Who doesn't enjoy a vacation, but a vacation from food? Tiffany Lopez was just as skeptical, but in less than a year has discovered it was exactly what she needed.

Like many people, the certified nursing assistant at the Nebraska Medicine Diabetes and Endocrinology Center has tried numerous weight-loss plans and diets, but nothing ever worked. 

"Being a wife and a mother, I often found myself cooking for my husband and kids and then I'd have to make myself something separate, and that got expensive and time consuming, so I would give up on that," says Lopez. 

She then saw colleagues who were shedding pounds and wondered how they were being successful. They referred her to the New Direction® meal replacement weight-loss program offered through the Nebraska Medicine Bariatrics Center. Lopez started the program on May 17, albeit a little skeptical at first.

"When they told me this is literally a vacation from food, I thought that was the weirdest thing, because who wants a vacation from food?" says Lopez. "But they were right."

The New Direction® weight loss program features:

• Medical monitoring including lab work and regular visits with a health care provider
• Weight loss ranges from .5 to five pounds per week, depending on the person and the meal plan
• Great tasting, high protein, low carbohydrate meal replacements providing 100% of the recommended daily allowance for 24 vitamins and minerals
• Weekly group education sessions focusing on nutrition, exercise and behavior changes
• Weekly weight and blood pressure monitoring

Lopez started the New Direction® program weighing 281 pounds. Now, six months later, she weighs 204 pounds. Her goal is to get down to 170 pounds and then possibly taper down to 150 pounds, which would be closer to the weight she was before having her first child 19 years ago.

"I don't have to cook several different meals like I would do when I was on other weight-loss programs, so it means less time preparing and more time at the dinner table with them," says Lopez.

Choose from two meal plans:

• A low-calorie diet (LCD) for gradual, steady weight loss. This typically includes bars and shakes for two of three meals a day
• A very low-calorie diet (VLCD) for an intense, rapid weight loss. It's a complete vacation from food, so you can set aside worrying about cooking food for yourself, while you learn the mental game of eating to optimize your health

Both plans feature meal replacement products such as high protein shakes, puddings, soups, and bars in a wide variety of flavors. The cost of the meals averages between $63 to $100 per week depending on the program and a person's specific plan.

"The weight has been coming off fast and I love it," she says. "I used to wear a 3X and now I'm down to a large and my scrub pants went from a size 20 to a size 14."

Lopez adds that she used to despise shopping before the weight loss, but now it's fun. 

"Before I always would try to hide myself in bigger clothes, but now I want clothes that actually fit," she says.

Another thing she enjoys doing more is exercising and taking walks, which are less strenuous for her. 

Seeing the number on the scale decrease and enjoying more hobbies again have been motivating factors for Lopez, but they're not the only ones. She is also getting support from her family, the New Direction® program staff and peers she sees during weekly classes.

Now, after losing so much weight in recent months, Lopez is the one being asked by friends and family about how she's dropped the pounds.

"When I tell them what I'm doing, they always ask, ‘isn't that hard to take a vacation from food?'' she says. "With any weight loss program, it's hard at first, but when you start seeing the results and your confidence increases, it just becomes a lifestyle."

To learn more about the New Direction® meal replacement program, contact the Nebraska Medicine Bariatrics Center by calling 402.559.9500 or emailing newdirection@nebraskamed.com.