I’ve said if before and I’ll say it again… I love Nutrisystem! The program has been wonderful and even though I’m not getting a monthly subscription at the moment, I’m following their plan and guidelines. Occasionally I do eat their food and I have no complaints. I’m down 23 lbs in just 6 weeks and I’m feeling fantastic. I believe Nutrisystem is a form of training wheels to get you in the state of mind to eat smaller, smarter meals throughout the day. This isn’t a quick fix diet, it’s a relearning diet.
That being said…. I do have a few issues with ordering Nutrisystem through QVC. The price I paid, including shipping, was $208 for 4 weeks of food (not including the cost of vegetables and add-ons like yogurt, cheese, etc.). All the food you get says “Nutrisystem” on it and looks and tastes just like Nutrisystem food… with one exception: apparently it’s a totally different company. QVC’s Nutrisystem is not the same as Nutrisystem. I wasn’t totally bothered by that until I received a referral. Every time you tell a friend about the program you earn $50 off your next shipment and your friend also gets a discount. That’s fantastic except when I tried to redeem it I was told that I needed to be on a Nutrisystem monthly plan. Confused, I told their customer service that I do get a monthly NS plan and they proceeded to tell me that in fact I did not. You see, if you want to redeem your referrals, you will need to sign up through Nutrisystem. Otherwise, say goodbye to that $50. You cannot use it to order a-la-carte either. It HAS to come off of one of the plans on Nutrisystem’s websites.
Also, there are ways to get Nutrisystem plans cheaper. You can go to Costco and buy gift cards at a discounted rate or go through Ebates. Both are great options and can save you a ton of money…. EXCEPT if you order from QVC. You can use Ebates on QVC orders but it’s only 4% cash back as opposed to 20-40% off your order. While there are a few benefits to ordering from QVC (easy pay for 1 month, locked in rate, easy returns, etc.) it seems like there are more drawbacks than benefits.
One of Nutrisystem’s motivators is their weight loss bears. For every 10lbs you lose, Nutrisystem will send you a cute beanie baby bear with your weight loss accomplishment on it. It’s a nice reminder for all of your hard work and it gives you something to work for. That is, unless you’re one of the suckers who ordered from QVC. We don’t get bears. Not even if you ask nicely. It’s a big bummer. My mom worked so hard for her first bear and when she called about it they told her that since she wasn’t ordering directly from NS, she was not eligible for a bear.
Many people have reasons for ordering through QVC, but it was never made explicitly clear that these companies are not the same and you do not get all the benefits that others get. All I want to do is make it a bit more apparent before you make that order.
Are you on Nutrisystem? Where did you order your food? Were you aware of these issues?
Sign up for Ebates here and get $10 off your first order.
If you’re going to sign up for Nutrisystem (and I DO recommend it) I would highly recommend using their website so you get the full benefits of the program. Get your $50 off here: http://my.nutrisystem.com/x/9iddF6
MommyLaughs 
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