So you've decided to lose weight the easy way - with a diet food delivery service. Diet delivery is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to lose weight. It's easy, affordable and convenient. But there are so many services to choose from - which one is best for you?

This article will help you know what to look for when choosing your diet food delivery program so you can choose the best one for your lifestyle.

Key Factors When Choosing A Diet Delivery Service:

- Price

Prices range from $9 to $39.99 a day depending on what level of service and type of program you want.

Higher priced plans are usually gourmet meals, freshly prepared (not frozen) or highly specialized in some way (for example, diabetic-friendly).

Prices also vary based on whether or not you want a full plan (breakfast, lunch and dinner) or just lunch and dinner; and how many days of delivery you want (for example 5 or 7 days). Some meal delivery services quote you price per week or price per month.

Ways To Save - You can often get discounts by ordering by the month versus ordering by the week. Also, you can often get at least one free meal and up to an entire week of meals depending on which diet delivery program you choose.

- Type of Diet Meals

Many services are based on a popular program like the Zone or the Jorge Cruise's 3 Hour Diet at Home. Others are based on broad meal types like low-carb or diabetic friendly.

Some services will let you choose among different plans like low carb, low calorie, vegetarian or diabetic friendly.

Regardless of diet type, most programs are really based on low calorie, portion controlled meals designed to help you lose approximately 2-3 pounds per week.

- How Many Meals Per Day

In general most diet food delivery services offer you breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some however will only offer lunch and dinner.

Others will offer snacks as an added cost whereas other will offer snacks included. Be sure to factor this into your price comparisons depending on what you want.

- Fresh Vs. Frozen

Some plans offer you fresh food; some offer you frozen food and some offer you both. Frozen meals, in general, are more affordable than fresh.

To many people, frozen vs fresh really doesn't make a difference. However some people want fresh food made with no preservatives. These services tend to charge a bit more because of the extra work involved.

- Number of Days

While most diet food delivery programs offer a 7 day plan, others also give you the option of a 5 day plan (so you can take the weekend off).

This is a great convenience for those who want their meals delivered to their office during the week. In general you'll be paying less per week on a 5 day plan, however price per day on these plans is pretty much the same as a 7 day plan.

- Menu Variety

Although it's hard to get bored with these plans, there are some services that offer better menu variety than others.

For example, one service might offer a 4 week rotating menu. This means the menu changes every 4 weeks.

Other services may let you choose your menu from a larger selection of food allowing you to ensure you're getting food you love.

Also, if you find you don't like what's on the menu, many programs will let you substitute a different meal for a small charge.

- Support

This may not be a feature that you need, however some people do like extra support while losing weight. You might get access to weight loss tools like chat rooms, e-mail support, message boards, dietitian advice, free articles etc.

If weight loss support is important to you, make sure you check out the options before you choose your diet food delivery service.

- Commitment

Some plans do require you to sign a contract for a certain length of time. The most popular time commitment is 1 month which really isn't asking a lot. After a month you'll know for sure if the program is right for you.

If a service asks you for a longer commitment than that, be cautious. Some services don't require you to order 1 month at a time however you'll probably get a discount if you do.

Conclusion:

Now you know the main features to consider when choosing a diet food delivery service. When you consider these features in light of your preferences and lifestyle, it shouldn't be hard to decide on the best service for you!