topic and have experimented with different things to accomplish the goal of shedding pounds. I have to work hard to lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight and maybe that's why it is such a source of fascination to me.

I have always thought that Weight Watchers was a good plan. I am a big fan of Weight Watchers. The program allows flexibility and allows you to eat the things you enjoy in moderation. Nothing is really off limits and it is a healthy way to lose at a moderate pace.

However, every now and then my curiosity gets the better of me and causes me to try something new. Recently, I decided to give NutriSystem a try for 5 weeks as they had an online special to buy 4 weeks of food and get the 5th week free. I soon received all of my food and I was excited. New stuff to try! I wondered if it would really work.

I have currently been eating on the NutriSystem plan for about 2 weeks now. I have been noticing that the weight has been coming off fairly quickly, and I thought, "Hmmm, what's this about?" So, I decided to compare it to the Weight Watchers plan to see if I could "crack their system".

On WW, you eat a point value daily that is based on your weight. You figure out the "points" in food by using a little point calculator that takes into account a food's fiber, fat and calorie content and uses those factors to come up with a point value. It's fairly simple. I have to eat between 20 - 25 points every day.

So, my natural instinct is to think that NutriSystem surely must have me eating fewer points over the course of a day. That MUST be the secret, right?

Using my point calculator, I figured out that on average, with all of their meals plus all of the fruit, yogurt, cheese, vegetables, etc that is used to supplement their meals, I am eating about 30 points per day on NutriSystem. THIRTY POINTS PER DAY. Granted, I am eating fewer carbs than I used to, but I am still eating sugar, potatoes and lots of fruit, so it sure doesn't seem like it's a low-carb type of diet. I haven't changed my workout routine, so I know that's not a factor.

I really, really thought I had cracked their system, and assumed I was eating fewer points, but now that I know that isn't the case, I am really confused. What is it that makes this system work?!? Come on...their food can't be magic.

After the five weeks, I plan to go back to eating healthily and watching my overall "points" each day. However, this is truly one system that has me stumped. I'm not sure how eating more can allow me to have luck shedding pounds, but whatever it is, I'm not going to argue about it. I just wish I understood it.