0:10 Hello, my name is Ollie and I'm a
0:11 specialist dietitian from the specialist
0:13 weight management service from South
0:16 Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This
0:18 video will provide an overview of the
0:20 use of meal replacement products in
0:21 weight management and it will answer
0:23 frequently asked questions on this subject.
0:24 subject.
0:27 It is important for us to clearly state
0:28 right from the outset that we have
0:30 received no funding nor do we benefit
0:32 from mentioning any meal replacement
0:35 product companies or manufacturers.
0:37 This video is based on scientific
0:39 evidence and our own specialist
0:48 Meal replacements are nutritional
0:50 products that are formulated to give the
0:52 nutrition of a balanced meal but with
0:55 fewer calories. usually 200 to 250
0:58 calories per meal replacement product.
1:00 Meal placement products usually come in
1:03 the form of shake or a bar, but they can
1:05 also come in other forms such as soups
1:06 and smoothies.
1:09 They can be a useful tool to help reduce
1:11 overall calorie intake, which can
1:14 contribute to weight loss.
1:15 Meal placements can be used for
1:18 convenience or as part of a partial meal
1:20 replacement diet. They can also be used
1:21 for part of a more restrictive total
1:24 meal replacement diet. However, this is
1:26 not appropriate for everyone. For more
1:28 information on total meal replacement
1:30 diets, please see our video on very low
1:32 energy diets, also on the booster platform.
1:44 A partial meal replacement diet involves
1:46 replacing some meals, but not all, with
1:48 meal replacement products. This is a
1:50 convenient way to help people achieve a
1:51 calorie control diet of approximately
1:55 1,200 to 1,800 calories per day. This
1:57 can be hard to do with our modern
1:59 lifestyles, eating patterns, and a wide
2:01 range of dietary options as it is
2:03 difficult to know the nutritional
2:04 content of the foods and fluids that we
2:06 have in different situations and
2:09 settings. A partial meal placement diet
2:11 usually involves replacing one or two
2:13 meals per day with a meal replacement
2:15 product. having a balanced meal and
2:17 appropriate calorie control snacks if
2:20 needed. It is up to the person on which
2:22 meal they replace, but they must have
2:25 one balanced meal of normal foods every day.
2:28 day.
2:29 We recommend using the following plate
2:32 model to help gauge appropriate portions
2:34 and proportions for the main meal of the day.
2:43 A common way of doing a partial meal
2:45 replacement diet is to replace breakfast
2:47 and lunch each with a different meal
2:50 placement product for variety, followed
2:52 by a third balanced meal and snacks as needed.
2:58 With most partial meal replacement diet
3:00 plans, it is appropriate to have up to
3:02 three snacks per day to prevent feelings
3:04 of hunger, help maintain energy levels,
3:06 and help manage your blood glucose
3:08 levels. These snacks should not be more
3:10 than 100 calories each and ideally
3:13 protein or fiberbased. Snacks are not a
3:14 compulsory part of partial meal
3:16 replacement diet. Therefore, they should
3:19 only be consumed if needed. Examples of
3:21 appropriate snacks are one portion of
3:24 fruit, one pot of yogurt, a small
3:26 handful of nuts, a slice of cheese, or
3:28 two like mini baby bell cheese, or a
3:31 small cereal bar. You could also try a
3:32 snack product from a meal placement
3:34 range, but we're not specifically
3:36 recommending this.
3:38 When doing a partial meal replacement
3:40 diet, you must also remember to drink at
3:42 least 2 L of water or other low calorie
3:45 fluids every day, such as no added sugar
3:48 cordial or tea and coffee with only a
3:58 Research shows that partial meal
3:59 replacement diets can help people to
4:02 lose more weight over the first 3 to six
4:04 months of their weight loss journey when
4:06 compared to a standard dietary advice
4:08 for weight management. This means that
4:10 these diets can be useful for someone to
4:11 start their weight loss journey. They
4:13 could also be helpful for people who are
4:15 experiencing a slow rate of weight loss
4:18 or even a weight loss plateau. As
4:20 already mentioned, partial meal
4:21 replacement diets are very convenient
4:23 way to achieve a calorie control diet
4:25 and often require little or no counting
4:28 of calories and preparation. They are
4:30 dietary intervention that can be started
4:32 quickly with little notice. There is
4:34 also some scientific evidence to suggest
4:37 that liquid meal placements may help to
4:39 control appetite and reduce feelings of
4:41 hunger when compared to a solid food
4:44 containing the same amount of calories.
4:46 Portion meal replacements diets are not
4:48 only convenient and potentially cost
4:50 effective, but they may also help to
4:52 make weight loss easier to achieve than
4:55 a normal calorie restricted diet. At the
4:58 time of writing 2025, the inclusive cost
5:00 of a meal replacement shake powder made
5:03 up with skim milk was approximately 75 p
5:06 to 2 per meal placement depending on the
5:08 brand. In our practice, these diets have
5:10 proved successful interventions when
5:13 used with the right patients. Remember,
5:15 a patient's individual choice is very
5:25 If a person is taking a diabetes
5:27 medication, especially insulin, they
5:29 will need to discuss this with their GP
5:31 and/or an appropriately trained member
5:32 of a specialist weight management
5:34 service before starting a partial meal
5:36 replacement diet. Certain medication
5:38 doses may require adjustment to enable
5:41 you to follow the diet safely. For any
5:43 allergies or intolerances, check each
5:45 individual meal replacement product and
5:48 or snack before consuming. Allergens
5:51 vary even across the same range. If a
5:52 person has been advised to follow a
5:54 fluid restriction by the medical team,
5:56 please include any fluid based meal
5:58 replacement products within the volume
6:09 Although a fixed structured plan such as
6:11 partial meal replacement diet can
6:13 sometimes be challenging. Meal
6:14 replacement products can be used as a
6:17 tool rather than a part of a fixed diet.
6:19 For example, you can use them as a
6:21 backup when you're unable to buy or
6:23 choose healthy meal or when you are
6:25 particularly busy. Some people use them
6:27 when they're in a rush and don't want to
6:28 miss lunch. By using meal replacement
6:30 products in this way, you're not
6:32 following a specific diet, but rather
6:34 using them as a tool to achieve calorie
6:35 controlled meals when you feel it
6:37 appropriate. Meal replacement products
6:39 can also be used in a total meal
6:41 replacement diet. This is when all of
6:43 your meals and most or all of the food
6:45 that you eat is replaced by meal
6:47 replacement products. These diets are
6:49 often low or very low energy diets of
6:53 800 calorie per day or less, also known
6:55 as a very low energy diet. These should
6:57 only be used under the advice of
6:59 appropriately trained doctors or health
7:01 care professionals such as in but not
7:03 restricted to specialist weight
7:05 management services. For more
7:06 information on very low energy diets and
7:09 total meal replacement diets, please see
7:11 our video on very low energy diets also
7:13 on the boost platform. Please do not
7:15 start a very low energy diet outside of
7:17 the advice of your GP, consultant,
7:20 dietician, specialist nurse or a
7:31 I will now provide answer to some of the
7:32 most common questions that we are asked
7:34 regarding the use of meal replacement products.
7:40 There are many acceptable meal
7:41 replacement products that we have seen
7:44 available from supermarketsarmacies,
7:46 health stores and online. A meal
7:47 placement product should have
7:50 approximately 200 to 250 calories per
7:52 serving, at least 15 g of protein per
7:55 serving, approximately 4 g of fiber per
7:57 serving, and a wide range of essential
8:00 vitamins and minerals.
8:01 When considering the nutritional
8:04 content, cost, availability, and
8:06 different ranges, many branded versions
8:09 are appropriate. However, the Tesco or
8:11 other own brands are acceptable and can
8:19 Yes, you can, but always check the
8:22 ingredients as you normally would. There
8:23 are dairyf free meal replacement
8:26 products available such as Vivo Life
8:36 This may be due to the lactose content,
8:38 especially if the reconstituted powdered
8:40 shakes. We advise trying the meal
8:42 replacement bars and or dairyf free meal
8:45 replacement products. Also, the readyto
8:46 drink forms of meal replacement shakes
8:48 may be tried as these have a different
8:51 formula and may be better tolerated if
8:54 symptoms persist. GP or dietitian input
9:01 Most standard plans will advise two meal
9:03 replacement products and a third
9:06 balanced meal. We advise one or two per
9:07 day unless you use them occasionally as
9:10 a tool which you can also do. Whether
9:12 you use one or two per day depends on
9:14 the calorie content of the meal that
9:17 you're replacing. For example, if you
9:19 normally have a sache of porridge or one
9:20 slice of toast with butter for
9:22 breakfast, then your breakfast is
9:25 approximately 200 calories or less. In
9:26 this case, there would be little benefit
9:28 to your weight management by replacing
9:30 this with a meal replacement product, as
9:32 these normally contain 200 to 250
9:35 calories each. However, if you normally
9:37 have two slices of toast with butter and
9:40 marmalade or over 40 g of breakfast
9:42 cereal with milk, then you will likely
9:43 benefit by replacing this with a meal
9:45 replacement product, as this will be
9:47 less calories. The same principle
9:50 applies to other meals. In our
9:51 experience, many people using only one
9:53 meal replacement product per day do well
9:55 replacing their lunch meal. And many
9:57 also do well replacing both breakfast
9:59 and lunch with a meal replacement
10:01 product each. Some people use these
10:03 products every other day to gradually
10:05 introduce this into their lifestyle. It
10:08 is important to use an individualized
10:18 As long as a total meal replacement diet
10:19 or very low energy diet is not being
10:21 followed, the meal replacement products
10:23 may be used for as long as it is
10:26 beneficial. There is no end date to this
10:28 intervention. Scientific research
10:30 suggests that following a partial meal
10:32 placement diet for 3 to four months and
10:34 then transitioning onto a healthy
10:36 calorie control to diet may be better
10:38 for weight loss and maintenance when
10:41 compared to a standard dietary advice.
10:42 For reference, the National Institute
10:44 for Health and Care Excellence, NICE,
10:46 advis that a very low energy diet is
10:56 Most people following partial meal
10:58 replacement diets do not feel hungry,
10:59 especially if they use appropriate
11:02 snacks when required. However, some
11:03 people may notice some hunger during the
11:06 day. If this is too uncomfortable, then
11:08 you can consider using higher protein
11:10 snacks instead of a normal 100 calorie
11:12 snack. Higher protein foods can help to
11:17 keep you feeling fuller for longer.
11:19 Examples of higher protein snacks are a
11:22 small handful of nuts,
11:25 a boiled egg or pickled egg, some cooked
11:29 chicken breast or other lean meat, 30 g
11:38 Yes, low and moderate intensity exercise
11:40 is encouraged whilst on a partial meal
11:42 replacement diet. You should try to
11:44 achieve the UK government physical
11:48 activity recommendations as a minimum.
11:50 See the NHS website for more information
11:52 on this. You can also access our video
11:55 on the benefits of physical activity
11:57 also on the boost platform. We hope that
11:59 this has been an informative and
12:01 interesting video on the use of me
12:02 replacement products in weight
12:04 management. Please see our other
12:06 lifestyle psychology based videos also
12:08 on the boost platform. Thank you for watching.
