You are right Val, it really does come across like a sales pitch! Powerfully so.
The products you describe are available under many different company names. They are all made at the same factory in France. Avidlite, Celebrity Slim, Protimeal, etc... and recently someone told me, Lighter Life has switched or is about to switch at least partly to this same factory.
If you go to Avidlite or Low Carb Megastore you will find these same mealpacks and bars available at less cost than they are as part of a specific 'diet company' package. I have used them, myself, in the recent past. I didn't like the taste of the 'hot meal' options but others might love them. And some of the products, unlike say Exante or Cambridge, are not full meal replacements so they need to be supplemented.
This is a Cambridge forum so perhaps you should have posted on the other VLCD-type forum?