Could meal replacements be part of your weight loss plan?
Weight loss is not rocket science, but it is more complicated than people think. I have been helping patients lose weight and maintain their weight loss for over a decade. In that time, I’ve seen many patients come in with good reasons for losing weight. They want to reverse or prevent chronic diseases, and to feel healthier. These are great reasons. However, long-term weight loss success requires a more comprehensive approach.
We need a plan to help your body use stored energy safely. A comprehensive approach will address all the factors that make up a good plan:
- Behavior
- Nutrition
- Genetics
- Physical activity
- Lifestyle
- Treating underlying medical conditions.
In addition, supplements, medically supervised meal replacements, and or medications can all play a role in long-term success.
The role of meal replacements in a healthy weight loss plan
Losing weight is not easy. Keeping it off is even more difficult. Current medical literature supports the effectiveness of medical monitored meal replacement as an effective tool to help with weight loss and long-term maintenance.
What is meal replacement for weight loss?
Meal replacements (MR) are specially formulated products designed to take the place of food for one complete meal. They usually come as single servings, in the form of a soup, bar, or beverages like shakes.
Meal replacements for weight loss provide the vitamins and minerals your body needs, while making calorie and portion control a lot easier. They are designed to help you feel full longer and promote optimal metabolism and nutrition for healthy weight loss.
Because they should not be used for weight loss without medical supervision, medical quality meal replacements aren’t available in the grocery stores. A qualified weight loss doctor prescribes them.
Medical meal replacements come in many brands with different formulas. For healthy weight loss, choosing product and formulation that’s right for you s is the most important.
We use Numetra meal replacements, because they provide unique, scientifically designed formulations.
Why meal replacements work
Meal replacements provide a safe and effective tool to aid in weight loss and maintenance.
They support the core nutrition and start to shift in daily habits to become part of a healthier lifestyle that sustains your new weight comfortably.
Get your complimentary telemedicine consult about medically supervised weight loss.
Some of the benefits of meal replacements include:
- Portion control
- Calorie control
- Macronutrient control (a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats)
- Enjoyment from eating (they taste good)
- Structured eating
- Improved nutrition
- Stimulus narrowing (decreased appetite and consumption with less dietary variety*)
- Stimulus control: avoids contact with problem foods and triggers
- Choice/Motivation
- Greater weight loss
- Reduced cravings
- Reduced food costs
- Ease of use
- Quick
- Frees up time for exercise
*National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) data indicates that restricting food variety is important strategy in successful weight loss maintenance https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3723458/)
Why you would want to use meal replacements
As a doctor, I recommend meal replacements for weight loss because:
- They work!
- Meal replacement plans are easy to follow.
- They taste great!
- They are healthy. They are nutritionally complete and scientifically formulated to provide the right combination of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals.
- They allow for flexibility in meal planning.
- They work well as part of a medical weight loss program that is medically supervised, safe and effective.
- You can take them with you, no refrigeration needed.
- They work both for weight loss and for long-term maintenance.
At the Optimal Wellness Center we provide our patients with comprehensive personalized weight loss and maintenance programs that can include meal replacements. We recommend meal replacements because they work.
Personally, I would never recommend anything that I wouldn’t use or recommend to my family. So, it’s no surprise that I use Numetra meal replacements as part of my own weight maintenance program.
My top reasons for using Numetra meal replacements
I love the convenience of meal replacements for my patients and myself to maintain a healthy weight. I frequently don’t have time to make breakfast or lunch. So, having a shake or bar fits into my busy lifestyle.
The taste is amazing and they keep me full.
I know I am getting the right macronutrients, especially the right combination of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
I like to have a little something sweet after dinner. The Numetra pudding (I don’t have a favorite – I love them all) is my go-to dessert. One serving has 20 grams of protein, 160 calories and only 8 grams of carbohydrates.
Losing weight is hard. Keeping it off is even harder. We can help you every step of the way to ensure long term success. Losing weight is only the beginning, maintenance is an important part of our programs. We offer medically supervised comprehensive personalized weight loss and weight maintenance programs that are safe and effective.
We are with you every step of the way so you can live a healthy life.
Contact us for a weight consultation, serving Ridgewood New Jersey :
If you are having trouble obtaining or maintaining your correct weight Dr. Keller can help.
Talk to medical weight loss expert Dr. Betty Keller today