Sometimes I hear people ask me how long a person is supposed to stay on the nutrient system diet. I’ve also had people ask me how long a membership is valid for. This is one of the common misconceptions surrounding this diet. I find that there are some people who think you need a prescription or have to pay a membership fee while on this plan. Neither of these assumptions is true. This is a diet for which you order food from the company (and usually from month to month). There are no long-term requirements or commitments and, for the most part, how long you stay on it depends on a few factors, which I’ll discuss further in the next article.

Many people stay on Nutrisystem until they see their weight loss goal: Of course, if you are considering making drastic lifestyle changes, you will want to discuss it with your doctor. That being said, however, most people simply order food until they’ve lost the right amount of weight for them. Since there are no commitments, you can stop ordering when you are satisfied with the results. And generally, you can view your average weekly weight loss to determine how long it will take you to get there.

And with a range of around 2 to 3 pounds per week for many, this is the kind of gradual, non-drastic weight loss that most consider optimal and safe. I have heard people describe the nutrisystem as a fad, an accident, or a drastic diet, but I really disagree. You’re looking at around 1500 calories per day, which is far less than some of the more drastic or overly restrictive diets. Plus, add your own fresh foods with each meal so you’re not just relying on the prepackaged foods provided. I suspect this is being asked of you to ensure that you are getting a good amount of the nutrients and vitamins your body needs from fresh food.

Nutrisystem Food Shelf Life: Sometimes when people ask me how long I am supposed to stay on this diet, they really ask me if foods expire. Most foods are soft canned, which means they do not require refrigeration and this gives them a fairly long shelf life. The nutrisystem selection line offers frozen options (shipped to your home) that are also quite slow to expire. Of course, you always want to check the expiration date (and you can usually call the number on the box if you’re not sure). But, my observation is that most people eat their food within a month of receiving their shipment, so this concern usually doesn’t come into play.

The company offers free advice, so there should always be someone available who can answer these types of questions or concerns. You can usually call, participate in a live chat, or communicate with them online, depending on what works best for you.