I was 230 pounds this spring and I decided to get down to a healthier 200.In a house full of food,including snacks bought for my 7yearold sons,I had a hard time cutting calories. Then I noticed my neighbors were having diet meals  .I decided to do the same,knowing I would never be able to stick to a diet if I had to do the buying and cooking myself. I was looking for food that I could afford but I might take a diet more seriously if it hurt me in the wallet. After online searches,I decided to compare the offerings of four companies:Zone Manhattan,Chefs Diet,NuKitchen and eDiets. All four would send the meals to my door. Three send food daily,while eDiets sends a large package once a week. There were dozens of companies I could have chosen.Research suggests that the economic crisis has made diet programs less _ .Consumers prefer doityourself diets with foods bought from the supermarket. NuKitchen regards itself as the "personal chef".I ordered the fiveday plan ($230.53) and the taste was disappointing. I neither lost nor gained weight on the food. eDiets promises "healthy,delicious meals sent to your door".I ordered five breakfasts,five lunches and five dinners. My total cost was $119.70,or less than $25 a day. Overall,the food from eDiets was better than that from NuKitchen. Chefs Diet charged $380.99 for seven days,making it the most expensive of the four services.I never tasted anything terrible,but I never tasted anything that made me want to renew for a second week. Zone Manhattan charged $349.80,with tax,for a week's supply of food,or about $50 a day.I liked the food so much that I lost six pounds in the first four days on the diet. When the author began to have diet meals,she  _  .
was 200 pounds didn't have any children worked as a cook in a company offering diet meals didn't believe she could stick to a diet if she had to cook herself