When you're trying to lose weight, one of the biggest pick-me-ups is having someone to talk to: a friend or family member who can share in the triumphs and empathize with the struggles along the way. In fact, that's why so many people enjoy the NutriSystem bulletin boards: they're a place where you can go to meet and chat with people in the same boat you are with your weight.

It was on these bulletin boards that a unique friendship was formed between six NutriSystem members; we call them the NutriSystem Sensational Six. They were strangers who met on the boards, but they soon became friends who were there to motivate and support each other. They have combined to lose over 400 lbs.* on NutriSystem. But just as important to them, they formed a very strong bond that goes beyond their weight loss.

They are (l-r above):
Sharon (hope4me! on the boards), a customer service rep from Woodbridge, NJ, who lost 126 lbs.* and who also recently had surgery to have her thyroid removed
Tracy (mrsgeonice), a stay-at-home mom from Fairview, PA, who lost 47 lbs.*
Brenda (willeyway), from Winnemucca, NV, who lost 60 lbs.*, works for the Government, and who runs a non-profit organization and volunteers
Susan (candlesusan), a music teacher and author from Byron, IL, who lost 100 lbs.* and who also recently was treated for breast cancer
Amy (amysmithr), a stay-at-home mom from Colorado Springs, CO, who lost 60 lbs.*
Emily (emilyliz), a special education teacher from Phoenix, AZ, who lost 36 lbs.*
 

NutriSystem sat down with this group to chat with them about the NutriSystem program, their weight loss, and their friendship.

NS: First, a little background. Why did you want to lose weight?

Brenda: To be a good example for my daughter, who was 5 years old at the time. I didn't want her to grow up with weight issues, so I figured I needed to get my own weight in control before it influenced her negatively. Now she is 6 and I see her making good food choices when eating out and such. She says things like, "I want growing food today"—just a term we use for healthy eating.

Emily: I wasn't happy with how I looked, and all of my clothes were too small. I started feeling like I was too young to feel so bad about myself. Plus, I was so freaking lazy from all the crappy food I was eating! I had zero energy, and I was only 26 when I started.

Sharon: I was so depressed with being so overweight and I looked and felt horrible.

Susan: I've always been overweight. But my weight started affecting my health—I developed plantar fasciitis, which made even walking difficult.

Amy: I wanted to lose my excess weight so I could be happier and a better wife and mom. Now I can keep up with my kids and do things I never wanted to do before.

Tracy: I knew if I could lose my weight, I would be much happier. I was so shy and depressed all the time.

NS: Why NutriSystem?

Brenda: I was so busy doing everything for everyone, I only had time to eat fast food. NutriSystem was the answer to getting in control of my meals.

Susan: I chose it because I was watching QVC and it was my last chance at making something work.

Emily: I wanted someone to tell me to eat because I had tried myself and it wasn't working so well. I liked the structure and convenience. It was foolproof.

Sharon: I didn't know how to diet correctly. I always ate too much at one sitting and then nothing the rest of the day. I needed NutriSystem to teach me and how much to eat.

Brenda: Plus, NutriSystem gave me the abilities and confidence to put myself first for a change. I'm learning to say no to projects and this means more time with my daughter.

Amy: I saw the commercial with Amanda and thought, "If she lost weight with three kids, and I have 2, why can't I do it?" Plus, it was a healthy way to lose weight.

Tracy: I thought the same thing when I saw the Amanda commercial!

NS: All of you are at goal and maintaining now, right? How's that going? Do you still support one another in maintenance a lot?

Brenda: No, I am not at goal. Now that I have been this weight, I think that 20 more pounds is attainable. In the beginning, I never thought it'd be possible, so here's to new goals!

Susan: If I didn't have this group, I'd probably be eating everything I wanted and gaining it back again. I know I have to be honest with them.

Tracy: I agree with Susan said. Plus, I think at times you get comfortable and kind of relax a bit and say, "I can have this" or "I can have that."

Emily: I think maintenance just really means gaining and losing those last 5-10 pounds for the rest of my life. But that's good. It keeps me on top of it.

Sharon: Maintenance is hard…the ladies have "talked me straight" many times to get back on track.

Amy: We've ALL needed those "talkings to!"

Emily: Sharon and I each quit smoking after we hit our respective goals. For me it was even harder than losing the weight. But I had already gotten to goal and started exercising, so I was feeling healthier.

Sharon: I started smoking when I was 15 years old and now I'm 45 so I smoked for many years. Emily quit and the rest of the ladies kept telling me how bad it was, so before I had my surgery I quit smoking with all of their encouragement.

Emily: I had the smoking down and then I started slowly munching on things I shouldn't. It's also hard once you let your guard down of having to LOSE weight.

Sharon: These ladies have always been there to help me get back on track.

Tracy: Maintaining is a huge struggle, but it's so easy to do knowing I have close friends who KNOW I'm going through at any time.

Amy: I don't know how I'd maintain without this group. I know we ALL struggle with it. I think most of us would agree that maintenance can be harder than the actual losing.

NS: Why is maintaining harder?

Amy: It's harder because you don't have anything to work TOWARDS. No number on the scale keeping you down, no smaller jeans you want to fit into. You have to find new ways to motivate yourself to be strict with your diet and exercise.

Brenda: Maintenance is hard because you already like yourself, nothing to reach for any more. With losing, you saw success every week; that helps to motivate.

Emily: I think it's hard to keep a balance of eating things in small portions and eating the right things. I don't want to deprive myself, but it is important to always be conscious of goes in my mouth.

Amy: It does help, though, having the knowledge that NutriSystem has given us. If we go up a few pounds, at least we know how to get them back off.

Emily: That's true, Amy. I know HOW to get the weight off now.

NS: Exercise: thumbs up or thumbs down?

Susan: Thumbs up to exercise. I can eat more of I want if I exercise! Thanks to Amy, I exercise every day.

Emily: Thumbs definitely UP. It keeps my energy up and makes me feel healthier.

Amy: I exercise daily and I know it's made a huge difference for me.

Brenda: I don't exercise yet. I can't find time in the schedule to do it.

Emily: I don't think any of us love to do it, but we love the benefits.

Amy: I don't know anyone who truly enjoys exercise, but the feeling when you're done is amazing.

Sharon: THUMBS DOWN. The girls know that even they can't make me exercise. That is the dreaded "E" word that stays away from my vocabulary.

Susan: We'll bring you over to the dark side eventually, Sharon.

Sharon: Yeah, but I quit smoking. Isn't that enough? (laughs)

Susan: Not enough – just a step in the right direction – a HUGE step. I can't believe you quit when your husband still smokes, Sharon. That's amazing.

Emily: I'm so impressed. It was hard enough without anyone smoking around me.

NS: Is that similar to having a husband who's not on NutriSystem?

Susan: (laughs) Kinda. My husband was very supportive, though. He ate all his "naughty" food away from home.

Emily: Oh, my boyfriend at the time used to eat burgers and fries in front of me. It was torture! I used to cry because it was so hard to watch. That's sad, isn't it?

Amy: Having to watch some bone-thin husband snack on junk all day and night is SO hard! My husband likes to "drink" Cheetos from the bag at 11 PM and then sing about how great they taste! (laughs)

Emily: Amy, he'd be dead in my house. (laughs)

Sharon: My husband is as skinny as 6 o'clock (picture 6 o'clock looks like); he can eat anything without gaining weight, and is a chain smoker!

Emily: The teachers' lounge has been really hard for me. When I first started, I was so determined, I didn't bother. But now that I'm maintaining it's so hard to pass up goodies in the teachers' lounge.

Susan: The teachers' lounge is the worst!

Emily: I've tried to get people to bring in good stuff like fruit. I have actually inspired six or seven other teachers to lose weight, so we're trying to keep the lounge healthier.

NS: Speaking of helping others: how have the NutriSystem bulletin boards helped you or allowed you to help others in the community?

Tracy: I am up at 4 AM to get my workout in by 5, so that gives me an hour of "me" time that is spent on the boards and e-mailing.

Emily: I have made a lot of friends through NutriSystem. In fact, I've met a few in person. The whole NutriSystem blog community has been supportive as well—like an extended family.

Susan: Answering posts on the bulletin boards probably takes up a couple hours of my day every day.

Brenda: A couple of hours? Must be nice. (laughs)

Susan: But with the format of the boards, it's easy enough to jump in when you have time.

Amy: Finding the time is REALLY challenging. I know I've discussed with Susan how the posts can take up several hours of our day. I know I keep doing it partly because it keeps me accountable, and partly because I know I've found the solution now to being thin and healthy for the rest of my life. I want to share with EVERYONE that I can. I want to shout from the rooftops, "You don't have to be fat any more if you don't want to!"

Susan: Oh, man, that's the truth, Amy. Don't you just want to give every fat person you see a big hug and tell them there's a way out of that fat body?

Tracy: Yes, Susan! I want to tell them it doesn't have to be this way; I know a solution.

Susan: Not that I'd do that, because I would've probably killed someone if they'd done that to me when I was fat…(laughs)

Brenda: Most importantly, we don't want to return to our old weights and lives. I used to think being thin was so easy; that those people had it made. an easy life, and they don't have a clue it's like to be overweight. But being a healthy weight takes work as well. That was one realization that this program taught me: the grass is always greener and we so often get caught up in that.

NS: How has NutriSystem helped your family life?

Susan: Like Brenda said earlier, I'm a much better role model for my kids. I have 4. I also go out and play with them instead of sitting in the house or on a chair outside.

Amy: I spend more time on the computer now, but my husband understands that this is very important to me now and an integral part of my maintenance. He knows I NEED these girls, as well as the boards, to stay on track. This is not a diet that you go off of once you reach your goal. It's a lifestyle change. It has to be!

Tracy: Well, aside from being happier and healthier, I am making better dinners for my family and they are eating WAY more fruits and veggies.

Susan: And my husband, who was always affectionate and never knew me thin (because I was never thin before) is SO much more attentive now!

Brenda: As Americans, we need to challenge all of our friends and families to make better choices for the future of our kids.

Amy: My family is thrilled that I am so much happier for myself now. I have a "fat" picture posted in my pantry so I don't forget how bad things could get if I let it slide too much. My 6-year-old saw it the other day and said, "Mom, I forgot how fat you used to be." Man, I'm glad kids forget things. I don't want to be the mom at school that the kids are embarrassed to let their friends see.

Susan: My 6-year-old saw a fat picture of me the other day and said, "That is NOT you, Mommy."

Tracy: I hated the feeling of being the fat mom at the park or school.

NS: All of you seem so empowered.

Amy: Totally empowered. I feel like I have a whole new life ahead of me now thanks to NutriSystem. Also, thanks to NutriSystem, I have this great group of wonderful lifetime friends to share this new life with.

Susan: Every day, when I go out and run – ME, run? – I feel empowered. I could barely even walk when I started NutriSystem. It makes me feel like I can do anything.

Tracy: I have learned so much and have totally changed my life for the better because of NutriSystem. I want to give back a little of I got, if I can.

Sharon: When I was losing the weight, I would have people that would send me e-mail each week after I posted my weekly weight loss, just to give me a congratulation. I'm sure we've all gotten those. Those e-mails really kept me happy that people were noticing that I was actually LOSING WEIGHT.

Emily: I feel so much more in control of my life. I really do. I know that I can make my life more positive now. I didn't see that I had the control to do that before. In fact, I am improving my life in all kinds of ways now: I got out of a relationship and started hiking.

Susan: I never thought I'd feel this good at 44. I figured I would be "old" at this age like my mother. I feel younger now than I did when I was 25.

NS: One-word answer: for me, the NutriSystem support system is...

Amy: For me, the NutriSystem support is irreplaceable.

Susan: Unbeatable.

Emily: The NutriSystem support system is inspirational.

Sharon: I like that, Emily. Inspirational. Also unique.

Tracy: It's just totally awesome!

Brenda: Addicting! So many people from my town have joined since they saw my success.

NS: Last question: would you like to say about the others in the Sensational Six?

Brenda: Everyone falls off track; nobody is perfect. Weight loss and maintenance can be difficult for anyone. If you fall down, get back up and remember that we're all an e-mail away.

Emily: The ladies are so caring and supportive. We each have our struggles, and they are always here to catch me when I fall. I know that if I'm having a bad day, eating or otherwise, I can e-mail the girls.

Sharon: I can truly call each of them my friend. They help me stay on track not only with my eating, but with causes me to eat. They always have something kind to say—with a little butt kick in there, too.

Susan: I don't know else to say other than I know I probably wouldn't have gotten to my goal without them and I know I still wouldn't be at goal (or below) without them.

Tracy: I love that I can count on them to understand I am going through with anything, any time. I never would have made it to where I am now without the support of these girls. They are all so inspiring and supportive. I love them like they're my sisters.

Amy: I wouldn't be where I am today without these women. I would struggle much more with my maintenance without them by my side. I love each of them, and I feel as though we've known each other for so much longer than a year. I've formed memories that will last a lifetime with these women, and I know when I'm old and gray, they'll still be here with me to reminisce about the "good ol' days."

We'll all still be skinny, too!

*Results not typical