Description: A typical meal replacement diet involves substituting a number of meals and snacks with a nutritionally balanced shake made from sugar, skimmed milk powder, fiber, vitamins, minerals and sweetener. Some plans offer candy-like bars as an alternative. There is no time limit to this diet. You may stay on it indefinitely. Typically, you replace two meals and one snack, per day, with one shake. Each shake contains about 200 calories and up to 3 grams of fat. Your third meal is a nutrient-rich meal of about 600 calories. Thus your total daily calorie-intake is about 1200. The diet is nutritionally balanced and very convenient. All you have to do is open a can, grab a glass, and add milk. In addition, being very sweet, these shakes/bars are good news for anyone with a sweet tooth. However, there are some drawbacks. The biggest drawback concerns the issue of eating habits. Meal-replacement diets can help you to lose weight in the short term but they can't help you to acquire the sort of sensible eating habits which are essential for long term weight loss. Reviews (10):

Liquid Lifestyle Reviewer: Gwen       03-30-2004 Liquid meal replacement plans do work but you need to realize that it is a lifestyle change and not a diet. You will need to find a wayof eating and working out that will help you continue for your entire life. The biggest obsticle will be to find out how to eat right once the weight is lossed. The last thing you want to do is gain your weight back.

Began diet at 225 pounds Reviewer: Sammy       03-30-2004 I began a liquid diet a few months ago at a starting weight of 225 pounds. I'm a middle aged 5' 8" tall woman. My physician monitors me every 3 weeks with blood tests and an office visit. My blood pressure has dropped, as have 73 pounds. VLCDs are not for everyone, but at 225 pounds I couldn't imagine the 12-18 months it would take me (if I was lucky) to lose the weight. I decided to go the VLCD route with Medifast and transition to a low carb / low calorie diet with the help of my doctor's dietician. I haven't gotten to transition yet (15 pounds to go). I began exercising 3 or 4 months ago and it is wonderful! I wouldn't have done it in the beginning (Medifast recommends against it until your body adjusts to the diet). It is amazing that exercise will become something you crave and look forward to -- something I never thought I'd say!

Currently on a liquid diet... Reviewer: Chase       03-30-2004 I have been on a liquid diet now for 3 weeks. The first week i lost 4 pounds, second week i lose another 4 pounds, and so far this week i have lost 3 pounds...that is a total of 11 pounds in almost 3 weeks. I was told when i start eating solid foods again i should start with fruits, veggies and some light seafood.

Very Unhealthy Reviewer: Oscar       03-30-2004 You need solid foods. Find a better plan. By mixing powder with water and or milk you are not getting your natural nutrients. I tried a liquid diet before, yes i lossed weight but i gained it back once i went back to real food.

I have been off and on liquid diets Reviewer: Benjamin       03-30-2004 I have been off and on liquid diets for several years. Every time i lose weight i gain it back quickly. Its a simple easy diet that has worked for me. I don't mind gaining the weight back because i know i could lose it again once i start the diet again. I usually start the diet 3 times a year. Once after the holidays then again before summer then again a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Many people i know have problems with this tpe of dieting but it works ok for me.

Most people don't stay on this diet Reviewer: Manny       03-27-2004 You will lose weight, but you won't stay on it. I suggest finding another weight loss or management program to start after finishing with the liquid diet. The idea is to make an easy transition from liquid to solid foods...in a healthy manner.

lossed 40+ and counting Reviewer: Shanny       03-27-2004 I'm down 40+ lbs and counting on a fat loss system called GlycoLEAN (just bought some new pants today and I'm down 4 inches in the waist!!!) The whole system looks at the food you eat, the exercise you get, and using supplements to support the body during fat loss. It's really worked for me (not at my goal yet, but still going).

I used to do liquid diets years ago Reviewer: Aaron       03-24-2004 I am 40 now, but when i was in my mid 20's i used to frequently be on these type of diets. I could easily lose 20-30 pounds a month twice a year. I combined the liquid diet with kickboxing and jogging.

Very low calorie... Reviewer: Bicker       03-21-2004 It is essential that you keep that in mind -- that the objective is to use the very low calorie diet to lose the weight, but you're not done until you've learned the long-term behaviors that will maintain the weight lost -- I'm still in that process myself, seven months into the eighteen month long maintenance program.

losing weight Reviewer: Shannon       03-20-2004 My friend Abby lost 115 pounds a couple of years ago over an 11 month period and has kept a great majority of it off for the last year. My wife and I, together, have lost about 160 pounds, and I've been in maintenance for about seven months.

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