The minimum number of servings per day is 5. Fruits and vegetables are low in fat and calories, but high in nutrition. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the more nutrition you get and it helps to crowd out other high fat high calorie foods.

Food records help you to keep track of what you are eating. It is very difficult to remember what you had, or what you did not have. They keep us accountable.

You should get a minimum of 64 ounces of fluid every day. The best bet is to make sure most of this comes from water. There are instances when you may need more. For example, when you are physically active you may need to replenish what you have lost during activity. It is important to check with your doctor regarding the correct amount for you if you have medical conditions that cause water retention.

Your best bet is to make sure that you get a good variety. Think in terms of colors. Fruits and vegetables are divided into 4 color groups: orange, red, green, and yellow/white. Set a goal to get in all 4 color groups.

We recommend getting physical activity every day. The idea is to create a lifestyle that includes regular activity. Some days you will have more time to dedicate to this and some days you may only have 10 minutes. With the busy lifestyle of today,it is not always easy to find that 30-60 minutes, so be sure to do 3-6 ten minute periods. Studies now show that this can be very beneficial. People who did short bouts throughout the day ended up doing more physical activity and stuck with their program longer than the people who only did longer bouts on most days.

The answer is retort packaging. Think in terms of the canning process - only the entrees are done in plastic trays.

Anything that gets you moving! Variety is the key. It is easy to get burned out if you do not have a variety of activities. You also need variety in order to use all of the muscles. Think of physical activity as simply moving your body through space. It can be walking, weight training, exercise equipment, riding a bike, or even playing in the yard with the kids. Make it fun.

Then you need to just simply have more of what is on your program. Because the items are all low in calorie and high in nutrition, you can just have more. Most people are used to limiting themselves when trying to lose weight, but that is not our method. We encourage you to have another shake, or eat another fruit or vegetable. If you are hungry, then that means that your body needs more fuel. You should never have to be hungry and feel that you cannot eat.

Just water. The preferred method seems to be mixing it with water and ice in a blender to make a milkshake. You can also stir it with a spoon to make a pudding, or just shake it in a shaker cup. There is also a recipe book for the product that will give you many more ideas such as adding fruit or flavorings.

The 70+ shake is lactose free, using an egg white for the majority of the base instead of milk. This shake DOES contain calcium caseinate and calcium phosphate.
You would still mix the shake with water as you do the others.

There are actually 2 different programs. There is the medically supervised program that is still meal replacements only. While you still must get in the 5 shakes per day (minimum), you can add in entrees or benefit bars, but fruits and vegetables are not allowed until you transition off of that program.
However there is another program called Healthy Solutions. With the Healthy Solutions program you take a minimum of 3 shakes, 2 entrees and a combination of 5 fruits and vegetable servings per day. These are all daily minimums. You can, at anytime, have more of the shakes, entrees, or fruits and veggies.
I hope that this clears things up a little for you.
Something else that is very new is the at Home program. The at Home program allows for you to do the Healthy Solution Program over the phone. We use a conference call line and have a virtual classroom. There are wonderful weight loss results with this program. If you are at all interested in getting back involved in a program, feel free to contact us to find out more.

The 120 does have Aspartame, but the other shakes ( 500, 800, and 70+) have Saccharin.

You are more than welcome to order and use the shakes, entrees and bars. The number of shakes you use would be up to you. For someone trying to lose weight we recommend using 3 shakes, 2 entrees and a combination of 5 fruits and vegetables per day. These are all minimums. So if you are still hungry then simply have more of any of those items. I wish you the best of luck in reaching your weight loss goal.

Yes you can lose weight by replacing 2 meals with shakes and entrees plus one sensible meal per day. I always tell people to look to fruits and vegetables for inbetween meal snacks and be sure to use them as part of your sensible meal. Try to get in a combination of 5 fruits and vegetables minimum per day.

I would suggest doing what we call 3+2+5.
That would be 3 shakes, 2 entrees and a combination of 5 fruits and vegetables per day. These would be minimums. So if you are still hungry then have more shakes, entrees, or fruits and vegetables.
You just want to be sure to keep your calories high enough if you are not medically supervised. By doing the 3+2+5, then you will be 1,000 - 1,200 calories per day.
If you would like to continue for more than the 2 months, it would not be a problem.

No, actually you should discontinue your diet right away. Pregnancy is one of the contraindications to doing a Very Low calorie diet. Now is a time that you should not be cutting your calories back to so few.
You will still want to make sensible food choices, such as eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean cuts of meat, and making good food prep choices.
You should also consult with the program medical director and your own physician so they can give you a good meal plan.
Congratulations on your pregnancy!!

The 800 product has 160 calories per serving and the 500 has 100 calories per serving. So you would save about 240 calories per day by switching. In one weeks time that would be a calorie savings of 1,680 or 1/2 pound.
Keep in mind that for some people the 800 keeps them fuller longer because it does have more calories and is richer.
As long as you are eating entrees with it, and hopefully some fruits and veggies, you should be fine with either product.
I hope all is going well with your weight loss efforts. Best of luck!

Great question. We periodically send out coupons to all of our customers. They will come to you via e-mail. They are different all of the time. Sometimes they are on a certain product and some times they are on your whole order. Since you have placed an order with us, you will get those any time they are sent out. So just watch your e-mail for them.

We recommend following the Healthy Solution Program. That would be 3 shakes, 2 entrees and 5 fruit/veggies per day. These are minimums and you can always have more of any of these if you are hungry. I would also recommend 45-60 minutes per day of physical activity (most people just walk). By doing this you would lose 1 pound per week and you would be averaging 1000-1200 calories per day.
I wish you the best of luck.

We measure a fruit serving as 6 ounces and a vegetable serving as one full cup.

The length of time you are on the medically supervised program will depend on how much weight you have to lose. We have had clients on this for over one year with no complications.
Your time on the program can also be affected by any health risks that you may have. The best way to get an individual answer would be to talk to an clinics medical director and health educator.
If you are looking for a program in your area, call us and we can help. 1.

If you had used the 500 product before, and you enjoyed the taste, I would recommend that you use that product again.
The difference between the 500 and the 800 is that the 800 product has more calories. There are 160 calories per serving, where the 500 has 100 calories. So you could save yourself some calories by using the 500.
The 800 also has a richer taste because there are more calories.
We do not recommend using the shakes as a sole source of nutrition if you are not on the program at a clinic and are not medcially supervised by their Medical Director.
But the shakes are still a great meal/snack replacement. They taste great and can cut your calories for the day. If you want to use 3-5 per day and add fruits and vegetables, that should help you to your weight loss goal.

No, it is not safe to take less than 5 shakes a day.
The program is designed as a MINIMUM of 5 shakes per day. This is for nutritional reasons. By taking fewer calories it can actually slow down your weight loss, or you could lose lean muscle mass.
If your body is not getting enough calories it will go into a "starvation mode" and actually slow down in order to preserve calories.

Congratulations on your success. I am happy to see that you are so concerned with counting calories and accounting for everything that you eat.
We do have a calorie sheet that we go by when counting calories and I would be more than happy to send one to you. You can call us at 1. to give us your address.
The nice thing about fruits and vegetables are that they are low in calories to begin with, so if you miscalculate a little it will not be off by much. One way to calculate would be to look at a few of the books and take the average of them. You should also check to see what is considered a serving size, that may be why some of them are different.
The best of luck with your weight management.

Yes, corn on the cob is considered a vegetable. I would count a medium to large ear of corn as one serving.

In the 500 shake the count are 16 per shake and for the vanilla there are 17 per shake.

If you are going to go on a completely supplemented diet ( all shakes), you will want to be properly medically supervised. There are programs all over the US and I would be happy to check on a location near you. You can call us at 1. for a location near you.
There are also wonderful classes to help you to stay structured and on your program.
If you are looking to use some grocery store food ( try for mostly fruits and veggies) in addition to some shakes, then any of them would work. The 500 has 100 calories per serving and the 800 has 160 calories per serving. The 70+ has 110 per serving and has no lactose.
I hope that this is helpful.

All of our shakes are mixed with water. To alter the flavor you can also add diet flavored soda instead.

Your plan of shakes, fruits, and veggies, with a sensible meals sounds great. You can either make your own sensible meal, or you can purchase entrees. You can use either entrees or grocery store entress that are 300 calories or less.
I am sorry to hear that the classes do not work for you, but if you stick with the plan that you have, then you should start to lose weight.
As far as which shakes to use, any of them will work. If you are lactose intolerant, then the 70+ shakes are the best ones. Otherwise the 500 or the 120 will be the best. The 500 comes in single serve packets and the 120 comes in a canister with a scoop. It is just a matter of whether you want the convenience of the packets.
I wish you much success.

In the Healthy Solution program fruit juices and vegetable juices do not count as a serving. You can put the whole fruit in the blender with your shake and count it as a serving. The fruit can be frozen, fresh or canned.

If you are on the medically supervised program, and doing only shakes, then you need to take two per day. Remember that you must be medically supervised by and program if you are only using shakes. If you are using them as meal repleacements and using fruit and veggies in addition to the shakes, you only need one per day.

If you are involved in the Healthy Solution program at an clinic, I would check with them to see what the clinics views are on that.
If you are tracking for youself and not in a clinic, then I would say yes.
You must make sure that there is nothing in the "refried" beans other than beans. So just check the label. As you are tracking your fruits and veggies remember that just half of a cup of beans is one serving.

The great thing about the program is that you can have any fruit that you like.
Having said that, you do want to try to get a good variety. This is good for a couple of reason. One reason is that you will get a better variety of antioxidants. The other reason is to make sure you are not eating all of the highest calories fruits. This is only a factor if your daily calories are slowing down your weight loss or making it difficult to maintain weight. Remember though it is important to look at the "other" foods you are eating also.

We have a lot of patients with your same situation.
It is fine to mix shakes ahead of time. They will need to be refrigerated until you drink them, or you can make them up ahead of time and freeze them.
You then can leave them out to thaw and drink them when you are ready. If it is too frozen to drink when you want it, you can put it in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds at a time.
I have many patients that will make and freeze several at a time.
I hope that this is helpful.

I would suggest the "Healthy Solutions" program. It is a program that uses meal replacements and fruits and veggies.
You can do this program at an clinic or you can do it via telephone. We have a new option call " at Home". This is a phone based conference line program where you have your class over the conference line.
The average person loses 1-3 pounds per week.
If you wold like to know more, just call us at 1.. We can see if there is a clinic in your area if you would like to do the program on site. If there is not a clinic near you, we can give you information on the " at Home" program.

If you are in either of the weight loss phases (medically supervised or Healthy Solutions) there is no alcohol allowed.
As far as beverages go, the programs only allow for non-caloric beverages. Such as diet soda, WATER, crystal light, etc.

You are correct. There are not appetite suppressants, or stimulants.
The food is all low in calorie, so it helps you to eat enough to stay full without a lot of calories.
The classes are also very important. They help with structure and accountability. Most people know how to lose weight and can buy low calorie products, but are still unable to do it on their own. This is where the classes and coaching are very crucial to weight loss.

If you are on the VLCD (very-low calorie diet) at an center I would check with their medical director.
If you are using some of the shakes on your own (you should never use just shakes if you are not medically supervised by an physician) in addition to fruits, veggies and low calorie items, I would recommend 2 entrees per day. What we generally recommend are 3 shakes, 2 entrees, and 5 fruits and veggies.
This recommendation is for weight loss.
I hope that this is helpful for you.

You really can use any of the products.
If you are not lactose intollerant, I think that the best one would be the 500. This is because it has the fewest calories. There are only 100 calories per shake. I would also suggest using entrees to help with portion control. Then of course add in fruits and veggies.
If you are lactose intollerant, then I suggest using the 70+. This product has not milk in it at all. It has about 110 calories per shake, so it is still very low in calories.

Yes, potatos are considered a vegetable.

We have many diabetics in our program and they find it very helpful in regulating their blood sugar and losing weight.
All of the diabetics are medically monitored by our medical director as everyone is different.
I would be more than happy to see if there is a clinic near you.
You can call us at 1.