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INFORMATION PAGE - KICSTART MEAL REPLACEMENTS

Meal Replacements, Will They Help And How Do You Use Them?

Meal replacements are commercially available, low-energy products used for weight loss. They are generally in the form of powders that are fortified with vitamins, minerals and some nutrients.

For a number of years now meal replacements have been on the market and touted as the ultimate weight loss tool. Historically they have been spurned by the experts as fads or gimmicks that are more focused on money making than weight loss. Recently though meal replacements have made a comeback and the medical community especially weight loss experts are beginning to change their mind about some, suitably developed and effective, not to mention nutritious replacements.

Historically the concerns around meal replacements included the nutritional content of the replacement, the variety available and the lack of supervision around the process of replacing meals. Meal replacements can cause a quick drop in metabolism and without supervision and guidance this can lead to long term weight gain. Recently things have changed considerably. The leading meal replacements available today are nutritionally balanced, taste good and the better ones come with education and guidance on how the supervision is to occur. Most experts agree that meal replacements combined with effective supervision and education are an affective tool in reducing the waist line.

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Do they work?

Research over the last ten years shows weight losses of up to 10% for up to 5 years. This is twice as affective as structured diet programs. The new mix of meal replacements also provide a degree of hunger suppressing ability due to the protein and calcium mix within the milk shakes that are not found in low calorie diets. When all the evidence is put together meal replacements are second only to bariatric surgery (also known as gastric banding, i.e. mechanically reducing the amount of food that can go into the stomach). Meal replacements also work out to be quite cheap. On average one sachet costs around $2.50 so for those on a tight budget they can be an effective and economically viable option. In fact a meal replacement can work out to be even cheaper than a normal meal.

Meal replacements primarily work by reducing the food volume thus reducing energy coming in. When combined with exercise the energy balance tips in the right direction resulting in fat and waist loss. Additionally benefits of meal replacements are education regarding portion size and energy requirements as well as improved blood sugar levels.

How are they used?

Meal replacements provide a strictly limited amount of energy for your body to use each day. As the amount of energy provided is less than your body needs, you will start to use your stored fat as the main source of energy. As your body burns your fat for energy, you will start to lose weight.

The high quality protein provided by the meal replacement helps preserve your muscle mass while your stored fat is burned for energy.

When considering a meal replacement it is best to chose one that is nutritionally balanced and that contains the right amount of protein and calcium mix along with omega 3 and 6. KicStart is a meal replacement that is produced by a Sydney-based pharmacy product-development team. It is well balanced, relatively tasty and has extra ingredients such as omega 3 and omega 6 fats in a healthy ratio. There are currently two flavours , chocolate and vanilla and 10 additional flavour sachets which can be added to vanilla to "custom make" your favourite taste.

If you are looking for a more robust program that contains both education and supervision the Professor Trims weight loss programs may be an option. Professor Trims is a waist loss program developed by Professor Garry Egger, developer of the GutBuster's program and author of Australia 's national guidelines on weigth control and obesity management. Professor Trim's weight loss programs combine education and supervision with carefully planned meal replacements utilizing KicStart.

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The following are recommendations when using meal replacements:

• Use once or twice a day instead of meals that are easy to replace
• Mix shakes with low fat or skim milk, if not satisfying with water
• Use quality products that are properly formulated and nutritionally balanced (see above)
• Use fruit and low calorie foods as snacks
• Ensure you still eat every 3-4 hours. Use fruit and veggies (as above) to maintain this routine
• As part of a structured program, use two replacements per day for weight loss, then one per day for maintenance;

Where do meal replacements sit with Weight Loss programs?

While certainly not the total answer to the obesity problem, most nutrition and obesity associations, under the appropriate circumstances, have now accepted meal replacements when used with appropriate supervision. If you feel that you have tried the strategies provided through other weight loss programs with minimal success or you feel you need additional support, meal replacements may be an effective strategy worth considering. There is no magic to their success. Indeed, if this occurs it's purely through their ability to reduce hunger and therefore the total volume of food that is eaten over a 24-hour period. Given that most people in today's society eat too much, at least one meal replacement per day for everyone might be the way of the future!

For reference
Egger G. Are meal replacements effective as a clinical tool for weight loss? Medical Journal of Australia 2006;184(2):52-53)