When you are looking for a way to lose weight and keep it off, using meal replacement shakes can be a great idea.

When used with a proper diet and exercise plan, they take the guesswork out of counting calories and help you stay on track toward your goals.

Here are some benefits of using these products as part of your daily weight loss regimen:

* Provide balanced nutrition

Meal replacement shakes have all the essential nutrients that your body needs for good health, including fibers, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

These nutrients give you enough energy for working out or just going about your day without throwing off your metabolism through unhealthy choices like skipping meals or eating junk food.

* Keeps your stomach full for a longer time

If you are really craving something, but know that you should not give in to your cravings, having a meal replacement shake as an afternoon snack can help.

You might find yourself less hungry for the more substantial evening meal because you had something healthy earlier in the day.

* Make easier to kick start weight loss journey

If you do not have time or energy to plan out what foods to eat and snacks to pack, finding a meal replacement shake that fits your dietary needs makes it easy knowing that there is food waiting for you at work or school each morning.

When used with other common sense choices such as avoiding eating junk food and only drinking water or unsweetened tea or coffee during the day, it is a good way of weening yourself into eating healthier.

* Easy to find in grocery stores and health food stores

If you are looking for a meal replacement shake, there is an easy way to find them at your local grocery store or health food store.

Look on the shelves with other nutritional drinks like protein shakes and energy drinks.

You may have to shop around a little bit since the selection will vary from one location to another but they are easy to find when you know what you are looking for.

* Many available choices

When it comes time to choose which brand of meal replacement shakes that you want to try, you have lots of options when it comes with taste as well as nutritional content.

Since many people who use them love the convenience of grabbing a shake instead of cooking a meal in the morning, you will find lots of different flavors to try.

This lets you change things up so that you do not get bored with any one flavor and it also lets you choose your calorie intake level when using them as snacks throughout the day.

* Easy to carry around

If you are always on the go, having a meal replacement shake that comes in a portable container makes it easy for taking shake wherever life might take you.

You can have them at work, while driving or working out during lunchtime instead of hitting the drive through or fast food restaurant which is often high in fat and calories without providing much nutritional value.

By choosing these nutrition packed shakes yourself, they let you stay flexible with what would otherwise be an unappetizing lunch, snack or dinner.

* They help reduce cholesterol levels

Meal replacement shakes can also be used to maintain healthy cholesterol levels as part of your diet plan.

Replacing one meal a day with these shakes reduces the amount of cholesterol that you eat without having to cut out all foods containing fat and cholesterol from your diet, which can make it difficult for some people to follow.

What is The Best Meal Replacement Shake For Losing Weight

Choice 1: Optimum Nutrition Opti-Fit Meal Replacement Shake

This meal replacement shake from Optimum Nutrition provides a good balance of protein, carbs, fiber and fat that is perfect as a pre or post workout drink.

It contains no creatine but is an effective way to support weight loss goals and helps curb the appetite. With 25 grams of protein per serving, it makes this one of the best options on the market.

Choice 2: Oat Shake SlimFast Advanced Nutrition Smoothie Mix for Weight Loss

If you don’t like drinking up your meals and would rather eat them instead, then consider using oat shakes instead which are just as healthy.

This product from Slim Fast has just under 200 calories each meal so that you can lose weight effectively.

Optional: Soy meal replacement shake

If you are lactose intolerant, then consider soy as an alternative to whey protein shakes and opt for one that does not contain any animal products.

The Myoplex Light Smooth Meal Replacement Powder has 15 grams of protein per serving along with fiber and other essential nutrients without the extra fat or carbs.

This is a great way to lose weight while still getting enough protein in your diet overall.

You can also choose between vegan meal replacements by opting for one that contains no dairy, eggs or gluten just to name a few things that some people might be allergic to but still want to avoid while losing weight.

Tips before buying a meal replacement shake

* Follow the directions on the labels

Using a meal replacement shake as directed helps to ensure that you are getting all of the nutrients that your body needs for good health.

If you drink more than one in a day, it is important to make sure that you spread out these drinks evenly throughout the day so that you don’t put too much strain on your digestive system.

* Be aware of replacing real food

There is no reason to use meal replacement shakes as a substitute for whole foods. They are meant to be used in addition to your daily diet and not instead of food.

When combined with the common sense choices that you should make each day, they provide an easy way to get started on losing weight or maintaining your current weight level.

* Look at protein content first

When looking at nutrition labels, the first place that you should look is towards the protein content because this provides the nutritional value that the body needs.

There are many low-quality brands out there so it pays off to read more than one label before purchasing anything.

If possible, look for ones containing 20 grams or more per serving as these are typically the most effective.

* Be sure of your calorie content

While shakes that have a high amount of protein might be good for you, you will want to avoid those with very high levels of calories as well since these are often higher in sugar and fat without providing any extra benefits.

Look on the label for one that contains between 100 and 300 calories per serving for an easy way to get started on losing weight or maintaining your current weight level.

* Make sure it has fiber

In addition to protein, also look for meal replacement shakes containing lots of fiber so that it keeps things moving through your digestive system and prevents constipation(1).

If you do not care if there is fiber in the shakes, then this is much less important but still something to watch out for.

*Look for nutrients beyond just protein

Make sure that you choose a shake that provides all of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that your body needs in order to stay healthy.

While they are great in terms of helping with weight loss or maintaining your current weight level, it is a good idea to keep track of the amount of sugar as well since this might have an adverse effect on your diet plan.

You can also opt for green tea extract powder which contains EGCG, an antioxidant that may help speed up metabolism along with making you feel more full after eating less food at mealtimes.

* Try different flavors

Since many people who use them love the convenience of grabbing a shake instead of cooking a meal, it might be a good idea to try out several different flavors of meal replacement shakes.

This allows you to mix things up instead of sticking with the same thing every day while also finding new ways to stay healthy and fit.

If you like how they taste and want an easy way to get started on losing weight or maintaining your current weight level, then these are certainly worth looking into for yourself.