New research shows meal replacement shakes and bars are effective tools in weight loss.
What is the most difficult part of losing weight? Many people believe the biggest challenge is making lifestyle changes and getting the weight off, but in the end, keeping the weight off long term becomes even more challenging. Doctors have acknowledged for many years that rebound weight gain is a serious problem, and now the medical community is offering answers to that problem.
Scientific Recommendations for Long-Term Weight Management
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published the results of a study on rebound weight gain conducted by the Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital’s Obesity Center. This study compiled data from 20 scientific studies that measured the effectiveness of the following approaches to long-term weight maintenance:
Prescription drugs
Dietary or weight loss supplements
Meal replacements
High protein diet
Exercise
Out of those approaches, meal replacements and a high-protein diet were the most effective options. The studies also revealed positive results from prescription drugs, but most of the drugs studied are no longer on the market due to safety concerns. The study found that supplements were not as effective as prescription drugs.
High Protein Meal Replacements
Given the results of this research, the best way to maintain weight over a long period is the use of high-protein meal replacement products. Meal replacements deliver the nutrients the human body needs to remain healthy while making it easier to control calorie consumption. There are many products available today, so anyone interested in controlling their weight can obtain meal replacements.
Researchers suggested meal replacement products in both shake, prepared meal and bar form. In making your product choices, be sure they meet the following requirements:
Between 100 and 230 calories
Aim for 12 to 20 grams of protein
Avoid high sugar content (above 27 grams)
Choose fortified meal replacements to ensure proper nutrition
If you don’t want to purchase meal replacement products, consuming a diet rich in protein is another option. This type of diet focuses on lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs and other sources of protein in order to increase satiety between meals and maintain lean muscle mass. While you don’t need to eliminate carbohydrates, you should limit your consumption.
What about Exercise?
If you thought exercise would come out as one of the best ways to maintain a healthy body weight, you weren’t entirely wrong. Exercise did not come out as one of the most effective ways to maintain body weight in the study, but some of the studies included in the research did show positive results from exercise.
Unfortunately, some of the studies included in the research did not show positive results from exercise for specific groups of people. For instance, one of the studies focused on arthrosis patients who used physiotherapy rather than other forms of exercise used by healthier groups of people. Studies that focus on patients who use other forms of exercise showed results that are more positive.
Tips to Keep the Pounds Off
Losing weight is hard work. You don’t want to continually pack on the pounds and fall into the yo-yo dieting cycle. To keep the weight off the first time around, you can focus on incorporating more protein into your diet. You can also keep high-protein meal replacement bars with you at all times. This will stop you from eating junk food out of vending machines or pulling through the drive-through for fast food.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/268220.php
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131031090307.htm
http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/Mealreplacement.html