Meal replacement drinks are just one of the many diets available for those who are seeking weight loss. Companies such as Slim Fast, MetRx, Myoplex and Ensure make a variety of flavors and formulas of drinks that can be used in place of solid food meals. By reducing your calorie intake, these drinks are advertised as an easy way to plan your meals and lose excess weight.
Function
Meal replacement drinks are used in place of a typical meal to aid in weight loss. They are designed to be convenient, low-calorie, low-fat and to help suppress your appetite. Many people turn to meal replacement drinks because they seem to take the guesswork out of weight loss and how to plan your day-to-day diet. They can be eaten on the run with little to no preparation needed.
Use
Meal replacement drinks can be used very minimally in your diet or up to two times a day to replace your meals. According to MayoClinic.com, you can replace one or two of your meals with a drink and eat a third meal with 600 to 700 calories. If you feel hungry in between your meals reach for a healthy snack instead of junk food that can be high in calories, fat and sugar. Focus on eating fruits and vegetables or less than 100 calories for snacks.
Types
While meal replacement shakes all seem to be designed with the same goal in mind they come in a variety of forms. The amount of protein, carbohydrates, sugar and calories can vary. Some drinks are designed to have a higher protein content for the person who is losing weight while engaging in a strength-training program. Other drinks have reduced sugar to help stabilize your blood sugar and reduce fat build up. Meal replacement drinks can come pre-mixed in a bottle or can or they can be bought in powder form and mixed with water or milk. They also range in flavor, which allows you to pick a drink that satisfies your taste buds.
Warning
Not all meal replacement shakes take proper nutrition into consideration. Review the nutrition label to determine how many vitamins, minerals, protein, calories, fat and sugar are in each drink. According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, you should not eat foods that have more than 400 calories per serving, list sugar as one of the first five ingredients or that have more than 5 percent of the daily value of fat.
Potential
Weight loss depends on eating fewer calories than you burn through physical activity on a daily basis. Meal replacement drinks can reduce your daily calorie intake and aid in weight loss. If you don't notice any weight loss after changing your diet to include these drinks it is possible that you need to increase your daily exercise. This program is much like any other advertised weight loss plan; meal replacement drinks are intended to be used in unison with daily exercise to achieve weight loss. According to MayoClinic.com, successful weight loss requires permanent changes to your diet and physical activity.
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