shake diet

Crlion43

My fiance just had surgery and is doing the shake diet. He lost 5kgms in the first week. I need to lose weight so have decided to do the diet where you replace a meal twice a day. I am having a shake for breakfast a normal lunch and a shake for dinner including some low calorie snacks.
They taste really good and i feel satisfied most of the day. Just need to cut down on my coffee and up the water intake.

The diet suits since It is easier to calculate calories consumed and ihave also started using my kitchen scale for me normal meal so that i can log calories properly.

I tried low carb and went crazy within a week so let that slide. Tried just vegetarian and had really bad bowel movements. Started counting calories but was underestimating how much I was eating.

I get married in 3 months so hope I can lose a bit of weight by then. I've also started exercising again. did 6.7 km yesterday. and will do that 4 times a week. I have a lake next to work I can walk around
Starting weight today is 85.8 kgms
highest weight 92.6 kgms
goal weight 60
by the wedding hopefully under 70

Has anyone else tried the shakes and how were your results

ninerbuff

Shakes don't TEACH you how to eat correctly and liquid diets have the highest regain stats due to this.

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

littlechiaseed

If you do shakes to replace meals then you'll have to the rest of your life to maintain the loss or it comes right back.

chapiano

One of the worst diets out there. It's OK for a quick fix for a wedding or something but they are impossible to maintain for any prolonged period. Just eat healthy foods, cover all major food groups and aim for daily calorie deficits.

Crlion43

Thanks for the responses. I only intend on doing the shakes up until the wedding, then straight calorie counting after. I haven't been heavy my whole life so just need to renew the old habits of how I ate and exercised. I expect all of the weight to be off by next February. Hopefully and can then open the box of my old smaller clothes. I agree that shakes aren't sustainable and not for the long term

elphie754

20kgs in 3 months is very unrealistic.

kommodevaran

Enough of people have tried shake diets to determine that they aren't very effective. Initial weight loss on any calorie reduced diet will mostly be water, so your fiance's result isn't predictable for further success, and if "surgery" is WLS, not at all relevant to you.

Replacing meals with shakes is bad for a number of reasons. You are not learning to eat better, but to rely on an aid. You are missing out on the pleasure and nutrition from real food. You are making food the enemy. It will backfire because you will feel deprived, and you will binge when you get off them. They are also quite expensive.

Now to your expectations and whether they are realistic. Your goal weight is 60 kilos, so I guess BMI 22.5 and that sets your height to about 163 cm. You are getting married, so I guess you are 28 years old. I also set your activity level to "light". This gives you a TDEE of 2235 at your current weight. You want to lose 15.8 kilos in 92 days. This means 171 grams per day or 1197 grams per week. This means that you need to eat 1197 calories below your TDEE every day. This would make you eat only 1038 calories now, and even less as you lose weight. This is no good. Your body can only release fat corresponding to around 1% of your total body weight per week. This is 858 grams at your current weight. Your optimal intake - for maximum fat loss - is 1377 calories.

You have tried other diets that also didn't work. That's okay. You have counted calories, but did it wrong. You can learn to do it right. Use the food diary and weigh everything you eat and check entries for errors. Don't cheat. Don't forget. Don't give up. Weight loss is pretty slow, but also pretty predictable. You will lose weight if you do it right. Then you need to keep doing the right things to keep the weight off, which is a whole new set of challenges, but you will be better prepared if you have lost the weight in a healthy way.

Crlion43

Thanks for the replies. No I don't want to lose 30kgms by December. I would be happy to lose 12 by december. the 60 kgm goal is for some time next year. I'm actually 44. This is my second wedding and I am 165cm tall.
I started weighing my food and realised I was way under estimating my portion sizes which is why it was slow going. I am having fruit and vegetables and real food for the non shake meal. I am weighing everything so I know how many calories I can have a meal/day. At my current rate I think i will lose about 1kgm/2pounds per week. I have increased my activity levels so am hoping that helps.
Once I get better at estimating calories/measuring them accurately I will probably ditch the shakes and have proper food. I have dieted by counting calories before and did well. I think since i have put on a bit of weight my view of portion sizes got a bit distorted and being older I need t,o increase my activity level.
I have also checked that I am using a shake that has a decent amount of vitamins and minerals and am also taking a multi vitamin.
I agree with what you have all said but am really using the shakes to kick start the weight loss and to be more aware of portions.

abadvat

elphie754 wrote: »

20kgs in 3 months is very unrealistic.

as unrealistic as doing a shake diet...

kommodevaran

Being 44/165 lowers your TDEE to around 2137. This means that your optimal weight loss calories are 1279. You will not be able to lose a whole kilo or two pounds per week, no matter what you eat/drink. Not because you aren't being "good" or lack "willpower", just because it's not possible. Kick start isn't really a thing.

You are not going to lose fat faster with shakes. But you will lose muscles, be hungry, letahargic and grumpy. Added vitamins will never be as good as getting them from food.

Eating more than you think will make you lose slower than expected. But using a food scale means that you won't be underestimating portions. Having shakes will not make you better at eating or sticking to proper portions. You don't have to measure or estimate anything, it's just weighing and logging.

We can only give advice, though. Everybody has to learn the hard way.