Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss

About Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss

Meal Replacement Shakes are the perfect companion to any weight loss program, especially when you are lacking in the time needed to shop and prepare meals. Meal replacements contain a range of naturally occurring amino acids to assist in wellness and the maintenance of muscle mass. As reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2014, maintaining muscle mass on a weight loss program is important, as it reduces the risk for rebound weight gain once the program is finished.

It is worth mentioning that weight loss programs focusing solely on total body weight loss as measured on scales, do lead to faster weight loss. However, a program that targets fat-loss specifically, using abdominal girth or bioimpedence body fat measurements, is a much more beneficial way to approach fat loss. Gradual fat loss programs that preserve muscle tissue are a healthy and more sustainable option.

When most people begin a weight loss program, they tend to start randomly cutting out meals without considering their protein intake. In addition, resistance exercise is often not the focus as much as cardio is, which is important for the preservation of muscle mass. Muscle mass is an important determinant of overall health, and becomes increasingly harder to build in older age and during chronic illness.

Meal Replacement Shakes can be used to replace the highest calorie meal of the day. However, unless you are taking a quality multivitamin and mineral, it is important to only substitute one meal per day. This is because there is a large number of important micronutrients, such as zinc and selenium, phytonutrients, like lutein and lycopene, and even macronutrients, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and fibre, that no powder comes close to providing. The life giving properties of whole food is as miraculous as it is complex!

Protein rich powders are also a great way to assist in the preservation of muscle mass and boost the metabolic rate. A heating  effect in the human body has been noted by scientists after consuming protein, compared to fats and carbohydrates. This is a marker of our metabolism and a sign of increased calorie expenditure. It is believed that this is due to the muscle protein synthetic effects of protein, which carbohydrates only minimally induce and fats does not seem to provoke at all.

Protein is incredibly important on so many levels and a quality Meal Replacement Shake can make all the difference on a fat-loss program. If you really want to make progress on the way to a healthier version of yourself, focusing on fat-loss, rather than weight-loss, is essential.