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Old 08-03-2004, 01:03 AM   #1  
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I have seen eDiets come up in these boards from time to time. Did a search here, in fact, before joining up myself. To help out anyone who is considering joining them, I am posting here a portion of my journal entry on the subject. I hope this will help answer questions any of my fellow Chicks might have about the program/site.

First of all, cost. It is $2.99/week, which is billed to your credit card quarterly (ie, every 13 weeks). This works out to a roughly $40 charge to your card four times a year. You can cancel it after 4 weeks, and be charged roughly $12. If you cancel it after one month, one day, you'll be charged for 5 weeks. Whatever "unused" portion of the time you've bought in advance will be refunded to you.

When you sign up, you answer a questionnaire. This helps them assign you a goal weight and a calorie allowance. To get these numbers, they want to know things like your sex, height, age, & activity level. (I answered the activity-level question wrong and so was assigned only 1200 - 1300 calories to begin with, but a dietician at the site asked me specific questions about my activities and exercise routine after I complained about it, and reassigned me very quickly.) They arbitrarily assigned me a goal weight of 130, but didn't complain at all when I asked it to be changed to 150, though when I gave myself a goal weight, it only let me go up to 149.

You'll want to note that that $40 gets you only a meal plan, e-mail assistance, recipes for what's on your menu, shopping lists made from your menu, and access to "diet tools", among them a way to calculate your approximate basal metabolic rate (the number of calories you need to continue to live, basically), & your BMI. To gain access to the "community" there is an extra charge of $1.99 a week (personally, I like 3FC so much it seemed like a waste of money to me; this is my support!) and another $1.99 will get you a "personalized" exercise routine. I didn't sign up for either, so I cannot comment on them. They will also try to sell you a spiral-bound food journal and dining out guide, and also a CD set that is supposed to be motivational, apparently.

There are 19 eating plans available: Atkins, Slim-Fast, Shape Up! (Dr Phil), Eating For Life (Body for Life, the food side), Zone Perfect, Dr Nicholas Perricone's Nutritional Face-Lift Program, eDiets.com Weight Loss Plan, Nutrisystem Nourish, Living with Type 2 Diabetes Diet, Heart Smart Diet (based off the AHA plan), Low Sugar, Low Sodium, High Fiber, eDiets Alternative to Jenny Craig (which gives you a menu of frozen meals, basically), Lactose Free, Low-Fat, Healthy Soy, Vegetarian, & Cholesterol Lowering. If you're not sure which one you want, before you sign up you can take their "Diet Needs Analysis" quiz, which has questions like "Do you feel as if you might be addicted to carbohydrates?" & "Do you find yourself constantly thinking of food?" Based on your answers to the "DNA", they will recommend two diets for you. (You don't have to choose one of them, however.)

Once you sign up, you can change your program at literally any time, and as often as you wish. I'm following the Living with Type 2 Diabetes diet, as it's very similar to South Beach, but briefly switched over to Eating for Life to try and see if I could shake up my calorie allowance that way. Within the plan you can make further selections, like excluding things (I excluded fish because Rob doesn't like it, shellfish because it's expensive, egg substitutes, & soy because I don't care for them) and selecting "high fiber" & "low sugar" (which I did). You also choose whether you want a "recipe based" or "convenience based" menu, or a combination of the two.

Once you make all those selections, you're presented with a week's worth of meals, with your Day One being the day you join up or change plans. Generally speaking, you get three meals and one snack. These are assigned pretty much at random, but you can change them and select a new one from a list. The list will be of foods in your calorie range & the meal type (lunch & dinner meals seem to be the same). You can also select fast food or choosing your own meal. If you're planning on eating out or eating something from outside their database, you have a handy breakdown of the approximate calories to include in your meal or snack.

Right now, I'm on a 1600 - 1700 calorie diet. Here's my menu for tomorrow:

Breakfast
cold cereal with milk, almonds, fruit, & cottage cheese: 3/4 c whole-wheat cereal; 1 c lowfat or nonfat milk; 1 oz whole almonds, 1/2 c lowfat or nonfat, low-sodium cottage cheese; 1 small apple
Lunch
lean pork stir fry with brown rice and fruit (I have a recipe for the "lean pork stir fry"); 1 serving fruit of choice
Dinner
grilled marinated steak with healthy fries, 1 serving fruit of choice, 2 c mixed salad greens, 2 T lowfat or nonfat, low-sodium salad dressing
Snack
4 graham crackers (2.5" square); 1/2 T low sodium peanut butter

Since it is a diabetes-management diet, I'm advised to take part of my main meals to eat later on. For instance, I intend to keep back the cottage cheese & fruit from tomorrow's breakfast to eat a couple of hours later.


I hope that helps anyone who is wondering about eDiets. I'll do my best to answer any questions, and I hope other Chicks with eDiets experience will chime in too. It's not for everyone, obviously, but it is handy to me because I loathe working out menus for the week, but when I don't plan ahead I eat poorly.

Last edited by GreatBigMonsterMomma; 08-03-2004 at 01:08 AM.
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Old 08-03-2004, 04:05 PM   #2  
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You don't have to pay for access to the Community and they do have 24 hour telephone support as well. I post on the forums all the time and there is no charge. You can even do the guest form for free.
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Old 08-04-2004, 12:14 AM   #3  
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When I signed up, it offered me the community and the 24-hour support for an additional $1.99/week. Did you perhaps join it some time ago? I thought it a bit odd that there was an extra charge listed, since I had been under the impression that it was included in the package. Maybe this is a new change? I don't know. There are several links that, when I clicked them, did not allow me access because I was not a "member". And this is after I signed up for the service.

OK, I went back to the site to make sure I'm not insane. When I click on the "community" link from my diet page, I am offered a subscription to eDiets Solutions. Here's the info on that, from the site:

Quote:
Solutions (sm)
$25.87

Support For Everyone Watching Their Weight and Carbs.
With a personal support team to share experience, offer advice and applaud your achievements, you’ll find the encouragement you need to meet your goals.

“Round-the-clock” professional advice & peer support
Breaking diet, low-carb & fitness news
Online, Anytime Meetings (sm)
Expert reviews of the latest nutritional & low-carb products
Free 14-day trial. At the end of the 14-day free-trial period, your credit card will be charged $25.87 (13 weeks x $1.99) on day 15 of your membership and at the beginning of each subsequent quarter. To avoid being charged, cancel your subscription before the free trial period ends (midnight Eastern Standard Time on the 14th day of your free trial) by calling 1-800-265-6170. Once your 13-week membership is in effect, you have the ability to cancel anytime -- for any reason -- and receive a full refund of the unused portion of your membership dues. Minimum 4 weeks ($7.96).

Last edited by GreatBigMonsterMomma; 08-04-2004 at 12:39 AM.
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