12 Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services of 2023
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Our registered dietitians tested the best meal delivery services for weight loss and found that Factor, BistroMD, Trifecta Nutrition, and 9 others offer quality options. Here’s why they made the list.
Meal delivery services have become increasingly popular among health-conscious consumers and those following specific diets.
In addition to being simple and convenient, many meal delivery services can:
- support weight loss efforts
- promote nutrient-rich eating habits
- make it easier to follow a balanced and nutritious diet
Keep reading for our dietitians’ picks for the 12 best weight loss meal delivery services.
Disclaimer: All of the services tested below were tried by Healthline writers or editors, who received the meals for free. All opinions are our own.
Take a look at how these meal deliveries for weight loss compare:
- Convenience: We looked for meals that were convenient to prepare to minimize the extra time it might take customers to fit healthy meals into their schedules.
- Meal plans: We looked for meal delivery services that offered diet-specific meal plans that help customers reach their weight loss goals.
- Nutrient-rich meals: We looked for meal delivery services that offer balanced and nutrient-dense meals to help customers feel supported in their weight loss goals.
- Nutritional content: We looked for meal delivery services that provide low calorie, high protein, or high fiber options to promote weight management.
- Taste and ease of preparation: We looked for services that offer meals that are easy to prepare, and we also tried many of them to find out whether they offered a good variety of flavors and textures.
- Price: We included meal delivery services at a variety of price points to accommodate any budget.
- Vetting: The services on our list have been vetted to ensure that they align with Healthline’s brand integrity standards and approach to well-being. You can read more about our vetting process.
- Price: Make sure to choose the meal delivery service that best fits your weekly or monthly food or grocery budget, and don’t forget to consider shipping costs and whether you’ll have to shop for additional meals or foods.
- High quality ingredients: Look for services that prioritize fresh ingredients and use little or no artificial additives or heavily processed ingredients. Some people may also prefer a service that offers organic produce, sustainable seafood, or grass-fed beef.
- Nutritional information: Look for services that offer nutritionally balanced meals or disclose each meal’s nutritional information. That way, you’ll better understand your calorie and macro intake.
- App compatibility: If you use an app to keep track of your calories or macros, it can be helpful to choose a service with meals that are already entered into your app.
- Variety: Look for alternatives that offer a varied menu, which will prevent you from getting bored with their dishes. It is also important that they accommodate your specific diet, be it omnivorous, vegan, gluten-free, low carb, etc.
- Convenience: Whether you have time to do a little cooking or just have a few minutes to warm up and eat, choose an option that meets your convenience needs. This will help you avoid wasting food and time.
If you’re looking to lose weight, meal delivery services can be strategic allies for several reasons, including:
- Portion control: Meal delivery services offer preportioned meals with a fixed and known total calorie and macronutrient content. Portion sizes are directly linked to energy intake, so reducing them can be helpful for creating a calorie deficit to support weight loss (
13 ,14 ). - Adherence: Whether you lack the time or resources, following a diet can be difficult because it requires careful meal planning. Meal delivery services can make adherence to diets like the Mediterranean diet or keto easier by delivering diet-compliant meals or meal kits directly to your door.
- Improved diet quality: Depending on the recipe, meal delivery services can provide meals that are more nutritious than what you might typically eat. In particular, these meals can provide lean proteins and good sources of fiber, like vegetables, to help keep you full. Protein is also important for preserving muscle mass (
2 ,5 ,15 ,16 ).
What’s more, research shows that exposure to greater healthful food variety — which is the case with most meal delivery services — can increase the intake of low calorie, energy-dense foods like fruits and vegetables, helping support and sustain weight loss (
Here are five healthy and quick tips if you’re looking to manage your weight:
- Create a small calorie deficit: Taking in fewer calories than you burn every day will result in weight loss. However, cutting calories too drastically can result in compensatory changes over time, such as increased appetite, that make it harder to maintain weight loss. This is why many experts recommend making small reductions in daily calorie intake to promote healthy, sustainable weight loss (
18 ). - Limit ultra-processed foods: High intakes of ultra-processed foods — such as sugary drinks, fast food, sweets, and even diet foods — cause excess calorie intake that leads to weight gain while providing little to no nutrients at all (
19 ). - Stay physically active: Increasing your physical activity or exercise also helps with losing weight and maintaining weight by creating a negative energy balance (
20 ). - Get enough sleep: Sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain due to hormonal changes that may alter the metabolism of sugars and behavioral changes that increase caloric intake. Thus, evidence recommends adults get at least 7 hours of sleep (
21 ).
Check out this article for more science-backed tips on losing weight healthily and sustainably.
Is it easier to lose weight with a meal delivery service?
While you can lose weight without using a meal delivery service, many people find they can be an easy and convenient way to enjoy more nutritious meals at home.
Additionally, meal delivery services help promote portion control and often offer meals low in calories or high in protein designed to support weight loss.
What food delivery service is best for weight loss?
Trifecta Nutrition is our choice as the best overall meal delivery service for weight loss thanks to its portion-controlled, nutritionally balanced meals. We also like that each meal contains at least 20 g of protein, and that there are menus to suit a variety of dietary needs.
If you prefer a meal kit to cook yourself, Sunbasket is our best overall pick because it offers menus to suit a variety of dietary patterns that may be helpful for weight loss, including Mediterranean, Diabetes-Friendly, Vegetarian, and Carb-Conscious.
Can you lose weight on HelloFresh meals?
Weight loss is achieved by reaching and maintaining a calorie deficit. Yet, because caloric needs are influenced by physical activity, height, and age, among other factors, one person’s calorie deficit can differ significantly from another person’s (
HelloFresh offers six different plans, including a lower calorie option called Calorie Smart, which provides meals under 650 calories per serving.
Consuming 650 calories per meal can easily fit into a calorie deficit. If it does not match yours, you could always plan around the rest of your daily meals to avoid a calorie surplus.
That said, weight loss is not guaranteed.
Which meal delivery service works best with Weight Watchers?
Blue Apron is a great option if you’re using WeightWatchers, as many of the meals on their Wellness menu are WeightWatchers approved.
However, many other meal delivery services also offer low calorie, nutritious meals that can fit into weight loss programs like WeightWatchers. Some other options include Purple Carrot, Sunbasket, and BistroMD.
There are many meal delivery services available that can help you reach your weight loss goals — each of which varies in price, flexibility, and effectiveness.
They also vary by the amount of time and preparation they require, with some offering fully prepared meals and others providing recipes and preportioned ingredients to allow you to make your own nutritious meals at home.
With a bit of research and experimentation, you can likely find a plan that works for you.