How do you lose weight? This is a multi-billion dollar industry that constantly bombards us with seemingly contradictory claims.

The simple physics are this: Burn more calories than you consume and you will lose weight. But that is where "simple" waves goodbye.

I raced bicycles for years and one season we nabbed a sponsor who was a fancy sports performance testing lab. I was in the shape of my life. In my forties, I had dropped to a weight and pant size I hadn't seen since since high school and I was looking forward to all the numbers that would be revealed by the testing that they were going to perform.

I was shocked to find that my body fat was 24%! Roughly double what it should have been for someone my size and weight who was training several hours every day. I got a powerful lesson that day about the relationship between weight loss and nutrition (in my defense, this was years before I became a wellness coach).

I thought that because I was riding my bike hundreds of miles each week I could eat whatever I wanted and lose weight. Well, I guess that was true because I had lost weight, but what I had achieved was a hollow victory. Even though I was trim, that extra weight in useless body fat had a deleterious effect on my performance.

There are plenty of products that will help you lose weight. What you need to think about is what weight are you losing? Is your program helping you burn fat or are you also chiseling away at bone density and muscle mass, which is the common side effect of most popular diets. Are you getting enough of the key vitamins, minerals and trace elements essential to health and wellness?

Most people need between 1200 and 1800 calories a day to lose weight at a steady and healthy rate. The challenge is getting the nutrition you need without exceeding your calorie quota. A stop by your favorite espresso bar can rack up 1000 mostly empty calories and the same thing can happen when you visit your favorite drive-through.

Getting enough carbs and fat is rarely a problem for any of us. The challenge is protein in the right quantity and quality. Most women need at least 100 grams a day and most men need about 150 grams. In visiting with hundreds of clients all over the country from all walks of life I find that the average is about half that.

A lack of protein in the diet is a problem that feeds on itself (excuse the pun) because consuming protein is the best way to satisfy hunger. Protein stretches out the insulin curve way past the jolt you get from quick carbs.

And protein is the building block of the body. We usually think of muscles when we think protein but it is also a key component in our organs and connective tissues. When we don't get enough, those vital areas take it from the only place they can, our muscles.

When this happens our muscle mass is reduced and our metabolism slows, complicating and slowing our weight loss goals.

The key is getting all the nutrition you need, tailored to your body and your goals, in a compact and low-calorie delivery system. That system is the meal replacement shake.

Meal replacement shakes have been around since the late 1970's and range from the ubiquitous Slimfast to the highest quality customizable products that include personal coaching. There are hundreds of options to choose from.

In most cases you can prepare a complete meal, far healthier than you could even prepare yourself, for around 250 calories. Tweaking it for flavor or targeted nutrition, such as fiber or protein, is as simple as tossing in another scoop.

I'm an advocate of meal replacement shakes because they are simple, convenient and cost effective. Whether you are using them to lose, gain or maintain your ideal weight, meal replacement shakes are a great compliment to the foods you love and an excellent way to get the nutrition you need in a very low calorie package.