Diet-to-Go Weight Loss Meal Plan Review

What is the Diet-to-Go Weight Loss Program?

With Diet-to-Go, you get calorie-controlled, ready-to-eat meals delivered right to your door.

Diet-to-Go offers four different meal plans—in addition to their popular Balance plan, they also offer a Vegetarian, a Diabetes and a Keto diet plan. In addition, there are multiple meal configurations: You can opt for five or seven days’ worth of meals each week, and choose to get three meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) or just two (lunch and dinner).

There are three primary aspects of Diet-to-Go that give it a distinct edge over other meal delivery diet programs:

1. You get complete meals.
Diet-to-Go is all-inclusive, meaning your meals are already prepared when they get to you—just heat and eat, and everything you need for the meals is provided. Sides, sauces, condiments… they’re all included. That means that if you opt to receive three meals a day, seven days per week, you won’t have to step foot in the grocery store for as long as you’re on plan.

2. The food actually tastes good.
For many, the term “diet food” is synonymous with “cardboard.” To eat it is to suffer. But not with Diet-to-Go. They dish out a delicious menu of fresh, high quality food that’s been crafted by chefs and actually tastes like… food. Their Balance plan was rated #1 for taste by Epicurious, beating out big name brands like Jenny Craig, eDiets and Biggest Loser. And you’ll never get bored of the food: The Diet-to-Go chefs cook more than 500 meals per month—far more than the competition.

How It Works

Diet-to-Go is pretty much as simple as it sounds: You choose your plan and meal quantity, they ship delicious food to your door every week, you eat it and watch the pounds drop.

The popular Balance Plan features a five week rotating menu, which means you won’t get food fatigue from eating the same meals over and over. When you sign up, you’ll see your menu for the next five weeks. If you suspect you won’t like any of the meals, you have the opportunity to make substitutions once you place your order.

Customers love that the meals come with everything needed to make them complete, including sides, sauces, even garnishes. But there is one thing to keep in mind: Depending on the meal configuration you choose, Diet-to-Go will send you two or three square, nutritionally-balanced and calorie-controlled meals per day. What they won’t be sending you is snacks—and there’s a reason for that: Your diet plan may not include them. That’s right, depending on your weight loss calorie budget which is typically around 1,200 calories for women and 1,600 for men, you may not have any calories left for snacks once you add up the calorie content in your Diet-to-Go meals.

In order to determine whether or not you can add snacks, Diet-to-Go advises you to add up the calories from the meals you intend to eat each day, then subtract that from your total calorie allotment. Any calories that are remaining can be used for snacks. For those who have enough calories left to add a snack, the team recommends fruits and vegetables (you will have to purchase these separately). For those who find themselves hungry between meals but without any calories left to spend on snacks, the team recommends setting aside some of the sides that come with the daily meals and enjoying them as a snack instead.

If you don’t love the idea of having to do math every time that mid-meal hunger sets in or you simply can’t live without your 2 p.m. snack, the first few days of this diet plan might be a bit challenging for you as you adjust.

How Much Weight Will You Lose with Diet-to-Go?

Diet-to-Go is as effective as it is convenient. Customers can expect to lose up to two pounds per week on the popular Balance weight loss plan. This is the amount deemed safe and sustainable by the experts at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Of course every body responds differently, and someone who is 150 pounds may not lose as much as someone who weighs in at 250. But, given the calorie counts of Diet-to-Go’s meal plans, there’s no question that if customers adhere to the plan, they will get results.

Plans & Pricing

The price of the Diet-to-Go plans depends upon a few factors:

1. Your menu.
You’ll choose from four different menus: Balance, Balance Diabetes,
Keto-Carb30 and Vegetarian. The Keto-Carb30 will run you about
$16 more per week than the other three plans.

2. Your gender.
With the popular Balance menu, you’ll indicate whether you’d like to receive the Men’s or Women’s plan. Women’s plans contain 1,200 calories per day while men’s contain up to 1,600.

3. How many days per week you want meals.
You can select from a five days per week option or a seven days per week option.

4. The number of daily meals you choose to receive.
You’ll choose between two or three meals per day (breakfast not included in the two meal per day option).
Here’s a look at how the pricing breaks down if you choose the popular Balance meal plan:

Women

Men

Food & Nutrition

Featuring dietitian-approved, pre-portioned and calorie-controlled meals, the Balance menu is Diet-to-Go’s most popular diet plan for weight loss.

The Balance plan was built to provide the right amount of calories for safe weight loss–about 1,200 calories per day for women, and up to 1,600 calories per day for men. The Balance (and Vegetarian) meals are comprised of 50 percent carbohydrates, 25 percent protein and 25 percent fat, and both of these plans follow the American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society and the US Department of Agriculture’s guidelines for cholesterol, fat and sodium.

Speaking of sodium: Both the Balance 1200-calorie meal plan and the Vegetarian plans average 2,000 mg of sodium per day over the five-week plan, which is aligned with the USDA’s recommendation for the general population. Of course, sodium levels will vary depending on customizations.

The Diet-to-Go meals are made fresh each week, and feature whole, healthy ingredients like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean proteins. They use organic ingredients whenever possible, but not exclusively, explaining, “We believe in taking a balanced approach to nutrition and wellness.”

The Balance plan includes the largest selection of foods, and the meals are rotated on a five-week schedule, so you won’t get bored eating the same foods over and over. You can also customize your plan by substituting meals you don’t love with those you do.

One of the most convenient aspects of Diet-to-Go is that the meals are all-inclusive—meaning you don’t have to purchase anything extra. Whether it’s a condiment for a sandwich, syrup for pancakes, or light cream cheese for a bagel, it’s all included. They even send slices of lemon with some dishes for an added flavor boost.
And now the most pressing question: How do the meals taste?

Perhaps the biggest thing that sets Diet-to-Go apart from other meal delivery diet plans is the taste of the food. Where many companies just rely on dietitians to build their meal plans, Diet-to-Go also involves some of the best chefs in the business, putting equal emphasis on nutrition and flavor. The result? Dishes that are more restaurant-quality than cardboard-tasting diet food.

Customers report that they were shocked to find that “diet food” can taste so good and we have to say, we were, too. We tried several of the meals, and were impressed with the flavors and texture—you won’t find any tasteless rubbery pancakes or mushy pasta here. We also liked that there was a wide variety of meals. From Italian to Asian to Greek to Mexican, the menu serves up something for everyone.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the portions. The French Toast, for example, included two thick slices of bread and a generous serving of Mango Cranberry Syrup. The Black Bean & Feta Cheese Wrap came with such a large side of Wild Rice Salad, we checked the label twice to make sure we weren’t supposed to share the meal. The experts at Diet-to-Go explain that because the meals they’ve created are not calorie dense, they are able to be enjoyed in larger quantities—this is contrary to a lot of other diet meal delivery companies that cut calories simply by serving up toddler-sized portions.

Curious about the Diet to Go menu? Here’s a taste of what they’re dishing out:

While many of the meals can be served cold, those best served hot (think bagels, breads, pastas, pancakes and waffles) can be heated directly in their containers in the microwave or oven. One important thing to keep in mind: Diet-to-Go meals have a refrigerator shelf-life of seven days. Any meals you haven’t eaten within a week should be placed in the freezer, where they are safe for up to 30 days. After that, uneaten meals should be discarded.

Ordering & Delivery

Placing an order is simple: You can order online through the Diet-to-Go website, or over the phone (representatives are available Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 noon EST).

Diet-to-Go ships anywhere FedEx delivers in the contiguous U.S. for a flat rate of $19.98 per week. This can be a pain point for some customers, who feel like they’re already paying a pretty penny for the food. Be sure to look out for promotions that reduce the price or include free shipping—there was a “10 percent off your first week” promotion running the week we ordered our shipment.

If you happen to live in one of Diet-to-Go’s local pickup areas (Washington DC metro area, Baltimore, New Jersey or greater Los Angeles) and don’t mind driving, you can skip the delivery fees altogether and pick up your meals for free.

The Diet-to-Go meals are made fresh in a dedicated, state-of-the art kitchen. They’re flash-frozen, packed on dry ice then shipped in large styrofoam coolers directly to your door. Meals that do not need to be kept cold are packaged in a box and shipped with the cooler, so you’ll get everything at once.

Keep in mind that Diet-to-Go’s meals are made fresh with no additional additives or preservatives, which means they have a relatively short shelf-life: Seven days in the refrigerator; 30 days in the freezer.

Support

When it comes to support, Diet-to-Go is a little more DIY than other weight loss programs, which is great for those who prefer to seek connection or help on their own terms. While the company does have nutrition experts and health coaches on staff, unlike some other weight loss programs, the coaches don’t initiate regular one-on-one contact. But they are available to answer questions and provide guidance if a customer reaches out.

And though there is no formal online community, the company directs new customers to its private facebook group, where Diet-to-Go experts answer customer questions and provide tips and support. Customers also turn to this page to exchange tips and encouragement. There is also a Diet-to-Go blog, which is packed with articles by registered dietitians and fitness experts.

How Does it Compare

Not sure which meal delivery plan is best for you? Here’s some food for thought:

Why We Love It: The Bottom Line

Whether you’re too busy to worry about meal planning, or you just can’t seem to figure out a winning weight loss formula on your own, Diet-to-Go is a convenient and foolproof solution.

With multiple plans to choose from, including a Diabetes, a Vegetarian and a Keto diet plan, plus several different meal configurations—five or seven days’ worth of food, two or three meals per day, they’ve got something for everyone.

And unlike other diet plans that dish out bland food in tiny portions made from ingredients you can’t pronounce, Diet-to-Go has invested in making delicious, high quality meals from fresh, often locally sourced ingredients. They involve both dietitians and chefs in their meal development and it shows: The meals aren’t just healthy, they’re delicious and creative, too. They’ve got Italian, Mexican, Greek, Asian, Indian and Armenian meals on the menu, all of which are seasoned well and are served in generous portions. Plus, they’ve upped the ante by including sides, sauces and condiments with every meal, eliminating the need for grocery shopping altogether.

And here’s the sweetest part: Diet-to-Go backs up their plans with a satisfaction guarantee—so if you’re not 100 percent satisfied with your meals, just let them know and they will make it right or refund you. That’s how confident they are in their product. Plus, there’s no long-term commitment or membership fees, so you only pay for the food that you get delivered, and can cancel anytime.

With a customizable menu of calorie-controlled, chef-crafted meals delivered right to your door, Diet-to-Go hasn’t just made losing weight easy, they’ve made dieting delicious.

About Diet-to-Go

Diet-to-Go was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Lorton, Va. Delivering frozen meals that have been developed by registered dietitians and chefs directly to consumer’s doors, Diet-to-Go aims to provide the best tasting, healthiest, low-calorie meals possible.