Busting the Myth That Meal Replacements are Unhealthy Fad’s
The idea of consuming a very low-calorie diet in order to lose weight has been around since the 1920s. Yet in 2021, 101 years later, they still get a negative reception. In fact, many people avoid telling friends and family that they have chosen to restrict their calories for fear of a barrage of objections.
The problem is, that most of the issues that people have with very low-calorie diets and meal replacements simply aren’t based on any scientific facts at all. We’d go as far as to say that they are myths.
That being said, here at New You HQ, we decided to expel all those myths to give you the perfect comeback to any unsolicited diet advice. Knowledge is power!
It’s just a quick fix…you’ll put all your weight back on when you stop.
The problem here is that people tend to over simplify very low-calorie diets and meal replacements. On the surface, you know and can see that they result in fast weight loss. This is the quick fix element. People also know that once you stop using meal replacements and ramp up your calories again you will put weight back on. However, this can be said of any diet.
People overlook the fact that a diet will be short term if you don’t look at the reason why you put on weight in the first place.
Addressing your mindset around food is essential for the success of long term weight maintenance. Something that New You are very passionate about.
When diets produce slower weight loss, motivation can falter as results aren’t visible. This leads dieters to give up before they’ve made any progress with improving their mindset. With a very low calorie diet, initial weight loss results are achieved quickly which inspires the motivation to continue and put in the work needed to have a positive mindset. These visible results make people more open to learning how to healthily transition from meal replacements to a healthy way of eating, which can then become a way of life.
As you may well know, with the New You Plan, professional mindset coaching is offered for free, live every week and is always available to rewatch. We also provide everything you need to know to refeed after your first 12 weeks of meal replacement, to ensure that you can continue or maintain your transformation. You will learn a new, healthier way of eating whilst still working on your mindset and adopting new positive habits for life.
It’s just a fad, it won’t work.
The dictionary defines a fad as ‘an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived; a craze.’ So by definition, a very low calorie diet isn’t a fad because it’s a concept that’s a century old. Meal replacements cannot be classed as a fad either. Metrecal launched its meal replacement shakes in 1959. At the time, the baby food diet was all the rage and Metrecal saw a gap in the market. By all accounts, the shakes were far from appetizing and extremely chalky, however, they paved the way for new and improved future brands…like New You!
As for meal replacements not working, clinical studies have shown that compared to those following other diets, those consuming calorie-controlled meal replacements lost 1.4kg more in one year.
A study published in the British Medical Journal shows that when combined with regular support or counselling, a very low-calorie meal replacement plan allowed dieters to be three times more successful than those seeking weight loss advice from their GP.
Anyway, you only have to look at New You customers to see that the New You Plan produces results!
You’ll get bored with the same old shake day in and day out.
This statement is extremely short-sighted, especially when it comes to New You. The days of drinking chalky shakes are a thing of the 20th century! New You have more than 80 deliciously moreish products to choose from. We have soups, meals, bars, desserts, snacks, porridges and of course, shakes. And with more products in the pipeline, you will get far from bored eating with New You!
It’s an unhealthy way to lose weight.
Is it? New You products are nutritionally balanced and contain 23 vitamins and minerals so when it comes to nutritional value, our meal replacements are top-notch. They provide your body with everything it needs. Far from unhealthy, we’d say.
We recommend that for maximum results you follow New You’s Total Plan for 12 weeks – maximum. After that, you should start introducing healthy food into your daily diet. We help you do that.
Not only are New You products good for you, but losing weight with them can increase your health significantly.
In fact, customers have reported a lower HbA1c which has triggered a reduction in medication or no longer a need for it. Others have expressed increased mobility, better blood pressure and fewer symptoms from inflammatory conditions.
But meal replacement is just part of New You’s tool kit. The mindset coaching that we provide you with helps you manage your relationship with food and achieve a healthy mind for a complete overall health package.
We should also love to add that many health organisations such as the NHS (under NICE Guidelines) endorse very low-calorie diets and meal replacements under supervision, to treat specific illnesses and medical conditions.
It will completely wreck your metabolism forever.
Who said this?
The fact is, your metabolism is controlled by your thyroid which works in accordance with your caloric intake and exercise. It’s constantly adapting, unless you have a thyroid that isn’t functioning correctly. In that case, you will need medical attention. It’s also a myth that some people have a faster metabolism than others. Some people just move more than others!
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that eating a very low-calorie diet can ruin your metabolism or even cause any long term health problems. A study in yo-yo dieting showed that those who repeatedly reverted to a very low-calorie diet had no problem in losing weight every time they jumped back on the wagon.
You’ll be hungry all of the time.
If you are a veteran New You’er, you’ll know that this statement is wrong. Total meal replacements used to achieve a very low-calorie diet contain a high amount of protein and fibre. Both these macros help to keep you fuller for longer. In addition, if you achieve ketosis the hormones that control your appetite will make you less hungry and less likely to crave carbohydrates.
They are really expensive.
Compared to what?
In case you didn’t know, at New You, we’ve always got a deal on and you can get a days worth of products for as little as £3.83. That’s your food for the day for less than your favourite large artisan coffee. Need we say more?
You shouldn’t do that diet-do this one instead.
Not really a myth but irritating none-the-less. Because don’t you just love unsolicited advice? The thing is, that everyone is different and what works for your neighbour, Janet, might not work for you. By all means, listen to her tell you about how she won’t eat meat with carbs or fasts every other day and Wednesday’s is green – whatever! Tell her how pleased you are for her but you’re on a New You journey. Be proud that you’ve found something that suits you and works for you. Just do it!
You don’t need to lose weight, you’re fine as you are.
Again, not a myth but equally frustrating. Because you’ve gotta love a well-meaning partner, friend or family member and it’s great that they love you for being you, but it’s not always very helpful.
It’s important to have friends and family on your side but they also need to understand why you are working on your transformation. Don’t let them coerce you into giving up, with the power of their love and compliments. Be strong and firm with your why.
No doubt there are many more objections that people have, but these are the most common ones. So next time someone has something negative to say that makes you doubt your diet, you are now armed with confident and clever comebacks.
Stay strong and be proud that you are putting your health first. You can do this!
The post When Someone Doubts Your Diet – Myths! appeared first on The New You Plan.
Tammy McLaughlin
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