Shake your weight off using meal replacement shakes

With summer in sight, there are millions who start thinking about ways to lose extraweight – especially if they want to show off their toned beach bods on the goldensands. Diets might not have cut it for you in the past and you don’t have time forhours in the gym. But maybe it’s time to take a look at what meal replacements areall about; because they have been designed especially for that purpose; to help youlose weight!

Diet groups, dietitians, and doctors will say that losing weight just boils down toeating a low-fat balanced diet and exercising if you want to get rid of fat. But oftenthat kind of approach doesn’t always work for everyone. Others will disagree and saythat whole food is the way to go because it offers you all the balance and nutrientsrequired. Researchers report in the Journal of Nutrition say that meal replacementshakes are just as good at offering people weight loss compared to structured andconventional diets.

It’s a great way to kick start your weight loss plan

Health experts recommend that you don’t lose more than about 2 pounds in a week.With meal replacements shakes, you are able to keep control of your calories aswell. Naturally, meal replacements, no matter which brands or type you use, won’twork for anybody unless you consume fewer calories in the day. If you want mealreplacements to be effective for you, you need to determine the right amount ofcalories to take and not exceed that. You might be tempted to slash your calorieintake down to 1200 calories a day to get fast results, but 1500 a day might make iteasier for you to stick with your diet plan longer and still get results. Remember to

include exercises because they will help in your weight control and also promotefeelings of well-being and health. Between 1200-1500 calories a day can mean aweight loss of around 0.5 kg-1kg in a week.

Meal replacements are a boon when you do not have the time or even the inclination togo shopping for ‘diet’ type foods, and then still to come home and prepare them to behealthy and balanced. They come in handy when you can’t bear to even think what youshould be eating at the next meal in your weight loss plan, particularly if you are aperson who skips meals occasionally, particularly breakfast. Studies show that whenyou eat breakfast, you are fostering weight control in the long term.

A plan for your day

Designers of ready to drink meals will recommend that you sip one at breakfast timeand again at lunchtime; then to eat a sensible low-fat dinner in the evening. It is alsosuggested that you not spend too much time preparing your meal. It might not be toodifficult for you to make it through your day, relying on your diet shakes, but you will notbe able to escape the fact that you need to think about other nutrients in your diet andalso your calorie intake when you do eat your third meal – dinner. Those who use mealreplacements can often find themselves in trouble when it comes to dinner time,because after a stressful and hectic day at the office, arriving home, they tend to go a bitoverboard, eating whatever they can find. Overeating, particularly on the wrong foods,can effectively wipe out the low-calorie diet that you hoped would contribute to yourweight loss. Here is an idea of how you can keep your meal lean and mean: Around 4-5 ounces of poultry, lean meat or seafood

A medium-sized baked sweet potatoes or half a cup of cooked rice Some cooked broccoli

This would seem a good way of getting in the essential nutrients without heaping on thecalories.

The two shakes in the day probably amounted to 450 calories, maybe less, and that’s allyou’ve had up till dinnertime – that’s about a third of your allotted daily calorie intake. Itmakes sense that you would be starving when you get home, in which case it is alsorecommended that you have mid-meal snacks during the day that would total 400calories. That would take the edge off being so hungry at dinner time. Or you could eata bigger breakfast and lunch and rather opt for your meal replacement and a salad atdinner time in place of a full meal. Always stay within the calorie allowance.

Should you use meal replacements for a long time?

Your plan has probably been to include two diet shakes during your day as well astwo snacks, and then to have a moderate type dinner in the evening. But you mighthave asked yourself, “How long can I stay on this type of eating plan?” There are alot of people who use meal replacements for the main bulk of their meals, continuinglike this for about three months. They continue to maintain their weight loss for yearsafter that by just substituting a diet shake for one meal in a day. The above methodhas the backing of research. The Journal of the American Dietetic Association claimsthat women on reduced calorie plan diets who had lost weight, which included mealreplacement drinks, were able to maintain their weight loss after a year by continuingto drink one meal replacement every day as part of their regular eating plan. Theirfemale counterparts who participated in the study also lost weight following a

conventional low-fat diet. Their diet included no meal replacement beverages, andthey actually regained the initial weight they had lost.

Bear in mind that meal replacement beverages aren’t magic bullets that dissolveyour fat overnight. But used correctly and consistently as part of a plan, they aredefinitely able to help you get a good start, enabling you to maintain your weight aswell. Losing weight and maintaining it takes vigilance to stay away from all thedelicious temptations that are available to you on a daily basis – meal replacementsare a healthy choice to get you there.

Meal replacement shakes and protein shakes aren’t quite the same

Meal replacement shakes or diet shakes are aimed at providing you with all thenutrients that a full meal would provide. Some are prepared already and come incans or bottles. Others come in a powdered form that you mix up with water or milk.Most of them will contain around 200-400 calories a glass, and there will also befiber included, along with the essential minerals and vitamins. They are ideal andconvenient to use when you need a low-calorie healthy meal. The ingredients andthe nutrient components will naturally vary depending on the make; so also will theproportions of fat, carbs, and proteins. Meal replacements are more filling and havemore calories in them than protein shakes. The lowest calorie protein shakesgenerally contain around 120 calories.

Both protein drinks and meal replacement drinks are capable of supporting yourathletic goals whether your body is fat or thin. They do, however, have differences inthem when it comes to their nutritional profile and their benefits. These will differ

between brands. Choosing between a protein drink and a meal replacement drink issimple enough and you can also consult your doctor prior to using any of them orany other supplements to check whether there are any side effects which you won’twant. Aside from the protein drinks, meal replacements also contain high amounts ofprotein and this all accounts for weight loss as protein is the most important nutrientwhen it comes to weight loss. The higher the protein, the more satisfied you feelwhich helps to stave off eating more calories in the day. High protein diets have alsobeen associated with other kinds of benefits too, like reduced body fat, more leanbody mass, less belly fat, and better weight maintenance. In a study where highprotein meal replacements were compared with high-carbohydrate mealreplacements, both groups of people lost the same amounts of weight in the 12 weekperiod. But the ones in the high protein meal replacement group lost more body fat,with lower LDL levels, which is the bad cholesterol. Choose meal replacementshakes that are higher in protein and lower in sugar.

Advantages and benefits of meal replacement shakes and why you should usethe right one

They help you avoid unhealthy meal eating. They offer you top nutrients that other diet eating plans may lack. They can help you to lose weight faster. You have better workouts because if you drink the shake before your workout,

you will intensify the results. Your body needs all the nutritious fuel it can get asyou work harder in the gym and later, as your body recovers.

There certainly are benefits to meal replacements, like being convenient and helpfulwhen you struggle to control your food intake. But there are some things that youneed to be aware of to reap all the benefits:

1. Some meal replacement meals do contain ingredients that are actually unhealthy.Some have added things like corn syrup, or added sugars, artificial flavors,chemical preservatives and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Some shakes will sayon the container “for weight loss” and yet they contain more sugar in them thanprotein! That’s why it is important to read the labels before you buy your mealreplacement drink. Search for the high protein shakes that also have a good dealof fiber in them and ingredients that you recognize as healthy and you canactually pronounce. Make sure that the one you choose doesn’t have more thanjust a few grams of sugar.

2. It could turn out that they are not a solution for the long-term. Even though theshakes offer you some very important nutrients, they are not able to do acomplete job of replacing a healthy diet that contains whole foods. Whole foodsoffer you antioxidants, enzymes and plant compounds that you won’t find easilyin a bottle or other container and some of the shakes don’t contain fiber either –well, much less than what whole legumes, fruits, and veggies offer. Drinkingshakes over a good meal is not really a sustainable type of lifestyle for manypeople.

3. If you did eat unhealthily before, meal replacements are still not going to fix thoseunhealthy eating habits. Thing is, generally, diets don’t work all that well for losingweight. If you are looking for long-term weight loss, you need to make longlifestyle changes. Drinking meal replacements will help you to lose weight, butthey won’t really make you change your eating habits unless you are determined

to do that. If you go back to eating like you did in the past and you stop replacingmeals with the shakes, you are more than likely just to gain all the weight again.

Which meal replacement is the best one to choose?

In order to select the best diet shake for yourself, you need to ignore all the claimsmade on the packaging. Rather look at the ingredient list at the back. Chooseproducts that will have these qualifications:

15 grams protein per serving (at least) 3 grams fiber per serving (at least) Not more than 10 grams of sugar in a serving No hydrogenated veg oils or corn syrup Should have minimum of 33% of the required daily allowance of minerals and

vitamins

Meal replacement shakes also use different types of proteins in them. For instance,many of the products use whey protein because it is found to make you feelsatisfied, for longer. It’s an excellent ingredient in your meal replacement drink. Hereare a couple more things to look out for:

It must have the right amount of vitamins and minerals, etc. It should taste wonderful, so you look forward to it. If it tastes wonderful, it probably looks wonderful, and it’s got all the right

ingredients – it just needs to be a wonderful price too, right? Check if it’s got that all-important hunger blocker in it so that you stay satisfied

for longer/ Does it come with guarantees?

If you mostly had positive answers to the above, you probably have found the rightone to suit your needs. Of course, you can make your own protein meal replacement

drink at home, it’s that simple and you can add your own ingredients. Look here;here is a recipe for you:

Ingredients

One cup berries, frozen One cup unsweetened almond milk One tablespoon coconut oil One cup Greek yogurt plain One or two scoops whey protein powder

Directions

Mix up all the ingredients together in a blender until you have a lovely smoothconsistency. Today, people are really searching for natural ways of becoming healthier andhappier. Meal replacements are recommended over a diet because studies concludethat dieting can actually make you add on weight in the long run. It might soundstrange, and unbelievable, but often people don’t factor in two very importantreasons why dieting can make you gain weight. These are:

Stress

Because dieting is tough on the mind and body, it increases ongoing psychologicalstress on the body, increasing cortisol production. Cortisol is the stress hormone inthe body and when the levels are increased, people look for comfort foods likesugary and fatty foods. And what does that equate to? More belly fat.

Binge eating

Research shows that when you diet frequently, you are more likely to go on aneating binge compared to non-dieting people, and we all know how binging can addto the calories.

When all is said and done, and dieting doesn’t work, what is the answer?

The simple fact of the matter is that it will be different for everyone. But the fact stillremains that millions of people have tried using meal replacement shakes as thesimple way to control their hunger and to lose weight, successfully. Because a mealreplacement shake is meant to be in place of a meal, it means they are packed withthe right amount of nutrients to give you a balanced meal. The ones designed forweight loss will also contain hunger-blockers so that cravings and appetite are keptunder control. That means unhealthy meals become healthy ones, and this is simplybecause they offer a healthy balance.

Does that mean just throwing them back and waiting to see how the weight falls off?Not exactly – yes, in our dreams! But in reality, you still have to remember that youneed to burn off more calories than what you ingest and it is best done when you eatless and get more physical. Eating right in today’s world can be pretty difficult whenevery street corner has a delicious take-way food joint on it. It becomes so easy justto sneak in and whisk away in minutes if not seconds with your guilty pleasure readyto consume on the spot. There is the diet, but as mentioned above, these can oftenbackfire and cause you to actually put on weight. It’s literally where mealreplacements help, without the need to starve.

It is suggested that you use it for the meal that you struggle with the most, so if youcome home after a hectic day and you want to pull in at the burger joint down theroad and order more than one burger, maybe this would be the best time to haveyour meal replacement shake. You sure will save on the calories.

Conclusion

Unlike fad diets, you are not going to starve by taking meal replacement shakes andyou won’t sabotage your muscles either, and you will get healthier. If you reduceyour calories and try and become more physically active for about 2-3 times a week,you are going to see results in your weight, for sure.

Look at the compelling research results – if you drink one or two shakes a day, youcan lose weight and keep it off. Unfortunately, there will be people who will fail inlosing weight because they don’t understand how it all works. These shakes havebeen around on the market for some time now but thanks to all the various studies,they are proving themselves to be outstanding alternatives to the traditional weightloss diets. Nutrition experts say it’s because they offer a plan that is structured – theultimate convenience food.

In closing, some tips for your meal replacement plan for maximum results:

Drink 2 low carb, high protein meal replacements a day. Add one scoop of a fiber such as phylum. Add a tablespoon flaxseed oil or fish oil to get the omega-3 content. Boost your shake by adding fresh raw fruits and veggies. Introduce 2 or 3 snacks a day.

Try and reduce your calorie intake by about 500 calories less every day than youraccepted breakeven level.

Let’s drink that meal replacement shake to a svelte new you!