Meals on wheels for the dieting generation

IT started off as a little perk for Hollywood's image-conscious elite.

A home delivery service from top chefs who offered nothing but calorie-controlled, carb-controlled and nutrition- controlled meals. Three meals arrived every day and the select few ate themselves to a slimmer, more svelte them.

Soon everyone in Tinseltown – from Jennifer Aniston to Dennis Quaid, Will Ferrell to Susan Sarandon – were doing it. After all, who wants to waste precious hours scanning every item in the supermarket to ensure it's healthy or slaving over a hot stove every night for a nutritional homemade meal, when a diet chef can do it all for you.

The US craze has finally hit Edinburgh, with a range of diet home delivery services now on offer, promising healthy and nutritionally balanced meals on your doorstep. Just sit back with Hollyoaks on the box and let the experts do the hard work.

"So many people want to eat healthily, yet they don't know where to start or have the time," explains Edinburgh nutritionist Nell Nelson. "The meals are a great introduction to a healthy lifestyle and clients can expect to have more energy, sleep better and have improved concentration, as their blood sugar will be balanced and they won't be on a roller-coaster sugar high."

Mother-of-two Claire Searle agrees. The 39-year-old housewife and full-time mum from Bruntsfield decided to shift her excess baby weight, following the birth of her two children, aged ten and seven – but didn't want to diet.

"I heard about it through a friend," she recalls. "From a convenience point of view it attracted me to it as it didn't require a great deal of thought. I didn't want the diet to be that obvious in front of my children, and I wanted something that didn't involve a great deal of effort – something that meant I could sit down, do it and it didn't look or taste like diet food. It also meant I could prepare the kids' meals and then just whack mine in the microwave."

Pint-sized Claire, who is just 5ft, started in January just after her 39th birthday, using delivery service Diet Chef, which operates in and around the Capital. "I still had what I thought was baby fat eight years on," she explains. "Although you naturally lose that weight there's always that little bit that hangs around, and I wanted to do something about it before my 40th. I did it for myself rather than anyone else – I wanted to return to the size I felt comfortable with."

At 9st 7lbs, Claire was overweight for her tiny frame and wanted to return to her pre-baby weight of just 7st 7lbs.

"Losing weight is tough. We get different advice from different sources, and it's difficult to work out what to do," she continues. "I wanted to lose weight – but I didn't want to torture myself about not eating. The fact that it was pre-portioned meant my calories were already counted out. All I needed to do was choose what meal I was eating, add in a portion of salad or veg, and that was it."

Her weekly hamper arrives every Monday morning, filled with a week's supply of breakfasts, lunches and dinners as well as daily snacks, all based on the combination of a reduced calorie plan and ingredients to ensure satisfaction for longer than on a traditional calorie-controlled diet. Meals such as beef and tomato soup (179 calories), venison sausages (253 calories), pork meatballs (282 calories), chilli con carne (306 calories), smoked haddock pottage (344 calories) and snack bar (97 calories) were included.

"It was easier than I thought, but there were some weeks that were easier than others," admits Claire. "I lost most weight the first week, but by the fourth it was tough. But you stay focused and the results are worth it."

In just under two months, Claire shed two stone, taking her back to her dream weight, losing 1st 4lbs in one month alone. And now, four months on, she's managed to keep off the weight.

"The thing about these plans are that they teach you portion control. I'm very much of the generation that you finish what's on your plate and many people are like that. I learnt that I was eating too much and at the wrong times of the day. So I eat smaller portions but more regularly, instead of too much late on at night. It's also about the proportions of things you put on your plate. You get into a habit and eat without thinking about it. Now I eat twice the quantity of veg."

While Claire admits to losing the weight without hitting the gym, personal trainer Will Sturgeon – another fan of the service – admits that a two-pronged approach is the best.

"A lot of my clients now use a meal delivery service and I've seen fantastic results with them," explains the expert from Will- power personal training at the Balmoral Spa. "One of them tried it out and I couldn't believe how much weight they lost – soon they were all doing it.

"A big problem many people have is that while they eat healthily enough, they are still eating too much in terms of quantity. Everyone has their own metabolic rate which gives them their individual calorie intake. Go over this and you will put on weight. It's simple when it comes to losing weight – reduce calorie intake through food and burn off more through exercise.

"My clients have found them educational, too. They now know how much they should eat, what their portion sizes should be and what types of foods they should be eating. Most of them haven't been hungry, either – even after a workout with me."

Nell Nelson also offers the meal service, but instead of pre-packaged soups and meals, the nutritionist and TV presenter provides a personalised and freshly-made nutritional meals delivery service where you can have all your meals delivered to your office or home.

"It was such an easy way to diet," adds Claire. "It tasted homemade, I didn't feel like I was loading up on chemicals and it cost me the same as a weekly shop – without the hassle."

Nell Nelson's Nutritionally Yours costs £120 per week and uses the finest local ingredients, with meals specifically tailored. Phone [phone] or see www.nellnelsonnutrition.com

Diet Chef costs £47.50 for a weekly hamper and contains less than 1200 calories a day. See www.dietchef.co.uk or call 020-8242 6273.