Is Using Meal Replacements For Weight Loss A Good Idea?

Consider the most common causes of obesity in today's society. Overweight people can be classified into two groups. Either they have an unhealthy lifestyle, such as working long hours, eating out frequently, and not getting enough exercise, or they simply eat excessively, often compulsively. 

This type of eating, such as eating when one isn't hungry or eating for emotional rather than physical reasons, is a form of addiction. It should be recognized as an addiction, which it frequently is.

Overeaters Anonymous, for example, follows many of the same concepts as AA or other twelve-step organizations. Excessive eating is addressed as if it were an addiction because it is. But, if that's the case, it's understandable why this addiction could be more difficult to overcome than others.

The best method to deal with an addiction is to avoid out-of-control behavior; alcoholics, for example, cannot touch alcohol.

The goal is to avoid doing it at all until the addiction is no longer a problem; in fact, many addicts believe they will never be able to do it again, not even once. That is plainly difficult with food addiction.

There is no avoiding the fact that people must eat. That is why, while being a non-lethal substance, food addiction may be the most difficult to overcome. That is also why companies like Slim-fast, which manufactures and markets meal replacements for people who are dieting to lose weight, are able to help some people.

Meal replacements work on the principle that you don't eat for a large portion of the day and instead consume a particular shake or other product that provides all of the nutrients you require while also keeping you from feeling hungry.

This has two effects: first, it limits the number of calories you consume because the meal replacements are low in calories. Second, because you aren't actually eating, it disrupts the pattern of addictive behavior.

You can break free from the behavior in the same manner that an alcoholic may (and must) break free from alcohol, giving you a better chance of breaking free from the addictive process. Despite the fact that most meal replacement plans encourage eating one "regular" meal every day, some people who are serious about reducing weight do not do so.

It takes the guessing out of it when you know you won't be eating actual food for a long. Everything becomes quite simple, and many people have successfully lost weight using this approach to weight loss.

However, there are some disadvantages. For starters, a weight reduction program is supposed to teach you how to eat for the rest of your life in order to create healthy habits, but using meal replacements certainly does not accomplish so.

You may discover that your troubles with controlling your food intake persist once you return to eating actual food. Even if you lose weight, if you don't establish healthy eating habits, you're more likely to gain it back.

Also, some people may continue to take meal replacements for longer lengths of time simply because they are easier and more convenient. Meal replacement bars, while designed to provide a minimum amount of calories and nutrition, cannot be used to replace real meals for an extended period of time.

If you know or suspect that your eating problem is similar to an addiction or compulsion, it might be worth your time to consider using meal replacements for a period to lose weight.

However, try to make your time with them as productive as possible. Come to terms with your past behavior and discover what it's like to be satisfied but not stuffed. Finding the answers to these and other questions about healthy eating will help you maintain your weight loss.