When it comes to weight loss diets, it can be exhausting trying to incorporate calorie counting, macro tracking, and various guidelines into your eating habits. That’s why many people turn to commercial meal replacement programs like the HMR diet to simplify the process. But what is the HMR diet, and how does it set itself apart from other commercial plans?
HMR stands for Health Management Resources, the company that developed the diet 40 years ago, notes U.S. News & World Report. It is a low-calorie diet and combines portion-controlled HMR shakes and entrées with fruits and vegetables. Also incorporated are a light amount of moderate physical activity and support from peers, such as HMR health coaches and medical professionals.
There are two main phases of the HMR program, says Adam Schafer, RDN, a dietitian at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois. (The medical center has a partnership with the HMR program.) Phase 1: Fast Weight Loss This phase lasts at least eight weeks (depending on how much weight you aim to lose). It focuses on eating HMR food replacements (like shakes, nutrition bars, and low-calorie prepackaged meals), plus fruits and vegetables. Phase 2: Maintenance This phase involves slowly getting off meal replacements and back to regular food. During this time, you might eat five meal replacements per week (versus 14 in phase 1). The ultimate goal is to completely get off meal replacements but maintain your weight with the new healthy habits you’ve adopted from the program. HMR suggests transitioning into an eating pattern in line with the Mediterranean or DASH diets.
There is no one right diet for everyone, so it’s important to consider how the HMR program might fit into your life. Some people might find the initial focus on prepared foods liberating, while others might miss the types of foods they used to make and eat. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of the diet, rather than paying attention only to its reputation for causing fast weight loss.
Always talk to your doctor before starting a new diet. That said, here’s what you might expect if you’re starting the HMR program.
Despite faring better in past years, the HMR program did not even make the list for the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Diets 2023 rankings. WW (formerly Weight Watchers), the Jenny Craig diet, and Noom took the top three spots for best commercial diets. U.S. News & World Report dinged HMR for the potential monotony of the diet without customization and limited allowance for eating out.
There is limited scientific evidence that backs up the weight loss results of the HMR program. One small study found that participants with obesity who took part in an HMR-style diet (eating meal replacements and fruits and vegetables) lost an average of 37.4 pounds over 18 weeks.
Another small study found that a low-cal plan with three shakes, two meal replacements, and five servings of fruits and veggies daily helped dieters with obesity lose an average of 28.6 pounds more than control group participants, who received weight management counseling only.
A two-week starter kit in the at-home plan, which includes a variety of HMR shakes, entrées, and hot cereal, as well as optional coaching support, is about $200, based on different offers and subscription options.
There is a $50 discount for setting up auto deliveries every two weeks.
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You also have the option of signing up for HMR’s in-person program, which takes place in a clinic. While prices are approximate, the company says that you can expect to pay the following fees:
HMR is built around the 3/2/5 plan:
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During the initial weight loss phase of the HMR diet, you do not need to do much food shopping, preparation, or cooking. You will order a specific amount of HMR-approved foods, which will be shipped to your house. The only other foods you will purchase on your own are fruits and vegetables. Here are some of the produce you can choose from, according to HMR:
All the food in the initial phase will be HMR-approved (see the complete food list below). You’re encouraged to consume at least three shakes, two entrées, and five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. If you are still hungry, you can eat more HMR food or pump up the volume of your meals with additional vegetables alongside the entrées or extra fruit in your shake.
Breakfast Multigrain hot cereal with 1 cup of fruit
Snack Chocolate shake
Lunch Penne pasta with meatballs and 2 cups of vegetables
Snack 1 cup of fruit
Dinner Fiesta chicken and 2 cups of vegetables
Dessert Vanilla shake with 1 cup of frozen fruit
Entrées
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HMR encourages moderate exercise, such as walking briskly, swimming, or dancing. You can tailor this to your schedule. For example, you might take a 10- to 20-minute walk after breakfast, lunch, and dinner; or plan a few longer walks every week. The HMR program recommends walking every day during the first week to build the habit. Your goal is to burn 2,000 calories through physical activity weekly.
Remember that this is a lower-calorie diet, and you should talk to your doctor if you are planning vigorous exercise while restricting calories. Also, be sure to increase exercise slowly, especially if you are new to a workout program.
There are two ways you can start with the HMR diet: at home or in person. The at-home plan sends food to your door and connects you with group coaching. You can get started with this plan here on the company’s website. The in-person clinic program, which often offers medical guidance, is available in select weight loss clinics around the nation. Find one near you.
After you have completed phase 1, the second phase is all about maintenance. This is where an in-person program can be especially helpful, says Schafer. Your coach will learn about your daily routine and work-life balance, and create a transition plan. That said, you can still make the at-home program successful.
After understanding how many calories are right for you to eat based on your lifestyle and exercise habits, Schafer says that learning how to batch-cook meals and snacks is key in the transition. By cooking larger meals and repurposing them throughout the week — essential in keeping food interesting — you’ll create something that is akin to meal replacements. For example, you might cook a pot of quinoa and roast some veggies. That may come together as a grain bowl with chicken one night or become part of a roasted veggie salad with chickpeas. “This is just like [the first phase of] HMR but with homemade food. Once we help people make the connection about how to make this work, they do a lot better on their own,” he says.
You can find success stories on HMR’s website. You’ll be able to see before-and-after photos, as well as testimonials about both the in-person and at-home programs.
Here are some before and after photos of people who have gone through the HMR program and had success:
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Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more. Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs. Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan. She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.
Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabetes, dermatology, gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, cancer, pregnancy, and gynecology. She was previously an assistant editor at Prevention where she wrote monthly science-based beauty news items and feature stories.
She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including Cosmopolitan, O:The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, Fitness, Family Circle, Health, Prevention, Self, VICE, and more. Migala lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young boys, rescue beagle, and 15 fish. When not reporting, she likes running, bike rides, and a glass of wine (in moderation, of course).
