eDiets: Are They Really Worth It?

e-diets is such a scam. Honestly, you can get ALL of the recipes online for free anyway. Just look up South Beach or Atkins or your diet preference and you'll find thousands of recipes online. I signed up for a year and they automatically renewed my membership without letting me know and changed me another $169. Also, all the articles you can get for free, and there are other free support websites. I'll NEVER do it again. It was so not worth it!!

i almost paid to try e-diets thanks to all these comments i did not do it .i knew something was weird about it.thank you for at least telling someone anyone about this!

Has anyone read www.ObesityResearch.org 's article about eDiets.com. They compare eDiets with other online diets. If you thought eDiets.com was not the diet for you - you were only half right. Apparently it's not the diet for anyone!

READ the summary of the research at www.DietSurf.com (see eDiets.com )or direct from the source: http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/12/6/1011

Here's the beginning quote that discusses the results of their research about eDiets compared with following a diet manual. A direct quote in their research abstract says:

"The study's principal finding was that eDiets.com produced minimal weight loss"...

I wonder who's funding eDiets corporation - does anyone know?

I have been with ediets for 4 years. It has been worth it.

I started with a 5000 calorie binge habit that was 2-5x/week. I am now down to about a 500 calorie binge when I am overstressed, and rarely more than 2x/week at this point.

I had a 100+ ounces of caffeine in soda habit also. I am now soda free and caffeine free.

I lost 37#, then got stupid and gained 61#, and am currently down 27#.

I am exercising.
I am drinking water.
I use the plan for support.
I use the meal planning to keep me for impulse buying junk.
I have learned to PLAN AHEAD to be successful.
With learning my new habits, I was able to quit a job I hated and apply for a job I love.

Was it worth it? Yes. I have made friends who check up on me and care that I am keeping myself accountable.
When on a trip, I was able to make appointments to meet several for meals.

I am now totally out of my size 3x. I have just purchased a skirt with a zipper and NO ELASTIC WAISTBAND.

Was it worth it? yes. But I investigated BEFORE I signed up. I went ONLINE and looked to see what was offered in other places. I went and found what the price for WW and Jenny Craig were in comparison.

I am currently STILL with ediets. And I am also on the Sparkpeople.com site.

It depends on you. Can you be successful in modifying yourself, or do you need to physically be with other people to make sure you are committed you changing you?

Just my 2cents.

Hateful cancellation policy. Don't check the box of Terms unless you read it carefully and are committed to a three month payment even if you call in and cancel (buyer's remorse)within 24 hours of registration. The service reps are hard-nosed.

i did eDiets and loved it. i loved the recipes and the shopping lists.. but all the recipes served 1... i was doing this with my family so i needed it to serve 3, doing the math was annoying.

also the amount of ads started to get on my nerves. i had dial-up at the time so the pages would take forever to load, even when i was using the accelerator provided by my ISP.

i did stick with it for about 6 months, when i'd get tired of one diet, i'd switch to another. i started with the Glycemic Impact diet which took off about 20 lbs. but i got bored with the menu options, so i jumped around trying the Mediterranean diet and the eDiets diet before finally letting my 1 year membership elapse.

i also wish it let me preview the exercise program that's included in the annual membership. one look at it, and after i was done laughing and picked myself off the floor, i decided i would never use it as the workout provided was much too simple for my former varsity athlete and dancer self.

the recipe club is great too. i got many recipes off there as well.

eDiets is good if you're dieting on your own and love to cook. but if you're bringing the family along, it's rough.

Thanks for all the info. I'm glad I checked it out before I gave up my credit card information. Sounds like a class-action law-suit to me. Stealing is stealing in my book.

I joined eDiets and used it for years. I like the community and the fee isn't very high. I liked the support boards mostly, Julia Havey's was the best. She emailed me and even sent me her book for free. I think she really cares about us, because she was once obese, too.

I have been disappointed because all of the experts are suddenly gone. They have a bunch of nutritionists, but it's like the personality is gone from the site/company.

Anyone else feel like that?

GIVE UP on eDiets, GO TO SPARKPEOPLE.:

I tried eDiets for approximately 3 months. I joined a number of groups (support and encouragement from other members) and lost a fair amount of weight AND size. It got me up and exercising again, which helped with my depression, and was a good incentive towards getting myself back on track.

However.

The staff are as genuine and caring as your average used car salesman, and you meet some genuine crazies on the forums. That wouldn't be so bad if ED monitored them, but the only interventions they ever take are to offer you "more personalized" service (i.e. more expensive options) that will cost more. Yes, it was nice to have their menu-building software. Yes, there were people who supported me and helped pick me up on days that went badly. But in the end I was completely fed up (no pun intended) and demanded a full refund that included weeks that I had "won" in online weight-loss challenges they sponsored. I received these monies right away...but then, I can be VERY aggressive when I feel wronged.

A few months ago I decided to join an online group again, and came across Sparkpeople (www.sparkpeople.com). Entirely free (paid by outside advertising), it offers just as much as eDiets (minus the expense and attitude). If you're considering an online group, make it Sparkpeople. Or, if you're the type who thinks nothing good comes without cost, at least make it somehere OTHER than eDiets.

I signed up for ediets and that was the last I could log onto their website. You know, we all have a million different passwords for everything in life and for some strange reason, I seemed to have forgotten my ediets password. I went to the password help dealie bobber, requested my password be sent to me but I never got it. I requested it several more times but for some reason, it never came. I emailed the customer service email on multiple occasions and received the confirmation that my email had been received and someone would contact me within 24 hours. It's been months. They continued to charge my account (thankfully my checking account which I have since closed). I talked to the bank and was told that I needed to put it in writing to them that they are to immediately stop removing money from my account in order for them to block removal of payment. I emailed customer service again and of course, I got my email confirmation that they had received my email and someone would contact me within 24 hours. I think that was over a month ago and they still haven't contacted me. I filed a complaint with the bbb in Florida and they kindly assisted me with my problem. The rep from ediets responded that they responded to my request and they named 2 specific dates (but showed no proof of the emails.) They chalked it up to spam filters but funny how I added ediets to my safe list and for some reason, I get all sorts of spam mail all the time. Anyways, they state that they do not give refunds on services. They were kind enough to not charge me for June and have given me 8 weeks free access to ediets.com. That was generous of them but they still haven't given me my stinking password. DON'T USE EDIETS.COM!!!!

I am a college student and living in the dorm my freshman year took a toll on me and I gained about 15 pounds. So I decided to join eDiets.com to help me eat better and whatever. I figured if I was paying for it that I would be more motivated. Well, I was right sortof. I did the diet for about 8 weeks and lost 10 pounds. I looked better and felt better. However, when I decided to move back home I realized very quickly that this is NOT a useful tool if you like to eat with other people. Cooking for one on the diet had been easy, trying to eat healthy with my stepmom cooking and buying food...not so easy. If they were smart they would create the option for "family" meal plans. So I cancelled it with no problems. I'm pretty sure that I just waited til the third month and cancelled it.

Well for some stupid reason I decided to sign up again a year later (even though I'm still living at home) because I gained that 10 back because of a health problem. Well obviously I haven't even used it. Shame on me though, I knew what I was getting into. Impulse buy I think.

I think that they have a $25.00 cancellation fee because you don't really know what you're actually getting so a lot of people find that it is impractical and decide they do not want it anymore. So they lock you in for a minimum of one month of membership + $25.00. After reading all of these comments, I feel pretty lucky to have smoothly cancelled last time and hope it goes as well this time.

Personally, I would not do it again. You're better off learning how to lose weight from a health book and getting recipes and workouts free online. And really, the best thing you can do is keep a food journal. Knowing what (and how much) you're putting in your body helps to keep you motivated and focused on your goal. Steer clear of eDiets.com because you're basically paying for information you could get from the library for free.

I was also burned by e-diets when they kept charging my credit card bill, after I thought I cancelled. Either they are purposefully creating ways to prevent us from understanding the contract, or a great majority of their customers are not very smart. I think it's the former. It's sad e-diets preys on people who desperately want to lose weight - they know they can get us on such an easily marketed product on an emotionally-laden issue.

Thank you all for the info. I just save all the trouble you had with ediets...
Please keep sending your comments!

I have been using the ediets system. I wanted to lose around 5kg. I find them to be very commerical, in fact a little cheap and tacky.

Reading through the comment here, I too felt scammed by e-diets. I signed up for a month and wasn't happy with the results. When I called to cancel (you cant cancel online) I was told I singed a three month contract and would either have to finish the term or pay a cancellation fee. Now I am stuck paying $90

Aside from that: the recipes they list are expensive and the fitness plan is hard to follow with out a trainer. Get a gym membership and buy a cookbook instead. Don't waste your money on E-Diets. And if, like me, feel cheated please report them to the Better Business Bureau

Melissa said:
I joined ediets.com and really didn't use it. When I got my CC bill, I was charged with a $31.98 fee. Not so cheap any more. So I cancelled my membership only to find out that there is an early cancellation fee of $25.00. What kind of company charges you a Fee to cancell something that I paid for. They made money off of me and that really PISSES me[...]

I'm with you Melissa. I was very unhappy with the service and how many ingredients I had to buy to make the recipes that I didn't even use it one day. The first week recipes required over 100 ingredients! I cancelled my membership because I was told I could cancel at any time, and find out they chanrged me a $25 cancellation fee also for something I didn't even use. I was very upset I have to say!!! I will never recommend this site to anyone and will definetely let this be know to everyone and every site I can!!!! What a scam this is!

Christi

I used Ediets way back when it first came out. (late 90's). It was great! My husband and I both lost around 30 pounds. After having my kids 2002/2004, we decided to sign up again. I was shocked at the changes to the site. Luckily I didn't sign up again. I have been using the Sparkspeople.com site and love it! It's like what Ediets USED to be. It's free, you get support, tons of recipes, very personalized menus, and NO SPAM!

Ediets work! I lost 6 pounds the first week, and a total of 22 pounds in the 10 weeks that I was on. I stopped losing weight in the 8th or 9th week because I found out I was pregnant. When I cancelled, they gave me no problems. I probably would never have lost the weight if it weren't for ediets. This plan is more of a lifestlye change than anything. I didn't realize that my portions were too big unil ediets. I plan to join again to get of the baby weight the second time around. I highly recommend this diet!

I tried Ediets awhile back and discovered that it was simply easier and cheaper to buy a calorie counter book.
The one thing I do miss is their weight loss progress graphs. Those were very inspirational for me. Does anybody know where I can find one with the same format? It was great that their charts projected the date I would reach my weight loss goal. I can't seem to find one that is identicle.

Wow, I was considering a subscription to eDiets but after reading all these very negative comments I'll be going someplace else. Thanks for the heads up. E-Diets needs to get their act together. Good customer service is taught in Retail 101.

When I joined Ediets back in early 2007, I was a college junior struggling with the notorious Freshman Fifteen. My problem with the site were the lackluster meals shown to me through its meal plan. It also did not take into account the fact that I was raised in an Asian family with different dietary preferences, e.g. rice at nearly every meal. I appreciated the variety of choices provided by the site (Atkins, Mayo Clinic, etc), however, being new to dieting, I was overwhelmed by the array of options. This type of site would be best left to those who have done their homework and know exactly what they are looking for. With regards to support, when I contacted a dietitian, I was provided with answers to my questions (i.e. how to use meal plans in a school cafeteria setting), and though I canceled before three months, I was aware of the $25 so didn't object to paying it. My membership was canceled on the spot by the customer service representative via an online chat. I am ambivalent as to whether I will try Ediets again, mainly because of the numerous negative reviews, and the tendency for the checkout process (upon signing up) to aggressively market add-ons such as fitness equipment and pedometers.

I am on NutriSystem. The easiest diet I have ever been on. It really works and customer service is great, as is the food.
Not gourmet for sure but tastes good. I lost 30 lbs in short time. Weight loss time depends on how much you need to lose.
I definitely recommend Nutrisystem.

Thanks I was going to sign up at ediets, just decided to check up on the veracity of their claims. Glad I read all the post, saved money and found SparkPeople and its free !!

I think that e-diets is horrendous. The people at member services are rude. Nowhere does it say "try your three months" of e-diets. Nowhere, except for hidden way in their wording, does it say you are going to be hit with an early cancellation fee if you cancel before your third month. It's a ripoff!

Also, I signed on for a hypoglycemic diet. Uh, they don't seem to know what that is, because what I got was NOT a diet for someone with hypoglycemia. It was terrible!

I wouldn't waste your money. Go see a professional.

Well, eDiets has decided to re-vamp their website and for the past week and a half, the program is so buggy that it's completely useless. The menus contain up to 1000 extra calories, the support board is seriously mucked up, and there are no useful communications from the company regarding what is being done. Members are leaving in droves - even long-time members.

THIS COMPANY is a RIPOFF. I signed up for the at home delivery servie and received one week of service(food) and have been billed 3 times each 3 days apart. I emailed them and received no response. I have been trying to call them and get put on hold many times and cannot get a LIVE person on the phone. I tried to use their live chat option online and was told no one was available. I am contacting my credit card company as we speak to dispute the claims and stop the payments being taken out.
NEVER USE THEIR FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE.

I signed up for ediets at the end of December it. It is now March. They revamped their website three weeks ago. I have not been able to log-in to update my profile since they changed things. I can't access meal plans see my progress reports. I hate this company. I've been robbed. DO NOT use eDiets.com. I have tried repeatedly to call and email their customer service department and online customer service. I can't get through online ( I get automated replies that promise I'll be contatced in 24 hours-never happens) and the one person I spoke with on the phone was completely useless. She appeared to be writing my complaints down on paper rather than addressing my computer complaints via a computer.

Ediets is the biggest scam ever. Not only did I sign up for the $99 5-day/week trial and they charged me that ON TOP OF $118.95 for no reason, but I've emailed them 10 times over the last 2 weeks and NEVER received a response; I've called customer service numerous times only to be on hold for OVER 30-45 minutes and then to be disconnected. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS. You can only cancel over the phone...but they never answer the phone! I hate it and am considering filing a law suit against them...not to mention the food they send you is gross and half of the food they sent me expires before I'm supposed to eat it! GROSS! I will NEVER EVER do an online diet again because of this company...I don't know how they have gotten this big...probably because if you sign up you cant cancel! That is probably the only reason they have so many members! DON'T DO IT!

EDIETS IS A HUGE RIP-OFF!!! DO NOT BUY INTO THIS SERVICE !!! I have been unable to change my diet plan for 3 weeks now. I have emailed 3 times with no response. I have called multiple times and I am either hung up on or the call is simply never answered (after an hour). I have no idea how to cancel because I can't get any response. I've sent a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, but if they keep charging me I don't know how to cancel without going to court. AVOID THIS FRAUDULENT COMPANY!!!

Thank go-d I never signed up for ediet.com If you are a victim of their scam then ripoffreport.com has some advice on what you should do. Just follow this particular link:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/147/RipOff0147934.htm

Hope it helps all of you. :-)

I hate seeing scams!!

Thank go-d I never signed up for ediet.com If you are a victim of their scam then ripoffreport.com has some advice on what you should do. Just follow this particular link:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/147/RipOff0147934.htm

Hope it helps all of you. :-)

I hate hearing or seeing scams!!

From a person that cares. Good Luck!! :-)

UPDATE:

Just scroll down the page to where you see in big blue print
EDitor's Suggestions on how to get your money back!

Thank go-d I never signed up for ediet.com If you are a victim of their scam then ripoffreport.com has some advice on what you should do. Just follow this particular link:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/147/RipOff0147934.htm

UPDATE:

Just scroll down the page on that website link to where you see in big blue print
EDitor's Suggestions on how to get your money back!

Hope it helps all of you. :-)

I hate hearing or seeing scams!!

From a person that cares. Good Luck!! :-)

DO NOT SIGN UP FOR EDIETS. They make it nearly impossible to cancel. They claim to have Saturday customer service hours, but no one every answers.

I've sent emails to no avail. They are scam artists pure and simple.

Ediets is a scam! I ordered the meal progam for a delivery date of 3/1/2008. The system decided to have the delivery start instead on 2/28/2008 (when I wasn't home!) and after calling on the same day and holding for 20 minutes, I was told that no one there could help me and that I would receive a return phone call. I never received a return phone call and have been calling and emailing for over 3 weeks for a refund. I was charged 3 times at $131.60 each and am being told that even though ediets is the one who made the error on delivery dates that the initial week order will not be credited and that I will only be getting 2 credits, which I have yet to see. This service is a joke! Any time I call to check on my refund, I am on hold for over 20 minutes! Additionally, the fact that they will not credit me for the initial week even though I cancelled on the same day is ridiculous! Buy from these people at your own risk - they are shady, unscrupulous and have no concept of service.

I have subscribed to eDiets with great results -- twice. Sadly, they destroyed what they had going when they re-vamped their web site. I tried to be patient while they worked out the "bugs." It's bad. It's so unprofessional -- they should have remedied the situation long before now. What used to be a joy has turned into a nightmare and there is no support at all. They don't answer email in a reasonable time, and no one seems to answer the phone. It's as if they all left and kept the website up. I looked at their employment offerings and saw that they need people to answer the phone, a creative director, a QA person, nutritionists, etc. It looks like everyone who was good has quit and eDiets is scrambling to get a new team together. I'm afraid that if I cancel, I will stop losing weight and I am not ready for that yet. I keep hoping, week after week, that they will fix things.

can anyone tell me if there is soy and how much in the food im allergic to it thanks are there large amounts .

over all satisfaction HORRIBLE.....the food was not good. and very redundant. No variety. the order accuracy was also poor not to mention they double shipped me a day apart, and charged for it, refusing to refund my money. I also told them that I would be sending back the delivery, which they told me I could not because of "food safety issues" FEDX came out no problem and returned the package to them.
they sent numerous shipments that were not ordered. I couldn’t get anyone on the phone ... I sent about 20 emails before I finally heard back, Very untimely response...as I tried to cancel shipments. worked out for them....
I received more meatloaf and mash potatoes than I would eat in a years time over the 4 weeks of delivery. The included this meal at least 3 times each week.
didn’t care to help with my concerns...did seem to remember there was a person attached to the credit card and the email complaints...to the Customer
would NEVER TRY THAT AGAIN

ediets has horrible customer service and is basically a scam. I called and cancelled but was charged again the next month. When I called to have them reverse the charge, I was told I never called because they had no documentation. After asking for a supervisor 4 times I was told someone would call me back. That was 3 weeks ago. I filed a complaint with the BBB.

Given the horrible way eDiets is treating its subscribers, I am shocked at how little information has made it out to the public domain. How are they getting away with this???

When I first joined, I loved it. LOVED IT. Lost 30 pounds pretty easily, liked the food, found it easy to stick to the diet, etc. When they changed over their website, I had a few problems, but didn't really have to do anything that day anyway. When it was still not working a week later, I was pretty shocked. Most companies would have been working 24/7 to get things right.

eDiets, by contrast, never even admitted that virtually all of their site was broken. A few Pollyannas got snippy with me for posting (along with everyone else) about the problems. I was told that they had "a few glitches". I was told that X was their top priority (and Y and Z ...). Diets were wrong, fitness programs were wrong, BMI charts were wrong, progress reports were gone, key components like the Nutrition Tracker were gone.

After a couple of weeks, it became apparent that they (a) hadn't tested the new site, (b) didn't keep a copy of the old site, (c) were completely unprepared for what happened. Customer service faltered and then disappeared. Members were leaving in droves. There were lots of stories of people getting billed hundreds of dollars for food that never arrived. The CEO signed up and wrote, essentially, "hey, if you don't like it, don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out." I didn't.

Fortunately, I was able to cancel, but only because a sympathetic staff member processed a few cancellations from the website. Even more fortunately, I got a refund of part of that month some time later.

I am still amazed and appalled at how people were treated. I am still shocked that there is no warning for people that the site is experiencing problems. I feel sorry for those who followed eDiets' advice and engaged in dangerous exercise and poor dietary practices.

And even though I was told that I was jumping ship too fast, it's been a bit more than six weeks since they screwed everything up, and it sounds like it's not fixed yet. Even if they somehow manage to fix everything (eventually), they have lost me as a customer forever.

Kudos to the extremely few sites who are actually letting people know what's going on there. I consider the rest of them insupportably negligent. How do I know they even know what's happened? Because I wrote and told them. One writer said she'd follow up -- and then didn't change a thing in her review.

I hope they get shut down, after losing everything they have. They deserve it for treating people so badly.