Though they appear like a simple approach to shed a few pounds and control cravings, weight loss drinks and meal replacement smoothies are not meant for long term. Here we consider the advantages and drawbacks of weight loss shakes.
Part of a weight loss programme, weight loss shakes—also known as liquid meal replacements—are calorie-restricted liquids that can replace one or more meals or snacks. Among the often used weight reduction smoothies are SlimFast, Medifast, Atkins and Health Management Resource (HMR).
Are there thus any advantages and disadvantages to using weight loss shakes? We sought opinions from a number of nutritionists.
Pros of Weight Loss Shakes
Because they are easy and portion-wise managed, weight loss shakes find application in weight loss programmes. Linda Delahanty, M.S., RD, head dietitian and director of nutrition and behavioural research at the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Centre, says “they have key nutrients found in a healthy meal or snack and a fixed number of calories, usually 160 to 290 calories each shake.”
Delahanty notes, “using weight loss shakes helps simplify the decisions you need to make about what to eat and can reduce [the] time needed to prepare meals.”
Shakes for weight loss also have short term benefits. Delahanty states “people who use these portion-controlled foods to replace two meals per day can lose about 50% more weight than those who don’t”.
This is so because the shakes offer less calories than one usually eats at a meal. “A caloric deficit, regardless of how it is achieved, can stimulate weight loss and many individuals find that replacing meals and/or snacks with weight loss shakes allows them to do that,” notes Cara Harbstreet, M.S., RD, LD, of Street Smart Nutrition.
When it comes to these drinks, two substances particularly help with weight loss according a 2022 research in The Journal of Nutrition. Two random groups were formed from healthy persons categorised as either overweight or obese. With the identical calorie count, one group got a high-protein and high-fiber shake whereas the second group had a low-protein and low-fiber shake prior to breakfast and lunch. Although all groups dropped weight, the one that drank the high-protein and high-fiber drink dropped the most. This indicates that composition is more important than just lowering energy use.
Owner of Hamptons RD, Jenn LaVardera, M.S., RD notes, “Weight loss shakes can be beneficial for short-term weight loss because they help with calorie control while providing all the essential nutrients your body needs.”
LaVardera advises against expecting to keep the weight off, even although weight loss shakes might help you drop it quickly. LaVardera adds “Once you are off the shakes, you are likely to return to your old eating habits and gain the weight back.”
Do Weight Loss Shakes Work Long Term?
If you drink weight reduction shakes for your lifetime, you may be able to keep off weight long term. The issue is that most individuals neither live on weight loss shakes indefinitely nor should they. Usually, once their weight reduction programme or diet ends, people go back to eating actual food.
“Weight loss shakes are usually not sustainable for more than a few months, thus they do not present a long-term fix,” notes Harbstreet.
This is so because the shakes take the enjoyment and excitement out of eating, claims Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT, owner of Kara Lydon Nutrition and intuitive eating counsellor. “We sometimes overlook the fact that food is supposed to be enjoyable; it’s what keeps us humanly alive. Imagine if food lacked taste. We most certainly wouldn’t be driven to eat in order to survive. People will start looking for enjoyment from food again over time since they won’t be able to receive it from a weight loss shake.”
Based on biochemical and hormonal reactions that boost hunger, change metabolism and encourage weight gain, a 2019 study in Nutrients indicates that most, if not all, diet programmes fail in addressing weight regain. Lydon pointed out that dieting is really a predictor of weight increase according a 2020 study in Nutrition.
Though it seems intimidating, this is not all or nothing. Delahanty advises “using one weight loss shake per day can help keep off the weight you have lost long term or be a tool to help refocus on weight loss if you gain some weight over time”.
One of several tools in your dietary toolkit, weight loss drinks can help you keep a reasonable weight over time. Some people find that routinely measuring and monitoring food consumption helps them to maintain long-term weight. For others, though, it can spark an obsession that shapes a rigors attitude towards weight reduction and compromises mental health. Additionally advised is professional input from a licenced dietitian to assist in developing a strategy best fit for your tastes and way of life.
The Negative Side of Shakes for Weight Loss
Apart from not being long term maintainable, consuming weight loss smoothies has other negative effects.
“The severe restriction in calories can create unintended side effects, such as suboptimal intake of certain nutrients, slowed metabolism and loss of connection with hunger or satiety signals,” notes Harbstreet. “The liquid nature of this diet also can remove fibre from one’s diet, presumably changing gut health or creating a less-filling eating, or, in this case, drinking experience.”
Long term, fibre can aid in weight control and help to boost satiety.
Additionally leaving individuals in a dieting mindset—seeing meals as excellent or evil and feeling guilty over eating “bad” foods—weight loss smoothies can also affect This typically results in a cycle of dietary restriction, bingeing and subsequently restriction once again.
It also doesn’t equip you for success in the real world. If you’re dining out, what do you order? Should you not have your shake, what do you eat at a party? It complicates the change from weight loss shakes to solid meals.
