Diet meal delivery services have gained in popularity in recent years. Many of them, like Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig, have been around for decades, but the Internet has breathed new life into them. Now anyone with a web connection can get online and order diet meals delivered to their homes in just a few minutes. When it comes to losing weight, it doesn't get much easier than that.
There are a few things you need to know to get the most out of your plan, however. Here are five tips to get you off on the right foot.
1. Choose your service wisely. You're going to spend a good chunk of money and have at least four weeks worth of food in your freezer, so make sure you're going to like the choices. Ask your friends and family, do a search on the Internet for reviews, and see if you can order sample meals - or at least snacks - to try out before making a commitment.
2. Choose your individual plan carefully. Some diet meal delivery services have several plan choices, including diabetic, vegetarian, and low-carb. Some also allow you to choose the number of calories you want to consume. Don't make the mistake of opting for 1200 calorie days only to wind up feeling hungry every afternoon. That's a recipe for failure.
3. Stock up on healthy snack foods. Ideally, you'll be eating only the foods on your diet plan. Of course we all know there will be days when that just isn't enough food. Having healthy snacks on hand will help you to avoid gorging on potato chips and candy bars.
4. Learn a new lifestyle. Anyone can lose weight when all their food is prepared for them. But to keep it off, you're going to have to learn to eat better, even after you stop buying packaged meals. Pay close attention to portion sizes and protein/carbohydrate ratios so you can duplicate them when you go back to cooking your own foods.
5. Eat breakfast. Some diet meal delivery plans don't include breakfast, but that doesn't mean you can just skip it. Breakfast is important for waking your brain and body up every day, and without it you'll feel hungrier and be more likely to overeat at lunch. If your plan doesn't come with breakfast, stock up on eggs, whole wheat bagels, and fruit and make your own healthy breakfast.
