Health Article
Herbalife Program Comparison - How to Choose a Weight Loss Program
In February of 1980 Mark Hughes, the founder of Herbalife, started selling his original weight loss formula. Thirty years later millions of people all over the world have lost weight on the Herbalife Program.
But how do I choose the best weight loss program?
All of Herbalife's programs are based on the meal replacement shake, the concept of replacing two regular meals with a high protein, nutritionally balanced shake. It was very important to Mark Hughes to create a weight loss program that was both healthy and nutritious because he lost his mother to unhealthy dieting practices. The main point of difference between Herbalife and many other weight loss programs is the emphasis on "healthy weight loss".
There are two main types of weight loss programs in Herbalife. There are the Original Programs which have been around since the early days of Herbalife and continue in popularity. These are based on the original weight loss shake formula but also have a number of vitamin supplements designed to provide the body with all the vitamins and nutrition it requires.
Then there are the newer ShapeWorks Protein Programs which were introduced in 2006. These were introduced as a result of a very broad survey done by Herbalife in order to find the main reasons why people may fail in their weight loss attempts. As the number one answer came back as "hunger" the solution was to add more protein to the shakes. Consequently the new programs contain a higher amount of shake mix in each shake which is also bolstered up with additional protein powder. The new programs contain less vitamin supplements.
The additional emphasis on protein was also a result of the input of Dr David Heber, a highly respected nutritionist and director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. He gives a few main reasons for the importance of protein during the weight loss process:
- The digestion of protein takes more energy than the digestion of fat or carbohydrates, so the body is burning more kilojoules even in digestion.
- Protein is the building block of muscle. The amount of muscle in the body determines the body's base metabolism rate, or the rate at which the body consumes energy at rest, and so is a factor in determining weight loss and weight maintenance.
Additionally the shake mix in all of the programs across the range has been updated to allow the protein to be better absorbed by the body with the introduction of an ingredient called "Aminogen". Only non- genetically modified soy protein is used in the Herbalife shake mix.
So unless you have a specific reason for wanting to go on one of the original weight loss programs, I would recommend one of the ShapeWorks Protein Programs. They are based on the latest nutritional research from Herbalife's Scientific Advisory Board. The program that you choose would most likely be determined by your budget. Ideally choose the Silver Protein Program as it contains the benefit of the thermogenic (or metabolism boosting) herbal beverage.
To access the Herbalife Weight Loss Programs, click here.