Health Management Resources, HMR, is a weight-loss and weight-management program, helping dieters lose weight with a combination of dieting and meal-replacement drinks. This long-term weight loss plan can be followed in a medical clinical setting as well as at home. The average weight loss while following the HMR Program is 50-60 pounds.
This very low calorie diet is designed for those who have more than 40 pounds to lose. HMR has more than 40 clinics across the country in which the dieter works one-on-one with a special HMR diet counselor.
HMR offers several programs that allow you to reach your weight loss goals through lifestyle education, personalized attention, nutritious low-calorie foods with an emphasis on long-term weight loss and health management.
The dieter typically begins on a six-week liquid fast comprised of HMR shakes and then loses additional weight on a medically-supervised low calorie diet that also includes special HMR products like shakes, meal-replacement bars, cereals, soups and supplemental grocery items like fresh fruit and vegetables.
The HMR program is designed to be followed for a minimum of six months and for as long as two years, depending upon how much weight needs to be lost.
HMR is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and to date, more than one million people, and thousands of corporate employees, have participated in HMR’s scientifically-based programs .
How does the HMR Diet work?
The HMR Diet was developed more than 30 years ago by Lawrence Stifler, a behavioral psychologist and president of HMR. The HMR at Home Program – also referred to as the Healthy Solutions Diet – involves two phases. Phase 1 is the Quick Start phase, when the goal is to lose weight as quickly as possible. The Quick Start diet kit includes all the HMR foods you need for the first three weeks, except for fruit and vegetables, which you provide yourself. Automatic food shipments will then arrive every two weeks. Home delivery helps ensure you never run out of food, which could interrupt your weight loss. You’ll also start learning healthy lifestyle strategies. You then transition to Phase 2 once you reach your goal weight, or you’re ready for less structure in your diet. While the time in Phase 1 depends on the your individual weight-loss goal, expected weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week, with an average weight loss of 23 pounds over the first 12 weeks.
In Phase 2, you’ll receive HMR food monthly, work in other healthy food options and focus more on lifestyle changes while either maintaining your Phase 1 weight loss or continuing to lose weight at your own pace. Weekly telephone coaching sessions with dietitians and exercise physiologists provide support and encourage accountability.
Phase 1 uses the “3-2-5” daily diet plan. That means a minimum of three HMR shakes, two HMR entrees and five 1-cup servings of fruits and vegetables. If you’re hungry, you can eat more of these low-calorie foods and still lose weight. For variety, you can mix and match HMR foods and the fresh, canned or frozen produce you buy, but you don’t have to make any other food choices. “Staying in the box” – on the diet – is easier when you keep these foods at home, work and everywhere you go, along with reducing access to tempting outside foods as much as possible. You’re urged to avoid fast-food restaurants and coffee shops, and to consider temporarily limiting social activities that center around food. Adding physical activity is the second part of this phase, with the goal of quickly working up to burning 2,000 calories each week. You can spread physical activity throughout the day, and it can be moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking, swimming, dancing or using a treadmill at a moderate pace. You’ll track what you eat and how much you exercise throughout the program on weekly progress charts.
Phase 2 – the transition phase – lasts four to eight weeks. You continue with physical activity and progress tracking, but now the food plan shifts. You’ll eat some HMR foods and continue with the same amount of fruits and vegetables (35 servings a week), while gradually adding in healthy non-HMR, low-calorie foods. The goal is to start building healthy eating habits for long-term weight maintenance. You begin to make food choices while strategically using at least 14 HMR foods a week rather than higher-calorie outside meals. You’ll focus on lean proteins (including fish, skinless chicken breasts and veggie burgers), using low-calorie cooking methods such as baking, broiling and steaming and grains (including rice, pasta and oatmeal), and you’ll practice balancing low- and higher-calorie days along with physical activity levels.
*In-Clinic Options: More than 200 U.S. hospitals, medical practices and other facilities offer the HMR clinic programs, which combine structured diets, lifestyle education, group support and the HMR weight-loss foods. Some plans are medically supervised, and all offer a weight maintenance program. All HMR participants receive a medical screening when they join. Based on the diet you choose, your body mass index and your medical history, the staff will decide if you need medical supervision. In general, people with 40 or more pounds to lose will achieve their goal more quickly with the Decision-Free diet, which includes medical supervision because the calorie range is so low (about 500 to 800 calories per day). With the Decision-Free diet, participants eat only HMR meal replacements (no added fruits or vegetables). People on the HMR Healthy Solutions diet generally don’t require medical supervision unless they’re taking diabetes medications.
PROs
- Clinical weight loss with proven results
- Medically supervised programs as well as at-home option
- Helpful for those with large amounts of weight to lose
- Locations available throughout the country
- Created by physicians and healthcare professionals
CONs
- Meal replacement diets have not shown to be effective in the long-term
- Very restrictive
- Products contain fake or artificial sweeteners, which may cause side effects for some
- May be cost prohibitive for some
- Eating plan is very low in calories
What You’ll Eat
On the Healthy Solutions diet your goal is to eat at least 3 HMR® Shakes, 2 HMR Entrees and 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetablesevery day. It’s important to always feel full so you’re not tempted to go off your diet. So, More is Better!
Your enrollment order and ongoing orders include enough low-calorie and filling HMR food to keep you satisfied, so you keep losing weight week after week. HMR foods are proven to work – published studies show that dieters using meal replacements lose 2½-3 times more weight than those on traditional diets.
Ingredients
HMR’s most popular product, HMR 100-Calorie Weight-Loss Shakes, contain the following ingredients: Nonfat Dry Milk, Maltodextrin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose, Dried Egg White, Sodium Saccharin, Sucrose, Lecithin, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Phytonadione (Vitamin K1), Vitamin D3. Sweetened with Saccharin and Nutritive Sweeteners.
To learn ingredient information about a specific HMR product, please visit their website.
Product Features
HMR’s products, which mostly consist of pre-prepared meals and weight loss drinks, contain a high amount of soy and fake sugars. Numerous studies show that fake sugars, such as Nutrisweet, have negative side effects and might be linked to cancer risk. Physicians also do not approve of HMR’s high soy content. HMR claims these ingredients help people lose weight, although it is probably due to the low caloric content. People on the HMR diet typically consume between 500 to 1,200 calories per day, whereas physicians recommend taking 1,200 minimum for a healthy diet. A surprising amount of hospitals use the HMR diet to treat obese individuals, however, which is promising. Many testimonials also back up HMR’s weight loss claims.
Exercise
The goal is to burn at least 2,000 calories or more with physical activity each week, building up as quickly as possible. Strategies include spreading out activity in short amounts throughout the day and doing moderate-intensity exercise such as walking, swimming, dancing or using a treadmill at a moderate pace. Walking is most popular among HMR clients. It would take a 225-pound person about 36 minutes of walking per day at an average pace to meet the goal, according to the brochure. Tracking your own physical activity as well as food intake is part of the program. Physical activity lowers your risk of heart disease and diabetes, helps keep weight off and increases your energy level. Most experts suggest getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise – like brisk walking – most or all days of the week.
How much does it cost?
The initial three-week HMR starter kit costs $295 (with free shipping when joining the program). The standard two-week reorder kit costs $180. Individually, shakes, cereal and soup run between roughly $2 and $2.50 per serving. Entrees cost $3.65 per serving and can be ordered online. You’ll save on costs in the meat and processed-food sections of your grocery store, while possibly spending more money than you used to in the produce aisle.
HMR Diet Recipes
FARMERS MARKET FAGIOLI
INGREDIENTS
- 1 HMR Pasta Fagioli Entree
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 dash garlic salt (to taste)
- 1 dash Italian seasoning (to taste)
DIRECTIONS
- Microwave carrots until soft.
- Saute sugar snap peas in pan in non-stick cooking spray on medium-high heat until softened.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add the entree and cooked carrots to the pan.
- Continue heating until warmed thoroughly.
HEARTY TURKEY CHILI POTATO
INGREDIENTS
- 1 HMR Turkey Chili with Beans Entree
- 1 white potato (or sweet potato), baked
- Optional: fresh, chunky salsa and non-fat sour cream
DIRECTIONS
- Heat entree according to directions.
- Slice potato down the middle to open slightly.
- Pour entree over the top.
HMR Diet Sample Meal Plan
8:45am. Hot Chocolate Shake #1
10:30am. Hot Chocolate Shake #2
1:30pm Vanilla Shake w PB2, ice and water
4:00pm. Walk/Jog 45 minutes
6:00pm. Double entree
8:00pm. Double entree
9:00pm. P90X Workout
10:30pm. Single or Double Cereal depending on hunger level.
The Bottom Line
We are excited about this diet program and the fact that professional assistance is provided. However, we do not recommend the HMR Diet because it is just so expensive. You should also be aware that clinic locations may not be available in your area. Furthermore, we found quite a few customer complaints regarding the supplements used for this diet program.
If you are trying to lose weight quickly and rock your best body, we encourage you to select a diet program or weight loss supplement that is easy on the wallet and supported by real science. But still the choice is all yours.