More than 30 percent of Americans are obese, according to the results of the National Health Examination and Nutrition Examination Survey, published in the January 2010 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Obesity has a number of health ramifications, including increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and early death. Primary treatment involves weight loss. A complete meal replacement diet may be an effective mode of treatment for obesity. Because these diets tend to be very low in calories, you should consult your physician before starting one.
Medifast
Medifast is a very low-calorie complete meal replacement program. On the program, you eat or drink five Medifast meal options each day. Meal options include cereal, soup, scrambled eggs, pudding, brownies, pancakes, snack foods, bars and shakes. The food options on the Medifast program range from 90 to 110 calories and have 11 g of protein. Medifast also offers a program that allows you to eat one meal a day consisting of a lean source of protein and a green vegetable. To help keep you motivated, Medifast offers online support and coaching. In addition to the weight loss program, Medifast offers a transition and maintenance program to help you keep the weight off.
Optifast
Optifast is also a complete meal replacement diet. It is a comprehensive medical weight loss program that replaces your usual intake with Optifast shakes and soups.The Optifast shakes contain 160 calories and 14 g of protein, and the soups contain 160 to 170 calories and 14 g of protein. In addition to the shakes, the Optifast program provides a comprehensive medical evaluation prior to your start of the program, along with continued medical guidance and management as you lose the weight. To help you keep the weight off, Optifast offers one-on-one nutritional counseling with a nutritional professional, group counseling and peer support.
Health Management Resources
The Health Management Resources plan is also a complete meal replacement diet. But unlike the other programs, Health Management Resources offers full meals in addition to shakes to help you lose weight. The full meals include items such as turkey chili, meat lasagna and beef stroganoff. Each meal contains about 180 to 250 calories and 10 to 21 g of protein. Shakes come in a variety of flavors and contain 110 to 120 calories and 11 to 14 g of protein. On the Health Management Resources program, you drink three shakes a day and eat two ready-to-eat meals; you add your own fruits and vegetables to complete the meals.
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