The Average Weight Loss on HMR

Statistics show that close to one in three American adults is overweight or obese. Hence, the popularity of different kinds of diets in the United States. Some diets are low-carb, some low-fat. Some rely on points, or limit the kinds of food eaten.

Virtually all diets claim to lead to a significant amount of weight loss, if followed correctly. The Health Management Resources (HMR) program is one such diet. It has the potential to help produce a significant weight loss in a short time, depending on the patient's condition and the specific HMR program he or she chooses.

What is HMR?

• HMR stands for Health Management Resources, and the company is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The HMR programs are based on powdered shakes, prepackaged meals, or some combination of the two.

  Depending on their weight-loss goals, clients may elect to be medically supervised on a very low-calorie diet of prescribed shakes and entrees. They can also take on a slightly higher calorie diet of the same combination, a diet that relies on the meals and a prescribed allowance of fruits and vegetables, or a diet that helps maintain the patient's weight, using the products as low-calorie meal replacements.

  Participants who can't make the weekly meetings and don't need medical supervision may take part in an at-home program, ordering food online.

  In all instances, patients are required to keep track of their calorie intakes and record the amount of exercise they get. Most of the time they are required to participate in weekly classes and check in with health educators to stay on track, whether in-clinic or by phone. The weight-loss principle HMR uses is a straight calories-in/calories-out approach, as opposed to tracking carbs or fats.

HMR and Weight Loss

• If followed carefully, patients can lose weight on the HMR programs. Rapid weight loss typically happens within the first few weeks of the program. Weight loss will tend to gradually decrease over time as the patient continues to lose weight, unless more exercise is added to their regime to increase the amount of calories burned. The average weight loss the program estimates for patients is 2 to 3 lbs. a week.

Variables in Weight Loss on the HMR Program

• Weight loss is calculated on a basic calories-in/calories-out approach. However, the rate of weight loss can be affected by many factors, including exercise, medical condition and adherence to the program.

Initial and Ongoing Weight Loss

• Heavier patients who start the program may start out with a relatively large weight loss within the first few weeks because of the amount of calories burned supporting their weight versus the calories they are allowed to take in. This is generally true of most of the patients on the program, though weight loss will begin to taper off as they start to slim down. Also water loss and elimination of waste in the early stages of the program will also add to the first few weeks' weight loss.

  Exercise is another component that affects weight loss. Patients who want to burn more calories will have to continue to exercise and frequently increase the number of calories burned as they progress through the program.

Other Factors in Weight Loss on HMR

• Other things may also affect the rate of weight loss, including medications, medical conditions and how strictly the patient adheres to the program.