Use of meal replacements associated with greater success in weight maintenance treatment program.

Objective: Recent research has demonstrated that the use of meal replacements (pre-packaged entrees, shakes, or nutrition bars) can be a helpful strategy for maintaining weight loss. Meal replacements can be strategically used to lower caloric intake, improve overall nutrition, provide structure and reduce decision anxiety over food choices.

Method: Patients (n=666) enrolled in the maintenance program at three clinics using the HMR Program for Weight Management™ from 1/1/99 through 12/31/99 were included in this retrospective analysis. All patients had lost weight using very-low, low or moderately restricted calorie diets prior to joining maintenance. This study examined the differences between those using > 14 meal replacements per week (n = 309) compared to those using < 14 (n = 357).

Results: Both groups had been in the maintenance program for an average of 22 weeks during 1999. On all variables related to success, differences were noted between the two groups. Compared to patients using < 14 meal replacements per week, those who used > 14: gained less weight (1.5 lbs vs. 3.6 lbs), did more physical activity (2041 vs. 1271 calories/wk), ate more vegetables and fruits (35 vs. 21 servings/wk), attended the program a greater percent of the time (85.7% vs. 69.1%), and kept food records (76.9% vs. 48.8%) and weekly summary records (84.4% vs. 57.0%) more consistently during the study period.

Conclusion: From a clinical perspective, it is important to note the presence of a “compliance factor”. Patients complying with one treatment variable (e.g., use of meal replacements) tend to comply with others (e.g., physical activity and vegetables/fruits). From a research perspective, it is important to study multiple treatment variables since the synergistic effect between the variables can help to improve overall treatment success.