Diet Delivery Programs - Do They Really Work? Tips To Help You Choose

Searching for diet delivery programs? Wondering just how they work? Or are you wondering if they actually DO, in fact, work?

Diet Delivery services are rapidly expanding across North America. Many people are realizing that having their meals prepared for them is both an easy and affordable way to slim down.

And you have more choices than ever before. You can find everything from gourmet, chef-prepared fare (think Chicken Cordon Bleu, Sirloin Steak or Turkey with Cranberry Chutney Sauce and Rosemary potatoes) to comfort food like Mama used to make (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 are some tips to know when looking at diet delivery programs:

The first thing is that these programs come with all types of meal plans. There are plans that control calories, limit carbs, offer low glycemic foods and even diabetic appropriate meals.

There are programs where you get breakfast, lunch and dinner all 7 days of the week. There are others that offer 5 days of just lunches and dinners (so you can take the weekends off and make your own breakfast).

Some programs give you desserts, snacks and even condiments so you never have to go grocery shopping at all. Some require you to prepare your own dinner or breakfast.

The main question to ask yourself is - what do you want?

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?

Start by examining your lifestyle and preferences. Then go looking for a diet food delivery program that fits your criteria.

Also, it helps to get really honest here. Good intentions never helped anyone lose weight. You may think you'll be happy 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 you want before you choose a plan, you're more likely to find a plan that you'll love and stick to it.

Most diet food delivery programs will have a website with all you need to know about 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 don't like this option, you can find a few programs that will allow you to 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 programs don't require you to be home to accept delivery of your food. Many use special sealed, cooling packing boxes to ensure your food stays fresh. Once you receive your food, you just 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 live in a major city you can probably find several local services. However these can be expensive since they're smaller and have fewer clients. They also usually charge a shipping fee on top of the food cost. The advantage to a local service though is that they may offer very unique types of meals like raw food meals or vegan meals.

There are other nationwide delivery services that deliver almost anywhere in the continental U.S. These programs have a much larger client base so prices can be cheaper 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 larger companies do offer this) and lots of success stories of people who are satisfied with their service (so you know just how well it works).