My last food diary post received an overwhelming response and a huge amount of hits, which I’m really pleased about! In the run up to summer, going on a bikini body blitz is right at the forefront of people’s minds and the MY Food diet plan is definitely a much tastier (and more fun) alternative to a grueling bland diet. I never thought I’d use the words fun and diet in the same sentence but I have really enjoyed tasting all the lovely dishes the MY Food team prepared for me this week and I am delighted with the results! If you haven’t yet read my food diary part one, you can do so by clicking here. I won’t go into details about how the diet plan works in this post because I’ve already explained it in my last food diary and I’d rather talk about the results and how I’ve found the plan overall! (Hope that’s okay!).
I’ve lost 5lbs in total!
Although 7 days of diet food won’t make you drop 5 dress sizes instantly, I’ve found that being on the MY Food plan has given me the incentive to ‘start as I mean to go on’. Basically, it has kick started my healthy eating plan and given me a real boost towards my diet goal! I’ve lost 5lbs in total, which has made a real difference to the way I feel and I can definitely feel my clothes getting a little looser. It hasn’t felt like a chore, I have been treated to a variety of flavorsome dishes that seriously don’t taste like typical ‘diet’ food and I’ve actually enjoyed trying new things and sticking to a food plan (it’s sooo much easier than deciding what to eat at each meal interval).
There are other diet food delivery plans out there currently, one of which being ‘diet chef’ which also delivers pre-prepared meals to your doorstep. However, the difference between Diet Chef and MY Food is that there seems to be far more effort and time spent developing the flavors of the MY Food plan, rather than the focus being purely on the calorie intake or the fact it’s easy to prepare. In addition, Diet Chef seems to be far more commercialized and in that sense, the love behind the food disappears. I personally would rather be on a plan with delicious food, that’s going to inspire me to kick start my healthy lifestyle rather than battle through a grueling, bland plan that leaves me feeling like I want to scoff a huge bar of Dairy Milk the minute the diet has ended.
On the MY Food website, the blitz body plan claims to reduce bloating, improve skin tone and leaving you feeling fantastic – all of which I can confirm are true. My skin has felt as though it is glowing, I feel far less bloated than I normally would having eaten a large meal and after losing 5lbs I feel much better in myself. The plan is based on having 1100 calories per day, which means that whilst you are still eating a healthy amount of food, you are also cutting back on unnecessary calories. You can bump up the plan to include snacks, however you also bump up the calories – so personally, I would just stick to the normal plan and if you need to snack have things like carrot sticks or ricecakes.
My favourite dishes from the plan were the Thai Red Curry with rice noodles, the Mediterrean Spelt Pizza and the Rogan Josh Curry with Poppadoms which were all absolutely delicious and were far better than any takeaway I’ve previously had (and felt guilty about). One of the most surprising things about the dishes you are given is how large the portions are, and how long they fill you up for. The soups are especially filling (specifically the mushy pea soup) and I could eat a bowl at 12 and not feel hungry again until half 5 (which might seem normal to most of you, but I usually pick and snack throughout this time).
Alongside sticking to the plan, I have also been running for up to 25 minutes every day which has probably also helped with the weight loss. With many diet plans, you don’t feel as though you have the energy to do any exercise however I’ve actually found myself far more energized since starting the plan and it’s inspired me to get on my rarely used cross trainer (result!).
The only criticism I can make of the diet plan (if I’m being really picky), is that I could have done with a little sweet treat to save for one of the seven days, as if I’m being entirely honest I have been craving chocolate, biscuits and ice cream. I haven’t succumbed to my cravings because I really wanted to give the plan a good go and let you all know what its like however I feel the MY Food diet plan could benefit from having just one little tasty treat that dieters can save and treat themselves on just one of the seven days. Admittedly, yes I know having sweet things isn’t what being on a diet is all about but I am a firm believer that diets shouldn’t be just to lose a little weight for you to then return back to your normal eating habits, it should be something that kick starts a new healthy lifestyle and realistically, we need to treat ourselves occasionally. We are all allowed to indulge in a little treat food some of the time, but it’s all about balance. However, as I’ve said – that criticism is if I’m being really picky! Instead of succumbing to my sweet tooth and demolishing the caramel chocolate digestives that are currently still sitting in the cupboard, I’ve had a few strawberries with sweetener or an apple.
You don’t even have to waste time choosing what to eat! It’s all planned for you!
The MY Food plan costs £140 for 7 days which works out to be around £20 per day. You can select what meals you would prefer to have delivered in your hamper, make the MY Food team aware of your allergies/food preferences, choose your delivery date and away you go. If you are a working woman and find yourself eating unhealthily simply because you don’t have time to prepare healthy, delicious meals (and so find yourself turning to processed foods) then this plan is ideal for you. Snipping the pouches open and heating up the meal in a pan takes little under 10 minutes and seeing as everything is planned out for you, you don’t even have to waste time choosing what to eat. I would definitely recommend the plan to anyone who is looking to kick start their beach body diet or simply wants to lose a few pounds and improve their overall health and well-being. You can opt to have a two-week diet plan delivered (where you can expect to lose up to 9lbs) or if you’d prefer to ‘try before you buy’ you can opt for a taste experience plan which costs £49.95 and provides you with 2 days of food as well as a money off voucher (worth £99) should you choose to follow the plan through and have another hamper delivered.
Excuse my waffling, the MY Food website explains all the different plans far better than I do, but I just thought I’d mention the options should you like the sound of the plan but don’t necessarily want to commit to seven days! To visit the MY Food website please click here.
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Sam, our celebrity writer – also tried out the MY Food Diet Plan, here is his take on it!
With Scarlett’s very informative and well written blog post about her MY Food plan in mind, I decided to try this diet for myself. Not only did I want to shed a few excess pounds, but I also thought it would be interesting for you, the readers, to see the diet from a guy’s perspective.
Before I start, I would like to say thank you to Lucy Appleton, PR Manager of MY food. Lucy always replied to my emails as quickly as possible, and answered every question I had regarding the plan in a detailed and friendly manner.
I tried the Active Body diet plan. For 7 days it costs £140, which works out at £20 a day. This particular diet is designed for people that are active and want to lose weight at the same time. At the moment, I’m a journalism student, and currently work Part – Time as a tour guide at a professional football stadium, so I tend to walk miles during the day (I do 4 tours a week and each tour consist of 2 hours) I explained this to Lucy and she said the Active Body diet plan was the best option for me.
Here is a sample menu of what to expect on the Active Body Diet Plan: http://www.myfood.co.uk/hres/c2ag_940x666_3_Active1.jpg
Friday morning was the day of delivery. I was sent an email to say that the food package would be delivered between the hours of 11.31 – 12.31, and to my amusement I was also told that the driver delivering the package was called Fred.
Sure enough, at 11.36 there was a knock at the door and there was Fred himself with the food package. Once signed for, I ripped open the box with curiosity and found that the food was laid out and separated in terms of what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the back, instructions were there to advise what foods to freeze, fridge and keep in cool place.
Looking at all this food made me hungry and I was all ready to start as soon as possible, but then I suddenly remembered a call from a friend mentioning a BBQ. After a few minutes of contemplating, I decided to opt for the BBQ, and treated it like The Last Supper. Ribs, chicken, sausages and burgers were all consumed. However, I wouldn’t say it’s the best idea to do this before going on a diet…
Monday morning quickly came around, and I was ready for the week ahead with the diet! I made a list of the all the positive’s from doing this plan and stuck it on the fridge ( Motivation is key!) it seemed to work, as I only strayed once in the week – having a few chips which my friend bought on Brighton Pier – More on that later!
In all honesty, I enjoyed most of the food. One of the meals I didn’t like was the Chilli Bean Frittata with Green Vegetable Salad, and that’s mainly because I’m not a fan of chilli! Although some, when dished up, showed fairly small portions, every meal filled me up and never left me craving for chocolate or any other types of junk food.
My favourite meal of the week: Chicken Paella. From Day one, this was the meal I was counting down the seconds/minutes/hours/days for. Just my luck that it was to be eaten towards the end of the diet! When the time came to eat it, I wasn’t disappointed – It tasted fantastic, and best of all – was healthy!
My least favourite meal of the week: For me, it had to be the Walnut, Mushroom & Cottage Cheese soup. I took one taste and decided it wasn’t for me. I also mentioned how I didn’t like the Chilli Bean Frittata with Green Vegetable Salad. So in summary, out of 21 meals – I didn’t like 2.
Positive Aspects of the diet
- Although not bad before I went on the diet, my skin seems to be glowing. Possibly as a result of all the pulses, grains, nuts and seeds in the food. And of course, no junk food.
- Meals are all prepared for you – all you have to do is either eat them chilled or heat up makes healthy eating seems easy.
- Some of the meals don’t seem part of a diet at all. One day I had Thai Red Chicken Curry and another day – Turkey Rogan Josh which tasted fantastic!
- The meals are very filling
- Makes healthy eating quite exciting!
Negative Aspects of the diet
- Having Soya Milk for breakfast.
- Eating no chocolate for a week! ( Although when you see how much weight you can lose, it’s worth it!)
- No treat to ‘sweeten’ up on towards the end of the week.
So here’s the big question – Did I stick to it?
Yes, I did! As explained, the only time I ‘slipped up’ would be when I had a few chips from Brighton Pier, but apart from that I was very strict with keeping to the plan and I’m pleased to report I lost 6 pounds.
Interestingly, some family members who are normally sceptical about dieting and companies that promise how many pounds will be lost in a week, have been really impressed with the MY Food Diet plans and a few are even considering trying one out. Although I think this is mainly to do with some of the tasty foods that are on offer!
In summary, I’m really pleased I was given the chance to try out the Active Body diet plan – I could see that beforehand, I was eating a bit too much junk and comfort food, and as a result of this diet, I very much hold the ‘mantra’ of “ Start as you mean to go on “. Whether it will last, I don’t know -but I’m looking forward to finding out!
To find out more about the various plans MY food offer, have a look at http://www.myfood.co.uk/
I hope you all enjoyed the article, please feel free to ask me any questions.
