Meal replacement shakes have been around for decades, with one of the
most popular being the Slim-Fast meal replacement range. How Meal
Replacement Shakes Can Help with Weight Loss
One of the greatest appeals of meal replacement shakes and bars is how
easy and convenient they are. They provide you with a simple way to
have a calorie controlled meal on your diet. Instead you just have 2
weight loss shakes per day, plus a normal meal of your choice in the
evening.
Diet shakes also contain whey protein. Problems with Meal Replacement Shakes
But what about the downsides of weight loss shakes? Well yes, again
the NHS website suggests 2 cons of weight loss shakes. Also it can be
difficult to get a nutritionally balanced diet if 2 of your meals each
day solely consist of shakes.
However the best meal replacement shakes do take these factors into
account and help you to deal with them both. They can do this by
providing you with free diet plans to give you healthy meal ideas and
daily diet plans, and by including additional vitamins and minerals
within the shakes to help you meet your recommended daily amounts and
stay healthy whilst dieting.
Is there Evidence that Meal Replacement Shakes Help Weight Loss?
So how about evidence for meal replacement shakes? In 2003 Heymsfield
and his team looked at 6 studies, which showed that people using meal
replacements lost 6-7lbs more than those on a typical weight loss diet.
A more recent study in 2011, showed that people who replaced their
lunch with a weight loss shake consumed less calories and lost more
weight than when they followed their regular diet.
The European Food Safety Agency has looked at studies into meal
replacement shakes and concluded there is evidence that they help with
dieting.
Replacing 1 meal per day with a meal replacement shake can help to
maintain weight, and replacing 2 meals per day with a diet shake can
help you lose weight.
If your 3rd meal of the day is a takeaway banquet containing more than
your recommended daily calories, then the shakes won't be able to help!
Conclusion
However meal replacement shakes have been proven to be a useful and
effective tool in your dieting tool kit. By measuring your calories
for you for 2 meals a day they can help you to lose your extra pounds.
Make sure you choose a quality meal replacement shake and understand
the changes you need to make to your diet and lifestyle in order to
lose weight and keep it off long term.
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