NutriSystem Diet

A Shula Success Story

Legendary coach Don Shula and his wife Mary Anne lose 55 lbs.*

Coach Don Shula had done it all. A record 347 wins as a pro football coach. Two championships in Miami. The only undefeated season in league history. But after he retired, the one thing he couldn't conquer was his expanding waistline. No longer manning the gridiron, Coach Shula found that he was getting heavier and heavier. 

His wife Mary Anne Shula could relate. Despite a busy lifestyle like her husband's, her weight started creeping up. She had tried and tried to lose weight, but couldn't find a true answer to her problem.

The Shulas were frustrated. They wanted badly to make a change so they could enjoy their time together to the fullest. So they turned to NutriSystem—specifically, NutriSystem Silver™, the program designed for older Americans—together to take care of their weight problems. They dropped a total of 55 lbs.* and regained the vitality they missed so much. Click here to review program details

Nutri System Direct

Nutri System sat down with the Shulas to get their opinions about the program and the impact it's made on them.

NS: What prompted you to join Nutri System?

Don: Well, let's face it. The older you get the harder it is to lose weight.I'm like many other typical older Americans—I may be retired from coaching, but I've still got a ton of things keeping me busy. Even so, I still put on an extra 30-plus pounds since retiring. And it really started to bother me. The weight hurts your back, your hips and your knees. It made getting around more difficult than it should have been.

Mary Anne and I saw how well my quarterback Dan Marino did on Nutri System, so we decided to try their program for older adults, NutriSystem Silver. Now Marino's got nothing on me (laughs)—I lost 32 lbs.*! Mary Anne lost 23 lbs.*, too, and she looks great.

Mary Anne: As Coach can tell you, I've tried every diet out there. I would get tired of the food and would get bored after a couple of weeks. NutriSystem Silver is the first one I've been able to stick with. The key for me is that you get so much food variety with Nutri System. That made losing weight enjoyable.

NutriSystem Weight Loss

NS: As you mentioned before, you're both busy traveling to various functions. How has the program helped your hectic lifestyle?

Don: We do travel all the time, and NutriSystem meals fit our active lifestyle perfectly. The food is delivered right to our door and is really easy for us to prepare, wherever we happen to be. We never have to count, measure or weigh anything, which makes it a breeze to follow the program. And since we're always on the go, it's really convenient that we don't have to take the time to do any weigh-ins.

NS: How about the food? Was that a winner for you?

Mary Anne: It really is amazing. I love the food. On this program, I can have great-tasting food in minutes. Pasta primavera…pot roast…even my favorite, beef tacos. For dessert, I love the caramel popcorn and the chocolate cookies. And there are so many things that you can enjoy on this program, you literally don't have to have the same thing twice.

My husband is a meat-and-potatoes guy, and he loves the variety, too. He's a happy camper with the food, and that makes me happy.

Don: Mary Anne's right. I enjoy eating, so I was thrilled to be eating six times a day on this program—especially since the food was excellent. This is the kind of food you grew up loving. Pizza. Burgers. Lasagna.

Mary Anne: And don't forget the chocolate, honey. I love the chocolate! Plus, we both really love the new foods. They were really good.

NS: How do feel now, after losing 55 lbs.* together? Click here to review program details

Mary Anne: When you've lost as much weight as I have, it feels like you've lost a person. It feels great. Now I look and feel so much better, and so does Coach. In fact, my little grandson told me, “Grand Mary Anne, you're looking hot!” I'm 61 years old, and I so happy with the way I feel and look.

So does Coach. In fact he used to shuffle when he walked. Now we both can run around like little kids! And I just love the way he looks.

Don: Yeah, people say I look ten years younger. Hey, I feel ten years younger! Look at me. I may have retired from coaching football 12 years ago, but I'm 77 years old and I feel great. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I haven't been this weight since I was playing ball back in the '50s.

Mary Anne: Plus, I think Coach would agree that it's important to both of us to be able to enjoy our life together and the time we get to spend with our family. Before NutriSystem, that was harder to do. Now it's so much easier to spend time together and to keep up with all our grandkids. (laughs)

Nutri System Online

NS: Any coach-like motivational wisdom for people out there trying to lose weight?

Don: Are you feeling old and tired? Do you want to get that jump back in your step? With Nutri System Silver, there really are no limits to how great you can feel. This is a great way for older Americans to lose weight. If you want to lose weight, just pick up the phone and start feeling great.

Mary Anne: Just try Nutri System Silver. It's the best diet I've ever been on. I'd recommend it to anybody who needs to lose weight. It worked for us and it can work for you.