Last September, I decided to join the “healthy” bandwagon by trying out the on-going fad called “diet delivery.”
In a nutshell, the idea is to have your healthy meals delivered to your doorstep daily. And for someone like me who’s been living a sedentary lifestyle (sad, I know) and not really into cooking (haha!), being introduced to the concept of “diet delivery” was definitely an alleluia moment! 🙂
To be honest, there are A LOT of options to choose from so I decided to trim down my list to those that I can afford (and like the menu). Most of the brands offer 1,200-calorie meals daily (that already includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack) for less than Php2,000 per (work) week — meaning Monday to Friday only.
Since my recommended daily calorie intake is actually 1,360 calories, I’ll be honest with and tell you that I did have “cheat” food and drinks from time to time to compensate for my calorie balance. Hahaha! But don’t worry, I did lose around 6 lbs. without exercise and so far, I’ve been maintaining it. 😉
Anyway, here are the diet delivery brands I’ve tried so far and what I’ve to say about them:
(photo courtesy of Delicious Diet)
When: September 1-5, 2014 (Monday to Friday)
How much: Php1,850 for five days with delivery fee in the Makati area (around Php370 per day)
Ah, Delicious Diet was my very first try on the diet delivery fad and it didn’t disappoint! It was really delicious and this was when I lost the initial 6-7 lbs. in just a week! 😀 But since it was my first try, this was when I also experienced the “withdrawal” symptoms of not eating the calories my body was used to. The first two days were really struggles! Don’t worry though, starting Day 3, the whole thing was a lot easier!
Oh well. At least this was also my only well-documented diet delivery experience. Haha!
my Delicious Diet meals! 🙂
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT
-the Japanese green tea from Day 1 (the brand is OSK, and please tell me where I can buy it!!!)
-their bread (both the Whole Wheat Ciabatta from Day 2 and the Chicken Asparagus Sandwich from Day 4), which I think they baked themselves!
-the Chia Pudding from Day 3
-the seedless grapes (also) from Day 3
-the “Healthified” Turtle Pie from Day 5
-they texted me the menu every day (which was a good reminder)
WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT IT
-I found their microwaveable containers “thin” and easy to break
After my first week with Delicious Diet, I was planning to take a break. But because of my sister’s convincing powers, I gave in and tried a different brand (for a change) the following week…
(photo courtesy of Diet Diva)
When: September 9-12 2014 (Tuesday to Friday)
How much: Php1,520 for four days or Php1,900 for five days with delivery fee in the Makati area (around Php380 per day)
Like I said, I was thinking twice about going on another week with limited calories so I missed the first day of that week’s menu. Luckily, Diet Diva agreed to accommodate my four-day diet! (Diet delivery brands usually release their menus a week before and prefer that customers reserve a slot and pay for their orders A WEEK BEFORE! #PasawayLangSiMika)
Unfortunately, this wasn’t really a good week for me. I believe missing A DAY was a big deal when it came to my “diet momentum,” so I really didn’t enjoy it. This was also the week when I took a sick leave, so that’s a total of two missed days! What I did instead was eat the food the next day (which extended my diet to Saturday). Go figure.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT
-accommodating of my (last-minute) four-day diet
-they used Dona Maria Jasponica rice (brown and red)
-their food didn’t spoil easily, which allowed me to eat Thursday’s menu on Friday and so on
WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT IT
-their tea was predictable (Lipton, anyone? Even our office pantry has that!)
And then the two-week diet delivery “hiatus” of moi began… 😐
(photo courtesy of Lunchbox Diet)
When: September 29-October 3, 2014 (Monday to Friday)
How much: Php1,700 for five days with delivery fee in the Makati area (around Php340 per day)
After two weeks, I missed having my prepared “healthy” meals delivered to me and not thinking about what I was going to eat for each day of the work week so I decided to give diet delivery another try — enter Lunchbox Diet. WHEW.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT
-their rice bowls
-the Beef Kebab with Garlic Yogurt Sauce, served with healthy rice from Day 1
-the Grilled Potato Mash and Sole Fillet, served with healthy rice and vegetables from Day 4
-one of the least expensive diet delivery brands
-the three sets of plastic utensils per day (other brands prepared only one set per day)
-they delivery day and night — perfect for my friends who are on the night shift!
-the daily quote that comes with the menu
“With self-discipline, ALmost anything is possible.”
WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT IT
-the meals didn’t have any labels whether they’re for breakfast or so on (sure, the menu’s already on the daily package but there were times when meat products looked similar and I had a hard time figuring out whether that was this and this was that…)
-the menus weren’t that detailed (be ready to be surprised that a certain meal has rice and whatnot when it didn’t say in the menu!)
-Day 5’s menu said that I was supposed to have TWO crackers but I was given only ONE. Hmm…
Was this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Haha! (photo courtesy of Lunchbox Diet)
Overall, I say give diet delivery a try! Menus change every week, so there’s no room for boredom — taste-wise. Hehehe! 😛
Next week, I’m going to take a break again. I realized that whenever I’m on a diet delivery week, I miss the freedom of choosing my food and drinks — which leads to “cheating.” But whenever I’m on a break, I miss the healthy menus and convenience of not having to think of what to eat and drink! So I thought that the best compromise for my dilemmas is to just have it every other week (as long as I can afford it, of course!).
Speaking of which, I’ve yet to try another brand na pasok sa budget ko… so until then! CHEERS!!! 🙂
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How about you? Have you tried the diet delivery fad?
Sound off in the comments section below!
MIKAtolika 