Bistro MD Gourmet Diet Review #10 by still the same weight on July 27th, 2011 at 6:20 PM CDT

Name

I had to add this comment after my original post. I am not obese. I am 20 -25 pounds over weight and in my 30's. Not only have I not lost weight, I have lost no inches and my clothes fit the exact same. I know it's not all about the scale. But after 4 weeks, something should be moving: here's a summary in one meal of why it's not: First, tonight's Tilapia had to be thrown away for poor quality fish. I cook Tilapia at home all of the time and what was received from Bistro MD is the kind that is "muddy" and I will not purchase. The other part of the meal was 3/4 cup of starch. No vegetable. This is not nutritionally sound and will hinder satiety. I noticed one poster who had a delivery problem July 4th. Her comment that being able to plan to have food in the house is an important one. Tonight I had to throw my meal away again/not have the appropriate meal because of a mistake delivery (beef on a no beef request). I had nothing else available in the protein department, so I had to use one of the meals for another day - that sets the whole week off balance according to how Bistro MD works- the dietitian told me so. I also received an e mail from the dietitian today in response to the first second angry e mail I sent since yesterday 9two total in 4 weeks). I told her to fix the problem of my continually getting multiple meals per week off my do not send list (beef, pork, pasta) and hand the problem over to a supervisor. Her response was " I will let customer service and our warehouse know of the complaint but I am just the dietitian I have nothing to do with what has happened in the past, I have only made your menu for your to receive the week of 8/1." Uhhhhh.....I started talking with her the second or third day of my plan on a regular basis. I am into the 4th week, have lost no weight or inches and the dietitian has "nothing to do with" it. Again, for people who are not totally out of control eaters, who do not have terrible portion control problems, stay away from this meal plan. It seems it can certainly help people who are extremely overweight and have health problems who can not, even for even legitimate reasons (working mothers for eg), cook for themselves, but if one is not in that category, it is absolutely not worth being on a meal plan that takes 4 weeks to get straight on the part of the company delivering it when the customer does all they are asked to do on their end. It's too expensive, and money is the last line item on the list of the high cost of this program. Bistro MD has the potential to be a great company, but it is not client oriented at all. It appears to be "individualized" but it isn't. I am being fed the same meals as a person 2- 3 times my weight who does little to no activity. That is a recipe for disaster and because of "in house deadlines" the company refuses to correct my meal plan to make it ok for me. They will also not allow me to cancel. And yes, I had a very long talk with customer service before I handed over my credit card. Don't let them fool you. "talking with the nutritionist to make any adjustments"....can't happen until they have already sent week one food - and then the ball just gets rolling uphill from there.

I had to add this comment after my original post.

I am not obese. I am 20 -25 pounds over weight and in my 30's. Not only have I not lost weight, I have lost no inches and my clothes fit the exact same. I know it's not all about the scale. But after 4 weeks, something should be moving:

here's a summary in one meal of why it's not:

First, tonight's Tilapia had to be thrown away for poor quality fish. I cook Tilapia at home all of the time and what was received from Bistro MD is the kind that is "muddy" and I will not purchase.

The other part of the meal was 3/4 cup of starch. No vegetable. This is not nutritionally sound and will hinder satiety.

I noticed one poster who had a delivery problem July 4th. Her comment that being able to plan to have food in the house is an important one.

Tonight I had to throw my meal away again/not have the appropriate meal because of a mistake delivery (beef on a no beef request). I had nothing else available in the protein department, so I had to use one of the meals for another day - that sets the whole week off balance according to how Bistro MD works- the dietitian told me so.

I also received an e mail from the dietitian today in response to the first second angry e mail I sent since yesterday 9two total in 4 weeks). I told her to fix the problem of my continually getting multiple meals per week off my do not send list (beef, pork, pasta) and hand the problem over to a supervisor.

Her response was " I will let customer service and our warehouse know of the complaint but I am just the dietitian I have nothing to do with what has happened in the past, I have only made your menu for your to receive the week of 8/1."

Uhhhhh.....I started talking with her the second or third day of my plan on a regular basis. I am into the 4th week, have lost no weight or inches and the dietitian has "nothing to do with" it.

Again, for people who are not totally out of control eaters, who do not have terrible portion control problems, stay away from this meal plan. It seems it can certainly help people who are extremely overweight and have health problems who can not, even for even legitimate reasons (working mothers for eg), cook for themselves, but if one is not in that category, it is absolutely not worth being on a meal plan that takes 4 weeks to get straight on the part of the company delivering it when the customer does all they are asked to do on their end. It's too expensive, and money is the last line item on the list of the high cost of this program.

Bistro MD has the potential to be a great company, but it is not client oriented at all. It appears to be "individualized" but it isn't. I am being fed the same meals as a person 2- 3 times my weight who does little to no activity. That is a recipe for disaster and because of "in house deadlines" the company refuses to correct my meal plan to make it ok for me. They will also not allow me to cancel.

And yes, I had a very long talk with customer service before I handed over my credit card. Don't let them fool you. "talking with the nutritionist to make any adjustments"....can't happen until they have already sent week one food - and then the ball just gets rolling uphill from there.

Bistro MD Gourmet Diet Review #9 by still the same weight on July 27th, 2011 at 11:39 AM CDT

Name

I) If you use a coupon for one free week, understand that you pay for 4 weeks and get the fifth week free. 2) You must have a microwave or go out to get one as I had to. 3) Food Quality of lunches and dinners- Very good. The salmon tends to be extremely dry and the vegetable become a bit overdone. Over-all the seafood, chicken and turkey selections have good flavor and are tasty. 4) Breakfasts, like many of the higher carb lunches and dinners, include canned fruit and berry sauces and things which are extremely sweet, to the point of being gooey and sticky. If you do not care for sweet food, Be very wary of this plan. 5) Snacks. I found them to be unedible and horrible. They are full of unpronouncable ingredients and apart from the nut mix, bear no resemblance to natural foods. I took them out of my plan right away. 6) the food tends to lean towards very sweet and/or salty. 7) Customer service is a sweet as the sugar encrusted plantains. When issues arise, They are quick to try to make it right and offer to do the right thing and are always polite and genial. 8) If you do not want to lose your mind dealing with calorie counting, balancing meals, and dedicating several hours a week on the phone with customer service and the dietitians, stay away from this plan. There are two major problems with Bistro MD which boil down to they can not be consistently trusted to do what they say they will on the food and nutrition side: A) Incompetence - example: upon signing up one fills out a preference sheet of ingredients one will not eat. I for example do not eat beef. I have received beef with every order for 4 weeks, no matter how many times I talk with them. granted the mistake meal is always credited to my account (which doesn't take place until one billing cycle later - over one week) but I have to spend time on the phone with them over this issue and I also then have to shop, pay for and cook a replacement meal which falls into the nutritional guidelines for that specific meal or I will not be "on plan". I also have received several mistake meals each week- not just one. B) Service is received is not worth the money or time. While jovial and pleasant on the customer service end the actual service received is terrible. I was told after my first 10 days that I was receiving a diet too high in carboydrates because I had not lost one single ounce of weight. I have no other health problems and I work out 1-2 hours a day 4 - 5 days per week. This conversation was 6 days prior to my receiving my next shipment. This problem could not be corrected because of in house deadlines until two weeks later. So, I had a full two weeks of meals after the conversation with the nutritionist that were inappropriate for me and hindering weight loss for a total of 4 weeks of inappropriate meals. For a diet/food service this is a very bad sign. What are they there for? I was told to cook my own "sides", on top of the salad, fresh vegetables/fruit and snacks I was already shopping and paying for because my meals were not calorie dense enough, according to the nutritionist. Let's see what arrives next week (my last week that they will not allow me to cancel, even after all of this) This was again, not out first conversation. I started talking with her on day two or three of the plan. After 3 weeks, going into the 4th week, of receiving mistake meals, a plan that was inappropriate for me, no weight loss and hours spent on the phone with Bistro MD, one would think someone could have put in a request to the 'warehouse" to pack appropriate meals for me, since that's what their job is and what I am paying for. They had 6 days to make the changes so they could deliver the weight loss promised- nope. They chose to keep sending meals they themselves determined inappropriate because of an in house deadline. In a business things have to be run on a schedule, but when one client is having this level of difficulty for so long, it is not out of order to accommodate the client. The dietitian tried to blame shift to me saying I was "picky" about carbs, when she had told me herself that was the problem with my meals and said it had to be adjusted. She is the professional after-all. So I paid for 4 weeks of a meal plan that mostly went in the garbage. Who can benefit from this plan? If you are a person who has a history of healthy, normal eating, does not enjoy chips, soda, sweets, etc often and in large quantities and prefers fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes and nuts, but for whatever reason have fallen into a bad habit, have a life crisis, have been laid up by an accident or injury (as I was) - stay away. For the same money- hire a personal chef to do your main meals for you. You will also avoid the microwave this way. If one is a person who has a history of over eating and over eating the "wrong" things, this is a great plan as far as the food itself is concerned because it is a great way to ease into truly healthy portion control and eating. But it is only a pit stop. Bistro MD is not "healthy whole food". It is well seasoned, generally well cooked, tasty, portion controlled comfort food, pure and simple. Noted that no major "send to the door diet" plan will include things like fresh vegetables - so I recommend NOT doing this diet in the summer months and enjoying the summer produce. The winter is a better time for these comfort food dishes when most vegetables are out of season anyway - It is a lesser of evils - if you have several hours a week to be on the phone with customer service and several WEEKS where weight loss may not happen, to only adjust your plan to an appropriate one if there are problems. Highly recommend for those who are busy, depressed, lazy, stressed, can't cook, won't cook and have out of control eating. Do not recommend at all for people who are used to true healthy eating. This will set you back time, energy, cash, and the weight loss isn't there

I) If you use a coupon for one free week, understand that you pay for 4 weeks and get the fifth week free.

2) You must have a microwave or go out to get one as I had to.

3) Food Quality of lunches and dinners- Very good. The salmon tends to be extremely dry and the vegetable become a bit overdone. Over-all the seafood, chicken and turkey selections have good flavor and are tasty.

4) Breakfasts, like many of the higher carb lunches and dinners, include canned fruit and berry sauces and things which are extremely sweet, to the point of being gooey and sticky. If you do not care for sweet food, Be very wary of this plan.

5) Snacks. I found them to be unedible and horrible. They are full of unpronouncable ingredients and apart from the nut mix, bear no resemblance to natural foods. I took them out of my plan right away.

6) the food tends to lean towards very sweet and/or salty.

7) Customer service is a sweet as the sugar encrusted plantains. When issues arise, They are quick to try to make it right and offer to do the right thing and are always polite and genial.

8) If you do not want to lose your mind dealing with calorie counting, balancing meals, and dedicating several hours a week on the phone with customer service and the dietitians, stay away from this plan.

There are two major problems with Bistro MD which boil down to they can not be consistently trusted to do what they say they will on the food and nutrition side:

A) Incompetence -

example: upon signing up one fills out a preference sheet of ingredients one will not eat. I for example do not eat beef. I have received beef with every order for 4 weeks, no matter how many times I talk with them. granted the mistake meal is always credited to my account (which doesn't take place until one billing cycle later - over one week) but I have to spend time on the phone with them over this issue and I also then have to shop, pay for and cook a replacement meal which falls into the nutritional guidelines for that specific meal or I will not be "on plan". I also have received several mistake meals each week- not just one.

B) Service is received is not worth the money or time. While jovial and pleasant on the customer service end the actual service received is terrible. I was told after my first 10 days that I was receiving a diet too high in carboydrates because I had not lost one single ounce of weight. I have no other health problems and I work out 1-2 hours a day 4 - 5 days per week. This conversation was 6 days prior to my receiving my next shipment. This problem could not be corrected because of in house deadlines until two weeks later. So, I had a full two weeks of meals after the conversation with the nutritionist that were inappropriate for me and hindering weight loss for a total of 4 weeks of inappropriate meals. For a diet/food service this is a very bad sign. What are they there for?

I was told to cook my own "sides", on top of the salad, fresh vegetables/fruit and snacks I was already shopping and paying for because my meals were not calorie dense enough, according to the nutritionist. Let's see what arrives next week (my last week that they will not allow me to cancel, even after all of this)

This was again, not out first conversation. I started talking with her on day two or three of the plan.

After 3 weeks, going into the 4th week, of receiving mistake meals, a plan that was inappropriate for me, no weight loss and hours spent on the phone with Bistro MD, one would think someone could have put in a request to the 'warehouse" to pack appropriate meals for me, since that's what their job is and what I am paying for. They had 6 days to make the changes so they could deliver the weight loss promised- nope. They chose to keep sending meals they themselves determined inappropriate because of an in house deadline. In a business things have to be run on a schedule, but when one client is having this level of difficulty for so long, it is not out of order to accommodate the client. The dietitian tried to blame shift to me saying I was "picky" about carbs, when she had told me herself that was the problem with my meals and said it had to be adjusted. She is the professional after-all.

So I paid for 4 weeks of a meal plan that mostly went in the garbage.

Who can benefit from this plan?

If you are a person who has a history of healthy, normal eating, does not enjoy chips, soda, sweets, etc often and in large quantities and prefers fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes and nuts, but for whatever reason have fallen into a bad habit, have a life crisis, have been laid up by an accident or injury (as I was) - stay away. For the same money- hire a personal chef to do your main meals for you. You will also avoid the microwave this way.

If one is a person who has a history of over eating and over eating the "wrong" things, this is a great plan as far as the food itself is concerned because it is a great way to ease into truly healthy portion control and eating. But it is only a pit stop. Bistro MD is not "healthy whole food". It is well seasoned, generally well cooked, tasty, portion controlled comfort food, pure and simple.

Noted that no major "send to the door diet" plan will include things like fresh vegetables - so I recommend NOT doing this diet in the summer months and enjoying the summer produce. The winter is a better time for these comfort food dishes when most vegetables are out of season anyway -

It is a lesser of evils - if you have several hours a week to be on the phone with customer service and several WEEKS where weight loss may not happen, to only adjust your plan to an appropriate one if there are problems.

Highly recommend for those who are busy, depressed, lazy, stressed, can't cook, won't cook and have out of control eating.

Do not recommend at all for people who are used to true healthy eating. This will set you back time, energy, cash, and the weight loss isn't there

Bistro MD Gourmet Diet Review #8 by Claudia319 on May 25th, 2011 at 12:59 PM CDT

Name

Like another person in these reviews, I also went to BistroMD.com food to replace the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE food at eDiets! I cannot BELIEVE that The Biggest Loser would use eDiets as their food provider--it was NASTY! Anyway, BistroMD is LUSCIOUS! I can't wait to try ALL the meals! It's going to cost me about $816/month (7-day plan w/snacks), but I probably spend $400/month on groceries & another $500/month at restaurants, so it's a "wash" for me! In fact, I think my restaurant bills are even higher (I live alone/don't cook for anyone else), so I'll probably actually SAVE money!

Like another person in these reviews, I also went to BistroMD.com food to replace the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE food at eDiets! I cannot BELIEVE that The Biggest Loser would use eDiets as their food provider--it was NASTY!

Anyway, BistroMD is LUSCIOUS! I can't wait to try ALL the meals! It's going to cost me about $816/month (7-day plan w/snacks), but I probably spend $400/month on groceries & another $500/month at restaurants, so it's a "wash" for me! In fact, I think my restaurant bills are even higher (I live alone/don't cook for anyone else), so I'll probably actually SAVE money!