Nutrisystem, Inc.

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World Champion Baseball Manager Charlie Manuel Manages His Biggest Victory: Losing Weight and Controlling His Type 2 Diabetes With Nutrisystem D

Thursday 8th of October 2009 15:53

HORSHAM, Pa., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Charlie Manuel is a big man in baseball. But it wasn't until after last year's championship run managing Philadelphia's professional baseball team that he realized quite how big. At six feet five inches tall and nearing 300 pounds, Charlie was also managing his Type 2 diabetes while leading his team, and the city of Philadelphia, to its first world championship since 1980. Today, in the midst of another post season, Manuel is 50 pounds lighter and managing his diabetes thanks to the Nutrisystem D program.

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"Last year's championship was such a huge personal and professional accomplishment," said Mr. Manuel. "But during the victory parade through the streets of Philadelphia, I remember one lady asking for a photo of us together and then immediately showing it to me and I thought, 'Man, I'm BIG!' I looked huge compared to her and in every picture I saw of myself. I knew I had to do something to lose weight."

Compounding his weight loss challenge, managing a championship baseball team means constant travel and a hectic schedule, not to mention stress. As a result, food became a secondary consideration. "In the past I wouldn't think about what I was eating and when. I would go all day in meetings and forget to eat and then eat ballpark food before the game. I tried dieting on my own, but that never worked. I didn't make it a priority and it caught up to me to the point where my doctor told me I had diabetes and put me on medication. That just gave me another list of things to manage like checking my blood sugars and remembering to take my medication."

"Like so many people with diabetes, Charlie was confronted with the complexities of managing diabetes and losing weight," explains Dr. Gary Foster, Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education of the Temple University School of Medicine. "Counting calories and carbs all while trying to keep your blood sugar in check is quite a challenge. For someone like Charlie, appropriately portioned meals throughout the day provide the structure to lose weight while maintaining his blood sugar levels, without all the mental gymnastics that dieters usually endure."

After seeing other sports celebrities like Dan Marino and Don Shula tout their success on the Nutrisystem program, Charlie decided to give Nutrisystem D a try. The program is specifically designed to help overweight people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight and control their blood sugar. The Nutrisystem D program incorporates more than three decades of scientific research and proven experience on effective weight loss with exercise.

"We are thrilled to support a real hometown hero in his bid to lose weight, stay healthy and manage his type 2 diabetes," said Joe Redling, Chairman and CEO of Nutrisystem. "With more than 24 million American's suffering from diabetes and another 57 million at risk for developing the disease, we know that weight loss is key to managing and avoiding this deadly disease. For millions of people like Charlie who are dealing with diabetes and want to lose weight, Nutrisystem D can be a path to weight loss success and health."

Now Nutrisystem D is part of my everyday routine," explains Mr. Manuel. "I wanted a program specifically designed to support my diabetes and that I could stick to whether on the road or at home. When I travel, I have a microwave sent to my room. I order my salad, fruits and vegetables from room service so I can stay with program. I eat six times a day and never feel hungry. When I do eat out, I know what choices to make and what a real portion is. The best part is, besides losing 50 pounds, I feel better. I look better. Even the umps notice that I've lost weight. I tell my players that I feel like I can still play."

Clinically Tested

The Nutrisystem D program is based on a low Glycemic Index diet that integrates good carbohydrates into its meal plan. It's also low in fat and high in fiber. The Glycemic Index measures how quickly food is broken down and absorbed by the body, The unique combination of Nutrisystem D helps to keep you feeling fuller longer between meals.

In a three month clinical study conducted at Temple University School of Medicine and recently published in the journal Postgraduate Medicine(1), overweight people with Type 2 diabetes on Nutrisystem D lost as much as 16 times more weight than those following a hospital-directed diet regimen (average weight loss 18 lbs vs 1.3 lbs), while lowering their A1C test scores (a 90-day measure of blood sugar control) by 0.9%. This weight loss was also associated with significant reductions in triglycerides, cholesterol and waist circumference.

Nutrisystem D is based on a structured 28-Day meal plan that is completely customizable. The program features more than 140 gourmet-style selections that emphasize healthful whole grains, as well as low fat and low sodium dishes. Nutrisystem D menu items are designed to be heart healthy with zero trans fat and low sodium. Customers can supplement their Nutrisystem D entrees with grocery-items like fresh fruit, vegetables, salads and low-fat dairy to complete their meals. Nutrisystem D customers also receive a welcome kit which includes a meal planner, a resource guide highlighting Nutrisystem tips and tools for weight loss, and an on-the-go meal planner. Nutrisystem recommends a combination of diet and exercise to lose weight.

Nutrisystem D is a comprehensive weight loss program. It does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes, and is not a substitute for diabetic medications. To learn more about Nutrisystem D, or to sign up for the program visit www.nutrisystem.com/D or call 888-671-LEAN.

Disclosure Statement

The Temple University Study: The Effects of a Pre-packaged, Portion Controlled Meal Plan on Weight and Glycemic Control Among Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, was led by Dr. Gary Foster, Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University School of Medicine and Chairman of Nutrisystem's Advisory Board, and was funded through an unrestricted educational grant from Nutrisystem, Inc., Horsham, PA. The Study was published in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine in September 2009.

About Nutrisystem, Inc.

Nutrisystem, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTRI) is a leading provider of weight management products and services. Nutrisystem is sold direct to the consumer through nutrisystem.com for convenient home delivery. The company offers proven nutritionally balanced weight-loss programs designed for women, men, and seniors, as well as the new clinically tested Nutrisystem D plan, formulated specifically to help overweight people with type 2 diabetes who want to lose weight. The Nutrisystem program is based on 35 years of nutrition research and offers a variety of great tasting, satisfying high-fiber, heart healthy, good carbohydrate meals that are low on the Glycemic Index and contain zero trans fats. Nutrisystem is hundreds of dollars cheaper than other weight loss programs, based on a survey by National Business Research Institute (October 2008). The program has no membership fees and provides 24/7 weight management support by trained weight loss coaches and online weight management tools free of charge. In 2009 Nutrisystem was selected as the #1 overall online retailer in the Health and Beauty category and #46 out of the top 500 online retailers overall by Internet Retailer Magazine. For more information or to become a customer visit http://www.nutrisystem.com or call 1-877-681-THIN (8446)

REFERENCES

(1) Foster, G., et al. The Effects of a Commercially Available Weight Loss Program Among Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Study. Postgraduate Medicine [10.3810/pgm.2009.09.2046]. 2009; 121 (5).

SOURCE Nutrisystem, Inc.

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