Despite the traditional conception that losing weight involves exercise, a new trend is becoming increasingly popular: consuming delivered homemade diet food. A number of ‘diet shops' have opened in Jeddah alone over the past few years, catering to this growing group of people who seek nutritional consultation and diet programs catered to their weight-loss goals. Diet food has found a new provider in the form of healthy, home-cooked food, which a number of enterprising individuals have taken to delivering to their customers. However, customers are told that this food is prepared under a dietitian's supervision. “Our program is based on low-calorie food intake and our aim is to limit the quantity of food our customer consumes, in order to implement a healthy lifestyle; we also provide educational support sessions to those who need extra help,”explained Rema Abol Hassan, a dietitian in one such diet center, in an interview with Saudi Gazette. She added that the cooked food they serve is like any other homemade food but they use low-fat oil and reduce the portions for each individual according to his or her diet plan. She and her team recommend less than seven percent of saturated food on a daily basis - like all nutritionists - and they implement that in their cooking as well. “We like to provide low quantities of things like kabsa as well as a variety of sweets and popular dishes that are enjoyed by the individual we are catering the program for,” added Hassan. Though difficult to accept, such a forceful - and expensive - change in diet routine may be necessary for those unwilling to make lifestyle changes themselves. For others, it is difficult to adapt to the food they are offered. “Following such a diet plan was not easy for me, especially because I didn't really like the food. But I was desperate to lose weight and having the food delivered to my house was very convenient and made it a part of my lifestyle rather than a diet,” remarked Afnan Neyazi, a customer. For others, the main problem is that this concept involves little or no exercise. Alawi Ali Reza is a businessman who advocates the use of these diet plans, having followed one himself. “Just following the diet, however, is not enough; exercise is the key to losing weight and must become a daily habit,” he advised.”I followed the program and lost almost 34 kilos within a year, the food was acceptable and the convenience of having it delivered to my house was convenient.” For younger, cash-strapped customers on the other hand, diet centers can seem like a waste of money and time. “I joined the program for a month and it didn't work for me; I couldn't bear the taste of the food and the pressure to lose weight, and because I paid 1,900 riyals, it didn't seem worthwhile,” remarked Nora Hassan, a college student. For working people, however, these diet plans are both a convenient and worthwhile option. Shaimaa Mashat works for an advertising company in Jeddah and she told Saudi Gazette that home-delivered food is “cheaper than ordering food from the restaurant and relieves me of worrying about what I need to do today to lose weight.”
