There are endless reasons why you might want to alter your diet. Losing weight, of course, but also gaining weight and building muscle, or trying something specific like the Whole30. Maybe you're cutting out carbs—or perhaps you're carbo-loading before a big marathon. There are countless nutrition goals and countless diets that can help to achieve your goal. But eating in a focused way can take time, discipline, and focus. And a lot of cooking: It's usually a lot harder than tapping UberEats on your phone.

But it doesn't have to be: a crop of meal delivery services have popped up to provide tailored nutrition in a more convenient package, sending pre-cooked meals that adhere to specialized diets designed to help you achieve your performance goals or, you know, get you looking amazing with your shirt off. All you have to do is warm them up. Now, we're always in favor of cooking if you can swing it, but the people who have the most success with achieving their fitness goals are folks who do things consistently. And the best way to do things consistently is to make things as easy as possible—that's the essence of the appeal of a meal delivery service. 

For professional wrestler Jay "Christian Cage" Reso a meal delivery service was the key to getting in the best shape for his life for a debut with AEW after a seven year absence from the ring.

"When I got the clearance [to return to wrestling] I felt like I was given a gift. I knew I wanted to eat a bit cleaner and get back into shape just for myself," said Reso. "As much as I thought I knew about nutrition—I realized I really didn’t. I thought carbs were bad. Sugar was bad. It always had to be high protein/low carb. But that’s not necessarily the case. Eating carbs, fats, and proteins in proper amounts is useful for energy if you’re trying to achieve a certain goal, and a meal delivery service took the guesswork out of it. I knew what I needed to eat because it was all prepared for me."

Reso used meal delivery service Nutrition Solutions to overhaul his eating habits. The company was suggested to him by Reso's long time tag partner Adam "Edge" Copeland. While Reso had been part of an industry where aesthetics play a huge role, the results he got using the meal delivery service resulted in a visible six-pack for the first time in his life. "You truly can’t out train a bad diet. Consistency between the meals and the workouts is what brought the results," said Reso. “That, and planking.”

There is no silver bullet for building muscle or losing fat—you're still going to have to put in the work and, above all, do things consistently—but a meal delivery service makes that much easier. Instead of weighing your food or estimating calories, your meals, marcos, and portions are predetermined. Most of these services have boxes you can tick for every conceivable dietary restriction. There are also a variety of different meals each week to keep you from getting bored and many companies include a variety of healthy snacks to help divert cravings for sweets. That can make sticking to a program much easier than cooking the same variation of chicken breast and rice again and again. The markup for food costs ends up being roughly sixty to eighty percent more than if you made the equivalent food at home—more than cooking, obviously, but less than eating out every meal.

Nutrition Solutions’ CEO Chris Cavallini has a strong pitch to justify spending that extra cash. "[A meal delivery service] is an investment in your health, fitness, and quality of life." said Cavallini. "Learning about nutrition can be overwhelming. There is so much information out there on the internet and if it’s not something you’re well versed in, the info can seem like a foreign language. But the advice I always give to anyone starting off is being mindful of your eating habits, being mindful of your portions, and making that a routine. [A meal delivery service] does a lot of that for you..instead of thinking that this is going to cost me more money, it is thinking about the time and energy you’re saving by making that investment.”

A meal delivery service might be worth it for a pro wrestler, professional bodybuilder, or gold-medal shot putter. But is it worth the price for an average person trying to get into moderately better shape? There are a couple of different factors to consider. What are the local restaurant options like for you? Conversely, are you in a location where a meal delivery service is going to be available? Do you eat with other people in the household and if so, are they also going on the plan? Have you made attempts at cooking or meal prep on your own? A meal delivery service can be an invaluable tool for achieving weight loss, muscle gain, or some combination of the two. It definitely simplifies the process. But only you can figure out whether or not it is practical for your lifestyle and finances—and if some less drastic tool might be a better starting point.  

For trainer and nutritionist Jeremy Fernandes of Precision Nutrition, making that decision can be a great leap forward, but only if we are also ready to do the work. "It’s certainly not necessary, but if you’re someone who has the means to do it, it lets you outsource some of the day-to-day challenges of learning your nutrition basics," said Fernandes. "Learning what works and doesn’t work for your body takes some trial and error. Learning about how to eat and what to eat can be a big benefit to your life, but if you don’t have time to do those experiments—or do them right now—a food delivery service can check the box for the time being."

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