As a food writer, I thought I was well versed in all things culinary, including the nutritional values of what’s on my plate. Well, obviously, it was my overinflated ego talking, since after gaining 40 pounds during my second pregnancy, I found it almost impossible to lose the last 10 pounds.
With my first baby, I lost all my baby weight within three months whilst on a steady diet of Häagen-Dazs ice cream, eaten, mostly, from the sofa. So I thought weight loss would be a breeze again after my second, and it was only when my second baby started to walk and talk that I realised that this baby weight was going to become permanent weight if I didn’t do anything about it. And this was after a four-month period of doing HIIT training three times a week!
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I enlisted the help of a nutritionist to help me to lose all my baby weight, and then some, in a 10-week-long programme that trained me how to eat and understand portion sizes. In total, I lost 18 pounds with my nutritionist, and I have been able to keep the weight off despite dining out every day and a rigorous tasting schedule.
When I heard about Eatology’s Lighter Delights meal plan, I was curious about how it would compare to the portion-control plans from my nutritionist, so I decided to do a three-day trial and use my scale as proof.
I met with Eatology’s in-house nutritionist to discuss which of their meal plans best suited my needs and settled on the 1,500-calorie-per-day plan. The in-house nutritionist offers a variety of services, from personal coaching to tailor-made plans for $600, and the fee is refundable for those who join the programme for two weeks or more. There’s also an online diet assessment tool, chat box, email option and phone consultation at no additional cost.
Each morning at 7am, a purple reusable Eatology bag arrived at my door with all my meals for the day. I went for the total meal plan of breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two snacks. Customers can also select certain meals instead of the whole shebang.
Day 1
Breakfast: pear and blueberry chia seed porridge
Snack: avocado mimosa organic eggs
Lunch: Thai curry with organic chicken breast, garlic rice and vegetable stir-fry
Snack: fruit salad (not pictured)
Dinner: sous-vide lemon organic chicken breast in olive oil and lemon sauce with stir-fried broccoli and sautéed potato
Total calorie count: 1,506
Day 2
Breakfast: black rice porridge with chia seed and mango
Snack: organic chicken Thai-style salad with cashews
Lunch: Mongolian grass-fed beef with Thai thin rice noodles and stir-fried Chinese cabbage
Snack: cucumber rolls with carrot, yellow bell pepper and peanut butter
Dinner: Thai basil minced pork with turmeric rice and organic egg
Total calorie count: 1,533
Day 3
Breakfast: wholewheat pancakes with honey and mixed berries
Snack: Mediterranean organic quinoa salad with feta cheese
Lunch: poached organic chicken curry with roasted cauliflower
Snack: apricot cashew balls (not pictured)
Dinner: steamed halibut with tamarind and creamed spinach
Total calorie count: 1,540
Verdict
I had a great experience with Eatology’s Lighter Delights meal plan. I particularly liked the breakfast porridge with young coconut, which was so rich and creamy that I couldn’t believe it was low in calories. The chicken breast was also incredibly tender and flavourful – I only wish I could cook chicken like that! I like that brown rice is served instead of white rice and that organic, quality ingredients are heavily featured.
With the hectic schedule of raising young children, it was a real luxury knowing that I had a delicious meal to look forward to with zero effort. And the vast variety of dishes meant that I wasn’t bored at mealtimes. The portions were rather generous, and I often found it difficult to finish an entire meal. The downside is that you can’t just spontaneously skip out for a meal with friends, and you have to keep to the regime or you’ll end up wasting a lot of good food.
So let’s cut to the chase – did I lose weight? Yes!
I lost more than a pound after eating a low-calorie diet for three days (I consistently measured my weight at the same time each morning before breakfast to get an accurate comparison). This meal plan was as effective as my own nutritionist’s plan, with the added bonus of me not having to think about what to eat for each meal. It’s definitely an easy way to keep up with your weight goals with minimal effort.
I also like that all the delivery bags are reusable; customers are asked to leave the bag from the previous day in front of their door for collection. All the paper and clear packaging (which is made from cornflour or sugar cane) is compostable and biodegradable.
The minimum order is a five-day programme, and prices start at $288 per day for the 1,200-calorie meal plan.
To learn more about Eatology, click here for your diet assessment and preferences.
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