Losing weight can be one of the toughest challenges any of us take on during our lives. We’re constantly bombarded by the advertising of unhealthy foods, with easy access to takeaways just a few taps of our fingers away. This challenge pervades every part of our diet, from Breakfast to Dinner and everything in between.
In this battle to build a healthier, fitter lifestyle, any small help can be the difference between success and failure. I believe this is where Food Boxes can potentially help you lose those extra few pounds and achieve that goal weight. To see which services have the most potential to make a difference, I’ve tried as many as I can and share my recommendations here.
These are the services I recommend. Click on the service or scroll down to see why I recommend it and access any discount codes we have:
- Lite n Easy – A full prepared meals service with a regular rotating menu.
- GoodnessMe – A regular discovery box of health foods that can replace your normal snacks.
- Marley Spoon – A meal ingredient subscription to help you cook fresh, healthy meals at home.
- BeFitFood – A variety of weight loss programs with prepared meals to suit every type of dieter.
Skip down to my first recommended service
Page Contents
Benefits of Food Boxes for Weight Loss
When you’re trying to lose weight, diet is easily one of the biggest influencing factors. However, it’s also definitely one of the hardest things to get right. Each of us have a different lifestyle, different calorie requirements and different temptations so it’s important that we discover the dieting techniques that work specifically for us. Personally, I tend to snack constantly throughout the day which really adds up in calories. Food Boxes have helped me discover more tricks to help my diet and adopt healthier snacking habits. I think the main benefits of Food Boxes are:
- Convenience – We’ve all come home from a tough day at work or school, looked in the fridge to see nothing simple and then reached for the takeaway menu. Nowadays, I even get Uber Eats popping up notifications reminding me how easy it is to order from my local Indian takeaway. Meal Kits & Prepared Meals can totally transform that because your meal is already there and ready to go. There are no excuses because it takes less time (and less money) to just make what’s already in the fridge.
- Discover Alternative Foods – We all settle into a routine of buying the same things at a supermarket each time we go. This leads to cooking the same meals and having the same snacks each week. Ultimately, that’s only going to end up in boredom! Food Boxes can allow you to cheaply and easily discover new snacks and recipes to spice up your weekly eating habits. You’ll also discover those healthy alternatives to satisfy any cravings you might have.
- Controlled Portions – Food Boxes only ever send out a standard amount of each ingredient, so you can very easily track/control your intake. This means that snacks are definitely snack-size and meals are calorie controlled to match your dietary goals. When portioning food yourself from the supermarket it’s almost impossible to get it right, so Food Boxes can take the guesswork out of dieting.
About our Food Box Recommendations
Here at Food Box Mate, I endeavour to try all our recommended Food Boxes for at least a couple of subscription cycles. This makes sure I get a sense of their consistency, variety and overall experience. Based on my experimentation, I rate each Food Box with an individual review score. However, each Food Box is great for different people so even if it wasn’t right for me, it might be perfect for you. I recommend Food Boxes based on the following 3 categories:
GOLD STANDARD: For those services that I think are perfect for Families. These are tried and tested Food Boxes that deliver a fantastic experience. I’ll never give out a Gold Standard recommendation if I haven’t thoroughly tested the service myself.
RECOMMENDED: Depending on what you’re looking for, these services may be perfect for you. Here, I recommend any services that I’ve tested and think you’ll enjoy – even if they don’t quite make the Gold Standard grade.
SUGGESTED: Due to time, money and location restrictions, it isn’t always possible for me to try every single service. In this scenario, I don’t want you to miss out on a potentially exciting Food Box experience so I share them as ‘suggested’. I always check to make sure these are well regarded and have a proven history of happy customers.
What I’m looking for in a Weight Loss Food Box
Just because a Food Box provides a great service, doesn’t mean it’s perfect for people trying to lose weight. So, there are a few additional factors that I take into account when collating this list of my top recommended Food Boxes:
- Nutritionally Balanced Meals – Sticking ingredients into a box with a recipe and shipping it to people isn’t actually that difficult. More difficult, is providing meals that actually deliver the nutritional requirements people need for a balanced diet. I expect Food Box services to work with registered dietitions and work constantly to ensure that all meals are nutritionally balanced.
- High Convenience – Where success is based on sticking consistently to your diet, any potential barriers to that should be viewed negatively. You need to feel confident that your food will always arrive on time, in good condition and easily prepared. In particular, this is where Prepared Meals services shine because it takes no effort at all to put a meal into the microwave for a few minutes.
- Support Network – Weight loss isn’t only about food. It’s also about a holistic lifestyle change that leads to long term health & happiness. This is where a service can really distinguish themselves from others, by supporting their customers across all areas of their weight loss journey. Having a network of fellow customers and content providing support can help make a diet successful.
GOLD STANDARD: Lite n Easy
Type: Prepared Meals
Lite n Easy are the largest healthy meal delivery service in Australia, with thousands of success stories from their meal plans. They provide Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner that can really help with sticking to a diet. Based on your goals and individual needs, there are 3 plans to choose from: 1200cal, 1500cal and 1800cal. These should suit the needs of most people. Lite n Easy meals arrive pre-frozen so they can easily be stored in the freezer and require 6-8 minutes in the microwave to be reheated. I was quite impressed by some of the meals, providing strong flavours and being very filling. Based on my experience, it’s worth trying as many of the meals as you can before just picking out your favourites.
Lite n Easy can really help on the weight loss journey by providing that super convenient option. It’s actually easier to just follow the diet (once the food is in your fridge/freezer) than it is to eat something else. There’s also a fantastic Facebook community of people on the Lite n Easy plan, providing a support network to keep people motivated. Lite n Easy costs between $152 – $189 for the full 7 day plans. If you normally eat out for lunch or dinner a few times a week, this quickly becomes a bargain.
Lite n Easy ships all across Australia, with a small additional charge for WA residents. Shipping is generally free for Metro area, but you should check this on the Lite n Easy website.
Try Lite n Easy TodayDiscover weight loss meals with Lite n Easy
RECOMMENDED: GoodnessMe Box
Type: Discovery Box
The GoodnessMe box is a monthly discovery box of health and wholefood products. The reason I highly recommend this for those seeking to lose weight, is because their products provide fantastic alternatives to unhealthy snacking. For example, I discovered the Upbeat porridge packets thanks to GoodnessMe and these are a fantastic healthy alternative to other packaged porridge that’s available. Being able to sample 8-10 products every month can make it a lot easier to find the healthy snacks you like. Having access to this is only $25 a month as well, which I feel is an absolute bargain.
GoodnessMe provide a really polished discovery box, with quality products and lots of information on how to use them. They also offer a Kids box and a Beauty box for anyone interested in trying some of their other offerings. If you have any allergies or intolerances, these can always be accommodated and the box customised for your needs. If you do like any of the products, there is also a full shop on the GoodnessMe site where you can purchase more of the individual products.
GoodnessMe ships everywhere across Australia with standard shipping costing $6.95. Delivery is free for any subscriptions that are 3 months or longer.
Check out the GoodnessMe box from just $25Discover new health foods every month
Featured Service
RECOMMENDED: Marley Spoon
Type: Meal Kit
Marley Spoon came out on top in our investigation of the healthiest Meal Kits. In general, their meals were the most balanced in terms of macronutrients and were low in total calories. The added bonus of using Marley Spoon is the fantastic variety of meals on offer each week, with plenty of low-carb options available. Marley Spoon’s weekly meal kits start at $50 for 2 meals (2 people) and go up to $170 for 5 meals (4 people). If you’re wanting to cook alone, no worries! I wrote about how to use Meal Kits as a single person.
Whilst Marley Spoon don’t specifically offer ‘diet’ plans, their meals all provide a healthy alternative to buying takeaways/packaged meals. By cooking the meals yourself, you have full control over what goes into your food and you can learn cooking skills that you can re-use forever. Because Meal Kits have pre-portioned ingredients, you also get a clear sense of what a ‘normal’ portion size is for each meal. I believe that learning more about what goes on in the kitchen can be a game changer for developing healthier, long-lasting habits. Ultimately allowing you to lose weight and keep that weight off.
Marley Spoon delivers to most areas in Australia except for WA. Check their postcode tool on the Marley Spoon website for more information. Delivery is a standard $8.95 rate.
SUGGESTED: Be Fit Food
Type: Prepared Meals
Be Fit a Food offer meal plans based on the Keto diet which massively restricts carbohydrates. This makes it a far more intense commitment than any of the other services recommended here. Instead of retaining a sense of normality, you’ll really feel like you’re on a diet with Be Fit Food. Whilst I haven’t tried their meals myself, they do come well recommended. If you prefer to opt for the more short-term stricter diets then Be Fit Food could be perfect for you. Their programs start at $200 per week which is slightly more expensive than Lite n Easy. If you’re going to give this a try, definitely join their support Facebook group as this will help you get through some of the more difficult times.
Be Fit Food delivery everywhere except for Tasmania and Northern Territory. Delivery costs vary per state and can get very costly if you’re under a certain total order amount. Make sure you check out the shipping costs before you order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be at home for delivery?
All Food Boxes are designed to be left outside your home for at least a day before their contents need to be placed in the fridge or freezer. With the larger boxes like Marley Spoon and Lite n Easy, it’s worth setting up a safe space for them to be delivered. Failing this, you can always nominate a friendly neighbour to pick it up for you.
Am I guaranteed to lose weight with these Food Boxes?
Nobody can ever guarantee that you’ll lose weight, although you’ve definitely got a better chance when using Food Boxes. Losing weight requires a holistic approach that includes diet, exercise, stress and rest. In order to lose the most weight, you’ll need everything in balance. The Food Boxes I recommend can massively help with your diet, making it super easy and convenient to control that calorie intake. This leaves you with more time to work on those other aspects of weight loss.
These seem like they’re really expensive, are they worth the money?
This is a really individual question. For many people, these Food Boxes will actually save you money. This is because those cafe lunches, takeaway dinners and drinks add up to quite a lot of spending each week. By using Food Box services, you can get your average meal cost down to around $7-$10 per meal which is quite reasonable. The only way to find out is to track your spending for a couple of weeks and compare your actual spend with the cost of subscribing to one of these Food Boxes.
Its also important not to ignore the value of being dedicated to your weight loss journey. Paying a little more each week for your food is well worth it if you end up healthier and happier!
I hope you found this page useful, it’s really exciting for me to spread the word about businesses I love. If you’ve had any experience using any of these companies, do let me know on Facebook. Alternatively, if you think I’ve missed an incredible service out of these recommendations, send a message from my Contact Us page.
