Diet-to-Go vs. BistroMD 2023: My Expert Comparison

BistroMD and Diet-to-Go specialize in weight loss meal delivery, and both services offer a convenient way to change your diet without the hassle of meal planning and cooking. The fully-prepared meals are delivered to your doorstep and are ready to heat and eat.

These 2 companies are among the most highly regarded weight loss services on the market. But, they have distinct differences that might make 1 more suitable for some dieters than the other. That's why I've done research on them and created the Diet-to-Go vs. BistroMD comparison to help you determine which will make a better fit for you. 

After thorough research, BistroMD emerged as my overall favorite. It supports more diet types and provides greater flexibility in selecting dishes, but that’s not its only advantage. Read on to check my detailed comparison for each category.

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

Menu Variety

Winner: BistroMD

BistroMD has a slightly more flexible menu, so it gets my nod in this category. Both services have large, set menus. Diet-to-Go rotates its menu, so you don’t have access to every dish each week.

BistroMD has 150+ total meals for you to choose from on the Signature Program. The selection is more limited for specialized diets. The new Vegan Program, for example, only has around 25 options. (For comparison, Diet-to-Go doesn’t offer a vegan plan at all.)

Diet-to-Go’s weekly rotating menu is more restrictive, though some people may prefer the structure it provides. You have the ability to substitute out any breakfasts, lunches, and dinners from your weekly order, so there’s still plenty of flexibility here.

If your meals arrive frozen, you can defrost them in the fridge before heating them up. Allow up to 48 hours for thawing, depending on the meal’s size.

BistroMD has predominantly American-, Italian-, and Mediterranean-inspired dishes. However, Diet-to-Go stands out in this regard by offering more variety. It offers food inspired by Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Thai, Indian, and some other cuisines.

Meal Customization

Winner: BistroMD

BistroMD gets ahead of Diet-to-Go in this category, too. It caters to various dietary needs and preferences, including plans for men and women. Diet-to-Go also has great customization options, but these are fewer. 

Both services have gender-specific plans, but BistroMD takes more detailed information into account compared with Diet-to-Go. What's more, BistroMD lets you contact its dietitians for any questions or concerns you may have. 

BistroMD has 7 weight-loss programs:

• Signature – the standard weight loss plan for men and women

• Gluten Free – meals without wheat, rye, and barley

• Heart Healthy – recipes with controlled amounts of sodium and saturated fat

• Keto Flex – low-carb dishes 

• Diabetic – lean proteins to help regulate blood sugar

• Menopause – meals for older women

• Vegan – plant-based meals free of animal ingredients

Diet-to-Go has the following 5 dietary plans:

• Balance – nutritionally-balanced food

• Balance-Diabetes – balanced sugar meals

• Keto-Carb30 – low-carb meals

• Vegetarian – meat-free dishes 

• Mediterranean – recipes based around seafood, fruits, grains, and healthy fats

Both services cater to a similar range of diets like keto and diabetes-friendly. People with certain diets, however, may find that only one service is suitable. For example, only BistroMD has a Vegan plan, while only Diet-to-Go has a Mediterranean plan.

Neither BistroMD nor Diet-to-Go accommodate requests for ingredient replacements, though Diet-to-Go supports entire meal swaps. This is to be expected with weight loss services, as each dish is carefully crafted to contain a perfect balance of nutrients.

Ordering, Delivery, and Unboxing

Winner: Diet-to-Go

Ordering

Ordering food from either weight-loss meal delivery service is straightforward. You'll need to provide similar information, such as your name, address, email, and payment details. However, BistroMD has a welcoming additional requirement, in my opinion. It requires you to specify your gender in the dedicated box, likely for meal adjustment purposes.

Ten meals are the minimum order requirement for both services, or 2 meals per day 5 days a week. You can order up to 21 portions with Diet-to-Go and 20 servings with BistroMD. BistroMD’s Full Week program has 1 fewer meal because of its My Night option, which lets you eat whatever you want once per week.

Both services have dedicated pages to help you change your meal plan. If you're a BistroMD subscriber, sign into your account first. Then, access the My Program section to request changes via the Request to update my plan feature. If you're a Diet-to-Go customer, navigate to the Update Plan page on the website.

Delivery

Both Diet-to-Go and BistroMD deliver food to customers in the continental US only. So, check out other meal delivery services if you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or any overseas territory or dependency. If so, Nutrisystem may be the perfect fit for you. 

Various factors are at play regarding delivery times for your order, so it's hard to give an exact estimate. But, Diet-to-Go is generally more specific about potential delivery days than BistroMD, which could help you with planning. 

Diet-to-Go has 2 delivery policies based on your location. If you live within the service's local delivery areas, you should get your order on Tuesday or Friday. If you live farther away, Diet-to-Go ships your orders on Monday, and you can expect delivery between 2 to 4 days starting from that day. To get specific information about your delivery, check your tracking number.

Unboxing

BistroMD and Diet-to-Go use eco-friendly and recyclable packaging for deliveries. They pack meals in sturdy cardboard boxes filled with insulation to keep everything fresh. 

Note that BistroMD additionally puts portions in a large plastic bag inside the box. Dry ice accompanies BistroMD and Diet-to-Go’s food while the latter service may accompany some of its meals with styrofoam coolers.

You should find meals stacked one on top of the other with either service. Companies label their recipes clearly, so you won't have to guess which meal is which.

Diet-to-Go ships products either fresh or frozen, depending on where you live. If you're close to its facilities, you'll receive fresh meals. But if you're farther away, you'll likely get frozen dishes. 

Meal Prep

Winner: BistroMD

You can heat most meals from these services in under 3 minutes in the microwave. But if you prefer using a conventional oven, warming up meals will likely take longer, usually between 10 to 15 minutes.

You can heat BistroMD's meals directly from the freezer, so you don't need to thaw them if you have no time. But the company recommends defrosting the night before for quicker and more even heating. As for Diet-to-Go's meals, you should defrost them before heating them. However, you don't have to thaw certain meal types from this weight-loss meal delivery service, such as sandwiches and fruit cups.

Diet-to-Go's meals tend to have a longer shelf life than BistroMD's. You can safely eat its meals for up to 4 or 5 days once they're thawed. As for BistroMD’s food, you should consume its meals within 2 or 3 days after defrosting. But remember that you don’t have to thaw this service’s food before heating it. 

BistroMD's trays are oven- and microwave-friendly for temperatures up to 400°F. And you don't have to worry about the trays releasing any harmful chemicals like BPA (bisphenol A) during heating. Diet-to-Go doesn't have any related information regarding these properties, so I think it would be prudent to use your trays for heating its meals. 

Customer Support

Winner: BistroMD

BistroMD has more customer support options, and its agents were friendlier. Overall, the 2 services are pretty closely matched in this category, but those are the reasons why BistroMD gets my vote here.

You have 2 options if you need to reach out to either service. Both have the option to talk to customer service agents by phone. Diet-to-Go also gives you the option to fill out a contact form on its website. Its agents work from 8 am to 5 pm ET on workdays. 

In addition to calling BistroMD's customer support by phone, you can send an email. Its customer service agents operate from 8 am to 8 pm ET Monday to Friday and from 9 am to 6 pm ET on Saturday and Sunday, as stated on the website. Note that, in addition to customer care, you can contact BistroMD’s dietitian support. 

I was happy with the timely and straightforward responses from both services. I sent emails to their teams around midnight. And they promptly answered the following morning, shortly after their operating hours began. 

I asked BistroMD whether the service plans to introduce vegetarian recipes. Lena pointed out that they work on a Vegetarian Plan and offered assistance with anything else that may interest me. But I have to admit that I was surprised to find out that the hours (and days) of operation mentioned in the email differed from the information displayed on the website.

My question for Diet-to-Go was whether there are plans to introduce vegan food. The agent merely stated the fact without answering my question and provided meal personalization tips. The good thing is that anyone considering this weight-loss meal delivery service could use these tips, so check out the response. 

I would certainly appreciate a live chat feature on either service's website. But since the agents respond reasonably quickly, in my experience, I don't find the lack of it a big issue.

You can cancel your subscription with either service easily. With Diet-to-Go, call its customer service and request the cancellation of your account. But note that you may need to deal with the agent's attempts to convince you to keep the subscription. 

For BistroMD, log into your account and select the Update Plan option from the My Account page. From there, scroll down to find the cancellation link and follow the prompts.

Pricing

Winner: Diet-to-Go

Pricing is among the few categories where Diet-to-Go is a winner. Diet plans can be highly personal, so either service may end up being more affordable depending on what you’re looking for. For this comparison, I looked at each service’s keto and diabetes menus.

Diet-to-Go offers much larger discounts on the initial order. But BistroMD provides free shipping on your 1st purchase and lower prices on later orders, depending on the plan. 

I found that Diet-to-Go's 1st-time order for diabetics would cost less than BistroMD’s. The package I chose included 3 meals per day for 7 days. Refer to the following image for the details.

I discovered that BistroMD's 1st-time order for diabetics was pricier. The box included 20 weekly meals (7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 6 dinners). Check the following image for a reference.

Diet-to-Go's 1st-time order for keto dieters was also cheaper, according to my research. This package includes 3 meals for 7 days. Check the image for the details.

BistroMD's 1st-time order for keto dieters was pricier than Diet-to-Go’s. But the price for every subsequent order was lower at the time of my research. The package consisted of 20 weekly meals. Take a look at the image for the details. 

I also compared each service’s flagship plans: BistroMD’s Signature and Diet-to-Go’s Balance. Each contained lunches and dinners for 5 days. I discovered that Diet-to-Go's top-selling plan is more affordable than BistroMD's, but again, the pricing is pretty similar.

First purchase of BistroMD’s Signature plan comprising 10 weekly dishes was pricier, at the time of my research. Check the following image for the details.

You’ll pay a flat-rate delivery fee with each service, regardless of the box size. BistroMD charges $19.95 per shipment, while Diet-to-Go charges $19.98 per delivery. BistroMD gives you free shipping on your very first order.

Diet-to-Go vs. BistroMD – Quick Overview

And the Winner Is: BistroMD

BistroMD comes out as the winner in my Diet-to-Go vs. BistroMD comparison for a couple of reasons. 

BistroMD offers a broader variety of meals and customization options. I also had a better experience with BistroMD's customer support. Lastly, I believe that BistroMD has a more straightforward preparation procedure for its meals.

Diet-to-Go was a worthy competitor, and it has a few advantages over BistroMD. It offers more eco-friendly packaging and generally has more competitive pricing. And it has more dishes inspired by international cuisines. 

I can recommend Diet-to-Go if you prefer a vegetarian or Mediterranean diet, as BistroMD doesn’t currently offer these plans. If you want a vegan or heart-healthy diet – or if your diet is catered to by both services – then I recommend BistroMD.

FAQ

Has anyone lost weight on BistroMD?

Yes, many users have reported losing weight with the BistroMD diet. The service's website features many positive reviews from satisfied customers. The company formulates meals to help dieters lose 1-2 pounds per week, which is a healthy rate for the body to adjust to the changes.

What is similar to BistroMD?

There are many weight-loss services similar to BistroMD available. But some good alternatives are Factor75, Nutrisystem, and Diet-to-Go. Check our Diet-to-Go vs. BistroMD comparison to learn which of the 2 is better for you.  

Who owns BistroMD?

Edward Cederquist serves as the company's CEO. He and a physician Caroline J. Cederquist, who is his spouse, founded BistroMD in 2005. They focus on providing a variety of meals to various dieters who seek to lose weight.  

Is BistroMD healthy?

Yes, BistroMD offers healthy meal plans formulated to meet various dietary needs. Some of its plans cater to people with heart conditions, vegans, and gluten-free eaters. The company sources high-quality ingredients, and its recipes provide balanced nutrition that can help you lose weight without skipping meals. In addition, it ships heat-and-eat meals you can prepare in a few minutes.  

Who owns Diet-to-Go?

Hilton Davis is the CEO and owner of Diet-to-Go. He founded the company in 1991, and the service’s aim is to provide healthy yet affordable meals to dieters who wish to lose weight.