Diet Chef feedback thread NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the Mumsnetters who are testing out Diet Chef.

Diet Chef say: "We give you breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack for each day of the week. Everything is calorie counted and portion controlled so you just tuck in and enjoy. We believe you should eat the food you love, so our menu, with around 100 delicious dishes, even includes things like curry and pasta. With Diet Chef you can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week, in line with UK Government recommendations for healthy, sustainable weight loss, while eating real, yummy food."

Testers: we'll be asking you to add feedback once a week - we'd like your first impressions now and every week after that, we'll be posting some new questions for you to answer.

So, in terms of your first impressions...

• What is your first impression of Diet Chef?
• What do you think of the Diet Chef website?
• What are your thoughts on the menus and food choices?
• How did you find the online order process?
• What did you think of the delivery options, and what about the delivery service itself?
• What are your thoughts on the presentation of the Diet Chef hamper and food items?
• What do you think of the Diet Guide and website information about how the meal plan works?
• Is there anything else you would like to add about your initial experience of Diet Chef?

Everyone who adds their feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will receive a £200 John Lewis voucher, good luck!

Please note: your anonymous comments may be used by Diet Chef on their website and other marketing materials.

Thanks,
MNHQ

OK.Back from my conference, so Day one for me. Seems fine so far: I do need to remember to weigh in at some point!

Not sure if I'm just to report in every week or wait for more questions? Just for an update then, week 1 complete and I've managed to lose 3lb I have followed the plan closely but I haven't used all my extra calories in the week as I didn't feel I needed too but had a bit of a weekend off (is that allowed?) ......I feel I can stick to it during the week as long as I've got a weekend treat to look forward to. Very happy with a 3lb loss. I'm finding the food great so far, I'm not a breakfast eater so haven't managed to eat a full cereal pack yet, I did enjoy the muesli with some Greek yogurt and I love the popcorn (although DC keep stealing some from me!)

Week one done and I lost 2 1/2 pounds!

I've found the food pretty tasty and liked every meal I've eaten so far which for me is astounding. I stuck to the diet well so far apart from last night when we had a takeaway curry as it was a family birthday. But I had the low calorie option which was a first for me.
I've been using my fitness pal as well and have been under my calorie goal so far as I've not been snacking when bored as I need to stick to diet chef so have surprised myself by how much I used to eat when I thought I was hungry but really wasn't. I haven't had the snacks provided for 3 days now as I've not been too hungry, and while I thought the portion sizes were way too small to start of with, I seem to be full after the meal now.

Mushroom stroganoff is beyond hideous. I had one last week and was awake half the night feeling sick (although this could be coincidence as I work with children and have direct daily access to every bug going!). As all the other veggie choices have been fine, some great, and this tasted so weird I tried another tonight to be sure and had to chuck it. Maybe it is the cream and alcohol, the slimy mushrooms....but it tasted totally wrong! The other 3 in my hamper will be going in the bin.
How are others finding the meat meals? There isa lot of sauce with some of the veggie ones, so I tend to use a bowl and spoon!
Still very pleased with the soups. Portions are substantial, taste is good.
Definitely less hungry this week, even with a 5 mile run this morning.

brilliant to hear of others weight loss too!

the pasta carbonara is vile too. I felt queasy all night. The macaroni cheese is only marginally better.

Tomato based stuff like lasagne and bolognese is ok. Lunches, breakfasts and snacks all good so far.

Not lost any weight yet. Had Sunday off as we were out all day, and finding it tough today as I've run out of apples. Shopping tomorrow for fruit and veg.

Struggling a bit to fit it in with family. Will need to get dh some ready meals.

I really didn't like the carbonara either. All the other meals that I've tried have been good so far. I am trying to make similar meals for the rest of the family so I can make the accompanying veg/rice/potatoes for everyone.
I lost 2lbs the first week so I'm hoping for the same this week!!

Hello! I am a bit late starting as I was madly busy last week and I wanted to commit to it properly, so yesterday was Day 1 for me. I thought the chocolate granola for breakfast was lovely, the carrot soup for lunch was a bit bland and bolognese sauce for supper (with 40g dried weight of pasta, and broccoli) was ok but a bit like an aeroplane meal.

I normally have porridge or granola for breakfast and soup for lunch anyway, so these options work well for me but I woke up this morning feeling really depressed at the prospect of only eating brown aeroplane-style ready meals for dinner every night for the next month. I would normally have fresh meat and fish, jacket potatoes, and hardly any sauce-based meals.

I am also finding it a challenge to fit in with the family - last night was ok as I made pasta for them too with tomato sauce and sausage but I'm planning on roasting a chicken tonight and I fail to see how a vacuum packed ready meal can be better for me than roast chicken and vegetables. I understand it's about the portion control but the meals don't 'feel' that healthy to me at the moment.

Also, today I had the cream of tomato soup for lunch which was ok but had a powdery taste like a cup-a-soup. It was quite boring with no texture. But I then compared it to a Waitrose fresh soup that I had in the fridge, Chargrilled Mediterranean Vegetables, which has far more body and more interesting texture and would feel much more like a meal - in a serving size of 300g the Diet Chef soup has 183 calories, while the far more appetising Waitrose fresh soup only has 100 calories!

My other issue is that the sheer amount of food delivered is a bit overwhelming in my tiny kitchen! I feel like I have been invaded by small green-and-purple packages at the moment! And it is hard to hide the fact that I am dieting from my 9 yr old DD who is quite sensitive about this sort of thing. I try very hard not to let my body issues affect her.

I am going to plod on as I would dearly love to lose a stone before Christmas but I am currently very tempted to put the ready meals in the local food bank collection and just stick to the breakfasts and my usual fresh soups for lunch.

Sorry - realised I didn't answer the specific points:

• What is your first impression of Diet Chef?

Having my portions worked out for me is appealing and Diet Chef clearly get results so I am hopeful that I will lose some weight over the next month.

?- What do you think of the Diet Chef website?

I thought the website was clear and easy to navigate. Some of the downloads (the ‘Clinical Study’) don’t seem to open on my computer. However, I cannot find where you access the support information – the only info I can find is all about selling the diet – where do I go for ongoing support?

?- What are your thoughts on the menus and food choices??

Well the breakfasts and lunches are the sort of thing I would eat in a normal week anyway – I usually have porridge for breakfast and soup for lunch, particularly on the 4 days when I am working, but I am less impressed by the evening meals which seem unremittingly rather ‘brown’ and are all sauce-based meals – curries, pasta etc. It all seems a bit stodgy and I am really going to miss eating things like fresh meat, fish and chicken.

• How did you find the online order process??

I enjoyed the straightforward process of selecting my meals although I managed to miss out adding my address to my order somehow!

• What did you think of the delivery options, and what about the delivery service itself??

I had selected Friday as the delivery date as that is my day off work so I knew I could be in to receive it – however it arrived a day early while I was out and my elderly neighbour had taken it in for me – I felt terrible as the box is huge and very heavy.

• What are your thoughts on the presentation of the Diet Chef hamper and food items??

It’s just a cardboard box! Don’t think it really qualifies as a ‘hamper’! I was grateful that it wasn’t branded on the outside due to aforementioned delivery to neighbour!

The box is enormous and as I have a tiny kitchen with limited storage I am really struggling to find somewhere to put it. Tempted to eat it all in one go and then nothing for the rest of the month…

The way the food is packaged seems ok but it is all very ‘samey’ with the purple and green colours, and really strongly branded as ‘diet food’. I think it would be much more appetizing if it just looked more like regular ready meals. Also as I have a sensitive 9 year old daughter, I try very hard not to make an issue of my weight and diet attempts as she is already aware of these sorts of body confidence issues. I try very hard to give her the impression that I am happy and confident about my body, even though I know I could do with losing a couple of stone. It makes it much harder having all this food around which basically screams ‘DIET’!

• What do you think of the Diet Guide and website information about how the meal plan works??

I’m surprised at how minimal the information is. If I was paying for this service I would expect a lot more personalized information about how to lose weight. Perhaps a calorie counter like the MyFitnessPal app, which would make it easier when supplementing the diet meals.

I also think there isn’t enough information given about supplementing the meals – it says to add dairy and fresh fruit and veg, but doesn’t say what to avoid – also many of the meals show ‘serving suggestions’ with pasta or rice added. I’m not impressed about the lack of information about this as it leaves too much potential to mess up or cheat!

• Is there anything else you would like to add about your initial experience of Diet Chef?

See my previous post.

I had the apple granola for breakfast this morning which was quite nice, but then I compared it to Dorset Cereals berry granola which I buy occasionally as a decadent breakfast - and the Diet Chef granola contains more calories!

Realising that this diet is purely about reduced portion sizes and not much more!

I had couscous and bulgar wheat for lunch and it was delicious. My work trousers were also falling down today, so something must be working!

Diet Chef says:

"Hi all, thank you so much for your feedback – it’s encouraging to see that so many of you are enjoying the food and doing well on the diet, although some of you have flagged up some issues we wanted to address.

ONLINE SUPPORT
There are a number of sources of information and support available to our customers online.
Our website: Firstly, there is lots of helpful information on our website, specifically on the FAQ’s page, where you can also download our Calorie Guide (see under ‘What other foods should I eat whilst I am on the Diet Chef Diet?’), which contains quite a bit of additional information re ‘extra foods’, along with examples and calorie content.

Our blog: There is also our blog, Diet Times, which contains lots of informative articles about the diet, including all you need to know about the food, what to add, how to exchange meals, etc.

Customer emails: As a customer, you will receive regular emails from Diet Chef, to the email address you used when you placed your order, with lots of helpful tips and advice on how to make the most of the meal plan.

Customer services: If you can’t find what you are looking for on our website or blog, we have a friendly Customer Services Team, who are on hand to help with any questions or issues customers may have, online or over the phone. Please do not hesitate to contact the team at any point during the test. They are available 8am-8pm Monday-Thursday, 8am-6pm Friday, and 10am-2pm Saturdays and Sundays. Monday-Friday, you can chat with a team member live online, using the LiveHelp link in the top right-hand corner of our website. If you prefer to speak with someone on the phone, you can call the team Monday-Sunday on: 0333 103 6000.

Customer forums: The Customer services Team can also give you access to our private online customer forums, if you want to check those out.
Social media: Last but not least, we have busy social media networks on our Twitter page and our Facebook page, that you can use to engage with other dieters, share comments or feedback, or ask us questions / report problems. We always try our best to get back to social media enquiries within 24 hours (most often sooner) Mon-Fri, and at the weekends where possible.

MYFITNESSPAL
One of you mentioned that a calorie counter, like the MyFitnessPal app, would be helpful. We have actually partnered with MyFitnessPal, to make keeping tabs on your calorie consumption more convenient. Log into My Account on the Diet Chef website to link your MyFitnesspal account with your Diet Chef account, or to create a MFP account if you don’t have on.

DON’T LIKE SOME OF THE FOOD?
A few of you have mention that you are not keen on some of the meals. If you have items left that you know you don’t like, you can exchange them within 21 days of receiving your hamper. Just contact our Customer services Team and they will explain how this works.

“CHEATING”
Obviously, we would encourage you to stick with the diet, and your recommended daily calorie allowance, as much as possible to get the best results. The occasional treat (in moderation) shouldn’t have a huge effect in the long term, but veering off diet regularly, or for whole days, is likely to have an impact. Following the meal plan also means making sure you eat your full daily calorie allowance. Cutting down more than recommended on your calories can have a detrimental effect on your weight loss, if you trick your body into ‘starvation mode’.

Keep the good work up, guys, and thanks again for your feedback!”

Oh god. Now you've mentioned "starvation mode" and my pseudoscience alerts are ringing.

As soon as an eating plan trots out those tired old misconceptions I lose faith.

Starvation mode occurs during prolonged very low calorie intake, and the body starts to burn muscle for fuel because fat stores are depleted. Not if you skip a meal or two.

Two weeks in and I have lost 4lbs. I am replacing a few evening meals with small amounts of fresh food. I have been missing fresh fish too much, and as I don't eat meat I felt I needed the nutritional top up!
The salt and vinegar popcorn is lovely with a gin and tonic. I presume that is cheating but it is the weekend and I have earned it.
Have been drinking loads of water as I was quite clearly dehydrated. I am not hungry at all as I use my fruit and vegetable allowance to fill me up during the day.
I dont think i actually need to lose any more weight, my clothes are looser and those few pounds have made a big impact to my body image. As an easy way to lose weight for a big event or holiday i would recommend a fortnight of diet chef. I may take a few days off this week as an experiment to see if the weight goes back on, or if I am happy with smaller portion sizes.

I've completed one week. Today is the first day that I've felt hungry and tempted to snack: probably because the rest of the week I'm so busy, I don't have chance. Also had original granola for breakfast, which for some inexplicable reason has a lot more calories than the other breakfasts! So, I couldn't have as much fruit/veg as usual.

I'm enjoying the breakfasts and the ease of not having to weigh out portions. Soups are mostly tasty and I especially liked the bulgar wheat and couscous. But I find the main meals a bit samey: lots of wet brown stuff.

I can understand the motivation to sign up for something like this for a short period; but personally I am a bit sick of it already and am looking forward to finishing.

Next week, I might have some half portions of the meals and substitute extra veg or some rice/pasta.

Week 2 and I lost 2lb. That is 5lb in 2 weeks with weekend treats which I think is good. I have a long way to go though and I don't think I could do this longer than a month. I don't know why I thought it would be easy and not feel like a diet, but it really does. I'm glad I can swop some packs as I can't look at another soup (my fault for rushing the ordering and not choosing my own packs). Doing this has made me think I can do my own version of food I like in smaller portions but then I've struggled before to lose weight on my own and diet chef is working for me. I obviously just don't like being on diets!! I'm very grateful for the opportunity so will plod on and hopefully lose a few more pounds before the end of the trial.

Diet Chef says:

"Hi everyone! Hope you're enjoying the Diet Chef experience so far, and thanks for all your initial feedback! Now that you are all well into the trial and have had a chance to sample lots of the food, we’d love to get some “halfway there” feedback (even if some of you might not be quite halfway through your hamper yet)."

Here are the questions for you to answer, but feel free to continue adding any other comments you have:

• How are you finding the food?
• How easy, or not, is the plan to follow?
• To what extent does the plan fit easily around your normal, everyday routine?
• What about family and / or children’s meal times? Does being on the diet help or hinder?
• Have you explored the Diet Chef blog yet, which contains many helpful articles about the meal plan, the food, and “added extras”?
• Have you lost any weight / inches yet? If so, how much / many?
• What is your overall impression, so far?

• How are you finding the food?

I like the breakfasts and most of the lunches. The dinners are generally tasty, but they don't really excite me. I have to keep telling myself it's only for one month.

• How easy, or not, is the plan to follow?

It's very easy. At first, when I realised we still had to count, I thought it would be a lot of hassle. But actually because the Dietchef items are largely a similar no. of calories and most of my extras are very predictable (milk and yoghurt, fruit and veg), there's actually very little counting required.

• To what extent does the plan fit easily around your normal, everyday routine?

It's fine. I wish I'd ordered more of the "on the go" breakfast and lunch options to give me more flexibility. But generally it's great.

• What about family and / or children’s meal times? Does being on the diet help or hinder?

This is one of the good things about the dinners; because they are super-quick in the microwave it doesn't impact on family mealtimes. I just pop my dinner in to cook just before their meal is ready and when appropriate i have the same veg as the rest of the family.

• Have you explored the Diet Chef blog yet, which contains many helpful articles about the meal plan, the food, and “added extras”?

No. I've had a quick loom at the website, but haven't really explored much.

• Have you lost any weight / inches yet? If so, how much / many?

Yes, my work trousers are definitely too big now. I only weigh in once a week, but I'm sure I've lost quite a few pounds already.

• What is your overall impression, so far?

I like the convenience, especially of the breakfasts for some reason. I think it's a good way to kickstart a diet/lifestyle change and establish good habits quickly and with minimum effort.

How are you finding the food?

It's ok. I find the main meals a bit soupy and I do feel like I'm eating a 'diet' product. Maybe psychological due to the packaging. The soups are fine but I'm not a big soup fan anyway and can't finish a pack. Breakfasts are pleasant enough.

How easy or not is the plan to follow?

It's very easy to follow and I like the thought being taken out weighing and measuring. Adding my own fruit veg dairy is easy enough.

To what extent does the plan fit in easily around your normal everyday routine?

Very easy as I'm a sahm and in the house at meal times. I have been eating 'normal' food at weekends.

What about family/childrens meal times? Does being on the diet help or hinder

Makes no difference as the children eat before us in the week. I haven't followed the plan at weekends as we eat together and I don't want to explain why mummy is eating different food.

Have you explored the diet chef blog yet?

Yes I had a look but it's similar to the website information.

Have you lost any weight yet?

Yes 5lb thanks

What's your overall impression so far?

It's a good idea and a well thought out plan. I like the idea that the thinking has been removed from calorie counting and the meals are ready to go. I didn't think I would feel like I'm on a diet for some reason and I do, probably because my choices of what I eat are removed.....but then I've gained weight by making the wrong choices so I can't trust me anyway!!

• How are you finding the food?

breakfasts fine, a bit sweet as I usually just have plain porridge and coconut milk. Really enjoy the soups, savoury snacks better than sweet. As I don't eat meat I havent enough choice for dinner. Some are too sauce heavy...pasta based ones not great. The curries and daal are lovely, but I need rice not extra veggies with them. I miss fresh food.

• How easy, or not, is the plan to follow?

First 2 weeks were fine. This week I have been extra busy and hav e needed to have days off. I needed salmon. And I needed to eat properly to manage an 8 mile run. Today I have had a migraine which leaves me starving so have fallen totally off the wagon. I am going to go back and do my last 10 days of food next week.

• To what extent does the plan fit easily around your normal, everyday routine?

fine on weekdays, not good when everyone is at home. It is quite nice not to have to prepare food for myself, and to choose different food every day.

• What about family and / or children’s meal times? Does being on the diet help or hinder?

With various food intolerances I often make 3 seperate meals for my family dinner, so diet chef fits well into this! If I was on the diet for longer I would be concerned about the role model issue. I want my children to have a healthy relationship to food and exercise, and the branding of diet chef on everything is a bit in your face....but that says more about me than the product. I only needed to lose 5lbs, and have a normal bmi. I didn't need a long term diet, hence my break week. The diet makes life easier, and it is great to not have to calorie count.

• Have you explored theDiet Chef blogyet, which contains many helpful articles about the meal plan, the food, and “added extras”?

yes, have looked a couple of times. Searched a couple of queries I had and read through the associated articles.

• Have you lost any weight / inches yet? If so, how much / many?

4lbs and my clothes feel looser.

• What is your overall impression, so far

• I like the breakfasts and dinners. I'm not so keen on the soups for lunch, much prefer the couscous, which surprised me as before this product test I'd never tried any.

• Its very easy to follow. I haven't needed a snack most days but it's nice to know I can eat some if I want. I love that I don't have to worry about portion sizes and this has definitely taught me to only eat a correct portion and not over fill my plate.

• it fits in very well as the kids eat much earlier than me and dh, and I tend to cook dh the same meal as I'm having in the evening so as not to be too tempted by his meals.

Oops posted too soon.

• I've had a quick look on the website and blog, but not really bothered with it.

• Yes, I've lost 6 lbs, 20 days in, my jeans feel looser and I'm very pleased.

• My overall impression is good. I like how convenient it is and how I don't have to calorie count, as I've never done it before. This has been a brilliant way to kickstart healthy eating for me and exercise.

I have to say I'm very impressed with your customer service, I was not sent enough breakfasts so phoned up and it was all sorted very quickly, and I was able to change some of the lunches too. It all arrived the very next day. So thank you.

• How are you finding the food?

I quite like the food but I am finding some of the pasta dishes have the same cheesy sauce on them which I dont particularly like. It's convenient and easy to prepare.

• How easy, or not, is the plan to follow?

It's really easy. The meals are all prepared and I just add my fruit and vegetables in throughout the day. The quick guide helps me count the extra calories I'm allowed.

• To what extent does the plan fit easily around your normal, everyday routine?

It's fairly easy to fit around my normal everyday routine.

• What about family and / or children’s meal times? Does being on the diet help or hinder?

I always eat with my children in the evening and I have been trying to make similar meals for them so it's not too obvious that I am eating a different meal. We can then all eat the same vegetables to suit the meal.

• Have you explored the Diet Chef blog yet, which contains many helpful articles about the meal plan, the food, and “added extras”?

I had a quick read of the blog.

• Have you lost any weight / inches yet? If so, how much / many?

I have lost 3lbs so far which is great.

• What is your overall impression, so far?

My overall impression of Diet Chef is good. I think it is a great way to lose weight. It's very convenient and only a small amount of calories to count. However, I don't think I could do it for longer than a month as I am missing freshly prepared food.

What is your 1st impression of Diet Chef
I think the variety looks good.

What do you think of the Diet Chef website?
It seems well laid out at 1st look, and easy to find the different sections I need.

What are your thoughts on the menus and food choices
There is a lot of variety with the breakfasts, snacks and dinner but the lunch feels a bit limited, not many pasta pots, mainly soup.

How did you find the online order process?
Easy, I like the way it counts for you and highlights with red if you are over or under the number do meals you need.

What did you think of the delivery options, and what about the delivery service itself?
Delivery was good, and efficient. I like the option to re-arrange delivery by text, very useful.

What are your thoughts on the presentation of the Diet Chef hamper and food items?
Hamper is pushing it a bit - it's a box! I liked the way the food is grouped into the different meals. I would have liked a tray inside the box though, so you could just lift out the snacks / breakfasts to get at the lunches and dinners. I could just store the food in the box then, rather than having to unpack it so that I can get at the different meals.

What do you think of the Diet Guide and website information about how the meal plan works
I like the blogs on various topics and there seems to be lots of information there. It takes a little sifting through, maybe a section for 1st timers would be useful with links to the information about working out additional calories and the info on additional foods to add.

is there anything else you would like to add about your intial experience of Diet Chef?
Not really, the questions seem to have covered everything.

• How are you finding the food?

Breakfasts I chose mainly porridge and muesli bars, all are relish and suitably filling. Lunches I have soups and cous cous pots, most have been great. Dinners I find very "sloppy" with too much sauce - the rice portion of 40g isn't nearly enough to mop it up. I end up draining off some sauce now. Some meals a lot nicer than others, beef meatballs are my favourite, mushroom stroganoff is pretty vile.

• How easy, or not, is the plan to follow?

Easy to follow, couldn't be simpler really. Challenge is self-control, esp as I get very hungry post-exercise.

• To what extent does the plan fit easily around your normal, everyday routine?

Has been ok, other than inevitable nights out etc which have led to some slippage!

• What about family and / or children’s meal times? Does being on the diet help or hinder?

If I'm not working then I now tend to eat with the kids, which is a lot earlier than normal, otherwise I'm tempted to graze their leftovers. Eating out can be quite challenging as most places don't have a 400 calorie offering!

• Have you explored the Diet Chef blog yet, which contains many helpful articles about the meal plan, the food, and “added extras”?

Not really, sorry.....

• Have you lost any weight / inches yet? If so, how much / many?

Lost a massive 1lb... Mainly due to some meals out which meant I took those days "off" and also 2 days away on a course where I couldn't self cater. And had too much wine... So while I should be 4 weeks in, I have 2 weeks at least of food left. Back on it this week!

• What is your overall impression, so far?

The convenience is very appealing, and it has reminded me very firmly about portion control and the fact that I don't need sugary stuff. I've rediscovered porridge and popcorn which is great! I'm missing home cooked food though...

I've finished the product test last night and weighed myself this morning and was genuinely shocked! I even had to call dh to check the scales to make sure they were working properly.
I lost 1 stone. Started off at 11 stone now I'm 10.
Thanks so much for this amazing opportunity!