Using meal replacement shakes is a great way to lose fat and gain control over your weight. There’s a range of meal replacement products on the market for this purpose, including Shakeology. It’s also possible to just make a meal replacement shake of your own. Every shake out there has been designed to provide a range of nutrients, as well as providing the right amounts of fiber and protein, while still being low in carbs and calories. Replacing a meal with one of these shakes automatically brings down your daily intake of calories, which leads to weight loss.
I’ve done some research and experimentation of my own on the subject, and I came to the conclusion that it’s wrong to assume you need to replace two meals or more each day. I think that you can get long-term weight loss through replacing just one meal a day. Here’s why.
Replacing two meals a day means you aren’t taking in enough food. The result is that you start craving food and getting hungry, which is the worst thing that can happen to a dieter.
When you crave food and you’re hungry all the time, you’re almost definitely going to quit the diet and start eating all those bad foods that put the weight on initially. This is, of course, not the way to lose weight and ensure you don’t put it back on.
There’s also the matter that replacing two or more meals a day can leave you with nutrient deficiencies. Meal replacement shakes may be designed to be healthy and nutritious, but they could never compare to the nutritional value of real food such as salmon with grilled vegetables.
Replacing all your meals is also the fastest way to get bored, or be socially excluded during a meal time. When you sit down to the table with your little shake and you’re surrounded by people eating real food it’s almost enough to make you cry.
Another problem with meal replacement shakes is the cost. They can rack up a high price. The more you use them, the more expensive it is. Spending too much money on a diet is another reason that people give up on them. Control how often you have meal replacement shakes to control how much you spend on them, and increase your chances of sticking to them.
That’s why I recommend you only swap one meal, rather than swapping all your meals. Work out which is the most calorie-rich meal you have each day, and replace that with a low-calorie meal replacement shake. This was typically breakfast for me, but you can replace any meal you want. What matters is that it works for you.
Now comes the question of how long should you use meal replacement shakes. My personal suggestion is to use them or a month. This will kick-start your weight loss, and reset your taste buds and eating habits. When the time is up, you can go back to eating regularly. Just make sure that every meal you have is balanced, healthy, and (if possible) homecooked. If you have trouble losing weight, you can always go back to drinking meal replacement shakes.
