5 Meal Replacement Myths...Busted

If you’ve never explored a meal replacement weight loss plan before, it’s likely that you have some preconceptions about how they work and whether they’re safe.

With OPTIFAST, our meal replacement plans are backed by science, nutritionally complete (when used as a total diet replacement) and fully customisable to fit into your lifestyle. It’s understandable to think that things will quickly get repetitive or you’ll be hungry all day, especially when you first start out.

However, with OPTIFAST, this isn’t the case at all – here, we take a look at the truth behind five common meal replacement myths.

1. I’ll Be Hungry All the Time

If you’re following an OPTIFAST total meal replacement plan, your caloric intake will be restricted to approximately 800 calories per day.

As with any change in your eating habits, you might feel hungry at first, but your body will soon adjust. If you’re worried you’re going to struggle, read our advice on how to stop yourself from snacking.

OPTIFAST products are scientifically designed to give you all the necessary vitamins, minerals, macronutrients and micronutrients your body needs on a total meal replacement plan. They are high in protein and a good source of fibre, so they’ll help to keep you feeling full, even if you’re eating much less than usual.

2. It’ll Get Really Repetitive

Any eating plan can quickly get repetitive, especially if you’re only eating one thing or drinking nothing other than weight loss shakes for each meal. However, when you’re following an OPTIFAST plan, there are numerous options available, from bars to soups to shakes and desserts, to help create some variety and keep things interesting.

Even better, once you’ve completed your initial Six-Week Plan of total diet replacement, you can start to introduce more conventional foods into your diet, adding more variety to your meals. Check out our low-calorie recipe ideas for inspiration.

3. Everything Will Be Tasteless

This couldn’t be further from the truth. OPTIFAST products are available in a variety of delicious flavours:

Bars – choose from cappuccino, berry, chocolate or cereal flavour
Shakes – flavours available are vanilla, coffee, strawberry or chocolate
Soups – pick from tomato, vegetable or potato and leek
Desserts – enjoy a delicious vanilla dessert every now and again for an occasional, well-deserved treat

4. Meal Replacements Aren’t Healthy

It’s understandable to be concerned that you won’t get all the necessary nutrients you need to be healthy if you’re swapping conventional foods with meal replacement products.

However, every OPTIFAST product contains a blend of essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs during each stage of the total meal replacement plan.

When you begin introducing more conventional foods on our Partial Meal Replacement Plan, you’ll be able to enjoy recipes like our cauliflower tabbouleh salad.

You can also add in exercise to your partial meal replacement plan, which offers multiple health benefits of its own.

5. Meal Replacement Doesn’t Work Long-Term

We like to think of OPTIFAST as a lifestyle change, rather than a diet; as a marathon, not a sprint. To see long-term results, you need to stay focused on maintaining the changes you’ve made to your diet for longer than just a couple of weeks.

Our OPTIFAST meal replacement plans are designed to kickstart long-term weight loss and create an overall lifestyle change.

Our Six-Week Plan combines nutritional knowledge, exercise tips and behavioural strategies, equipping you with the knowledge you’ll need to confidently follow the Partial Meal Replacement Plan for a more gradual weight loss, and eventually transition to a Maintenance Plan to continue your results.

We recommend keeping a food diary to keep yourself on track, so you can see where you may need to pull back and make a few more changes if you start to regain weight.

Find out more about how to get your diet plan off to a good start: