Meal Replacements Help Shed Pounds

Meal replacements in a medically supervised weight-loss program are successful in facilitating weight loss, according to a new study conducted at the University of Kentucky.

The study, which appeared in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, assessed weight outcomes, behavioral data and side effects for obese patients enrolled in an intensive behavioral weight-loss program. Two treatment options were offered—medically supervised and healthy solutions. Medically supervised patients restricted food consumption to meal replacements, which consisted of shakes, entrees and bars. Patients either consumed five shakes daily or three shakes and two shelf-stable entrees daily. Healthy solutions patients limited food intake to shakes, entrees, bars, fruit and vegetables. Recommendations were to consume a minimum of three shakes, two entrees and five servings of fruit and vegetables daily.

Patients in the medically supervised option lost an average of 43.4 pounds in 19 weeks; patients in the healthy solutions option lost an average of 37.5 pounds in 18 weeks. The study also found that patient compliance, accountability and commitment with the support of a structured program increases weight-loss success.