11 meal delivery plans to help you prepare for the imminent Holiday weight gain

By Lou Albano

Nov 4, 2014 | 3:43pm Manila time

Unless you had the self-control of a saint, weight gain during Christmas is as expected as hearing Jose Mari Chan’s “Christmas in our Hearts.” So do the best you can: Behave beforehand. As in: Exercise, go on a diet, lose some poundage, make room for all the buffets and the lauriats and media noches and noche buenas coming your way. Here are 11 meal delivery plans that should help you in that department.

1. Juice Jab Meals
From the makers of the juicing detox program, comes actual solids — food! — you can have while on the cleanse. Think of it as the food and drink pairing. There are two kinds of meal programs that work around the juicing kit: Jab meals, which will have you consume 900 calories, food and drink all in. And Jolt meals, which will have you consume 1,200 calories, food and drink all in. Short of the long: Jab meals are more intense than the Jolt meals, which are for those on weight maintenance. Starts at PHP2,000. Website; +63 917 8387355

2. Fit Food Manila
This meal delivery company has been gaining a lot of fans for… good food that doesn’t make you feel like you were on a diet. Sure, they subscribe to portioning but it’s big in taste, making you feel so not deprived. On the Fit Food team are a licensed nutritionist, a chef with 12 years’ worth of experience, plus 60 HACCP employees producing the 1,200-calorie/day plan composed of breakfast, lunch, dinner plus two snacks. Prepare to shell out PHP1,850 for 5 days. Facebook, +63 917 7240222

Thrive

3. Thrive Detox Program of Edgy Veggy
Quite unique from all the rest, the Thrive Detox Program of Edgy Veggy promises to help you reduce cravings for junk foods and sweets. There are three packages to choose from: the 3-day, 5-day, or 7-day package, which plays around 1,350-1,500 calorie count. But here’s the catch: You don’t subscribe to this meal plan for weight loss. Starts at PHP3,100. Website, +63 917 8474831

4. Healthy Eats Manila
The good thing about Healthy Eats Manila — apart Chef Jam Melchor cooking your meals — is that it takes into account your kind of lifestyle, your kind of built, and your weight target. So for instance, you’re normal built office employee who likes to chill in front of the TV (short of the long: living a sedentary lifestyle), Healthy Eats Manila will recommend you do the 1,500 calories/day meal plan, instead of the usual 1,200 calories/day. That said, there are four meal plans to choose from this proud advocate of slow food movement. Starts at PHP2,800. Facebook, +639178309516

5. Paleo Manila
The first and only Paleo food delivery in Manila, this is best for people who can show commitment. They look at the 5-day, week-long plan as a trial period, to assess if you can do the Caveman diet, the shortest meal plan at 1 month or 20 days; the Warrior which is 3 months or 60 days; or gasp the Beast, which is 6 months’ long or 120 days. The good thing here is: you get weekends off. Phew. Prepare to shell out PHP3,250 on a weekly basis. Website; +63 917 8410825

6. Munch Manila
Very new to the scene, Munch Manila is a detox program by way of food. For five days, you’ll be eating low carb food cooked only in either olive or coconut oil. The food is trans fat-free, but best of all, it’s chef- and nutritionist-approved. All told, you’ll be spending PHP550 a day. Facebook, +63 939 9347209

7. Lunch box diet
With its night shift delivery, Lunch box diet seems to be targeting people who need healthy meals the most: call center peeps. It’s a 5-day, 1,200 calories/day program that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. The words of encouragement found in the brown paper bag are highly, highly appreciated. Prepare to spend PHP1,700 for all five days. Facebook, +639178093196

8. Diet Diva
Yet another favorite among dieters, Diet Diva takes pride in the fact that meals you’ll be consuming for five days are prepared by nutritionist and dietician Clark de la Riva. Like most meal plans, their weekly menu is posted on Facebook very Friday, but get this: They recommend you book at least two weeks in advance because slots get filled in, in a snap. Prepare PHP1,900 for all 5 days. Website; +63 917 7033482

9. Yummy Diet
The only rule that Yummy Diet seems to be strict about: No carbs. It has three programs: 1,200 calories/day, 1,500 calories/day, and 1,800 calories/day, all of which go for 5 days. The food is good and all but you know what everybody on Yummy Diet is raving about? The set of metal cutlery the meals come with. Nice touch, Yummy Diet. You’ll spend PHP1,800 for all five days. Facebook, +63 917 8898660

10. Happy Diet Delivery
HDD has one of the biggest (social media) followings, with about 15,000 Facebook likes and over 35,000 followers on Instagram. Every morning for five days, your breakfast, lunch, dinner plus two snacks, which comprise 1,200 to 1,400 calories will be delivered to your doorstep. They’re all organic, they’re all healthy, and what’s more, they’re all filling. Prepare to spend PHP500 a day. Facebook, +63 917 9449797

11. Happy Diet
Not to be confused with the above is Happy Diet, a meal plan delivery that operates in Pasig. It’s also a five-day program but here, the calorie count plays around 1,200-2,000 calories. Shell out PHP2,000 for the 5-day meal plan. Facebook, +63 917 5512808

BEFORE YOU GO ON A DIET, WATCH OUR INSTAKITCHEN VIDEOS

Episode 1: Sisig tacos at El Chupacabra