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Some meal delivery brands cater to people who want to lose weight. People may combine meal delivery with exercise and other healthy habits to lose weight successfully.
This article explains meal delivery services and looks at how they may help someone to lose weight. It lists brands that people can try, discusses the benefits and downsides of meal delivery, and looks at general tips to help someone lose weight.
Meal delivery brands provide pre-prepared meals for home delivery. A customer only needs to heat the meal before eating.
Meal delivery kits provide people with pre-portioned ingredients and recipes, so customers can prepare and cook their meals at home.
A person chooses their meals according to their dietary preferences and how many people they need to feed. Most meal delivery and kit brands offer one-off purchases alongside subscription plans.
Using a meal delivery service can save time and help avoid wasting food. The service may appeal to someone who has limited cooking skills or wants to try cooking new recipes at home.
Whether meal delivery works for weight loss can depend on several factors, including:
- what type of meals the customer chooses
- what else a person eats in addition to the meal kits
- the health and weight of the individual
- how much and what kind of activity and exercise a person does
Some research may help to decide if meal delivery kits work for weight loss in the general population.
A 2021 study looked at 1,740 adults with obesity who used Foodsmart, a digital meal planning and purchasing platform. In the study, Foodsmart provided participants with personalized meal plans. They used an app to order meal kits, groceries, and prepared foods.
The researchers found that 39.3% of participants lost at least 5% of their initial weight. Furthermore, 22.4% of participants sustained a weight loss of at least 5% of their initial weight for up to 3 years.
Meal delivery kits are similar to home-cooked meals, and some research looks at how this can help with losing weight.
A large population-based study in the United Kingdom compared participants who ate home-cooked meals more than five times per week to those that ate them less than three times a week.
The researchers found that people who ate more home-cooked meals were 28% less likely to have an overweight body mass index (BMI) and 24% less likely to have excess body fat.
To summarize, some research indicates that planning meals and cooking them from scratch may help people lose weight and sustain this over a more extended period. This may suggest that meal delivery and meal kits could be useful for a weight loss plan.
People should make sure that the meal delivery option they use offers healthy meals.
Healthy meal delivery options include those that use whole grains, plenty of vegetables, and a suitable balance of macronutrients. Additionally, people should vary their menu choices to make sure they consume essential vitamins and minerals.
Learn more about a healthy diet here.
Please note that the writer of this article has not tried these products. All information presented is purely research-based.
Trifecta
Trifecta delivers fresh organic meals that chefs have prepared. Their meals contain 350-500 calories per meal, which may help someone to lose weight.
They offer a range of dietary preferences, including plant-based, keto, and paleo.
Some research suggests that diets, such as keto or plant-based diets, may help some people to lose weight.
Exercise is an essential part of managing weight, and Trifecta’s approach aims to support people’s training needs. The company offers a free mobile app for people to track their workouts, nutrition, and progress. Customers also have free access to a nutrition coach by email, chat, or phone.
People can order Trifecta meals on their website here.
Factor 75
Factor 75 offers meals designed by dietitians and prepared by chefs. The company claims that their meals are fresh, unlike some companies that provide them frozen. People need to eat the meals within 7 days.
The brand offers dietary menus that may help someone manage their weight. These menus include:
- low calorie
- low carb
- high protein
- keto
- plant-based
- paleo
They also offer gluten-free options. The company website says that their meals tend to average around 600 calories per meal.
Factor 75 enters its meals into apps such as MyFitnessPal and Carb Manager to make it easy for customers to track their nutrient intake.
Customers can also book a free 20 minutes nutrition consultation.
People can order from the Factor 75 website here.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron offers meal delivery kits for people to prepare meals at home. Their menus provide low calorie, carb-conscious, and diabetes-friendly options.
Blue Apron offers meals approved by WW (previously Weight Watchers) and meals that are 600 calories or less for people who want to lose weight,
The company also provides options for people on a plant-based diet and uses the popular Beyond Meat™ (plant-based meat) in their recipes.
Using a meal delivery kit can help people control what they eat and their portion size. If using the service for all meals, a person can avoid having ingredients and foods in the house that may inhibit attempts to lose weight.
People can use a meal delivery option to track their calories, carbohydrates, and added sugars and fats. Combining this with exercise may be a practical approach to weight loss.
A potential downside of a meal delivery service is that if a person chooses too many carbohydrate-rich or higher-calorie meals, it may hinder weight loss.
Meal delivery kits may be more expensive than buying the ingredients from a grocery store. People may prefer to buy ingredients in bulk and batch cook meals to save time and money.
To lose weight successfully and safely, experts advise that people aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds (lbs) per week. People can do this by reducing their calories by 500-1000 per day.
There are many different diets and approaches to losing weight, and people may find that one method suits them best.
According to a 2018 review, there is no single fit-for-all diet that is effective and sustainable for people who want to lose weight. The reviewers suggest that the best approach may be to set realistic goals and pursue a balanced dietary plan. People should tailor a program suited to their personal needs, preferences, and medical conditions.
However, the same review emphasizes some common principles that people can follow to lose weight:
- avoiding added sugars
- limiting processed foods
- consuming whole grain products
- eating more fruits and vegetables
People should also combine regular exercise with a healthy diet to help them lose weight.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that to maintain their current weight, a person needs to do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise each week, or a mixture of the two weekly.
To lose weight and maintain the loss, people will need to do more exercise than these CDC recommendations.
Meal delivery for weight loss may be useful, but it depends on several factors, including what meals people choose and how much activity they do.
Some brands offer menus that may help someone lose weight. Dietary options that may be beneficial include low-calorie, carb-conscious, and plant-based.
Some research suggests that planning meals, using a meal service, or eating home-cooked meals can benefit weight loss. However, there is no single diet that fits everyone.
People should also incorporate exercise to lose weight but check with a doctor if starting this for the first time.