subject: Diet Delivery Programs - Which One Is Right For You? Here's What To Know [print this page] Are you thinking about diet delivery programs? Wondering how they work? Or are you wondering if they actually DO in fact work?
Diet Delivery services are rapidly expanding across North America. People realize that having their diet meals made for them is convenient, easy and affordable.
And you have more options than ever before. You can find everything from chef-inspired gourmet meals (think Chicken Cordon Bleu, Sirloin Steak or Turkey with Cranberry Chutney Sauce and Rosemary potatoes) to lip-smacking down-home comfort food (what about pizza, mac and cheese or a chocolate fudge brownie?)
While there are more service choices than ever, be aware that there are still some services that offer you more value than others.
Here's what to know before deciding on the best diet delivery programs for you:
First of all, these programs come in all shapes and sizes. There are programs that control calories, limit carbs, offer low glycemic foods and even diabetic appropriate meals.
There are programs that let you get breakfast, lunch and dinner all 7 days of the week. Others give you the choice of getting meals just 5 days a week with just lunch and dinner (so you can take the weekends off and make your own breakfast).
With some plans you get desserts, snacks and even condiments so you don't have to go shopping for groceries. Some require you to prepare your own dinner or breakfast.
The real question to ask first is what are your preferences?
For example, do you have special dietary needs (like low carbs or vegetarian meals)? Would you prefer fresh-prepared meals with no preservatives? Do you want every meal shipped to you so you never have to shop at all - or do you want to take weekend off?
First look at your own lifestyle and preferences. Then go looking for the right diet food delivery program that fits your criteria.
It's a good thing to be brutally honest here. Good intentions never helped anyone lose a pound. You may think you'll be ok on a simple, affordable meal delivery plan. But are you the kind of person who doesn't do well when they feel deprived? Would you do better to spend a bit more and get the gourmet, restaurant-quality meals?
By knowing what would work best for you before you start shopping, you're more likely to find a program that you'll love and reach your weight loss goals.
Most diet meal delivery plans will have a website with information on their meals, how to order, nutritional facts, and even before and after pictures of people who have lost weight using their services.
Many programs will require you to order 1 month up to 3 months at a time. This makes sense since it will usually take at least a month to see decent results with any weight loss program. However if you search around a bit you can find a few that do weekly orders as well.
After you've placed your order you'll usually receive your meals in 3 - 4 business days or at the start of the next week (i.e. if deliveries are usually made every Monday).
Most services do not require you to be home to accept delivery of your food. Many use special sealed, cooling packing boxes to ensure your food stays fresh. When you receive your meals, all you do is put it in the fridge or freezer.
There will probably be heating instructions on each container so when you go to eat you just follow the instructions. It's really simple.
If you're near a major city you can often find several local diet meal delivery programs. However these can be on the expensive side since they're smaller and have less orders.
They also often charge for shipping. However the advantage is that they may offer very specific, hard-to-find types of meals (i.e. raw food cuisine, vegan meals, etc.)
There are other nationwide delivery programs that deliver pretty much anywhere in the continental U.S. These services have more orders so prices tend to be lower and you can generally get more value for your money.
No matter which program you decide to go with, remember to look for a satisfaction guarantee (most of the big companies do offer this) and lots of success stories of people who are satisfied with their service (so you can see real weight loss results that you can expect).
