I lost fat and maintained muscle after using a fitness food delivery service for a month — but it was too expensive to keep up

• I tried a fitness-focused food delivery service to see if it would help me lose fat and keep muscle.
• For four weeks, I got meals and snacks measured to hit my macros delivered to me.

Ever since I lost 35 pounds a few years ago, my weight has fluctuated a little — sometimes I'm more focused on fitness and nutrition, sometimes less, and I'm cool with the physique changes that come with that.

I've never been one to restrict my diet, and follow the 80/20 rule generally. But this spring, I decided I wanted to lose a few pounds I'd gained and feel my best for the summer and my upcoming 30th birthday.

In order to maintain a calorie deficit, tracking calories and protein has always worked for me, but planning my food to hit my calories and macros can be time-consuming. So I started looking into fitness-focused meal delivery services to see if they could help me save time and still reach my goals.

One of the biggest UK companies in this space is Fresh Fitness Food, which delivers all the daily food a person needs to achieve their goals, whether that's losing fat, gaining muscle, or improving their health.

I tried FFF for five days a week for four weeks — leaving weekends for eating out or cooking — to see if it would help me lose fat while maintaining muscle. It cost £680 ($850), which was paid for by Insider as per our reporting standards.

I ate 1,900 calories a day

I chose the fat loss plan and was told I could eat 1,900 calories per day based on information including my height, weight, and activity levels.

The company suggests macros, but I set my own because I know that eating high protein keeps me full, and I prefer to eat slightly higher carb and lower fat.

I was also able to factor in calories I'd consume around meals and snacks, so I allowed 150 calories for teas and coffees.

FFF delivered me about 1,750 calories of food a day, which I chose to have in three meals and two snacks, deciding against juices. Given the choice of sweet or savory snacks, I chose sweet.

I don't have any dietary requirements or allergies, but I picked three food exclusions: mushrooms, fish, and coriander.

Every night between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., my food was delivered to my designated safe space in recyclable containers in a cooler bag. I left the cooler bag out for collection the following evening.

It was exciting to see what my food would be

It was easy to manage my plan using the FFF app, which let me see what I'd be eating a few days in advance and tweak my calories or macros.

I had a lot of chicken-based meals to hit my protein target (but I love chicken, so I was happy), and about one in every four lunches and dinners happened to be vegetarian.

All the meals are designed to be eaten either cold or hot, but I mainly warmed mine up in the microwave.

Meals included chickpea salad with puy lentils, cavolo nero, ratatouille and bulgur wheat; and spiced chicken with potatoes, roast romanesco, and cauliflower in curry sauce.

Breakfasts were all vegetarian, some sweet like pancakes with apricot compote, some savory like scrambled eggs with spinach, roasted tomatoes, and flatbread.

The meals were higher in beans, pulses, and legumes than I normally eat, and I felt better for eating more fiber.

The meals were mostly very tasty (although I sometimes added seasoning), and I never ate the same one twice.

My snacks repeated more: I had a lot of chocolate mousse, fruit salad, and millionaire's shortbread, but I didn't mind as they were tasty.

My calories weren't always split equally over meals

My calories varied slightly by about 50 calories per day, but this didn't seem to affect my progress.

1,900 calories felt right — I generally had energy for workouts and wasn't too hungry, but still got results.

But my meals felt imbalanced some days. For example, I train before lunch and a 230 calorie breakfast and a 690 calorie lunch didn't give me enough energy.

One day I had a meal containing 90g protein to make up for lower protein meals, and I'd never eaten so much chicken in one go. It was a bit much.

I lost weight and maintained strength

My weight dropped around 1 kg (2.2 lbs) in the four weeks, which is considered a healthy amount.

I could see a difference in my photos on the first and final day, but was particularly bloated on day one after an indulgent weekend.

I ate out and drank some alcohol during weekends on my FFF experience, but tried to stick around my maintenance calories.

I maintained my strength in the gym, too, consistently working out 5-6 days a week.

FFF was helpful, but I wouldn't do it long-term

FFF made it easier to lose fat, but it still requires discipline.

Not having to buy, plan, or cook food freed up time and mental energy, and it was great to know my meals would fit my goals. It also reminded me that vegetarian meals can be high in protein, and you don't need to be super precise with calories to lose fat.

However, having meals delivered doesn't necessarily teach you about nutrition — but could teach you about portion sizes— and doesn't allow for intuitive eating. I also craved my usual meals and snacks towards the end.

FFF was expensive and if I had the money, I'd love to do a service like it two to three days a week for the convenience and food variety, but it isn't something I'd do every day.