meal replacement

Hi there!
When I first decided to lose weight, I started on the slimfast programme. Shake for breakfast, a 500 calorie lunch, a shake or meal replacement bar for dinner and two snacks - usually fruit or veggies.
I did this for around 12 days purely to 'kick start' my weight loss and I worked out three times a week, mainly doing cardio such as aerobics and dancersice and took up more walking. I lost around 7lbs. Not going to lie, it was difficult and I knew it wouldn't be a permanent solution. So, having researched a lot around it, I figured the best way to keep the weight stable was to 'wean' myself off. Therefore I cut out my breakfast shake and ate something of around the similar calories (240 if I remember right) so something like eggs and turkey slices etc. After a week I added in a small dinner and then I was back to eating normally. All the while exercising as I had and beginning to add in weight training. By this point I had gained back about 2 pounds at max which isn't too bad in the grand scheme. Since then, 18 months later I've kept off 10kg (and had a few periods of purely maintaining)

To sum up, I would say on the whole it depends how much you need/want to lose. As a kickstart it was great as it reduced my appetite and helped me curb my calories. I really appreciated the one meal a day!! But, it's not really the most sensible or reliable option! Good luck!