Meal Replacements: 5 Reasons Why You Need Them After Bariatric Surgery

I am sure most of you reading this article have likely heard about meal replacements and how they can be an effective tool for losing weight after bariatric surgery. However, while meal replacements can be a valuable path to weight loss they only work when in conjunction with other healthy habits and behaviours.

The Importance of Meal Replacements -

Ideally, we would all love to prepare healthy and nutritious meals that we can have in the comfort of our homes. However, the reality for most of us is that we don’t have time to prepare healthy nutritious rich meals as we tend to live busy lives that don’t leave much room for cooking.

Instead, we rely on fast food and eating whenever we have time which can be extremely detrimental to our weight loss efforts. This is where meal replacements such as protein shakes, meal bars, powders, and healthy snacks can be super valuable.

Let’s discuss five reasons why you need meal replacements to assist with your weight loss efforts and the secrets behind meal replacements’ popularity and appeal post bariatric surgery.

5 Reasons Why You Need Meal Replacements -

Meal replacements are intended to be a substitute for solid food. Products like shakes, powders, bars, and even soup are all considered meal replacements and usually have controlled amounts of nutrients and calories.

Although there are many types of meal replacements, all of them carry one purpose – to provide you with all the nutrients you need in the most convenient and delicious way possible!

Some meal replacement diets are intended for weight loss while others are used for maintaining a healthy weight by making you feel full even when following a liquid diet right after the surgery.

Here are five key reasons/benefits that prove the effectiveness of meal replacements for weight loss:

1) Convenience -

In today’s fast-paced world, we all tend to prioritize convenience over everything else. Time is precious and with so much to do in your daily schedule the last thing you have time for is preparing healthy meals three times a day. Meal replacements are therefore the perfect way to get the nutritionally balanced foods you need while on to go!

No need to spend an hour preparing a meal that fits your diet plan, instead you can get customized shakes, smoothies, meal bars, and healthy snacks that contain all the nutrients, protein, and vitamins you need to stay healthy while simultaneously losing weight.

Meal replacements and supplements allow you the opportunity to sustain your healthy diet plan while you juggle your busy life. Using a meal replacement diet, you have to put in minimal effort to prepare and consume your food. A healthy meal is as easy as unwrapping a bar or adding powder to milk or water!

2) Precise Portion Control -

Portion control is one of the many ways meal replacement can be used. If you are looking to lose weight by cutting down on how much you eat, it can lead to you feeling hungry all the time, resulting in you eating even more.

Meal replacements help you control portion size by providing the right mixture of formulated foods that can replace some part of your diet or your entire diet for a specified amount of time.

This is because every serving of meal replacement powder, for example, carries a precise portion of essential nutrients such as proteins, fats, vitamins, unsaturated fat and minerals that make you feel full and satisfied.

Knowing exactly what you are eating helps you skip the guesswork when it comes to maintaining a strict diet leading to more effective results. Individuals who struggle to stick to their portions and don’t know how to manage their calories, carbohydrates, and fat intake, will find meal replacements to be extremely beneficial.

3) Weight Management & Nutritional Balance -

Weight management and nutritional balance becomes a task to achieve and a challenging thing to do especially after surgery as our digestive system is altered. It gets difficult to keep a measure of your daily intake as we not feel hungry at times post-surgery but fulfilling the nutritional demand is also important so that the recovery is fast. Meal replacements play a vital role here as they are already designed to provide you with a balanced amount of nutrients.

Meal replacements can lead to sustainable and significant results when it comes to losing weight as you are only consuming the amount of food your body needs to stay healthy and fit.

Meal replacement products also provide that full feeling you get after eating a big meal which means you don’t feel hungry. This allows you to cut down on unhealthy junk food, overeating, or snacking.

4) Enhanced Portability & Long Shelf Life -

Whether you are traveling, camping, or going through unexpected life situations, meal replacements won’t allow you to compromise on your diet goals. Protein bars, powders, and other types of supplements have long shelf lives and are easy to carry with you wherever you go.

Furthermore, meal replacements can also prove to be a highly reliable and beneficial food source when in an emergency situation or when you have limited access to fresh food.

5) Tailored Nutrition for Special Diets -

For people with certain diet restrictions or preferences, meal replacements can also be fully customized by certain providers. If you prefer vegan, low-carb, gluten-free, or vegetarian diets, meal replacement product manufacturers provide a variety of options tailored specifically to your preferences and dietary needs.

Moreover, meal replacements are often recommended as part of medical nutrition therapy for conditions such as diabetes, obesity, malnutrition, post bariatric surgery. They can be tailored to meet precise nutritional needs, ensuring that individuals receive essential nutrients in the right proportions.

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