Editor's note: In this weekly column, Atlanta registered dietitian and Georgia State University nutrition instructor Chris Rosenbloom offers advice on how to maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle. And she's prepared to answer your questions as well — whether you're trying to shed pounds, lower your cholesterol, fuel yourself to excel at your favorite sport or simply eat better and live longer.

Mark Twain is credited with saying, "Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it."

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Is the same true of the obesity epidemic? Obesity is in the news almost every day, but what innovative treatments are on the horizon to help individuals lose weight and reduce the risk of disease? Behavioral therapy for obesity includes a feature called stimulus control. That means modifying the environment to encourage behaviors to help with weight control. One form of stimulus control that is getting serious attention is meal replacement. It can run the gamut from replacing one meal a day to replacing all meals and snacks with a carefully portioned packaged product.

I wanted to test the meal replacement idea, so I performed a tasty experiment with a local service called Good Measure Meals. The subject was my husband. He is not overweight, but he does have a strong family history of heart disease, and as his 54th birthday loomed, he read a book ("Younger Next Year" by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge [Workman Publishing, $24.95]) that inspired him to get into a more rigorous exercise routine and eat more healthfully.

I purchased a week's worth of meals (1,700- calorie a day meal plan at a cost of $154.73), and the meals were delivered in two shipments. I left a big cooler on my doorstep, and by morning it was full of meals and snacks for half the week, with a second delivery at midweek. The accompanying fact sheet gave a breakdown of nutritional composition showing calories, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, protein, sodium, potassium and couple of vitamins and minerals.

The meals are made to conform to the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and they also meet the dietary guidelines from national organizations for the prevention of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

After a week of eating the meals, we give them two forks up. Here are some of the specific benefits, according to my husband:

• The meals taste good, and there is a lot of variety.

• The meal plan forced him into eating three meals a day (no breakfast skipping or lunchtime decisions).

• Although the meals are low in sodium, the seasoning was so good that he didn't miss the salt.

• The meals were ready when he was ready to eat; he could go to the gym after work and arrive home at 7:30 or 8 p.m. and not have to wait to prepare dinner.

From a wife/dietitian perspective, here is what I liked about the meals:

• No dishes to wash (well, OK, maybe a fork and knife).

• Meals could be heated in the microwave.

• I was pleased to see my husband eat breakfast on a regular basis (this is an ongoing discussion in our house!) and glad to know he had a healthful lunch.

• The volume of food was sufficient, even though it was a moderately low-calorie diet for an active man.

Charlotte Hayes, a certified diabetes educator and director of nutrition services for Good Measure Meals, says the plan can fit a variety of needs. "We use healthy carbohydrates, and the grams of carbs are consistent from day to day, so these meals are good for weight control, weight maintenance and diabetes management. Clients also tell us that meal replacement frees up time to be spent pursuing other healthful behaviors, like exercise."

The meals are not cheap but are competitively priced with takeout meals or with frozen entrees from the grocery store paired with salad and fruit. For some, the convenience of tasty, healthful meals might be worth the cost.

To learn more about Good Measure, visit the Web site at www.goodmeasuremeals.com or call 404-815-7695. Meals can be purchased in 1,200-, 1,400-, 1,700- and 2,100-calorie plans.

SAMPLE OF A DAY ON 1,700-CALORIE MEAL PLAN

Breakfast

Angel-hair pasta and artichoke frittata with sun-dried tomatoes

Apricot halves

Slices of whole-grain bread

Lunch

Grilled vegetable panini sandwich on ciabatta bread with provolone cheese and fresh basil

Baby spinach and roma tomato

Tarragon-infused fat-free mayonnaise

Dinner

Honey-ginger grilled Cornish game hen

Georgia peaches and brown rice

Summer succotash vegetables

Whole-wheat dinner roll

• Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University. She'll answer nutrition questions of general interest at dietitian@ajc.com. Or send your questions to her c/o The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Eighth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303.