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Best Diet & Weight Loss Programs
It can be tempting to buy into meal plans for weight loss that promise quick and dramatic results, but these don't always deliver the results you want. Knowing what to look for in diet and weight loss programs can help you achieve your personal goals and be one step closer to a happier and healthier you. Continue reading...
Featured review: The Lite n' Easy program is very easy to follow. For me the best feature is that I do NOT have to do any food preparation. After many years of having to think and prepare food for my family it is a real luxury for me to be able to just go to the fridge or freezer and everything is packaged and ready to go. The meals are absolutely delicious with many choices available and they are filling and sooooo healthy !!!!!!!
- Value for Money4.4 (2,135)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals and Recipes/Meal Plans
- Support Online
Best Diet or Weight Loss Program
CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet
Formulated by Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet is a high protein, low GI eating plan that promotes healthy weight loss and good gut health.
- Value for Money4.8 (1,471)
- Customer Service4.6 (1,324)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (1,145), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (156), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (73) and My weight has stayed the same (17)
Convenience doesn’t have to come at the expense of health or taste, which is why Chefgood delivers healthy, delicious, restaurant style meals to your door - with a changing menu every week.
- Value for Money4.5 (606)
- Customer Service4.7 (360)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (160), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (20), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (1), My weight has stayed the same (84) and I have gained weight (3)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals and Recipes/Meal Plans
- Support Online
My Muscle Chef delivers over 1.6 million packaged, ready-made meals per month. Along with meals, the popular food delivery service also sells salads, drinks, snacks and structured weight loss programs.
- Value for Money4.4 (1,995)
- Customer Service4.6 (1,731)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (468), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (33), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (9), My weight has stayed the same (265) and I have gained weight (19)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals
- Support Online
Workout Meals
Delivering meals designed for active lifestyles, Workout Meals is a service that brings tasty and nutritious ready-made meals to your door, made with the freshest locally-sourced ingredients.
- Value for Money4.4 (175)
- Customer Service4.5 (125)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (22), My weight has stayed the same (11) and I have gained weight (1)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals and Recipes/Meal Plans
Cohen's Weight Loss Clinic
Cohen’s Weight Loss Clinic promotes the ‘Cohen Diet’, an eating program that’s tailored to your personal blood test results and targets hormonal imbalances to help you reach your goal weight.
- Value for Money4.6 (54)
- Customer Service4.5 (55)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (6), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (44), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (2), My weight has stayed the same (1) and I have gained weight (2)
Back to Basics by Lyndi Cohen
Latest review: Lyndi has such great passion for helping people change their relationship with food and themselves. I love her simple, yet effective approach. Great work Lyndi! I love the app, thank
- Value for Money4.8 (76)
- Customer Service4.9 (73)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (16), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (1), My weight has stayed the same (16) and I have gained weight (3)
Macros
Delivering fresh, healthy meals to your door, Macros provides different plans for people with different goals while offering meal options to cater to specific dietary requirements.
- Value for Money4.1 (695)
- Customer Service4.2 (629)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (139), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (78), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (26), My weight has stayed the same (133) and I have gained weight (18)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals
Equalution
Equalution is a nutrition program that users access through an app, helping them reach their health goals and improve their relationship with food.
- Value for Money4.0 (172)
- Customer Service4.3 (174)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (102), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (9), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (5) and My weight has stayed the same (5)
A Life Plus
Latest review: Great portion sizes & variety to choose from, fast delivery Highly
- Value for Money4.1 (149)
- Customer Service4.7 (69)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (46), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (3) and My weight has stayed the same (9)
28 by Sam Wood
Latest review: Program is fine, similar to many others available. However customer service is horrible. I have been emailing with them back and forth for two months just trying to get an invoice number /receipt
- Value for Money3.0 (41)
- Customer Service3.1 (40)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (8), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (7), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (2), My weight has stayed the same (7) and I have gained weight (2)
Cookie Diet
If the thought of going on a diet is unpalatable, the popular cookie diet might change your mind. The Cookie Diet claims to help you lose weight by eating your favourite baked goods.
- Value for Money4.2 (47)
- Customer Service4.5 (42)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (24), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (7), My weight has stayed the same (6) and I have gained weight (2)
The Ketogenic Switch
Latest review: I purchased the Ketogenic switch in 2019. As I have been very ill I was unable to follow it. Now I am unable to access it. I have been sent from one person who is on support to another person.
- Value for Money4.4 (48)
- Customer Service4.1 (48)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (27), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (11), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (5) and My weight has stayed the same (4)
Putting Health At The Top
Latest review: After lockdown i put on 10kg I tried the Keto diet cholesterol went up then then tried CSIRO i put on weight as 1400 calories for me were too high and then i decided to try Phatt as I was binging
- Value for Money3.9 (56)
- Customer Service4.1 (57)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (19), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (21), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (7), My weight has stayed the same (2) and I have gained weight (2)
Tony Ferguson Weightloss Program
Latest review: Couldn’t drink it so I don’t know. I bought the chocolate high protein shake and I want my money back. Omg it is so disgusting.not only is it to sweet, it has a revolting fla
- Value for Money2.2 (18)
- Customer Service3.8 (12)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (5), My weight has stayed the same (6) and I have gained weight (1)
Jenny Craig
Latest review: Food is lovely and filling. I’m a nurse working shift work - meals are very convenient. Program very easy to follow and support from staff is a
- Value for Money3.2 (77)
- Customer Service4.0 (80)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (24), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (2) and Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (2)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals and Recipes/Meal Plans
- Support In-Person and Online
The Dukan Diet
Latest review: I have tried many diets. Most were unsuccessful and I felt hungry and tired. I lost 8,5 KG on the Dukan diet 5 years ago. I've slowly gained some of the weight back. I tried Keto but that was totally
- Customer Service5.0 (1)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (1)
Be Fit Food
Latest review: I’ve done the 14 day metabolism reset plan twice now and ordered another month worth of food on top. You can’t fault this product! Meals are delicious and the snacks are great! Menu changes a bit whi
- Value for Money3.1 (61)
- Customer Service3.7 (58)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (9), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (7), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (1) and My weight has stayed the same (3)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals and Recipes/Meal Plans
- Support In-Person and Online
Sharny and Julius
Latest review: I purchased the pelvic floor and ab program - there is hardly any exercise info to follow. No set program, no set amount of reps etc. The instructional video or overrun by screaming children and
- Value for Money3.4 (45)
- Customer Service3.6 (41)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (11), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (9), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (7) and My weight has stayed the same (4)
Weight Watchers
Latest review: I just love working with the zero point system. I am eating so much better and more sensibly for my age. Today I reached lifetime status and this time I will be able to maintain my weight with a much
- Value for Money3.2 (177)
- Customer Service3.4 (151)
- Weight LostYes, but have not reached my goal weight yet (57), Yes, I have reached my goal weight (31), Yes, I have exceeded my goal weight (7), My weight has stayed the same (10) and I have gained weight (2)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals and Recipes/Meal Plans
- Support Online
The Gabriel Method
Latest review: Every time I go to login it tells me that I’ll 21 days are now unavailable. Frustrating because if one comes into my Gmail and when I open it it asked me to login. When I do that it says the m
- Value for Money4.0 (2)
- Customer Service2.5 (2)
- Weight LostMy weight has stayed the same (1)
Featured review: The Lite n' Easy program is very easy to follow. For me the best feature is that I do NOT have to do any food preparation. After many years of having to think and prepare food for my family it is a real luxury for me to be able to just go to the fridge or freezer and everything is packaged and ready to go. The meals are absolutely delicious with many choices available and they are filling and sooooo healthy !!!!!!!
- Value for Money4.4 (2,135)
- Products OfferedReady Made Meals and Recipes/Meal Plans
- Support Online
Types of diet and weight loss programs
Meal replacement products
Meal replacement products are kiloujoule-controlled products - often liquid drinks - that are designed to assist with weight loss. These products generally try to help users shed weight quickly or do a detox or “cleanse” of their body. Because of this, they're typically only meant to be used over a short period of time, or to only replace 1 or 2 meals a day.
Weight loss drinks, such as the VLCD Optifast diet drink are often found at supermarkets, pharmacies, and health stores.
Ready-made meals
There are now a plethora of food delivery services that offer healthy, ready-made meals as part of a diet plan, however you may have limited access to these if you live in a more remote area.
If you want to save time and energy and forgo grocery shopping and cooking altogether, then ready-made meals, such as Jenny Craig meals, might be suited to you.
Recipes and meal plans
Recipes and meal plans are exactly what they sound like, programs that include recipes for meals that help you reach your health goals and plans for when you should be eating them.
For some, a weekly planner of what and when they should eat helps motivate them to achieve more long-term goals.
What to consider when choosing a diet or weight loss program
Your personal circumstances
If you already have a health condition, then make sure that your program is suited to your specific situation.
You may already follow a diet, such as a vegetarian or vegan diet, or have certain religious or cultural requirements when it comes to food; a good diet for you shouldn’t make you abandon these beliefs and preferences.
Your diet should also match your eating style and lifestyle. If a plan encourages only 2 meals per day but the 3 you eat currently still leaves you snacking inbetween meals, then it’s probably not suited for you. Similarly, if it recommends 2 hours of exercise per day and you’re a relatively sedentary person, then don’t assume you’ll be able to easily follow it.
Also consider whether your diet would accommodate eating out, and how much food preparation is involved - time-poor people may have less choice in weight loss programs.
The diet itself
Any Google search on weight loss will yield results on a bunch of popular diets, but just because a diet is popular, does not mean that it is safe, healthy, and effective.
A good diet should:
- Meet your nutritional and health needs
- Include a variety of foods from all the different food groups
- Be realistic
Be skeptical of diets that:
- Avoid entire food groups
- Promise rapid weight loss without medical supervision
- Recommend unusual foods or eating patterns (such as restricting food altogether)
- Encourage the use of pills and tonics that are thought to help you lose weight
Here’s an overview of some common diets followed today.
- Keto diet. A keto (ketogenic) diet is a low carb, high fat diet that’s designed for you to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbs.
- Paleo diet. This diet tries to emulate the same diet followed by hunter-gatherers before the development of agriculture. It emphasises lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole foods, while cautioning against grains, processed foods, sugar, and dairy.
- Mediterranean diet. Traditionally followed by people living in the Mediterranean, this diet is rich in foods such as fruit, vegetables, seafood, and wholegrains, with dairy and poultry eaten in moderation. It’s widely considered to help prevent heart attacks, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
- Pritikin diet. This is a low fat, high fibre diet that limits red meat, processed food, cholesterol-rich foods, refined grains, and alcohol.
Not all diet programs will follow a specific diet. In fact, most healthy and effective programs take your dietary preferences into account so that you’re more likely to follow through with it.
The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, for example, is a 12-week program that generally follows a high protein, low GI plan, but is still tailored to your specific diet personality. It not only includes a CSIRO diet plan that facilitates sustainable weight loss, but also includes simple weight loss workouts that you can follow at home.
Effectiveness
It’s easy to get sucked in by testimonial ads and dramatic before and after weight loss pictures, but try not to take a program for its word without doing your own research.
Reading reviews will help you see whether the program was effective for different people - this can refer to whether they’ve felt healthier or better about themselves, whether they’ve made steps towards their goal weight, or any other personal diet or health goals.
It’s also a good idea to see how easy or difficult reviewers found the program, and whether they enjoyed it. A simple-to-follow, enjoyable (and tasty!) program will help ensure that you can actually keep up the program and sustain any health results you achieve.
Support
Some people prefer to follow a diet program on their own, while others prefer extra support, such as from a dietician or similar professional, or a support group with others who have similar health goals to them.
Think about your own personal preferences and what helps motivate you. For some people, talking with someone about their progress, either online or in person, can help keep them accountable to their goals.
Price
Diet and weight loss plans can vary a lot in price, depending on what kind of food or exercise they entail. Make sure that any program you choose is one that you can afford in the long run.
You may even be able to find free online weight loss programs, however these often only give you limited access to a more comprehensive meal plan that you need to pay for.
Extra tips on choosing a meal plan for weight loss
- Keep your doctor involved in your weight loss efforts. Before you start a program, speak with them so that they can check whether it’s suitable for you, your medical issues, and any medications you might be taking. They can also help dispel diet myths and help you seek additional support from a dietician or other health practitioner.
- Choose a program that includes foods you actually like and would happily eat forever.
- Supplement any diet plan with physical activity and exercise. If your goal is weight loss, then moving your body can help counter the muscle mass loss that occurs when you lose weight.
- If it sounds too good to be true and promises rapid weight shedding with little effort, then it probably is.