Asked & Answered: Everything You Need to Know About Diet-to-Go

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Hear it Straight from One of Our Customers

Sometimes the best way to experience a new product or service is through people who have been there, done that.

Maybe you’re considering ordering Diet-to-Go, but not sure exactly how the process works, how the food will taste or really what the entire experience will be like.

Meet three real customers who candidly shared their experience ordering Diet-to-Go meals, getting them delivered and their first impressions of the meals.

Anne

Why I want to lose weight: I let myself go and gained 35 pounds in 3 years.
Goal: Lose 35 pounds
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Date joined: February 2019
Plan: Keto-Carb30
Method: Delivery

Joanna

Why I want to lose weight: To be healthier. I don’t like to cook.
Goal: Lose 30 pounds
Hometown: Placentia, California
Joined: October 2018
Plan: Balance: 1,200 calories per day
Method: Local Pickup
 

Alexis

Why I want to lose weight:
Goal: Lose 30 pounds
Hometown: New York City
Joined: March 2019
Plan: Balance: 1,200 calories per day
Method: Fresh Delivery

(Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for context and clarity.)
 

Tell me what drew you to Diet-to-Go? How were you introduced to it and why did you decide to order it?

Anne: I own a flower shop, and [when] I happened to do a flower delivery, I saw a box by their door. I tried so many diets. I thought, ‘I need to look this up.’ … I got in my car and Googled Diet-to-Go. ... I filled out the Free Diet Analysis and it told me to pick the Balance. I’ve done Jenny Craig, the Zone, Clean Eating ... Where people prep meals for you… I decided to try the Keto30 because that’s the only diet I hadn’t tried.

Joanna: I needed something easy for me so I didn’t have any excuses. It’s at my gym. That’s all I knew. I wondered, ‘What are these fridges?’ … I inquired about it. It’s convenient.

Alexis: My son lost 30 pounds in three months. He’s tried all kinds of things, and he just loved the food. He’s really picky. He’s been doing it and loved it.
 

Did you order online or over the phone? Walk me through that experience. What was it like?

Anne: I ordered online. That experience was good. … I didn’t really understand how you could navigate their website for the meals part as a substitute. So I had to call them for that.

Joanna: There was a business card on the fridge at the gym. I called the number on the business card. … She was super friendly and nice. She even referred me to someone closer to make it easier on me.

Alexis: I went online, and then I did call because I had a question about the plan. I have prediabetes, so I thought I should do the [Balance Diabetes] one. But they said, ‘No, just choose the Balance. Until you actually ordered and put your credit card in... I was not actually able to see the specifics of the meals. I kind of had to commit before I could see the specifics. … Once I ordered the meals, I found it easy from there.
 

What was it like viewing the different meal plans? Why did you choose the meal plan you did?

Anne: The presentation was pretty accurate and true to the photo once I received the food. When I saw Veal Parmesan, I wasn’t crazy about it, but I thought, ‘Let’s just try it.’

Joanna: I looked at Carb30-Keto and there was no way in hell I was going to go Keto. My husband is on Keto. He’s extremely strict. .. I love food and carbs, I love it. Because he was on that, I was getting stressed out because what he made, I didn’t want to eat. I figured if I go on Balance, it’s like normal food for me. It looked good in the pictures, and it actually was better than in the pictures. It’s more quantity control.

Alexis: The reason I chose what I did is because I spoke with someone and they clarified it for me. Because first I thought, ‘I’ll just order 1,600 calories, because that’s still so much less than I’m eating now.’ And I thought I’d choose the diabetic one...Then, after speaking to the representative, they said, ‘Pick the Balance.’ … That was very helpful. Then I looked at the diabetic and it really wasn’t that much different than the other one. You have to put the work in to figure it out.
 

Once you chose your meal plan, what was it like actually ordering it?

Anne: I played with the site. I learned how to navigate it on my own.

Joanna: They set it up over the phone because I just wanted it to be easy. ... Everything was handled very professionally.
 

Alexis: I customized it, practically every meal. I think I made some mistakes. I didn’t look at the calorie counts, because I didn’t feel I needed to do that. .. All I did was look at the carb counts. And, for instance, I was taking these delicious pancake blueberry things, and then I noticed, my husband, he’s taking the frittatas, which are 170 calories. ...He was winding up eating less than me … because I didn’t thoroughly look at each calorie count. Me next order, I’m tweaking it.
 

Describe to me when you received (or picked up) your first meals. What emotions/thoughts were going through your head?

Anne: I get mine to delivered to work. I was super excited. I wasn’t sure how it was going to come. … When I went to pick it up, I was like, ‘Damn, this is heavy.’ It weighed more than I thought it would. ... I loved how they put an insert that welcomed you to Diet-to-Go and how supportive it was.

They give you a receipt of what your meals are. It also said you can eat them in any order you want. I thought for the price, to have it delivered, was an exceptional price. Based on the packaging...the box, the insert, all those frozen packs. It’s totally money well spent for the consumer. It’s a great deal. ...It’s awesome.

Joanna: Pickup Day for me is Tuesday … One thing is I meet my gym buddy. She always calls me and says, ‘Don’t forget it’s gym day!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh God, I’d rather go watch TV.’ But I said, ‘I always go on Tuesdays!’ And [my friend] goes, ‘No, you come because your food is there waiting.’ It’s kind of exciting … I have most the week’s food and all these choices.

Alexis: He leaves it at the door, Tuesdays and Fridays, and I already knew what the box looked like and how it was packed, which is amazing the way it’s packed … They’ll be no problems of spoilage.
 

That first week, what did you think of the meals? What did you enjoy about them? How would you have changed them?

Anne: I’ve never been a fan of brussel sprouts, but I love Diet-to-Go’s version of them. I love that there was such a variety of food. The portions I feel are a nice-sized portion. … I felt that it was for the price it’s at … You’re paying $33 a day, but the food is fresh. It doesn’t have a smell to it that can be there for prepared food that’s made a day or two ahead. I was very happy with the presentation, the way it was packaged, I felt very content.

Joanna: The first week, I was actually amazed how good the quality was of the food. I was thinking it was going to be like Weight Watchers Smart and I was just going to deal with it. They are pricier, but they are worth it. We were eating out 5-6 a week, and now we’re eating out 2 times a week, dinner. … The salmon is better than the seafood restaurants we go to. I always order the salmon.

Alexis: I very much enjoyed them. They did not taste all full of salt. The vegetables, I love vegetables, most of them are just okay. … I would have liked the vegetables more fresh, but that’s ok. The quantity is fine. I haven’t gotten anything that didn’t taste good. Everything tasted good.
 

Do you usually put meals in your fridge? The Freezer? How do you usually heat the meals?

Anne: I take them out of the box, I put them in the fridge. Then I use a microwave. I do transfer them onto a plate. ... I definitely enjoy it more. … When I work, my commute to work...let’s say I need to bring them home, what I love about the ice packs is I can freeze them and reuse them when I transport.

Joanna: I only put them in the fridge, I never freeze them. … I usually just heat them in 2-3 minutes in the microwave. However if it’s a grilled sandwich, I will grill it or put it in a toaster oven. … It’s no stress.

Alexis: I put them in the fridge, and then in the microwave. Sometimes I eat them at room temperature, that’s just me. Sometimes I don’t heat them at all. They’re not frozen, they’re fresh.
 

Ever substituted meals? Describe that process.

Anne: Once I figured it out, it was easy to navigate. I’ve loved everything. … I gave meals a chance. You have to give things a chance.

Joanna: I go in a month ahead so I can pick a variety of meals that I will be happy with. ... I try and do one night chicken, one night salmon, one night pasta. … Menu management I like because I can look at the next eight days and decide, ‘Yep those look good,’ with one glance and not have to go substitute. … And then I don’t have to waste time.

Alexis: I would not say I find it easy. … You have to go on each individual meal, then you have to hit replace, then look at all the meals again. Then you go to the next meal and you have to go back and look at the meals. Somehow I feel like it’s not the best it could be. … And especially because you have to do the extra looking at the calories or carbs...back and forth, back and forth. It’s a lot of repetition. It does take time.

(Pro tip: It’s worth the small amount of time to select your meals. Once you do, Diet-to-Go retains your selections. That means once you choose them for each of the five cycling menus, you are good to go!)
 

What about the meals makes them healthy?

Anne: Number one, they’re not frozen. When I get them, they’re not completely frozen. It’s not like Jenny Craig where it’s been frozen for who knows how long. When I go to eat it, I feel like it was meal freshly made. I don’t feel like it was made three or four days ago. I feel good about it. No funky smell. This morning I had pork chops for breakfast!

Joanna: Basically it’s a balance. You have a decent amount of vegetables, a carb and some meat or fish. It’s a balance, but it’s all about portion control. It still tastes good. It’s not just a plain piece of chicken. It’s seasoned and flavored.

Alexis: The difference about the salt. There’s just no comparison...not having all the salt in it is great. Portion control is key, really key. And showing you for instance, ‘I can have that one pancake or I could have these eggs with sausage...so what do you want to do Alexis?’ It’s repetition, getting it in the brain.
 

What makes Diet-to-Go convenient? Why is that important to you?

Anne: Being a business owner, I don’t have a lot of time. My business is seven days a week. I have an hour and 15-minute commute each way. I don’t have time to cook. I don’t feel like cooking. My brain doesn’t want to think about it. I don’t want to have to go to the grocery store. The convenience takes so much stress off it. It makes things so much more enjoyable.

Joanna: I can pick it up at my gym. It’s easy. They’re in these easy boxes, I can take them to work and stack them in the fridge. I don’t have to go out for dinner. I just pop it in the microwave. I save all that time and money with tipping, drinks and tax and all that.
They are a little more pricey … especially some of the lunches. But it’s right in front of me, and there’s a value to that. I don’t have to waste time.

Alexis: It’s very convenient. They deliver it. ... I eat different than my husband does, so I was making two meals all the time. Forget about it, that was a lot of work. I have a home business, I notice how much more time I have to do my work instead of making all those meals. And even better is thinking about all these meals I’m going to make...I don’t have to do that and it gives me more time to do my work.
 

How is Diet-to-Go supportive of your weight loss goals? Do you find the health coaches, community, emails and blog/success stories to be helpful?

Anne: It’s definitely supportive and it’s definitely helpful. It makes me realize that other people are doing the same diet I am who I can relate to… I feel like that helps. The company themselves, them reaching out when I was going through the keto flu and was wondering why I was so tired. … It definitely has been so helpful. I read other people’s posts. I start following them because I want to hear what other people have to say. ... It’s been helpful and I’m glad to be a part of it.

Joanna: I like having the Facebook Community because I can see other people’s success. Having the option of speaking to someone, I like that. One thing I’ve found that’s extremely positive, anyone who I’ve dealt with there has followed through. … If I don’t like something, it’s always a credit on my account. The people behind the company, they follow up properly. … I went off it for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and it was so easy. I just emailed them and they handled it. … They just do whatever you ask them to do. It’s a super convenient service.

Alexis: I have not taken advantage of calling the health coach yet, but I plan on it. … I think I have to tweak things a little to lose weight. … I love the Facebook Community. I love that ... You’ll see answers from people that say, ‘That happened to me. Hang in there.’ … It gave me more patience.
 

What’s your overall take on Diet-to-Go?

Anne: I went in and I tried everything, and I’ve realized 90 percent of the meals I like, I love. They’re tasty. They’re wonderful.

Joanna: I did just go to the doctor, and I had blood work issues. But this time I went and I had no problems. The doctor was prodding me trying to figure out how it reversed so much. I know it’s this diet.

Alexis: The food is delicious. How wonderful is that I’m not counting, cooking, shopping… I tried a couple other ones, they are just full of salt, and this is not. This is the best plan. I’ve already referred three people to it.

Do you have your own experience to share? Great! Share your Diet-to-Go experience and as a thank you, we’ll give you a free day of food! http://smarturl.it/diettogo-yelp and http://smarturl.it/diettogo

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Author: Caitlin H
Diet-to-Go Community Manager

Caitlin is the Diet-to-Go community manager and an avid runner. She is passionate about engaging with others online and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. She believes moderation is key, and people will have the most weight loss success if they engage in common-sense healthy eating and fitness.

 

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