The Seattle Sutton Experiment

Having a desk job by day and being an avid foodie by night really packs on the pounds.  I’ve tried Weight Watchers in the past and it works – eat less, exercise more.  The only problem is that you have to write everything down.  I tend to start eating the same thing every day just to avoid looking up points. 

I remembered a co-worker trying Seattle Sutton.  She brought in something different every day, pre-made and ready to go.  No cooking, no cleaning, no counting, basically no work at all.  This sounded ideal to me so I finally made the call to give it a try and after 3 weeks I have mixed reviews and I haven’t lost a pound.  The pros are convenience and variety.  I never had to think about or write down what I was eating and I ate something different every day for every meal. It was even cost effective at about $110 per week. I was not spending extra dollars on lattes, lunches with co-workers or extravagant dinners out. 

The cons are that the meals range from good to very, very bad. The good included options like gnocchi in a light Parmesan cream sauce with asparagus or tilapia with mango chutney and rice pilaf.  The bad included Asian stir-fry with bland, watery, chalky rice or a dry rib-meat patty with an even drier baked potato half.  Tuna and salmon salads tasted cat food-like and loaves of pressed meats appeared too many times. 

Another con is that you can’t substitute anything even if you have a food allergy.  I can’t eat bell peppers for example so there were at least a dozen meals I had to pick through.  The final con is hunger. At 1200 calories per day I should have been satisfied but was extremely hungry, especially at night when it is the easiest time to cheat.  I guess I cheated more times than I remember because by the end of 3 starving weeks I had lost no weight and did little socializing with friends.  At the end of the experiment the verdict is back to Weight Watchers – eat less “good” food and exercise more.

Comments

[GastronomicBypass]

I tried Seattle Sutton two years ago. At first, I was in love. It was easy and the meals were always different. But then my real life got in the way: Dinner with friends, business trips, etc. I developed a sense of guilt when I didn't eat the meals I had already paid for, the same feeling I got when my mother used to tell me about starving children in far off countries. In the end, I made the same decision as you - Weight Watchers.

[Rachael]

Stacy,

On top of the dozens of diets I've put myself through, including Weight Watchers, I have tried several meal delivery programs like eDiets Deliciously Yours and Seattle Sutton. I have found that Seattle Sutton has the best customer service and meal delivery/pickup reliability, a huge factor in this industry. However, I agree it would be to the company's favor to offer only Part B of a week, if someone only wants 4 days of meals for whatever reason.

On one hand it would be helpful to have substitute meals for those entrees that have an ingredient that a large segment of the population is allergic to, i.e., peanuts or fish. On the other hand, this ability to have customization does drive up the cost. SSHE has the lowest price for fresh (not freeze-dried or frozen) meals I've found in the industry.

I can say that myself and others have experienced great weight loss results on the program. In my opinion, and in comparison to other delivery programs, the food is excellent. The company is small and nimble enough to make adjustments when dishes really do not go over well (like the cabbage roll).

The biggest barrier to dieting for me is the convenience factor. It's hard to prepare a balanced meal that carefully measures the point value on its own. Weight Watchers does a great job of teaching what a proper diet should be instead of promoting a fad diet. However, I fall off that wagon quickly when i get home late from work and I drive past all those drive thrus. Knowing the meals are in the fridge ready and waiting for me keeps me on track.

There are a number of more expensive and slightly more gourmet meal delivery programs like Bistro MD and PurFoods Fresh Start that offer more customization and partial week options if you still are interested in the meal delivery concept.

Perhaps for self described "foodies" like yourself, it will be difficult to find any calorie controlled plan that you will enjoy. So many indulgent ingredients in those wonderful gourmet restaurants' meals have loads and loads of calories. This is just not something you will see in entrees that try to keep calories low. And you should give yourself some time to adjust to the lower calorie levels as I'm not sure 3 weeks were enough, especially if you were including a number of off plan snacks. In addition to the 1,200 calorie version you tried, they also have a 2,000 calorie version which still allows for weight loss for those over 200 lbs or are very active and it's almost twice as much food.

I've posted the link to my blog of photos and meal reviews for anyone interested in seeing what the Seattle Sutton food actually looks like. Meal delivery programs are a personal preference, and you have to find a program that appeals to you and you can stick with!

Happy Dieting! Rachael
http://seattlesuttonskinny.wordpress.com

[Josh]

My big problem with pre-made meal programs is that I think they keep people from learning how to cook and thusly making them more apt to buy frozen dinners, and other pre-packaged solutions that aren't as healthy as others.

I've personally found that I can make simple fast dishes on the stove-top. Simple seasoning (salt and pepper) with simple ingredients is the key. Once you start combining different veggies and proteins it becomes easier to make dishes you like. The other misconception is that a dinner take 30 minutes. You can make a chicken pasta/rice dish from scratch in 15 minutes. The pasta/rice is really what takes the time.

http://www.chicagofoodies.com/2008/06/dinner-in-5-min.html

[Lisa]

I just joined Seattle Sutton this past Monday and I've already lost 3.5 lbs. Although weight loss wasn't my primary reason for joining, it is a big plus.

I have a demanding job, that requires long hours, and a lot going on in my life right now, including trying to sell my house. I too tried Weight Watchers with much success (lost 40lbs.), but lately my schedule and stress eating caused me to pack back on 20 lbs. I relized I needed a change when it occured to me that I hadn't had any fresh fruit or veggies in almost a month. For a while Lean Cusines kept me from the fast food places at lunch, or on the way home most days, but the variety of the things I liked was limited, and my fruit intake was almost non-existent.

One of my co-workers was doing SSHE, and after seeing the variety and the amount of ff and veggies, I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. I agree that some of the food I've tried this week was bad (Cabbage Rolls & breakfast blintzes - yuck!), but everything else has ranged from pretty good to great. I've also come up with ways to doctor a few things to suit my taste w/out adding too many calories or sodium. Also, I've found that not having a say in what I get has forced me to eat ff and veggies I would never buy on my own, because they aren't my favorite, and I'm afraid they'd go to waste. But knowing it's just for that one meal got me through the brussel sprouts and the red cabbage slaw. My favorite so far has been the seafood jambalya with the corn muffin (nice and spicy).

I admit I was a bit hungry for the first few days (fat free popcorn helped), but I've adjusted quickly and every meal since has been satisfying. I did have to deal with a social eating situation, but I just had a small portion and continued on the plan - no guilt no stress.

I know it's been less than a week, but from someone who has tried nearly every diet out there, from cabbage soup, Carb Addicts Diet, Nutrisystem, and Jenny Craig, just to name a few, this seems like a great alternative until I can get back to healthy meal planning and cooking on my own.

[laura]

I'm currently using SSHE. While on the program I only want to lose the first 10 of 50 pounds I need to lose. I started the program to have some initial success, which I wasn't accomplishing on my own. So far, that is working. Also, I think the meals will be easy to copy in my own kitchen, so I'm finding plenty of ideas for long term change in eating habits. The only thing I feel is missing is the journalling aspect of calorie counting. But once I return to that, I will be used to eating less and will have had some success, so I see the program as the first steps I need to take. As far as hunger, I'm supplementing with popcorn or fruit. If I go out, I find a meal I can freeze. I've also eaten before hand, and just gone out for a few glasses of wine. I just use that as my few hundred extra calories for the day. I've lost about the first 5 pounds, so I'm going to say I'll stay on it for a few more weeks. It's been a positive experience. Also, I see it as something I can return to for one or two weeks in the future if I need to take off a few pounds. I'd recommend it.

[bob z]

it works wonderfully, but once you stop, the weight just comes back. Everyome I know who had success once off gained it back or more.

[Elsa]

I've been on SSHE for a few weeks now and while I agree that not all the food is exceptional (but exceptional to me would be a cheeseburger or a deep dish pizza), it's been convenient and I feel like I'm eating veggies and fruits and healthy food I would never choose on my own. As someone who does not like to cook AT ALL, I can tell you that no matter how much I try to buy my own ingredients, cook them myself, and eat healthy, I'll always fall back on fast food or frozen pizzas because they're more convenient. This program gives me the convenience I obviuosly cannot do without, but I'm eating healthy at the same time. I was on a low carb diet off and on forever and I cannot tell you how nice it is to have corn bread and potatoes (in proper portions, as provided) and not feel massive anxiety about it. As for gaining back the weight once you're off SSHE, it only makes sense if you're not willing to count calories and make sure you're still eating only 1200 calories a day. Without all the counting and measuring, you don't realize how many more calories you're actually taking in. I love the convenience and hassle-free nature of SSHE and I still take a day off a week to eat what I want as a special treat so I never feel deprived!

[Laura]

The best things about Seattle Sutton are the portion control, convenience, balanced nutrition, and cost. I appreciate the food is of a good quality. The secret to losing weight with this program is to eat exactly what they tell you--no more. If you start several hundred more calories a day, then you will have to stay with this program longer.

[Karen]

Seattle Sutton is a great diet. I first went on it about 10 years ago and lost 15 pounds in 5 weeks. The price has gone up quite a bit since then, but compared to what I would spend on lunches while at work and dinners prepared at home each night, it is a good value. I am a picky eater and used to throw away things I didn't like (or thought I didn't like) such as zucchini. This time around I figured I would eat all the food (except raw tomatoes) and I discovered the zucchini isn't bad! And for the first time in my life, I finally tried a kiwi... always threw those away on past SSHE diets. WOW, was it delicious. So, not only am I losing weight but I am discovering new foods! This diet is so easy and well balanced. Definitely worth a try if you haven't in the past. But it's not magic, if you cheat you won't lose the weight, but if you stick to it, you might just discover a new you!

[Kathy Lubbs]

3-11-09 I have been a long time customer of Seattle Sutton, today I was eating pepper loaf and found a bug in my spinach.
I was able to get a phone call returned in fairly short order.
The woman I spoke with was odd at best in reaction and remedy ,
I am not a one timer that felt that the food was to pricey or not palatable
I said I wanted a refund for my most current use of the food, and no further deliveries.
They responded by saying they would not refund my money and asked if I would like a different meal in exchange
I will be phoning the LaSalle County Health Department in the morning

[Stacy Kenny]

It is my understanding that some of the food is assembled at the distribution site (or at least that was the case at the pick up site I was visiting). Knowing that, I could see how foreign objects or bugs could possibly get into the food. Hopefully these locations have to adhere to the same standards as any kitchen or restaurant. Although, even some of the best places have bugs. I am surprised that a company that big wouldn't be more agreeable, especially with a long-time customer.