How the Total Plan works

In the past, health professionals weren't keen on diets that were really low in calories, but far more studies have now been done with eating plans providing around 800kcal a day - all with promising results. In particular research has focussed on weight management in people with type 2 diabetes, with results suggesting that losing weight more quickly can put type 2 diabetes into remission in people of a heavier weight. Motivating - and this is great news because research increasingly suggests the ability to stick with a diet determines how successful a person is in losing weight and keeping it off.

We recommend following the Shake That Weight Total Plan for a maximum of three weeks (eight weeks with approval from your GP) and then switching to a plan with slightly more calories.

The packaging and website provides detailed nutrition information for products, both per 100g and per serving, when made as instructed. By law, products that are designed to replace one or two meals each day must meet strict nutritional guidelines. This means you can be confident that each product in the Shake That Weight range:

• Provides between 200 to 250kcal
• Is controlled for fat (no than 30% of the calories come from fat)
• Contains a certain amount of good quality protein (between 25% and 50% of the calories will come from protein)
• Provides at least 30% of daily needs for a wide range of vitamins and minerals, including calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, vitamins A, C and D and B vitamins.

Only light exercise is recommended on this plan. If you wish to exercise regularly take a look at the Active Plan. If you do feel weak or have over done the exercise simply have another Shake That Weight meal product.

This will vary depending on your gender, size, how much weight you have to lose and how active you are. Most health professionals recommend losing up to 1kg (2lb) a week. This said total food replacement diets such as this do encourage more rapid weight-loss than traditional diets. Many people find they lose more than this when they first start the Shake That Weight plan, but then weight loss settles down and averages out at around 1kg (2lb) a week. If you read the reviews and success stories, customers have lost anywhere between 1 and 10 stone.

Alcohol is not advised. Alcohol is empty calories and does not count towards your daily fluid intake. A small drink occasionally is acceptable but be aware that it will effect you more.

A low calorie diet is a potentially big change in your diet and therefore you may experience some side effects, such as: Headaches (take standard headache medication until they subside), Nausea, Lethargy, Menstrual irregularities, sweet smelling breath, constipation (try a laxative or fibre supplement).Side effects should ease after a short time. If they persist, seek advice from your doctor.

It’s really important to have enough fluid each day to stay hydrated so your body can work at its best. How much fluid you need will depend on your size, age, gender, the climate and how much exercise you do. For example, if it’s hot outside or you’ve been really active you may sweat more, so need more fluid to replenish what’s been lost. As a rough guideline, the European Food Safety Authority recommends women need 2 litres of fluid a day, and men 2.5 litres – but don’t worry if you need or drink more than this. All fluids except alcohol count towards your fluid requirements including water, soft drinks, fruit juice, smoothies, milk, tea and coffee. As a guideline, each Shake That Weight Meal Shake provides around 250ml of fluid. Plus, the Shake That Weight Plan also includes 150ml skimmed milk each day for you to enjoy in tea and coffee. For all other drinks, it’s important to choose calorie-free liquids when following the Shake That Weight plan. Water is the best option but it’s also fine to enjoy sugar-free squash, herbal teas and soft drinks such as diet cola or lemonade.

No, you can choose to purchase your plan as a 'one off' or you can subscribe every 2 or 4 weeks and receive and extra discount

It’s important to understand a bit more about why weight loss plateaus happen in order to overcome them. There is no single definitive reason why weight loss plateaus occur, but there are a few widely-held beliefs. To understand why this happens, please read our blog here.