So it's the new year - Happy New Year - and many people resolve to lose weight or eat healthfully. Rianman and I started our attempt before Thanksgiving. We signed up for 7 weeks with Success Meals KC. They supply a full day's meals each morning according to your dietary needs and restrictions.
When you start, you provide your height and weigh and activity level as well as any food allergies or avoidances e.g. lactose intolerant, no salmon. In turn you get a specially designed meal plan with all the calories you need for a day. Each day on our doorstep we'd get a bag filled with 5 yummy meals. The food is sooo good. I had eggs benedict this morning with turkey bacon. Granted I had one and Rian got to have two but that's the result of the customization provided.
At first, you're sort of stunned at how small the portions seem to be but in just a few short days you realize you feel better and you're losing weight. In the 7 weeks we've been using Success Meals, we've lost a total of 15 pounds and that's with the holidays in there.
The good.
- It works. You lose weight, eat healthier, feel better.
- It's very tasty! Every day you get dessert. The meats are varied. We even had black eyed peas and collards for the new year!
- It's easy. I don't have to think at all about what I'm going to eat. I have breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner and dessert everyday.
Some downsides.
- Sometimes you don't like an ingredient but I have learned to eat foods I don't typically like or wouldn't typically choose like carrots or peas.
- You can't always predict when a friend will invite you out for dinner. We've tried freezing foods. SuccessMeals is good about skipping days if you're traveling--just give them 24 hours notice.
- It's pricey. If you can get a package, you might be able to get it for about $100 a week per person. But for two people, it adds up. Given we're big on eating out; the added expense wasn't significant.
- A lot of plastic containers. They're recyclable but I feel a bit guilty. They're high quality microwavable and resuable.
Overall, we recommend it for triathletes and their supporters to maintain weight or lose weight. (Note: this is not a paid endorsement...just our opinion.)