Jane Plan review: What's in the box, how does the plan work and what does it cost?

Jane Plan is one way to stick to a calorie-controlled diet, without having to compromise on taste or food variety. All of the meals - that's breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks - are delivered to your front door and come ready to eat. 

While I've tried plenty of meal delivery services in recent weeks as digital health editor at woman&home, Jane Plan was certainly the one with meals offering the lowest number of calories. As per the plan's instructions, I supplemented my breakfasts with low-fat yogurt, the occasional banana or handful of blueberries, and added extra vegetables to lunch and dinner. Food director Jane Curran also followed the plan last year and offers her take on the box.

So, whether you want to know how to lose weight or just change up the way that you eat, this is what you need to know about Jane Plan diet program, from the meals you'll get in the box and what they're like, to how much it costs to sign up. 

What is Jane Plan?

Developed by nutritionist Jane Michell, Jane Plan revolves around portion-controlled breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks. These arrived all at once at my front door pre-prepared, so all I had to do was pop them in the microwave or the oven. 

Each of the meals boasts a low calorie count, sitting around the 200 to 400 mark, so I knew I'd be consuming around 1200 calories a day on the plan. As a keen runner and gym-goer, the prospect of eating 800 calories less than normal per day was a daunting one. 

On training days, I supplemented the meals with a protein shake as normal otherwise I'd struggle to get to the next meal without snacking. However, on days when I wasn't, I found the combination of provided snacks and meals to be just enough. This would naturally vary from person to person, depending on how much you normally eat through the day. 

Once you sign up to the plan on the website, you can choose from a range of high-protein, vegetarian, vegan, Halal-friendly, gluten- and dairy-free meals. The menu changes every month as well, so you won't be stuck for choice. 

Jane Plan follows NHS and NICE guidelines, which means that the food included in the plan supports weight loss of between one to two lbs every week. However, this includes supplementation with additional fruits, vegetables and dairy products, which you'll have to calorie control yourself. 

You'll be paired with a nutritionist throughout your membership, who can offer weekly support and answer any questions or concerns you might have about sticking to the plan. 

Jane Plan also follows up with emails, offering helpful advice around tracking calories, recipes to make yourself and other tips for making the plan work for you. Most of this is also available on the Lose Learn Live hub, an exclusive site where members can get advice, check out live events and log their weight. 

How does Jane Plan work?

Jane Plan works as part of a two-part plan: Lose and Learn and Learn to Live. The first part involves the meals⁠: 28 days or more worth of calorie-restricted eating to put you into an energy deficit so you can lose weight. 

The second part you do alongside this. Throughout your months as a member, you're encouraged to access the wealth of support and resources on the hub that aim to re-educate and support those going through a weight loss journey. Articles include deep-thinking tasks like finding your 'why', along with more practical advice like how to beat sugar cravings. 

When you've achieved the goals you're aiming for or decide you want to stop, you cancel your subscription. If you do choose the pay monthly option, you can cancel your subscription at any time⁠ - as long as you give five days' notice before the renewal date. Otherwise, you'll be charged and another month's worth of food will arrive at your door. As always, review the terms and conditions of Jane Plan before signing up.

How to sign up to Jane Plan

To get started, you'll need to purchase a meal plan. The plan you choose is based on how much weight you want to lose and how many days you want to eat on the plan, with the cheapest option being a four-month plan that offers meals seven days a week. 

Then you pick your foods, choosing from a range of cuisines and dishes. Unlike many of the best weight loss meal delivery services out there, the variety is huge. I went for maple and pecan granola for breakfast, chicken arrabiata for lunch and a Thai chicken curry for dinner, along with corn chips for a snack, on one day. Other highlights included Jane's aloo saag and honey & soy chicken.

While my taste buds definitely weren't bored and the options included many of the best foods for weight loss, portion sizes are on the smaller side⁠ - especially for lunch⁠ - which makes sense given the calorie numbers.

Before you check out on the website, you can add additional meals for others in your household and extras like immunity boosters, if you feel you're lacking in vitamins. 

Once complete, Jane Plan will contact you to confirm your order. This is when you'll have the opportunity to sort through your meals. More or less, you'll receive your box within three to four working days. 

In your box will be enough meals for 28 days, so you'll need to make sure you've got the space in your cupboards as all meals are stored at room temperature. Then plan which ones you want to eat over the next week and which ones to freeze. 

Woman&Home Readers save £50 off their first month month. To redeem visit janeplan.com or call 020 3489 4770 and quote WH5023)

How much does Jane Plan cost?

Based on eating Jane Plan meals seven-days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the plan costs between £249 to £359 per month, depending on how many months you sign up for in advance. The more months you sign up for in advance, the cheaper your plan will be.

• 1 month plan: £359 per month
• 2 month plan: £339 per month
• 3 month plan: £319 per month
• 4 month plan: £299 per month
• 6 month plan: £249 per month 

Each plan is tailored to how much weight you'd like to lose and how long you'd like to be on the diet for, so you can choose from one-, two- or three-month plans. 

While I tried the plan for all three meals, Jane Plan does offer an alternative for those looking to be a bit more spontaneous. The 'weekends off' plan only includes five days' worth of meals but it is cheaper and, depending on your goals, it's a good one to go for if tend to eat out over the weekends. 

woman&home's food director, Jane Curran, also tried the plan last year and writes below what exactly comes in a month's subscription to Jane Plan. 

Jane Plan Review

"We've got a big box here and we're going to have a look at exactly what's inside," says Jane Curran. "This is a month's supply of food; it's all calorie counted, it's all controlled, so all you have to do is stick to it. Everything has been weighed out for you."

Much the same as Grace's box, for breakfast there was lots of museli options. "There's lots of muesli with goji berries, cranberries," she says. "Toffee pecan granola is also in here. To these, you can add two to three tablespoons of low-fat yogurt or skimmed milk. You must have two portions of low-fat dairy with the plan and you must have at least five portions of fruit and veg every day too but these aren't included."

"Snacks are all in the box and include nuts and oat cakes, there's also sweet options like biscuits, which is surprising. But you can snack on your own choice of fruit too."

"Everything is clearly labeled and although I'd keep some of these meals in the fridge, most of it you can leave in the box as long as you keep it in a cool place."

She continues, "For lunch, there's soups like sweet potato and butternut squash, carrot and coriander or porcini mushroom. There are also lunch-on-the-go options to take to work with you, such as a salmon salad with dill." 

"Dinner is rich ragu with beef, mushroom stroganoff or chicken curry with lemongrass. There seems to be loads of different options."

The food isn't all that's in the box though, Jane says. "In your box, you'll also have a food diary so you can keep notes of what you're having. It seems to me that there are no decisions needed to be made, no shopping to do aside from a few essentials like fruit and dairy with this. It's all done for you and delivered in the box, pretty easy I think."