eDiets Diet Plan

With ten years, over a million members, and almost 6 million pounds lost, eDiets has seemingly become the internet's hottest diet site. This is probably due to the reliance of the stability and proven nature of existing weight-loss programs. There is a wide variety of offerings in the diet category, including eDiets Weight Loss Diet, Slim Fast Optima™ Diet, Eating for Life™, Mediterranean Diet™, and many more.
Originally focused on diet alone, the site has expanded to include a fitness component. Membership helps you determine which already proven diet is best for you, and provides you with a fitness program that will fit your lifestyle and interest. Membership is required but there are at least 8 choices for membership, ranging in cost from $1/week for the eDiets support program to $4.99/week for the Diet, Fitness & Recipe Club. In between is the any combination of diet, recipe and fitness memberships ranging from $2-3.99 per week.

Basic Diet Tenets/Nutritional Philosophy (4)

The strength of eDiets is in their personalized (although algorithmic rather than human-based) diet assessment. You fill out a diet profile, which takes into consideration your current weight, health, nutrition needs, and exercise preferences. eDiets will then provide you with the diet(s) that best fit your desired weight loss and lifestyle.
Once a weight-loss plan is established, eDiets has the tools to help you start and maintain that specific diet. They have also introduced the Healthy Living Program, which provides prepared meal plans for dieters with specific needs, such as vegetarians, high cholesterol, hypoglycemia, heart disease, lactose-intolerant, and more. The one downfall of this site is that it tries to be all things to all people, and in doing so it can be difficult to navigate around and understand everything, like it would be with one single diet.
There are no storefront eDiets centers, as everything is done online. But the site does provide assistance in the form of support boards, forums, and live chats. You can order food, meals, supplements, and even fitness DVDs and accessories. There is opportunity to ask a dietician or trainer specific questions, and the site provides recipes, a dining-out guide, and even workout music choices.

Lower the risk of heart disease with a Cholesterol Lowering diet

Exercise/Fitness Component (5)

Again, a personalized fitness plan is included in eDiets. The plan is formulated based on your likes and dislikes and weight loss goals. You can join a monthly membership plan that includes a fitness component and have access to a personal trainer online, as well workout plans and videos. You can purchase fitness equipment and DVDs on the eDiets site, as well.
In addition, eDiets has recently included Bob Greene's "Get with the Program!" Fitness Plan. Bob Greene is famously known as Oprah's personal trainer, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on how Oprah's waistline looks at any given time.

Food (4)

There are two choices in the eDiets program when it comes to food. You can enroll in the Healthy Living Program, which is a prepared meal delivery service or you can prepare your own food, based on the diet that fits your personal needs best.
The prepared meal delivery service offers over 100 selections, none of which are freeze-dried or powdered. Full of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and/or "smart" carbs, the meals are calorie- and portion-controlled. The plan covers 3 meals plus 1 snack per day, with choices such as muffins or French toast for breakfast; flatbread pizzas or chicken for lunch; fish, chicken or lasagna for dinner. Each delivery contains one week's worth of meals. Plans start at $19.95 day, and while you get full, freshly prepared meals this does add up. At a cost of $600/month, that would translate to $2400 for a family of 4, which is about 4 times more than an average family would spend per month.*
If you choose to prepare your own meals, you primary source of food will be the grocery store. The amount or money and time you spend and the complexity of meals is based on the specific diet that is chosen for you. Menus, recipes, and dining out guides are available to assist.
*Based on 2007 U.S. Census median annual income of $50,233 with a national average of 14% of income spent on food.

Ease of Use (5)

Once you figure out how the site works, and complete your diet and fitness assessments, the site does most of the work for you. Diet and fitness plans are assigned, meal delivery service or meal plans are provided, as is a fitness regiment. A dietician and personal trainer are available, as are live chats and forums to answer specific questions.

Cost (per month) (3)

Membership: Yes. Varies by plan from $4-20, billed quarterly
Food: $600 for the Health Living Meal Delivery Program; insignificant or small increase in food costs if using other diet programs
Other: Books, DVDs, supplements, etc. available but not necessary