The Best Weight Loss Meal Deliveries In Australia

If you listen to science, losing weight is as simple as calories in versus calories out. However, it’s certainly more nuanced than that depending on your individual health and goals. For the sake of a quick answer, however, I’m going to talk about losing weight based on the golden rule of calories consumed versus calories burned.

When it comes to weight loss, diet is one of the most important factors. Losing weight through dieting is based on the science that anyone eating fewer calories than they are burning off during the day is going to shed some kilograms. However, it’s not just calories in versus calories burned off. 

You can speed up the weight loss process by eating a low carb, high protein diet. A low carb diet is a way to minimise the amount of fat your body stores, while protein is harder to break down, so your body uses more energy to convert the protein into a form your body can use for energy. A low carb meal might look like two poached eggs with lean greens, a chicken salad (hold the croutons!), or fish and steamed vegetables.

The weight loss meals from the above providers are all based on consuming a lower amount of calories throughout the day. However, how many calories you need to consume in a day to lose weight depends on your height, weight and activity level. 

Each person needs a different number of calories per day to either stay at the same weight, lose weight, or gain weight. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body is expanding through exercise and daily movement.

When shopping for a weight loss delivery service, there is something to take note of and that’s the fact that keto, low-carb and low-calorie aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Calorie counting involves applying the principle of “calories in, calories out”, as we just discussed. Carbohydrate counting is an eating method that involves counting the number of carbohydrates you eat each day. Carbohydrates (think bread, pasta, potato – basically every food has carbs – but some have more than others). By eating low-carb, you’ll ideally be eating in a way that promotes weight loss. The standard definition of low carb is less than 20g of carbs per meal, but it will differ from person to person depending on age, weight, goals and so on.

Now, the biggest difference between keto and low-carb is that a keto diet is much higher in fat and lower in carbs than the average low-carb diet. The Harvard School of Health suggests the macronutrient ratio on a keto diet is:

• 70-80% fat
• 5-10% carbohydrate
• 10-20% protein

A low carb diet is less restrictive than a keto diet, with carbohydrates making up approximately 20% of the diet.

By following a low-carb, low-cal or keto diet you’re bound to lose weight, but it’s a very individual process and one diet might work better for you. It might be a case of trial and error to find the right fit.

With countless meal delivery providers out there, how do you decide the right one for you? There are a few things to look at, such as calories, macro split, how many meals per subscription and the volume of the meals.

Most meal providers with weight loss plans have a similar number of calories per meal – around 350. However, the macro breakdown might be different – some might have more fat and less carbs, more protein than fat and so on. It’s a good idea to look at the macro breakdown and see what suits you best.

Meals per subscription is another factor to consider. Most weight loss plans will come with lunch and dinner, but some are just dinner. Price will also typically vary based on how many meals you order. You should consider the value versus convenience. The volume of meals is another important factor. Some meals are 250g while others can be up to 400g. However, just because a meal is 400g doesn’t mean it’s going to be higher in calories. It might just have more veggies and protein and fill you up more than a 250g meal that costs the same.

If you want to lose weight, a meal delivery service weight loss plan can be an excellent way to help you lose weight and keep it off. Meal provider plans work for a number of reasons, largely because it’s designed by a team of nutritionists who understand the science behind losing weight and how to construct low-calorie meals.

And, when using a meal delivery service, you’re more likely to stick with the diet because the meals are there and waiting for you in your fridge. There’s no planning, shopping or cooking needed to be done – making it a very sustainable and simple way to lose weight.

Looking at the plans most meal providers put you on, anywhere from 4-6 weeks and you’ll start noticing changes.

Depending on the meal provider you choose, you can certainly eat your own home-cooked foods and snacks while using a meal delivery service. Typically, you can choose how many meals you want to buy per week, and many people will buy lunches and dinners ready-made but cook their own breakfast for example.

Not necessarily! While the energy density (i.e. the calories) of the meal is smaller, the volume of food doesn’t always decrease to meet calorie requirements. Foods like vegetables and proteins are naturally lower in calories meaning you can eat a lot of them and still be eating in a calorie deficit to lose weight.

HelloFresh is a highly popular meal delivery kit service in Australia and while they don’t offer a “weight loss” meal kit per se, they do have a Calorie Smart menu you can choose your meals from. All meals have a max of 30g carbs and no more than 650 calories (which when comparing it to other weight loss meals from other providers is almost double the calories).

Again, it depends on the provider you choose. Some offer delivery as fast as the next day, while others run on weekly schedules. It can be tricky if you miss the cut-off by a day, and then you have to wait a week to get your first delivery. It’s important to figure out the delivery schedule and if it suits your needs before you place an order.

Losing weight is a personal thing. How much you have to lose and how quickly you can safely lose it is based on your individual needs. And, eating in a new way may cause some initial side effects while your body adapts. Typically when start eating a low-calorie diet, you might experience the following:

💩 Diarrhoea

🥵 Constipation

🧠 Poor energy and mental function

😋 Increased or decreased hunger

😴 Sleep issues

🤢 Nausea

💪 Decreased exercise performance

There are some people who shouldn’t eat a low-calorie diet full stop, such. As with any new diet, it’s important to talk to your doctor before starting.