Is bistroMD The Best Weight Loss Food Delivery Service?

Looking for a way to lose weight and spend less time preparing meals every day?  A lot of people struggle to stick to their diets because they simply do not have hours a day to spend in the kitchen.

bistroMD is a company which wants to help solve that problem.  With diet-friendly meals delivered right to your door, you can stick with your diet in spite of your busy, fast-paced lifestyle.

But is bistroMD the right weight loss food delivery service for your needs? 

Let’s check out what they have to offer in terms of healthy and delicious meals, ingredients, pricing, special features and more.

What is bistroMD Designed For?

BistroMD sums up the goal of their service on their website with the heading, “Eating healthy can be easy.”

That pretty much says it all.  This service is designed specifically for those who want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

You choose a plan which is tailored to your needs, and it is delivered to your door.  Meals are chef-prepared, meaning you do not need to do anything yourself but heat them up and enjoy them.

What is the Scientific Basis for the bistroMD Diet?

The  diet was designed by Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D., an expert with 20 years of medical experience.

The principle behind the diet is that of “balanced nutrition.”

Here is what that means by the numbers:

• 1,100-1,400 calories
• 40-50% from lean protein
• 20-25% from healthy fats
• 30-35% from complex carbohydrates

Now, my own background is in low carb, of which I am a major proponent, so that tends to be the lens I view other diets from. Any worthy weight loss program needs to consider carbs first and foremost.

My own diet consists of about 10% carbs, and that is still not considered totally “low” by a lot of standards.

I have read that a lot of Americans eat diets which are around 40-60% carbs.

So bistroMD’s diet is not really “low carb,” but it could be termed a “reduced carb” diet.

I would say it might be a good fit for you if you like the idea of cutting back on carbs, but do not want to go overboard with changing the way you eat.  It is a middle ground approach.  Which is ideal for those of you just starting out your healthy diet plans.

I did also notice that a lot of the specific meals do look like they are low carb however, and this program gives you menu control (see below).

So if you want to make adjustments so that you are eating fewer carbs, you should be able to do it.

bistroMD Meal Plans and Portion Sizes

Let’s talk about the weight loss program meals available from bistroMD.

Meals plans are divided into two main categories:

• Men
• Women

So you start by selecting your sex, and then you from there.

For men, here is what you can expect:

• Calories per entrée: 240-400

Daily average calories:

• 3 meals, no snacks is 800-900
• 3 meals, 2 snacks a day is 1000-1300
• 3 meals, 3 snacks a day is 1100-1400

For women:

• Daily Average Calories (DAC) without Snacks: 800-900
• Daily Average Calories (DAC) with Snacks: 1000-1300

So you can see that while bistroMD is not just a low carb diet, it is a calorie-restricted one.

Will you end up hungry? 

I think that could vary from person to person.  But as the bulk of your daily calories are in the form of proteins and healthy fats, my guess is that you will feel full.  Eating lots of protein boosts satiety.

There are over 200 recipes you can choose from for your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Here are some samples of what is on the menu:

Breakfast

• Turkey Sausage and Cheese Frittata
• English Muffin Sandwich with Egg, Turkey Sausage and Cheddar
• Canadian Bacon and Swiss Omelet
• Bagel Sandwich with Egg, Turkey, Sausage and Cheddar
• Sweet Onion Frittata
• Bacon and Potato Egg Scramble

Lunch

• Sloppy Joe with Cabbage Stew
• Chicken Meatballs with Lentils and Spiced Tomato Sauce
• Beef, Vegetable and Barley Soup

Dinner

• Lasagna with Garden Marinara
• Hickory Smoked BBQ Beef with Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Turkey Breast with Cranberry Chutney and Wild Rice Blend
• Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breast
• Tilapia with Smoky Tomato Sauce

Snacks (Includes Deserts)

• Dried Beef Strip
• Chocolate Gelato
• Dried Venison Strip with Apples
• Java Boost
• Garden Veggie Pizza Puffs

As mentioned, you have full freedom to customize yourweight loss program menu, which is awesome, since a lot of weight loss food delivery services do not offer this.

Here’s how it works:

1. You place your initial order, and a Registered Dietician uses the information you provide to put together a custom plan.
2. You can log into your bistroMD account at any time, including before your initial order is shipped. You can view the menu there and edit it to your heart’s content.

Anytime you want to make changes, you can do so, for the duration of your subscription. 

You are never locked into any single menu.  So if your tastes change or you want to take a different approach to your healthy meals (maybe gluten free for example), you have that option.

When you order, you can choose from any of four plan types:

• Standard
• Gluten-Free
• Diabetic
• Menopause

You also can pick from any of the following plan schedules:

• Full Program: 7 Days: $179.95
• Full Program: 5 Days: $149.95
• Lunches & Dinners: 7 Days: $149.95
• Lunches & Dinners: 5 Days: $119.95

How Much Does bistroMD Cost?

In terms of price compared to other meal services, there are healthy meals delivery services that cost more, and others that cost less.  This one is about mid-range in pricing.

There are sometimes substantial discounts on bistroMD meal plans.  In fact, there is a massive discount being offered right now—but I do not know how long these savings last.  So it is best to check for promotions before you order.

Your plan comes with some additional useful resources as well:

• Weekly program emails
• Free support from Registered Dieticians

So that means you have extra help following your diet and learning about nutrition.

How Nutritious is bistroMD?

You already know the basic nutritional profile of the dishes in terms of fats, proteins and carbs.  But what is the quality of the ingredients like?

According to the company, “every entree is certified by the USDA. There is no added MSG, Trans Fat, or Aspartame in entrees. We are committed to serving the same quality, natural food we eat at our own tables.”

The company also mentions that their meals contain less sodium than the upper limit recommended by the US Dietary Guidelines.

So you can rest assured that the quality of the ingredients used by bistroMD is high.

Ease of Preparation

bistroMD gets high marks in this area, because you literally do not have to do anything except heat up your food.  In fact, you can eat it right in the tray if you want.

bistroMD Delivery Options and Reliability

Your bistroMD meals will be delivered to you weekly.  They arrive packed in dry ice so that they stay cold.  You just transfer them to your freezer and heat them up when you are ready to eat.  If you have leftovers, you can store them the same way.  Most customers report that the company is fast and reliable with deliveries every week.  Delivery is available in all 50 states.

bistroMD Ethics

I didn’t notice anything regarding food being locally sourced from small producers, etc.  Just from a nutritional angle however, the company seems ethical.  There are no trans fats, MSG, or aspartame added (as previously mentioned), so the food is wholesome, pure and healthy.

Customer Service at bistroMD

If you need to get in contact with the team at bistroMD, business hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00-5:00 Eastern time.  On Wednesday, the company is open from 9:00-6:00 Eastern.

You can call the company directly, use live chat to talk to an agent, or you can send an email.

Like any company that survived during Covid, we have seen a few customers complain about slow response times, most reviews of bistroMD’s customer service team seem to be very positive.

I like to be thorough, so I decided to test out customer service myself.  I had a question, so I hopped on live chat.

An agent was there to assist me almost instantaneously, which was great.

I asked “How many calories per day are in the meals for men?”

The agent responded within about half a minute.  She not only provided me with an answer, but gave it to me as a breakdown, so I got more information than I was expecting. They were especially helpful with helping me choose some gluten free healthy snacks.

So just based on that, I was very impressed.  This team seems to be fast and knowledgeable, and actually over-performed relative to my needs.

What Do Customers Say About the bistroMD Experience?

bistroMD Customer Reviews

On the whole, bistroMD reviews are very positive.

The theme I see repeated again and again is that this is an incredibly simple and convenient meal delivery service with fully prepared meals.  Many people who choose this program work long hours and have literally no time to cook.  bistroMD delivery makes it possible for them to eat the moment they get home, saving time and hassles.

bistroMD Weight Loss Results

Does bistroMD really work?  Definitely, if you stick with it. 

From a weight loss standpoint, this diet works through restricting your calories.  Look up the calories you need to maintain or lose weight given your age, sex and current weight, and do the math.  bistroMD is restrictive enough that most customers should lose weight following the diet simply because they are burning more calories than they are eating each day.

If you check bistroMD weight loss results online, you will see that a lot of customers have had great success with the program.  Because the food is delicious and arrives already-made, the diet is almost effortless to stick with.

Pros:

• bistroMD foods are USDA-certified.  That means everything you are eating is free of pesticides, herbicides, dyes and other contaminants.
  
• There are flexible meal plans for different budgets, schedules and needs.  This is not a “one size fits all” program, which is fantastic.  You can get food for 5 or 7 days a week, decide how many snacks you want, and pick something that fits your budget.  Huge discounts are common, so you may be able to save quite a bit over the prices I quoted earlier.
  
• You can customize the meals to your tastes and dietary preferences.  Because you can switch meals in and out, you should be able to adjust the menu to fit your needs.
  
• Allergies can be accommodated.  Have an allergy you need to work around?  The company states that it can help out with meal substitutions.
  
• Special dietary options are available.  It’s really cool that there are special options for menopause, gluten-free and diabetic diets.  This is not something that you will find everywhere.
  
• Customer service is fast and helpful.  I was really impressed by the live chat agent who helped me with my questions, and most customers seem pleased by the quality of the service they have received from bistroMD.  That adds serious value to your plan.

Cons:

• There is no Kosher menu.  Kosher diets cannot be accommodated at this time by bistroMD.
  
• Some plans are less expensive.  This is not the cheapest weight loss food delivery service out there, but it is not the most expensive either.  I would say that it is a solid value.

Conclusion: bistroMD is a Great Choice for Easy, Convenient Weight Loss Food Delivery

bistroMD may not be the right choice for everyone.  If you are a vegetarian or vegan, need to eat Kosher, or are looking for a super low carb option, there are other more suitable choices out there.

But if your goal is to eat affordable, healthy, scrumptious prep-prepared meals which help you lose weight, bistroMD is a wonderful choice.  With a delicious customizable menu and a first-class customer service team providing you with support every step of the way, you can finally meet your dieting goals the easy way!