How Meal Replacements Work for Weight Loss

By Scarlet Gratton

Dealing with a new diet can be quite a cumbersome task even for the most dedicated of individuals eager to lose those extra pounds. From monitoring your caloric intake, timing your meals properly, all the way to carefully scanning those ingredient labels for any added sugar and other calorie-boosting elements, the challenge of weight loss is no easy feat. Combined with proper workouts and monitoring your progress in that realm, many people lose track of their goals and fall back to their old, unhealthy ways.

However, thanks to various studies and modern-day tech, we have come up with a few very useful solutions that can ease you into the weight loss process and make the journey a little less grueling for your willpower as well as your schedule – because we all know how time-consuming meal-prepping can be. One of those modern solutions are meal replacements, and they have earned a valid spot in the weight loss game. Let’s take a look at how you can use them to manage your healthy decisions and get a firmer grasp of your weight loss!

Time-savers for your daily menu

To say that meal replacements are convenient would be an understatement of the year. Simply put, they are meals condensed into a single shake or a bar, and you can combine them with other healthful ingredients. Weight loss is to a great extent an issue of planning, and considering that most people become overweight precisely because of a sedentary life paired with a poor diet, easy-to-make shakes make it a pleasurable instead of a stressful experience.

Now, it’s vital that you balance yourhome-prepared meals with these meal replacements, because they are in no way meant to fully substitute your entire menu. Make sure to plan your meals and include these into your routine on days that you know are the most difficult for keeping up with your eating needs. Pro tip: pack a bag or two with you at all times, and in case of a late night at the office, you will have a quick meal instead of fast food at your disposal!

Transparency in your eating regime

Another common issue with weight loss is our general inability to understand nutritious and caloric values presented to us on a range of labels out there – or the lack thereof. When you add quality meal replacement shakes to your routine, you have the benefit of full disclosure of every single ingredient in your mix – from macronutrients, source of proteins, all the way to the amount of gut-friendly fiber and vitamins your immune system needs.

Before you start adding more goodies to your shakes, learn how to read the labels so that you always stay within your daily caloric needs limit. Shakes or no shakes, you can still hinder your weight loss progress if you consume more calories than you need or fail to monitor how your body is adapting to the change. Make the most of the transparency promised by meal replacements, and you’ll easily figure out how much you should eat for the rest of your day.

Adding variety

The fear of monotony and lack of flavor is sometimes the key excuse people name for not sticking to their weight loss plans and goals. After all, there are only so many ways in which you can make a bowl of rice taste good without adding calories to it, and the same applies to your chicken breast, and other weight loss favorites. Now, whether you’re in need of a snack that doesn’t taste like carrot sticks, or a source of protein for after your workout, this is where meal replacements truly excel.

Whether they are in the form of a shake, a protein bar, or an oatmeal mix, you’ll find that there are literally dozens of different brands as well as flavors available to keep things interesting for your palate. When things get dull, you won’t feel tempted to buy a candy bar if your nutritious protein bar keeps you full for a long time and provides you with the perfect amount of carbs, protein, and fats you need.

High levels of nutritious ingredients

Yet another issue with our modern diets is the fact that we rarely get enough nutritious ingredients through the foods we eat. There are many factors at play here that affect how vitamin and mineral-rich certain foods are today, as well as our limited access to information on the meals we buy that are already prepared.

It often takes time to learn and implement all the data toyour eating regime, and by that time, you might find yourself struggling to meet your weight loss milestones. Adding an occasional meal replacement into your eating plan helps get a better control of your nutrient intake, as you’ll ensure that you’re consuming only the ingredients of the highest quality.

Although nothing can fully replace home-made meals with plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean protein sources, we have made significant progress when it comes to simplifying eating for the sake of weight loss. Make the most of your meal replacements, and you’ll find yourself even more motivated to stay on the right track and stick to your caloric restrictions with the help or tasty, nutritious meals.

Scarlet Gratton is a passionate writer and regular contributor at ripped.me interested in fashion, lifestyle, and health. She loves traveling, you could say that she is a real travel addict, especially when she has a chance to visit some exotic destinations. She would tell you that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places.