AboutSarah A. Allen Expertise I am a nutritionist with a bachelors degree in dietetics and am currently working on my masters degree. I have four years working experience in clinical and community nutrition. I can answer most of your general questions relating to medical conditions (pregnancy, food allergies, eating disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimers, etc). **Please remember only a medical professional with access to your medical chart can give you personalized medical advice.** I can also answer questions about vegetarianism, weight loss/gain, sports nutrition, and fad diets.
Experience Work Experience: 4 years in clinical nutrition at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, 1 year community nutrition at Eastern Illinois University
Organizations American Dietetic Association, Illinois Dietetic Association, Eastern Illinois Dietetic Association
Education/Credentials B.S. in dietetics from Eastern Illinois University; currently working on my master's degree in the same area, also at Eastern Illinois University.
Awards and Honors EIU Senior of the Year-Dietetics
Question Hi, I'm overweight and I was wondering if I could lose weight with only eating energy bars and taking walks of about a mile a day? How fast do you think it would work? And if I should eat one regular meal a day with this plan? The bars I was thinking about doing this with are luna bars and clif bars. What do you think? Thank you!
Answer Hi Cristine! The weight loss diet you are wanting to try is known as a meal replacement plan, or partial meal replacement plan since you still want to eat one regular meal per day. The most popular meal replacement plan is Slim Fast, but others include the Special K Challenge and Nutritsystem. Meal replacement plans usually work because less calories are consumed than usual. (How fast it would work for you I cannot say because everyone is different.) However, meal replacement plans do not teach anything about changing current habits so almost everyone who loses weight on them gains it back as soon as they go back to eating regular meals. Meal replacement plans are most beneficial when they are used for an initial weight loss to boost confidence at the beginning of a more long term program that will teach new physical activity and eating habits, provide shopping and cooking tips, and look at the psychological reasons people eat. The energy bars contain many nutrients; I would be a little concerned about fiber, but overall the plan would most likely not hurt you and probably would have no long term negative health consequences. However, I would be concerned it would also have no long term benefits. If you do try this plan, I would encourage you to only do it short-term, still eat one regular meal a day (preferrably lunch), and create a plan to change your eating habits and continue exercising when you are done with the clif and luna bars (books that teach overall lifestyle change, such as weight loss books by Dr. Phil, Bob Greene, and Jillian Michaels, may be beneficial). Good luck!
