Meal Replacement Shakes

Dronederland

@Charisma_Black. I have a busy job tooo and since I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes - I use meal replacements drinks so don't miss a meal. I really like green smoothies for breakfast with protein powder as it keeps really full.

chivalryder

I'm dong a meal replacement program. However, I'm not wasting my money on something like that. I make my own shakes at home.

Costs me $5.80/day.

But I'm doing it because my budget doesn't allow for real foods. Food is too expensive. If I could afford to buy what you're buying, I'd be eating real food. Any purchased "plan" is a waste of money.

juggernaut1974

I don't have a problem...like I said I'm not trying to be argumentative...I was just hoping to maybe give you a couple other things to ponder that you might or might not have already considered.

I understand everyone will have their own thoughts and opinions on this which I respect.

I guess that this wasn't really true though...

vitraptica

In my personal experience, I haven't suffered any ill-effects but that's not to say that it'll be the same for everyone. I am working on adapting to a ketogenic diet and have tried a few "meal replacement shakes" made specifically for this (KetoSoy, KetoChow). So usually when I have certain time constraints or just don't feel like cooking, I just fix up one of these and find that they work quite nicely for my needs. It's also easy to measure out the caloric intake and they do end up being quite filling as well. I won't lie though, taste-wise, I definitely prefer actual food.

Charisma_Black

It's actually really lovely to hear from people who are doing a similar plan and not have people be so judgmental!! I understand people have their opinions but when you feel like a child being told "you're doing this wrong"attitude it's not a good feel. I thought this website was for support and encouragement. The reason I started this post was to see if there were others doing a similar plan and instead I am judged for what I am doing. Thanks to you guys that got back to me. It's refreshing to hear what you guys are at and the sorts of things you are doing.

@PDB40 Green smoothies sounds great! What kind of protein powder do you use?

@chivalryder yeah food can be very expensive it's great that you were able to work out a plan for yourself which works out cheap

Whittedo

Charisma_Black wrote: »

Yes I understand fully what you're saying and I am fully aware. I came on here to ask if there were others on the same sort of plan for some support and encouragement for this current goal.

So basically you do not want any common sense advice just a personal "GoGirl" Cheer Team. Here you go:

Charisma_Black

@vilytran I must read more into ketogenic diet as I have not heard of this before. It's always interesting to read up on new things I'm ok having a shake in the morning as I would then have an AM snack and also PM snack after my lunch shake. I feel fine plus I'm always super busy during the day so drink plenty of water throughout which keeps me filled up in between meals. It's good to hear that you find this works for you and you are happy with what you're doing

Charisma_Black

No I didn't come on for that crap I came on here to ask people if they were doing a similar plan and how it works for them and I understand everyone's opinion of doing the plan will be different. From what I've learnt from this forum is that people are very nasty.

elphie754

So suggesting you develop a plan that will be sustainable for the long term instead of a fad that can lead to you gaining back the weight (and maybe even more) is being nasty?

NewMeSM75

I personally haven't done meal replacements. Another option you could consider in the future is some kind of smoothie to incorporate. You could add more fruit and veggies in your day this way. I did have a friend who tried like the slim fast but that's been so long ago that I can't tell you whether it was a success or not. Good luck!

chivalryder

Charisma_Black wrote: »

No I didn't come on for that crap I came on here to ask people if they were doing a similar plan and how it works for them and I understand everyone's opinion of doing the plan will be different. From what I've learnt from this forum is that people are very nasty.

Not nasty. Honest.

This is a public forum. Everyone on here is entitled to share what they think about what you are asking about. If you do not want to hear what anyone of these people have to say, go to a private forum, start a group, or join an existing group.


ETA: I'll be watching for the mean people thread.

Charisma_Black

Thanks @Steph38878 much appreciated

MakePeasNotWar

OP, as other posters have said, it's not a sustainable way to lose weight on it's own. However, if you like it and it's working for you, how about devoting some of the time you are saving on meal prep to learning about long term weight maintenance and trying out new recipes for your non-MR meals? That way, you will know what you need to do when you're ready to stop using the shakes.

There is nothing magical about the shakes, but as long as they are balanced, there is nothing inherently wrong with them either. They are convenient and can help to reduce overall calorie intake without much effort. It's all about what you do to maintain, and the downside to most of the programs is they don't teach you that, so you have to learn it yourself. You may even find that you are able to stop using the shakes well before you reach your goal weight, once you have a good grasp on how to reduce calories without them.

Meal replacement shakes wouldn't be my first choice for losing weight (though I use them for quick meals on the go and to balance out my macros), but they can work IF you commit yourself to transitioning to a sustainable calorie controlled diet in the long term.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

Charisma_Black wrote: »

No I didn't come on for that crap I came on here to ask people if they were doing a similar plan and how it works for them and I understand everyone's opinion of doing the plan will be different. From what I've learnt from this forum is that people are very nasty.

So getting angry and defensive towards people who were asking genuine questions and actually trying to be helpful is the answer here?

You are on a calorie counting website. We are all trying to eat sensibly, learn proper portions, and live our lives while enjoying everything in moderation. Not a lot of people on here advocate meal replacement shakes because: 1) they do not teach you portion control, 2) many of them are sold through MLM-type schemes at extremely high prices, 3) a calorie deficit can be achieved simply by eating less food that what you ate before.

Also, we are all busy. If you were able to eat actual, solid food before you started losing weight, then you can just eat less of the actual, solid food and lose weight. It's not that hard, and you would actually save money by not forking over tons of money to the diet shake companies. Which, by the way, getting your money is their ultimate goal - not making you lose weight.

whmscll

Charisma_Black wrote: »

. From what I've learnt from this forum is that people are very nasty.

Unfortunately very true. I don't understand it either. We come here either asking for or offering opinions and get shredded by people who attack you for it.

RGv2

elphie754 wrote: »

So suggesting you develop a plan that will be sustainable for the long term instead of a fad that can lead to you gaining back the weight (and maybe even more) is being nasty?

diannethegeek

ninerbuff wrote: »

Meal replacements teach you NOTHING on how to actually structure eating habits. They also have one of the highest weight regain. Makes sense because again, it shows you nothing on how to eat correctly once you stop. Unless you're planning to do it for the rest of your life, consider just learning how to portion and limit your calories through actually eating your meals.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

^This is exactly why I never saw progress while I was using the Slim Fast diet. What little weight I managed to get off would come right back on as soon as I quit the program. Plus, they tasted terrible, but I suppose that's a comment for another thread.

SuggaD

Snack replacement? Smoothies are often snacks, especially during the spring and summer. Just say no to meal replacements and all fad diets. Moderation in all things. Period.

juggernaut1974

whmscll wrote: »

Charisma_Black wrote: »

. From what I've learnt from this forum is that people are very nasty.

Unfortunately very true. I don't understand it either. We come here either asking for or offering opinions and get shredded by people who attack you for it.

Leave the persecution complex at the door. Did you read the thread? The only person on this thread who attacked others' opinions was the OP.

vitraptica

whmscll wrote: »

Charisma_Black wrote: »

. From what I've learnt from this forum is that people are very nasty.

Unfortunately very true. I don't understand it either. We come here either asking for or offering opinions and get shredded by people who attack you for it.

It's internet anonymity. Also, text leaves out the context of a person's tone. Sometimes, things seem harsher than they are meant to be. I think rhetoric plays a big part as well. Sometimes, the thought itself is genuine but the way it's written out can seem a little too blunt and... rough, if you will.