Meal replacement shakes and weight loss pills

zeinebchebbi91
zeinebchebbi91 Posts: 3 Member
in Getting Started
Anyone has tried a milk replacement shake and found it helpful? If so which brand did you like the most ?
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Replies

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    You'll find most against replacement shakes on here--be prepared. The majority are trying to learn to stay fit for life with good habits, no quick, expensive fixes.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I'd rather eat food. A liquid meal is going to come in at the same calories as an actual meal...I'd rather just eat.

    Yep. And I definitely do not feel full if I drink my calories.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    I tried Slim Fast. It made me hungry, so I ending up eating food after drinking it.

    My grandmother used to do this. But then, she also taught me to fry white bread in bacon grease. It wasn't until grad school that I learned the real trick is to spread cream cheese on the bread, slice it into soldiers, wrap each soldier in bacon, secure the bacon with a toothpick and bake it. We we're all in our 20s and 30s and we already called it "heart attack on a stick".

    Still better for you than some of those shakes.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    For me a meal replacement shake would seem like a waste of calories. I'd rather save the calories, and consume them when I want to eat and with food I really enjoy. If I didn't enjoy breakfast, I'd use the extra calories for bigger lunches and dinners.

    That said, I have some smoothies I make that I think are delicious and really enjoy in the morning, and for me they are as filling as any other breakfast. They have protein powder in them (as well as avocado, a lot of vegetables, some berries, and some kind of milk alternative). If you really enjoy the meal substitute, and find it a good use of calories and sufficiently filling, go for it.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited March 2018
    I will sometimes have the ready to drink meal replacement shakes as a snack, or something to grab in the morning to tide me over until I can get some proper food. I've never found them to be any good at replacing a meal.

    I think plans that have you replacing a meal every day with a shake probably work in the short term, assuming you are willing to be hungry because all you had was a shake, but set you up for failure. Eventually you are gonna want to stop buying shakes, and figure out how to eat that meal, why not just do that right from the beginning?
  • coonhoundmom50
    coonhoundmom50 Posts: 75 Member
    Since September, I've been on a strict diet consisting of 2 shakes per day then a real supper. im currently using Giant brand Satisfy meal replacement shakes; theyre better tasting than ANY other brands ive tried (beats slimfast and all carnation varieties) Comes in Vanilla and Chocolate flavors; Also the price is unbelievable at $5.59/can; cheaper than any powdered shake in the stores; weight loss Progress is slow but I'm hopeful ( I use 2 cups of milk& powder at breakfast and lunch); hope this helps!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited December 2018
    I've done meal replacement shakes in the past and lost some weight. The problem is they taught me nothing about my eating habits, so I promptly gained the weight back.

    Weight loss is just the first step. What will your maintenance strategy look like?......more meal replacements, meal replacements forever, or finally taking the time to learn about portions?

    Meal replacements and pills aren't really short cuts, because those don't exist. Someday a smaller you will require fewer calories forever.
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I think plans that have you replacing a meal every day with a shake probably work in the short term, assuming you are willing to be hungry because all you had was a shake, but set you up for failure. Eventually you are gonna want to stop buying shakes, and figure out how to eat that meal, why not just do that right from the beginning?

    Yep, that was my problem! A few years ago I lost nearly 25lbs using a meal replacement program, but because - as someone else mentioned - I don't feel full unless I've had actual food to chew, I'd need a salad or something else with the shake to make it seem like a meal. They never really filled me up, and I was replacing two meals a day with them, so I was always hungry.

    They were also expensive and I had to stop buying the powder after a few months - and I couldn't see me continuing with that long-term anyway. It didn't take very long at all to put all the weight (and much more!) back on, for the same reasons @TeaBea mentioned.

    This time around, I've seen the light! I've lost over 75lbs, and kept it off, just eating less of what I usually like to eat. I've also learned a lot about the way I eat and what habits I've formed around particular foods, and I now have confidence that I know how to maintain my loss in the future. :)

    I think the only time I would use shakes these days was if I was sick and couldn't keep solid food down - or maybe if I needed a quick on-the-run fix to keep me going until I could get real food!
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    I am another that has to chew my food to feel full so meal replacement shakes would never work for me. You may be different and these could help start your journey with weight loss. Just remember though that, unless you want to have these shakes for the rest of your life that you really do need to learn more about nutrition and what combinations of macros work best for you to not only continue losing weight but to maintain the loss long term. Keeping our bodies at a healthy weight and fitness level is a lifelong journey and doesn't end simply because our goal weight is achieved. If what you try is something you know you can not sustain longterm then try something else.

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