Written by Menswear Style in Health & Fitness on the 30th July 2020

For most people who are trying to lose weight, finding an easy and convenient way to reduce the number of daily calories that they consume is a priority. And for a lot of people, meal replacement shakes for weight loss provide this. Meal replacement shakes are easy to make, you can consume them on the go, and there are plenty of tasty flavours to choose from. However, meal replacement shakes don’t automatically mean that you are going to drop the pounds quickly just because you’ve started drinking them. It’s important to commit to a healthy and balanced diet, and lifestyle alongside any meal replacement shakes you are drinking in order to get the results that you want. Here are some tips to help you make meal replacement shakes work for you.

Choose High-Quality Shakes 

Don’t forget; not everything is about losing weight - it’s important to make sure that you are healthy and that your body is getting all the nutrients that it needs from your diet as well. ProPlant Complete Shake are designed to provide you with all the nutrients that you need from a meal, but they are not all created equal. Before you decide which shakes are the best option for you, spend some time researching the different options and find one that is nutrient-dense and suitable for your budget. Cheaper alternatives to the Cambridge diet are available, with shakes that are packed with all the right nutrients from brand such as Shake That Weight. Check out their website to find out how they compare with the Cambridge diet and what makes them a great option.

Make Sure You Replace the Meal 

If you have a meal replacement shake in the morning and then grab something for breakfast because you’re still feeling hungry, you’re not going to get the results that you want. It’s normal to feel a little hungrier than normal if you are significantly reducing the number of calories that you take in compared to what you are used to; drinking water can help get rid of those hunger pangs and help you feel fuller for longer. You should not be so hungry that it’s painful or uncomfortable; if that’s the case, it might be worth switching to different shakes. If you need to eat something, opt for food very low in calories like a piece of fruit or some veggies.  

Don’t Replace Every Meal

Meal replacement shakes are not designed to be taken three times a day and replace all your meals. Most commonly, people use them for breakfast because they are fast and convenient - and it makes sure that you get something for breakfast rather than skipping it. You might also want to consider the option of having a meal replacement shake for breakfast and lunch, and then having a healthy dinner.

Eat Healthily 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that meal replacement shakes are a quick fix and that you can eat what you want at other times. Even if you have meal replacement shakes for breakfast and lunch, you need to ensure that any food you put into your body otherwise is healthy and full of nutrients. Load your plate with protein and vegetables when you make your non-shake meals, and snack on nutritious foods like fruit.  

Stay Hydrated 

Alongside meal replacement shakes and eating healthily, drinking plenty of water is key to keeping you hydrated and giving your body the right amount of water that it needs to keep your metabolism going and burn off that extra fat you want to get rid of. Ideally, you should look to drink around two litres of water a day, which is usually around 6-8 glasses. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, you can infuse it with fruit to make it more appealing or get some tasty cold water infusion teabags which are available in a wide variety of flavours.

Exercise 

Keeping your body moving alongside your new healthy eating and meal replacement shake routine is key to losing weight at a rate that is good for you. Any kind of exercise is ideal as long as it gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat at least a little. If you are not used to exercising regularly, start small with walking, cycling, swimming or jogging and build it up little by little. You will find that as you lose weight, you will find it much easier to take on harder and more strenuous exercises, and enjoy them too. Weightlifting can also be excellent for helping you convert fat into muscle and tone up your body as the pounds drop off.  

Stick to Your Lifestyle 

Sadly, weight loss meal replacement shakes aren’t designed to be effective forever and they are best used by people who want to lose a small amount of weight for a certain event or if you want to kick-start your weight loss journey. If you stop taking meal replacement shakes, you will quickly begin to pile the pounds straight back on if you simply go back to how you consumed foods before. In order to keep your new lean frame and maintain the weight loss that you have worked so hard to achieve, you will need to keep the same lifestyle habits of eating healthily and working out - even if you’ve decided not to take meal replacement shakes any longer. 

Count Calories 

Finally, it’s important to come up with a way to track how many calories you are putting into your body. This should be easy for the meal replacement shakes as it’s usually quite clear on the packaging, but when you eat anything else, you can often go over your daily allowance without realising. Apps like MyFitnessPal are great for getting you into the habit of counting calories and keeping you on track in your weight loss and health journey.

This blog post looks at How to Make Meal Replacement Shakes Work for You, with tips such as Choose High-Quality Shakes, Don’t Replace Every Meal, and Stay Hydrated.