7 Best Nutrisystem Alternatives to Lose Weight on a Budget
Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. Read our disclosure to see how we make money.
If you’re like me, losing weight has always been easier said than done. Although active as a child and young adult, my weight has been an issue. Upon turning 40, I vowed that would no longer be the case. After researching some of the top weight loss programs available, I chose Nutrisystem.
After 15 months on the diet plan, I lost 100 pounds! It wasn’t easy, though. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. While certainly not the only weight loss system on the market, some of the best Nutrisystem alternatives can help you find similar success.
What is Nutrisystem?
Nutrisystem is one of the most popular diet programs on the market. The company was also one of the early pioneers of the home delivery diet meal model.
You order food through the company’s website, and you receive meals each month. This includes all of your meals for 28 days, although it does offer some freedom to add supplementary snacks.
I liked Nutrisystem because it allows you to customize your meals. If there’s something you prefer, you can choose as much of that as you wish and skip other options.
The diet system offers three meal options costing $8.57, $10.36, and $12.50 per day. Nutrisystem for men costs $10, $11.79, and $13.93 per day.
The company also offers specialized meal plans, including:
- Diabetes
- Uniquely Yours
- Vegetarian
If the cost is concerning, the company is currently offering 50 percent off all plans and shakes. If you want to learn more about the plan, and my experience on it, read my review of the weight loss program.
Top Weight Loss Programs Like Nutrisystem
Not everyone has the same experience when trying to lose weight. It’s important to find a program that works for your needs.
According to reports, Americans spend over $70 billion annually in the weight loss market, indicating its popularity and availability of different plans.
Here are the seven best alternatives to Nutrisystem to start improving your health.
1. South Beach Diet
South Beach Diet is one of the most well-known diet systems in the market. The plan works similar to Nutrisystem in that it provides a vast menu to choose from.
South Beach Diet provides six small meals per day. You get to select your own meals from its vast offerings, and it mails meals to you once per month.
South Beach focuses its meals on low-carb, Keto-friendly options. The menu also differs from the Nutrisystem menu in that the former has a more international bent.
If you like Asian-style foods and fewer American-themed foods like burgers and pasta, you may want to consider the South Beach Diet to lose weight.
Like other weight loss plans, the platform encourages you to exercise at home for at least 30 minutes per day to improve results.
Additionally, you will go through three phases when you join South Beach Diet. This is similar to other plans and helps you transition from a quick loss of weight during the first few weeks to finding a happy medium for the long run.
Pros:
- Keto-friendly, low-carb meals to choose from
- Numerous plans to select
- Easy to follow
- Promises up to seven pounds of lost weight in the first week
Cons:
- Costs about the same as Nutrisystem
- Does not offer plans for vegetarians
If you want more expansive menu offerings, sign up for the 40 percent off sale at South Beach Diet.
2. HealthyWage
HealthyWage is one of the more unique Nutrisystem competitors to lose weight. The program does not offer any meal plans.
You must personally manage food intake as you will not receive food from the company. However, what it lacks in food, it makes up for by motivating you to lose weight.
In short, the platform pays you to lose weight. It does this in one of three ways:
- Losing weight
- Maintaining weight
- Referring friends
When you start with HealthyWage, you bet against yourself to get healthy. You do this by entering your goal weight, how much you’re willing to bet, and the site tells you what prize you can expect if you’re successful.
If you prefer to work with someone on your journey, you can join a team challenge. This feature does cost $25 per month, but it’s optional if you prefer to go it on your own.
The average prize for successful weight loss is $1,400, according to the HealthyWage website. T
o qualify for any prize money, you must verify your weight via video, verification by a health or fitness professional, or by a participating Weight Watchers location.
Pros:
- Allows you to win money for losing weight
- Work with others to lose weight
- You can bet as little or as much as you want
Cons:
- No meal plans
If you’re searching for a unique way to lose weight and don’t need assistance with meal planning, give HealthyWage a look.
3. Noom
Noom, unlike other diet programs like Nutrisystem, does not include meal delivery. This may sound like a negative, but its approach is thoughtful.
Where many weight loss plans fall short is many regain their lost weight over time. Noom seeks not to restrict, per se, but help users overhaul their health and lifestyle patterns, so they see lasting change.
Noom does this entirely through providing an app-based health coach to help on your journey. There are no meetings, and everything happens virtually through the Noom app.
Whereas Nutrisystem is a meal delivery service to help you lose weight, Noom offers a health coach that helps you make small changes to improve your health.
You get to work one-on-one with this coach, and Noom also provides access to a small group for members to encourage one another. This is all built around your goals.
Pros:
- Personal, individualized assistance
- Work one-on-one with a health coach
- Easy to use
- Provides meal planning assistance
- Changes behavior over time
- Two-week free trial
Cons:
- Does not provide meals
- Costs about $50 per month
If you want a personalized approach to becoming wealthy, try the two-week free trial at Noom.
4. Diet-to-Go
Diet-to-Go is a meal delivery company to consider if you prefer vegetable-heavy personalized meals. One knock against weight loss programs is many do not focus on encouraging you to eat vegetables.
That is not the case with Diet-to-Go. The company customizes each meal to your specific fitness goals; everything comes pre-measured for you, including the number of calories in each meal.
The system offers three meal types: low-fat, low-carb, and a diabetic-friendly meal option. Plans vary on the number of meals you receive, which is ten to 21 meals per week.
Unlike other diet meal plans, Diet-to-Go does not offer free shipping. Its meals are also on the expensive end, in comparison to competitors. However, they also offer healthier meals customized to your needs.
Pros:
- Personalized meals
- Meals rich in vegetables and whole foods
- Meals created by nutrition specialists
- Wide range of meal options
- Offers delivery to your home
- You have at least five weeks between meals to limit repeats
Cons:
- Only offers weekly delivery
- More expensive than other choices
If vegetable-rich, whole food meals are important to you, give Diet-to-Go a look.
5. BistroMD
BistroMD works similar to Diet-to-Go. The diet program allows users to customize meals based on their preferences.
BistroMD takes it an additional step as all meals are doctor recommended, working in conjunction with trained chefs. Users report meals are similar to Nutrisystem (if Nutrisystem used fresher ingredients).
This allows BistroMD to offer more flavorful meals. The meals focus on providing low-calorie diets to rejuvenate your metabolism.
One unique feature of BistroMD is it offers niche meal options like gluten-free meals, and a special menopause diet program. Most other weight loss systems do not offer such specialized meal choices.
Two drawbacks are that you do not receive free shipping on meals, and the company offers limited snack options.
Pros:
- Customized meal plans
- Gluten-free and menopause specific options
- Flexible weekly payments
- Doctor and chef-inspired meals
Cons:
- No free shipping
- Limited snack options
- Some plans can be more expensive than Nutrisystem
If you need highly specialized meals that are fresh, get 25 percent off and free shipping on your first week at BistroMD.
6. Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers is one of the more popular Nutrisystem alternatives in the market. The company has been around for years, and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey promote it often.
You can find Weight Watchers meals at many grocery stores, but most do not have meals delivered to their homes. Instead, Weight Watchers focuses on helping users learn how to make healthy lifestyle choices.
This approach includes things like portion control, but it also includes needs such as eating the best food for your goals.
No food is off-limits on Weight Watchers, offering greater flexibility through its points-based approach to dieting.
The company also offers local meetings to meet with others to share in your cumulative weight-loss goals.
If this approach is too personal for you, Weight Watchers has ample online resources and coaching to help reach your goals.
Pros:
- Seeks to help you have steady weight loss
- Is one of the most affordable diet plans
- You have the freedom to eat what you want
- Offers both in-person and virtual coaching
Cons:
- Counting points is a bit tedious
- Freedom can breed too much of a challenge with reaching your goals
If the freedom to eat what you want is important to you, get free shipping on all orders over $75.
7. Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig is one of the top meal plans like Nutrisystem. The company began in Australia but quickly grew in popularity once arriving in the U.S.
Jenny Craig works like Nutrisystem in that it delivers meals to your door. It also adds a personal consultant to help you through your journey. If you want direct coaching to motivate you along the way, this is a terrific feature.
Like other platforms, you receive six pre-packaged meals per day with Jenny Craig. The company has over 100 meals you can choose from, so there is no lack of choice.
Like other well-known companies, Jenny Craig offers a full array of community support to lean on for support. It also claims you can lose up to 16 pounds in one month through its Rapid Results program.
The one drawback to Jenny Craig is the price. Many plans cost roughly $20 per day. You do receive personal coaching with the cost, but it may be cost-prohibitive for many to try.
Pros:
- Wide selection of food items
- Many menu items are frozen, making them more enjoyable
- One-on-one coaching
- Ability to lose weight quickly through its Rapid Results program
Cons:
- Very expensive
- You may not want to work with a personal coach
If you like the prospect of working with a coach to lose weight, give Jenny Craig a look.
Bottom Line
Bottom Line
There are numerous weight loss programs out there to help you shed pounds. Analyzing the different plans showed me how important it is to select one that fits your specific needs.
Losing significant weight isn’t easy, but with the right diet plan and effort, you will improve your health in a timely fashion.
What programs have you used to lose weight? How do you find ways to exercise at home? How much is too much to spend to improve your health?
John is the founder of Frugal Rules, a dad, husband and veteran of the financial services industry whose writing has been featured in Forbes, CNBC, Yahoo Finance and more.
Passionate about helping people learn from his mistakes, John shares financial tools and tips to help you enjoy the freedom that comes from living frugally. One of his favorite tools is Personal Capital , which he used to plan for retirement and keep track of his finances in less than 15 minutes each month.
Another one of John's passions is helping people save $80 per month by axing their expensive cable subscriptions and replacing them with more affordable ones, like Hulu with Live TV.
Latest posts by John Schmoll (see all)
- How to Get Internet Without Cable: 9 Options to Consider - July 31, 2020
- Republic Wireless Review: Get Cell Service for $20 Per Month! - July 27, 2020
- 9 Best Places to Get Money Orders Near Me - July 21, 2020