Freshology Review 2024: Healthy Weight Loss?

Overview

Freshology offers 5 meal plans designed for weight loss: Balance, Balance-Diabetes, Keto-Carb30, Vegetarian, and Mediterranean. Each plan runs on a 5-week rotating menu with up to 30 meals, though some meals overlap between menus. The Keto-Carb30 plan includes more carbs than strict keto, which might not suit everyone trying to stay in ketosis.

The meals come in single portions, mostly featuring standard American dishes with a few Mediterranean or Italian options. While you can swap meals within a plan, you can't customize ingredients, which feels limiting, and there are no options for vegan or paleo diets. Many meals also contain processed foods and lack clear ingredients or nutritional breakdowns.

The packaging is somewhat eco-friendly. Home Delivery meals get delivered once per week and come frozen in non-recyclable styrofoam, while Fresh Home Delivery uses reusable gel packs and gets delivered twice per week.

Freshology is quite expensive, and the price depends on gender and meal quantity – men’s plans cost more due to higher calorie counts (1,600 vs. 1,200 for women), and shipping costs extra, too. Freshology is definitely convenient for calorie-focused weight loss, but the lack of flexibility, inconsistent quality, and high cost didn’t win me over.

Freshology Menu: 5 Plans to Help You on Your Weight Loss Journey

Freshology offers 5 plans specific to weight loss. These include Balance, Balance-Diabetes, Keto-Carb30, Vegetarian, and Mediterranean. Each plan’s menu is on a 5-week rotation and may include anywhere from 10 to 30+ for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on the plan.

For example, if you choose the Keto-Carb30 plan, you‘ll find about 12 breakfast meals and slightly more options for lunch and dinner each. On the other hand, the Balance plan consists of a similar number of breakfast meals and typically more than 30 dishes each for lunch and dinner.

Meal Options

Each meal comes as a single portion, so these plans are best for singles who want to lose weight. Families would find subscribing to this meal plan inconvenient and pricey. 

The cuisine is primarily standard American throughout all menus. There’s a small smattering of Mediterranean and Italian dishes, too, which I found interesting.

Most Freshology plans are meat- and fish-heavy. This means you’ll find plenty of turkey, chicken, salmon, shrimp, and beef. None of Freshology’s meal plans are suitable for vegans since most meals include cheese and eggs. You can exclude meals that contain these items, but the remaining options will be far too limited to have a satisfying experience with this service.

Here’s a quick overview of Freshology’s most popular plans: 

• The Balance plan is Freshology’s basic low-calorie plan without a specific dietary focus. Freshology offers the option to exclude seafood in its Balance and Keto-Carb30 plans but otherwise doesn’t cater to any allergies.

• The Keto-Carb30 plan’s meals contain more carbs than the traditional keto diet. It offers meals ranging from 13 g to 43 g of net carbs per meal instead of being super low-carb like a traditional keto plan.

• The Balance-Diabetes plan is for people who are Prediabetic or have Type 2 Diabetes. Meals follow the American Diabetes Association’s guidelines for daily intake of complex carbs, lean proteins, and veggies.

A low-calorie diet may harm some people with serious health conditions. Consulting a physician or healthcare professional about your specific needs is the best route to determining whether following the meal plans of either service will work for you.

Customization: Swapping Meals Is Easy

Freshology’s menu has a set list of recipes for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners on a 5-week rotation. Meals are selected for you once you pick a plan. However, swapping recipes within a meal plan is easy.

You’ll see at least 20 substitutions for each meal. if there’s a meal you don’t want or a meal you’d like to repeat a few times, you can simply choose from the list of recipe substitutes within that rotation. If you want to eat Chicken Fontina every dinner and Cinnamon Walnut Cereal for breakfast 3 times a week – you sure can.

Swapping meals is super easy, but the rotating menu can still get boring. I’ve watched Freshology’s menu rotate through several cycles, and I noticed that many recipes repeat within each 5-week rotation and between different meal plan menus.

You can’t exclude or replace ingredients, upgrade proteins, or change portions. I spoke to a friendly customer service agent who plainly stated that Freshology isn’t for me. I’m pescatarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, and sugar-free, so the service can’t accommodate me.

This isn’t an issue if you don’t have allergy concerns and are happy with your menu. However, if you have many allergy concerns and want to exclude certain ingredients, Freshology probably isn’t for you.

If you dislike a particular ingredient, your only option is to exclude the entire meal. The downside of excluding entire meals is that your recipe choices are significantly reduced if your selected plan has a lot of the ingredients you don’t want.

You also can’t view the complete ingredient lists on the website. You’ll find processed foods in recipes like “grape jelly” or “cream cheese” without ingredient lists or nutrient facts. So you don’t really know what you’re eating.

Freshology’s Menu at a Glance 

Unboxing: There Are 2 Types of (Mostly) Eco-Friendly Packaging

Freshology delivers individually packaged and labeled fully prepared meals. Use-by dates are labeled on each package, so you can freeze or thaw depending on when you’re ready to eat each meal.

Freshology offers 2 types of delivery – Home Delivery and Fresh Home Delivery. The recyclability of packaging depends on which delivery option you choose. You’ll receive a cardboard box with reusable gel packs (Fresh Home Delivery) or a styrofoam box with dry ice (Home Delivery).

The website states that you can recycle all meal trays like most plastics, but that styrofoam isn’t recycled in all zip codes.

Other recycling details are sparse on the website, so you’ll have to call customer service or research recycling in your area to ensure all packaging materials are recyclable. More on that in the Shipping & Delivery section below.

Cooking (And Eating) With Freshology: Thaw, Heat & Eat

All food arrives fully prepared and frozen, so all you have to do is heat and eat. Meals only take a few minutes to heat in the microwave. Ultimately – if you have a microwave – meal prep is around 2-10 minutes, depending on whether you undertake extra seasoning.

You can also heat meals using a toaster, convection oven, or conventional oven. If you don't have a microwave, allow time to defrost your meal first before heating it in the oven.

When my colleague ordered from Freshology, she found that her meals were bland. The vegetables seemed watery, and each veg tasted the same. She also found that the proteins were dry and that there were several processed foods, including sausage patties, low-fat yogurts, cheeses, and Eggo-ish waffles.

If sodium and fats aren’t a concern – feel free to add salt or herbs, spices, and olive oil to enhance flavors! It’s not a major step in meal prep and won’t take up too much time. Enjoying your meals by flavoring them to suit your palate is an excellent way to stay on track with your healthcare professional's diet recommendations.

Freshology recommends thawing meals before heating them. Once thawed, meals should be eaten within a week or by the use-by date labeled on each meal's package. 

The meals can be left in the freezer for up to 1 year. This does make me question what preservatives or additives are included in the packaging process. I asked customer service and didn’t receive a clear answer, as the agents couldn’t find updated information.

Shortlist of My Favorite Meals

Still, Freshology has meals I would personally love to see on my dining table. In this part of my Freshology Review, I will briefly touch on some of them that fall under the Balance plan. 

Blueberry Pancakes, Turkey Sausage

If you're a fan of sweet and savory breakfast options like me, the Blueberry Pancakes and Turkey Sausage dish naturally emerges as a welcome choice. Besides the obvious ingredients, this meal also includes egg whites, buttermilk, and syrup.

This dish is low-calorie with a total of 300 calories. With this breakfast, you will consume 9 g of protein, 44 g of carbohydrates, and 3 g of fat. The meal also contains 700 mg of salt.

Mediterranean Pizza

Mediterranean Pizza is an excellent choice for omnivores looking to take a break from meat. The pizza contains various types of cheese, vegetables, and spices, making it a promising lunch option. Among the ingredients in a sea of others are mozzarella and feta cheeses, black olives, ginger, basil, sundry tomato, and roasted garlic.

In terms of nutritional value, Mediterranean Pizza is a low-calorie recipe, as you'd expect, with 380 calories per serving. It adds 37 g of carbs, 15 g of protein, 750 mg of sodium, and 6 g of fat. 

Baked Salmon With Pineapple Salsa

Salmon is always a welcome ingredient on my table for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. With the addition of pineapple salsa, it promises a treat towards the end of the day. Besides these, the other key ingredients of this dish are ginger carrots, and turnip & parsnip veggie puree.

Baked Salmon with Pineapple Salsa is a slightly higher-calorie meal than Mediterranean Pizza. So, this dish could be a better fit for a lunchtime meal if you seek to decrease your calorie intake as the night comes. It contains 400 calories, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 32 grams of protein, 14 grams of fat, and 280 milligrams of sodium.

Prices: Meals for Men Are More Expensive Than Meals for Women

Pricing for men and women is different. The men’s meals will be more expensive since you’re getting up to 1,600 calories per day. The women’s plans include only 1,200 calories per day.

The price per meal also decreases the more you order. The 7-Day plan is cheaper per meal than the 5-Day plan. And choosing 3 meals per day is cheaper than ordering 2 meals per day. Before you checkout, you can view the total cost per week.

Below is a breakdown of per-meal prices for each Balance-D option.

If you opt for 3 meals a day, then the 7-Day plan costs between $185 to $225 per week. If you opt for 3 meals per day, the 5-Day plan costs between $140 to $165 per week.

Shipping & Delivery: Home Delivery vs. Fresh Home Delivery

Freshology offers 2 delivery options – Home Delivery and Fresh Home Delivery. 

The Fresh Home Delivery option is a unique meal delivery service feature that better ensures fresher food than the Home Delivery option. Your food will arrive cool and not frozen on Tuesdays and Fridays.

However, while the food arrives fresh, some of it may have been previously frozen. This includes sausage patties, a variety of proteins, and even some veggies. I spoke to several different customer service representatives to get more details about this, but I couldn’t get a clear answer.

The Fresh option is only available in certain zip codes. This includes areas in and near Washington DC, including parts of Virginia and Maryland. It’s also an option in New Jersey and Los Angeles. Standard Home Delivery is available in the contiguous United States.

Unfortunately, you can’t choose a preferred delivery day. To start your order, type in your zip code, and you’ll be notified which days Freshology delivers to you, followed by a shipping price.

Freshology will then provide you with email updates about when your order will arrive. The first order typically takes 2 to 4 days to process and arrive at your doorstep. If you need to make any changes to your order, you can do this through your online account. Make sure to make any changes before 12 PM EST on your cut-off day (you can find this on your account).

How Freshology Works (Step by Step Guide)

Setting up your subscription is straightforward and only takes 5 to 10 minutes.

How to Sign Up (Just 4 Simple Steps)

1. Enter your zip code to see if Freshology delivers to you, then click the View Meal Plans button.

2. Choose your plan and the number of meals. Choose how many days you want to receive meals and how many meals per day you want. Note that the more meals you order, the lower the cost per meal.

3. Enter your address.  Enter the address to which you want your order shipped.

4. Enter your payment information and discount code: You can pay with a credit or debit card. If you signed up through one of our links, this coupon will automatically apply: Get 50% Off

Freshology is a weekly delivery service with weekly meal plans. Your order will automatically ship each week unless you change or cancel your order via the website or customer service.

You can start choosing your meals after picking a plan and adding payment details. Once you enter your payment details and confirm your order, you’ll receive a shipping confirmation email with your FedEx delivery tracking information. Your order should arrive in 2-4 days.

Managing Your Subscription

You have to log in to your account and contact customer service to make any changes. I wish it were a little more convenient to pause or cancel your Freshology subscription. Change requests must be made by 12 PM ET on the cutoff day shown on your account.

Customer Service: Freshology’s Support Isn’t Great

Freshology’s customer service isn’t up to par with some other meal delivery services. There’s no app to manage your subscription, email responses are slow, and there’s no live chat. However, the call service is more responsive, and there’s an FAQ page, too.

I was quickly connected to a customer support agent every time I called.  Each agent was friendly, but I got limited information when I asked about ingredient sourcing, shipping practices, and other important questions. The FAQ wasn’t any more helpful for finding this info.

Customer service’s phone line has limited hours. It’s strictly available from Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time. There’s no live chat feature, which I found odd, as almost every other service I’ve reviewed has this option.

The FAQ is quite out of date and email is slow, so I suggest you call Freshology if you have any questions regarding ingredients or the specific dietary plans.

Customer service agents aren’t healthcare professionals, dietitians, or nutritionists. However, they’re well-versed in the calorie-restricted diet ADA guidelines for the menu and macro counts for the Keto-Carb30 Plan, and are happy to help you manage your subscription.

Freshology’s Registered Dietitian Consultation

Freshology offers a free consultation with a board-certified, registered dietitian after you’ve paid for your first order. However, it only has a single registered dietitian who is meant to be available should you have some difficulty with the food you’ve ordered.

The dietitian can consult with you to find better meal options. The first consultation is free, and you can have a follow-up appointment or 2 if necessary. However, that’s the unimpressive extent of Freshology’s consultation and “diet coaching” options.

How Freshology Compares to Other Meal Delivery Services

• Freshology vs. Factor: Factor stands out for its emphasis on nutrient-rich prepared meals that focus on fitness (and weight loss). Culinary experts craft the meals, and it offers a wider variety of meal plans. These cater to diverse dietary preferences and restrictions, including keto, paleo, and more. Its commitment to hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and GMO-free ingredients also appeals to those prioritizing “clean eating”.
  

• Freshology vs. Nutrisystem: Nutrisystem is a viable option for those seeking a structured, long-term weight loss program. With its prepackaged, portion-controlled meals and snacks, it removes the guesswork from dieting. Nutrisystem also includes support resources like dietitian consultations, which may be preferable for those wanting more comprehensive weight loss guidance compared to Freshology.
  

• Freshology vs. BistroMD: BistroMD is a weight-loss-focused service started by a doctor. It offers frozen prepared meals designed by dietitians that limit calorie intake to around 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day. It has a range of programs for different diets and health concerns, including Vegan, Heart Healthy, Keto, and Gluten Free programs.
  

The Bottom Line: Is Freshology Worth It?

Having a complete week of delivered meals helps relieve the challenge of weight loss. Between planning, shopping, and preparing food, you can significantly improve the loneliness of beginning and continuing your plan.

Freshology’s meal plans can jumpstart your weight loss journey. If you’re comfortable with a calorie-restricted, medium-carb, low sodium version of the standard American diet, have zero allergies or other dietary restrictions, and can afford the price, Freshology is a solid option.

Each plan offers a convenient menu of 3 meals per day, 7 days per week. However, Freshology’s core philosophy is weight loss via calorie restriction. Before signing up for this plan or making any major diet decisions, please consult your healthcare professional.

FAQ

What is a low-calorie prepared meal delivery service?

Low-calorie prepared meal delivery services offer portion-controlled, fully prepared meals. Meals are delivered directly to your home or might be available for pickup, depending on the delivery service.

For instance, Freshology’s easy weight loss plans contain a total daily calorie intake of 1,200 to 1,600, depending on whether you’re male or female.

Will I lose weight from a low-calorie meal delivery service?

Yes. Calorie restriction typically leads to rapid initial weight loss. If you choose a low-calorie meal delivery service, you may experience rapid weight loss. 

However, low-calorie diets are difficult to sustain and aren’t recommended for long-term weight loss maintenance. Speaking to a healthcare professional, registered dietitian, or nutritionist is the best option to determine what weight loss plan best fits your unique needs.

How much is Freshology per month?

Freshology’s monthly price ranges from about $560 to $904 (excluding weekly shipping), depending on how many meals you order per week and which plan you choose.

If you opt for 3 meals a day, then the 7-Day plan costs between $185 to $225 per week. If you opt for 3 meals per day, the 5-Day plan costs between $140 to $165 per week.

Is Freshology the same as Diet-to-Go?

Yes. The only difference is the name. Freshology’s recipes, plans, prices, and service – including the customer service agents – are all the same.