Good For: Busy dieters or those who want to avoid temptation by only having healthy food in the house… who have lots of disposable income.

Overview:

Bodychef is a diet delivery service which prepares and cooks nutritionally balanced food and then delivers it right to your doorstep. The theory is simple… stick to what is delivered in your Bodychef hamper (add skimmed milk and water) and you should lose weight.

According to Bodychef, the average Bodychef dieter loses between 3-7lbs in their first week; 2-5lbs in their second week and 11-17lbs in total over a month.

All meals are ethically sourced, do not contain preservatives or food colourings and come in eight different meal plans – vegetarian, low GI, detox, low carb, Mediterranean, flat belly plan, the premier plan (for meat eaters) and the superfood plan (foods packed full of nutrients).

All meal plans are customisable and most come with calorie options of between 1200 or 1600 calories (with the exception of the seven day detox plan which only delivers 1,000 calories a day). All can be bought for seven, five or three days (or longer).

Hampers will be delivered twice a week when you choose the seven day plan.

Pros:

• Takes the effort out of dieting.
• No need to count points, calories, grams or even to plan meals.
• Bodychef pledges to arrange special wheat, dairy and gluten-free meals as appropriate.
• Allows you to switch between plans at any time.
• Can exclude foods you don’t like or are allergic to.
• All diet plans follow the five fruit and vegetable recommendation.
• Can choose from 28 different meals per plan, giving you a different meal every day of the month if you so choose.
• Hampers will be delivered to your home or work if preferred. If you are not in, they can be left in a safe place of your choosing as they don’t need a signature.
• Provides three meals a day with additional healthy snacks in between.
• All meals, condiments, cakes and desserts are low in fat.
• Bodychef will also adapt hampers for breastfeeding women, adapting the low GI plan to provide extra calcium.
• Nationwide delivery is available.

Cons:

• Perhaps the biggest drawback of the Bodychef service is its price. At £17.98 a day, £125.87 per week and £503.48 per month (assuming the seven day plan), it will certainly take a big chunk out of most people’s wage packet. Bodychef recommends most people sign up for a month in order to see significant weight loss.
• Having your meals delivered doesn’t encourage you to learn how to cook your own meals or address issues with emotional eating or poor choices in the long term.
• Some self-assembly required. Many of the meals use sides such as salads or pasta that will need to be cooked separately and then added to the rest of your meal. The same goes for added vegetables.
• Provides only enough food for one; this is not a family-friendly diet.

Sample Meals:

Superfood Plan –
Breakfast: Shredded wheat & kiwi fruit.
Snack: Apple & almonds.
Lunch: Roasted pepper couscous salad.
Snack: Oatcakes with kidney bean pate dip.
Dinner: White chicken chilli brown rice & blackeye bean salsa.
Dessert: Tropical fruit salad.

Vegetarian Plan –
Breakfast: Fruit salad with wholemeal bread & jam.
Lunch: Pitta bread with hummus & salad.
Dinner: Vegetable provencale with couscous salad.
Dessert: Bodychef trifle.

Low GI Plan –
Breakfast: Fruit salad, low fat natural yoghurt & seeds.
Snack: Small portion nuts.
Lunch: Crisp breads, egg mayonnaise & soft fruit.
Snack: Pear.
Dinner: Bodychef paella with salad.
Dessert: Bodychef trifle.

Checklist:

Alcohol: Not recommended, though they admit many clients have the occasional glass of wine.
Caffeine: Yes
Family-friendly meals: No.
Eating Out: Yes, just put that day’s Bodychef meal in the freezer for later.

Exercise:

No focus on exercise.

Summary:

The Bodychef plan does sound tempting if you want your meals already weighed, calorie checked, cleaned and prepared for you… as long as money isn’t an option. Unfortunately its hefty price tag just isn’t a viable option for most people.

It does have its benefits, of course. Following a 1,200 calorie (or 1,600 calorie) diet should certainly help you to lose weight. The fact that they allow you to jump between plans and adjust each plan to your personal desires (cutting out allergies, gluten, wheat etc…) also helps to make it more relevant and ensure that you shouldn’t get bored eating the same foods for a long period of time.

Quite why you should choose the Bodychef plan as opposed to the significantly cheaper but seemingly similar service from Dietchef, however, is never addressed.

In essence, you are paying heavily for the convenience of your diet food, though there is still some self-assembly required anyway. It’s hard to believe that many people could afford to stay on this plan for very long, though if you like giving your money away, you may want to give it a go.

In the long run, however, there’s simply no substitute for learning how to cook and prepare your own calorie counted meals. Your wallet will certainly thank you for it.

Where to Buy:

Sign up at the official website at www.BodyChef.com.

Sick and tired of spending hours preparing your meals? Lost as to what you should be eating at various points throughout the day to reach your weight loss goals? If so, the My Diet In A Box program (similar to the better known Diet Chef plan) is here to solve that fast.

With this program you no longer have to worry about meal preparation or diet planning because it’s a complete done-for-you system. All you do is open your front door and start eating.

Let’s take a closer look at what My Diet In A Box is all about so you can decide if it’s right for you.

How It Works:

This program works based on customization and proper program planning. You have a number of different diet set-ups to choose from including Detox in a Box, Protein High in a Box, Beach Body in a Box, and Variety in a Box.

Whatever your particular taste preferences and needs happen to be, you’ll easily be able to find a plan to suite your lifestyle.

This service has been around for over four years satisfying many happy customers, both men and women, while allowing them to reach their body weight goals.

Pros:

• All meals are pre-approved by a registered nutritionalist so you can trust you’re getting healthy, well balanced food
• The company uses only the top quality ingredients so you get food that’s high on taste and nutrition
• The creators will take your food taste preferences into account when creating your meal plans o it’s customized for you
• You can do away with grocery shopping as everything is done for you
• The plans offer great variety so you should never feel bored on the diet
• Meals are specifically tailored to males or females to account for gender differences in nutritional needs

Cons:

• You can’t combine these plans with your own home cooked meals without interfering with the overall set-up
• Some people may not prefer the taste of the meals
• If the food is left to sit for too long it could get stale

Ingredients:

This product contains a mixture of different foods depending on which program you choose.

How To Use:

You are to take simply take your delivered meals and eat them throughout the day as specified.

Summary:

Overall, if you are someone who really wants simplicity with their diet, you’ll definitely enjoy this approach. Dieting has never been easier than when you use this service, so you can take all the guesswork out of reaching your goal weight.

The fact that there are many different plans to choose from is also very beneficial as it gives you plenty of options and you can even cycle between plans as desired.

In addition to that, since the plans are all created by registered nutritionalists, this proves that it’s not going to be some crash diet that has you losing weight only to have it come back on again.

Instead, the plans will help you lose weight and then keep that weight off forever.

So if you don’t have time to cook and that’s what’s keeping you from realizing success, make sure you give some serious consideration to the My Diet In A Box.

Where To Buy:

My Diet in a Box is available to buy online at www.mydietinabox.co.uk.

Good For: Healthy foods delivered to your door and personal one to one support.

Overview:

Jenny Craig has certainly made its mark in the weight loss field, by virtue of being active in the worldwide diet arena for almost 30 years. Beginning in Australia in 1983 before moving swiftly to the States just two years later and another five countries including the UK after that, the Jenny Craig diet is recognised the world over.

It operates on three fundamental principles of Mind, Food and Body. Each level is intended to teach you healthy weight loss and maintenance.

If you sign up for the full package, you will have your own personalised consultant who will work with you to identify your own particular issues around eating, for instance (Mind); the Jenny Craig diet delivers your healthy food direct to your door (Food) and finally, you will get a personalised activity plan that will gradually increase your activity level and boost your weight loss (Body).

The Food, Body, Mind programme is claimed to be by far the most popular Jenny Craig diet option (at £11 a day, based on a 28 day subscription), but you can also sign up for Jenny Food (which supplies breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack for £9.90 a day) or Jenny Consultation (£1.10 a day), which includes a weekly 15-minute consultation by phone with your personal Weight Management Coach.

The Jenny Craig plan relies on the basic principle that you should eat fewer calories than you burn; the nice benefit is that your personal weight loss coach does the maths for you.

It’s fair to say that pre-packaged food is probably what Jenny Craig is best known for. These are mostly frozen meals which are intended to be supplemented with vegetables, dairy and fruit. The amount of calories included will be decided by your Weight Management Coach depending on your individual circumstances. The lowest calorie food available is 1,200 calories.

Pros:

• Takes the effort out of dieting and planning meals.
• No food or food groups are banned.
• No need to count calories or points or to weigh anything.
• Appropriate portion size is dictated for you and is intended to teach you normal eating limits.
• Offers significant support; the 24/7 help line is particularly impressive.
• Provides peer to peer support online.
• Provides a personal weight loss coach to talk to you about your food issues and offer advice.
• The focus is on sensible weight loss of 1-2lbs a week and moderation in all things.
• Includes occasional treats and splurges to keep it easier to stay on the diet.
• The U.S.-based review magazine Consumer Report rated Jenny Craig as the best of six diet plans in 2011, when compared to Atkins, Ornish, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers and the Zone Diet.

Cons:

• Some people have complained that the 15 minute weekly consultation is not long enough to really get to the heart of lifelong eating issues.
• Jenny Craig counsellors are not trained nutritionists and are even rewarded for making you buy more from Jenny Craig.
• One aim of Jenny Craig is to teach you appropriate portion control but some nutritionists question whether that can really be done via pre-packaged foods. Once you finish with the meals, for instance, you’ll soon realise that normal food is not sold in the same small portions.
• Talking of portions, a review of Jenny Craig by Epicurious.com complained that portion size was small, in some cases excessively so. It said: “The “Tuna Salad Complete Lunch Kit” consisted of 2.9 ounces of tuna salad (about two tablespoons), six small crackers, and a small cup of sugary diced peaches. Even with the addition of a garden salad and two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, it was far from satisfying.”
• Other nutritionists have criticised Jenny Craig food for being too low in fat but too high in refined sugar. In some cases, sugar accounted for a quarter of the total number of calories in a meal (ideally should be less than 10%).
• The meals were also criticised for being very low in fibre, which not only prevents constipation but can also help you to feel full. Some experts say you will need to take a fibre supplement if you follow the diet.
• The plan is not inexpensive; at £11 a day for the full Food, Mind and Body plan, it will cost you £308 every 28 days.
• While the foods are generally appreciated as palatable, reviewers say they taste no better in quality than frozen meals such as Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice.
• Living on frozen meals, even with the addition of your own vegetables, can get very boring over time.
• Meat-free food options are available but these are not suitable for vegans as they may contain dairy or egg.

Sample Meals

Breakfasts: Muesli with raisins and hazelnuts; yoghurt coated and whole wheat flakes; apple and cinnamon porridge.
Lunches: Tuna pasta salad French style; tomato soup with a hint of basil; Thai chicken curry and basmati rice.
Dinners: Chicken Tikka Masala with basmati rice; beef lasagne; beef casserole with potatoes.
Snacks: Milk chocolate wafer bar; Thai chilli flavour potato bites; cereal bar with wholegrain and white chocolate.

Checklist:

Alcohol: Yes. It is recommended that you cut back on alcohol but your coach can include it in your plan at your request.
Caffeine: Yes, though if you’re a heavy caffeine drinker, you’re encouraged to cut back slowly.
Family-Friendly: No, children should not follow the Jenny Craig diet.
Eating Out: Yes, talk to your coach for advice.

Exercise:

Your weight loss counsellor will create a personalised activity programme for you, intended to slowly increase the amount of exercise that you do and burn off more calories.

Health warnings:

Not suitable for anyone under 18; may be suitable for breastfeeding mothers once the child is three months old with a modified calorie level depending on the age of the child and how often you breastfeed. Everyone is advised to take a standard multi-vitamin and mineral supplement alongside the Jenny Craig diet.

Summary:

The Jenny Craig diet may be a diet delivery service, but it is also much more than that. Perhaps the biggest single benefit of the Jenny Craig diet is access to your own weight loss consultant to discuss your overeating or food issues with. This is a rare amount of personal support that isn’t offered in many other diets.

If you want a helping hand to get started losing weight and to learn about healthy eating and nutrition for your long term health, Jenny Craig should be able to get you on the right path. Its support levels are pretty impressive and it’s a convenient diet for anyone who likes their hand held and is too busy to cook or doesn’t like to cook.

There is some dispute over just how full the Jenny Craig diet will leave you feeling, even though you can have snacks, and the expense associated should certainly hone your thoughts when deciding if this diet is the right one for you. You may decide that the few benefits it adds over and above food that is on a par with normal frozen food when it comes to taste, just isn’t worth the extra money you’ll need to pay.

You may find, in fact, that simply sticking to a 1,200 to1,400 low calorie diet yourself will have just as much effectiveness and will certainly be cheaper, though you must know how to make the right choices for your four main food groups.

Where to Buy:

Visit one of the Jenny Craig centres, or call free phone on 0800 917 5540. Visit the official website for further information at www.JennyCraig.co.uk.

Good For: Healthy low calorie meals delivered to your door – as if you have your own personal chef

Overview:

Diet Chef claims to be the largest diet home delivery company in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with more than 50,000 customers – also claiming to have more food choices than any other diet delivery company in Europe. Their premise is the delivery of calorie counted meals (choose from 1200 calories a day, or 1500 calories a day) delivered in a hamper direct to your doorstep. The hampers include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Diet Chef offers diet options for men and women (1200 calories a day is ideal for most women wanting to lose weight, while their 1500 calorie option is ideal for men or women who are very active or have a lot of weight to lose – the latter includes an extra milkshake each day). The meals are designed to be low calorie, as opposed to low carbohydrate or low fat. Simply order online or by telephone to have the hamper delivered within two to three working days. The food needs warming up in the microwave or oven.

Pros:

• Quick and easy healthy meals already prepared for you, with no shopping or heavy cooking to do
• Portion control means you aren’t tempted to eat too much
• Three meals a day plus a snack allows you to eat frequently throughout the day, preventing cravings
• All food is already calorie counted for you; no need to mess around totting up the food you’re eating
• The hampers come with a 48 page diet guide covering fruit and vegetables, help for eating out, weight maintenance and exercise.
• Diet Chef has an online weight tracker to follow your progress
• Speak to trained diet advisers online or on the telephone if you need further help
• Chat with other dieters on the Diet Chef forums
• No need to give up favourites such as curries or pastas; they’re included in the meals.

Cons:

• For truly healthy meals, you’re recommended to add your own vegetables so there’s still some cooking to do
• Exercise is covered in the free diet guide but the emphasis is more on the meals
• Hampers are delivered by UPS so usually demand a signature, meaning you may have to be in for collection
• You may struggle to maintain the weight loss when you start cooking for yourself again
• Limited options for vegetarians
• If you need to return items, you must send them back at your own cost
• Delivery is free if you pay monthly, but costs £4.95 for pay as you go standard delivery or £9.95 for pay as you go named day delivery on top of the price for the meals.
• Doesn’t teach you how to design your own healthy diet plan yourself

Sample Meals:

The following are samples choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. There are more on the Diet Chef website.

• Breakfast: Treacle & Pecan Granola (40 g, 196 calories); Apple & Cinnamon Porridge (40 g, 150 calories); Chocolate Chip Muesli Bar (50 g, 191 calories); Luxury Muesli (40 g, 165 calories).
• Lunch: Lentil & Vegetable Soup (300 g, 156 calories); Chicken Couscous Salad (270 g, 265 calories); Strawberry Milkshake (330 g, 210 calories).
• Dinner: Macaroni Cheese (250 g, 273 calories); Mild Chicken Tikka Masala (300 g, 291 calories); Beef in Ale (300 g, 201 calories).
• Snacks: Chocolate Chip Oat Biscuits (20 g, 90 calories); Chocolate Chip Snack Bar (27 g, 99 calories); Salted Popcorn (23 g, 107 calories).

Exercise:

Diet Chef recommends that you do some light exercise such as walking or swimming. They also have a Shape up at Home exercise DVD.

Checklist:

Alcohol: Not banned but advised against and not included in your calorie counting.
Family friendly meals: No. Meals are for one.
Caffeine: Fine as long as you don’t take sugar.
Eating Out: Tips on eating out are included in your guide.

Summary:

If you’re on the go and struggling to lose weight because you don’t have the time to prepare healthy meals or research the calorie content of the food you’re eating, Diet Chef could be the answer. It will still take will power not to add anything unhealthy to the meals or not to splurge on calorie-laden alcohol, likewise to do exercise alone, but it should give you a good head start with a minimum of fuss if you’re prepared to pay for it.

Health Warnings:

Not suitable for pregnant or breast feeding women, under 18s or anyone undergoing cancer treatment.

Where to Buy:

Sign up at www.DietChef.co.uk

Latest Discounts/ Offers: Pay monthly and get one free week – 7 free breakfasts, 7 free lunches, 7 free dinners and 7 free snacks – and free delivery every month from £5.57 a day (for Diet Chef 1200). Click Here to View All Offers.