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Delivered meals gaining popularity
LOS ANGELES,
California (AP) -- As a party planner for the
stars, Jodi Thomas' schedule leaves
little time for eating right.
Fed up with getting by on coffee and candy bars
while coordinating events for hundreds of people,
Thomas signed up with the Zone Diet At Home
food delivery
service. For her, weight loss was an afterthought.
"
I'm eating right, the food is good, and the bonus is I lose weight along the
way," said the 30-year-old Santa Monica resident who lost five pounds in
a month.
Peggy White, 58, a software engineer from Redmond,
Washington, is busy, too. But she joined a
meal delivery plan because she desperately
needed to slim
down.
She wouldn't disclose her weight before signing
up with Zone Los Angeles but said she lost 96 pounds
during the next year. She said it was well
worth the $40
a day she paid Zone Los Angeles, an independent firm based in Los Angeles that delivers
to about 160 people in Los Angeles and Portland.
Neither woman missed cooking. Thomas said her
stove is mere decoration. White was glad to
stay out of the kitchen.
"
One, when you're in the kitchen you want to eat things and cheat," White
said. "Two, it's having to spend time in there to figure out what to eat
and whether it's OK."
Personal tastes
Fresh food delivery services offering customized
meals are gaining acceptance among busy, well-paid
professionals, many of whom aren't battling weight
problems.
Some say the plans provide balanced meals on
days when they otherwise would have worked hours
without eating then binge on something they'd
regret later.
Programs
usually include three neatly packaged meals and a snack, all delivered in coolers
on the doorstep.
The Zone Diet At Home menu is designed to provide
a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat,
while Atkins At Home offers low-carbohydrate,
high-protein
foods. Some programs have staff nutritionists to answer clients' questions.
Los Angeles-based NutriFit offers plans according
to food preferences, nutrition and fitness
goals, said company co-founder Jacqueline Keller.
It even has meals
for people who want to gain weight by eating healthy, and special diets for
people with diabetes or heart disease.
Weight Watchers and South Beach, two leaders
in the packaged diet food sector, don't offer
fresh food delivery services.
Prices for delivered meals range from about $35
to $45 a day -- a price that Atkins At Home
spokesman Eric Freedland acknowledges is not
for everyone.
"
It may be a little pricey, but some people feel it's an investment for their
health and lifestyle," Freedland said.
White didn't mind the cost.
"
I was able to make something happen," she said. "You figure you're
going to spend that much eating out anyway."
Customized plans
White initially had meals delivered to her home
every day and found she was losing two to three
pounds a week, partly due to regular swimming
and
a cardiovascular
workout.
With the customized meals, she learned how to
limit her portion sizes and to replicate some
of the Zone Los Angeles-prepared meals in her kitchen.
Eventually,
White decreased the delivery days from seven to two.
Arlene Sherman, president of Zone Los Angeles, said
her company offers a sample trial for those
not fully prepared to commit to long-term delivery
plans.
To attract
her mostly female clients, Sherman also offers an additional $8 meal so
clients don't have to cook their spouse's dinner.
The Atkins At Home program requires at least
a 28-day commitment to ensure that customers
reach their goals, said Jo-Anne Kelly, a nutritionist
for
the company.
She said most customers stay on the program for two months.
The New York-based Zone Diet At Home offers 14-day "jump-start" programs.
In recent months, it has offered zone meals for kids and a 21-day diet plan designed
for last-minute slimming down before big events like a wedding.
Some programs are available just in the New
York metropolitan area, but company founder
Arthur Gunning said he expects to make it
available nationally
soon.
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