Is Nutrisystem Bad For You? Is This a Dangerous Diet? I often get emails from people who are concerned about the health implications of this diet. Many look at some of the before and after photos on the site or take a look at Jillian Barberie in her bikini and wonder if such sudden and drastic weight loss could possibly be good for you. I’ve even had people go so far as to ask me if Nutrisystem is a starvation diet or if is dangerous or bad for you. I’ll go over these concerns, my responses to them, and my reasoning for my answers in the following article. How Can Nutrisystem Possibly Be Healthy Or Good For You?: Often when I tell people that I think that Nutrisystem is perfectly safe and preferable to being dangerously over weight and all of the health conditions that this often brings with it, they don’t believe me or they think that I’m an isolated case or the exception to the rule. I don’t believe this to be true. Many people that I know on this diet (myself included) have had a decrease in blood sugar, and a reduction in high cholesterol and / or blood pressure as the result from shedding weight on this diet. I was borderline diabetic when I started this, and now my levels are completely normal and even good. I believe this result is because all of the foods are low glycemic choices that can, when paired with healthy, fresh sides, help to regulate and in some cases lower blood sugar. Is Losing Weight So Rapidly On Nutrisystem Dangerous Or Bad For You?: I believe that when people ask this question, they are often concerned about rapid weight loss, not taking in enough calories, and eating too many prepackaged foods. I’ll address these things one by one. The rapid weight loss is often due to the fact that the low amount of carbs in the foods and the high amount of protein puts your body in a state called ketosis. In short, your body is feeding off of stored fat because it no longer has carbs to work with. There’s often a great deal of debate as to whether ketosis is dangerous but I believe that the consensus is that it is not. This all bypasses your liver, which would be a concern if this were true, but it’s not. Second, you are taking in enough calories. This is not a diet that is so low in calories that it needs doctor supervision like optifast and others, which have 800 calories or less per day. With Nutrisystem, you’re consuming around 1,200 per day which is typical of most modern diets and is not so low as as to require you to be monitored by a physician. Third, although you are eating prepackaged foods at each meal, you’re also required to add in fresh additions. For example, you may well be eating prepackaged cereal or a muffin for breakfast, but you’re asked to add in fresh fruit or yogurt. You may be eating ready made pizza for lunch, but you’re asked to add in a salad or side of green beans. Nutrisystem’s foods are nutritionally sound and are fortified with vitamins and minerals. However, you aren’t only relying upon these. You’ll be eating fresh foods at every meal to ensure that your body is getting every thing that it needs to do it’s job at this time – which is to lose weight and to become a healthier version of what you started with. In my own experience, I feel much better since I lost the weight. I don’t feel sickly or light headed or dizzy or any of the concerns that folks have expressed. I have more energy, I look better, and I look at every thing that I eat in a different and more healthful way.