Safely Transitioning Off Meal Replacement Plans

Meal replacements have been part of the diet landscape for decades. They have helped numerous people lose weight, and more importantly, they have helped people learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy eating choices. Both quantity and quality of life improvements can be credited to the concept of meal replacement solutions.

Those that have successfully relied upon a meal replacement plan can reflect fondly on how the plan helped address a fundamental diet obstacle: choosing what to eat.

One of the greatest challenges that a dieter faces ? if not the greatest ? is discovering what to eat, and what to avoid. Answering the latter is usually easier, since most experienced dieters are rather well aware of what they should not be eating. Yet they are often left wondering: what should I eat? Dieters who are fortunate enough to be able to answer this with a simple: I'll eat my meal replacement foods often see their diets succeed beyond its vulnerable infancy [i].

Dieters who rely on willpower alone, or follow a poorly designed "fad" diet, often do not lose weight. The most that these dieters usually experience is maintenance of current weight, or perhaps a few pounds lost, likely through water loss.

As with most weight loss solutions, there are some potential pitfalls that can undermine dieters. And perhaps the most ironic of these pitfalls exists for those dieters who have chosen a meal replacement route to achieve their weight loss goals. This difficulty is explained, and solved, below.

Diets supported by meal replacement plans are often successful; and herein exists the potential problem. Once a dieter has lost his or her desired weight, there is a transition period from meal replacement food to "normal" food. Without the proper nutritional supplements in place to ensure that this transition is both smooth and long-term, a high number of dieters revert back to their pre-diet unhealthy eating habits. The result, regrettably, is the regaining of weight; and for many dieters, yet one more failed attempt to shed pounds and inches [ii].

The blame for this regained weight is typically, and incorrectly, assigned to two sources. The first target for this misplaced blame is the meal replacement plan itself, which promised long-term weight loss yet apparently failed to deliver. The second misplaced blame, and the one that can do the most damage, is directed towards the dieter him/herself. It is just "another failure", and a crushing blow to self-esteem.

However, as noted above, this blame is misdirected. The cause of the problem is neither the meal replacement plan, nor the dieter's lack of willpower. The culprit here was that once the meal replacement plan had done its job, there was no strategy in place to maintain that accomplishment over the long term.

Fortunately, there exist some very well designed nutritional supplements and plans that support this transition strategy. These nutritional supplements are not candy bars posing as "energy bars", or protein powders laden with calories and fat grams [iii].

Rather, these authentic nutritional supplements are scientifically designed, low-calorie, complete eating solutions. That is, they can be used to supplement a meal that is not fortified with vitamins or complete protein, or they can be used -- without health risk -- to replace a meal when healthy eating choices are not available.

Meal replacements have proven their value in the "battle of the bulge"; especially since they provide dieters with an easy answer to the question: what do I eat today? However, it is just as clear that the period just after weight loss, when the meal replacements program ceases, is critical.

Far too many dieters are left without a transition plan that enables them to safely return to a diet of non meal-replacement items. Fortunately for these individuals, and for future dieters as well, there exist authentic and medically engineered nutritional supplement solutions that bridge this gap, and help ensure that a hard won weight loss battle is a long-term victory.

ABOUT PROTICA

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at http://www.protica.com

You can also learn about Profect at http://www.profect.com

REFERENCES

[i] Source: "Are you Sabotaging your Diet?". Prevention.com. http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-4-57-190-4559-3,00.html

[ii] Source: "Meal Replacement Diets". All About Info Ltd. http://dietsnutrition.allinfoabout.com/features/replace.html

[iii] Source: "Nutritional Supplement". Rolf Rasmussen. http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Nutritional-Supplement&id=8188

Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com

---

Three Cheers for Heart Healthy Oils!

You may have noticed an ever-expanding choice of oils at... Read More

Four Important Nutrients - Vitamin E, Selenium, Sodium and Potassium ? For Good Health

Vitamin EThere has been a lot of controversy about vitamin... Read More

Reverse Disease and Maintain Optimal Health

PROTEIN DEFICIENT? CHANCES ARE YOU ARE!Did you know that 9... Read More

True Culprits of High Cholesterol

What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More

Combat High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol with Soybeans

You may have heard of the "Portfolio Diet" wherein it... Read More

Juicing - A Beginners Guide

You can spot a juicer a mile off at the... Read More

Let Your Freezer Be Your Ally!

Most recipes end with instructions to "serve immediately." You could... Read More

Olive Oil -Not Just for Popeye

Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree... Read More

Alcohol Addiction and Obesity

People who consume too much alcohol have good chance of... Read More

How to Use Flax Seed

You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to... Read More

Focus on Trans Fat

There's no doubt--carbohydrates have taken center stage in public discourse... Read More

The Five Keys to Healthy Eating

1. Enjoy what you eatWhether someone is following the Atkins... Read More

The Benefits of Iodine

Initially discovered as a new element in 1811 by Barnard... Read More

Guerilla Health Tactics: 5 Snappy Rules For a Healthier, Happier You

The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More

Healthy Eating Myths Shattered

Salt does Not Cause High Blood Pressure. Some things you... Read More

Is Eating a Raw Food Diet Actually Healthy for You?

Whatever diet you choose to live by, the food you... Read More

What?s Causing Your Energy Drain?

This is such a busy time of year, isn't it?... Read More

Startling New Evidence: You Can Slow the Aging Process, Scientists Say

What if you could actually slow your rate of aging,... Read More

7 Tips on Using Food Diet Remedies for Your Common Health Ailments

Making simple changes to your food diet can help remedy... Read More

Water And Good Hydration

The key to good hydration is drinking a lot of... Read More

5 Secrets of Reading Food Labels Revealed

Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply... Read More

Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil -- Why Is It Different?

A flood of scientific evidence about fish oil points to... Read More

Sugar, America?s Drug of Choice

Many people use sugar as medicine. Sugar tends to change... Read More

Can a Child Thrive on a Vegan Diet? YES!

Can a child thrive on a vegan diet? The answer... Read More

What Would You Think if I said that You could Overdose on Water?

You would probably think that I was writing a lot... Read More

Eating ... Gaining Weight ... How to Control the Urge to Splurge

I confess: I'm completely addicted to Pringles. My determination weakens... Read More

Beverages Boost Calorie Intake, But Many View Fluids As Calorie-free!

Beverages - and not just alcohol - are a significant... Read More

The Importance of Good Nutrition in Keeping Your Smile Beautiful and Your Mouth Healthy

A beautiful smile and healthy mouth actually can come from... Read More

What Is an Essential Fat?

You may have heard that essential fats are an important... Read More

7 Things To Your Health

Health is the thing. And no matter how many ways... Read More

Food Labels: Fact or Fiction?

How often do you pick up items at the grocery... Read More

The Business Traveler?s Diet Problem: Staying Fit When on the Run

Despite the fact that accurate nutrition information can be accessed... Read More

The New Food Pyramid: Another Attempt At Providing Easy Answers

The Food Pyramid, first introduced to the US in 1992,... Read More