Weight loss supplements and shakes

cassrodriguez08

Wondering if it is beneficial to use some sort of weight loss supplement (fat burner) or use shakes? For example, is it better to replace meals with a good protein shake? Is there a good shake or supplement to consume before or after exercising to increase total weight loss? Just curious to know what the best course of action is....i have over 200 lbs to lose and any help (safely) would be great!

RoxieDawn

Nooooo .. No supplements or shakes are needed, they definitely do NOT increase total weight loss. Sticking to your calorie deficit does.

If you need a protein shake to help you meet protein, certainly add a shake but if you can get enough through food alone these are not needed. Consuming adequate protein will help you maintain your muscle mass while in a calorie deficit so add them if you fall short for the day!

kommodevaran

No, you lose weight when you consistently take in fewer calories than you burn. Protein shakes are great if you struggle with getting in enough protein, but that's higly unlikely unless you're a competitive athlete. "Fat burners" do nothing, maybe give you a "boost" that you could get from a cup of coffee. You're not supposed to increase total weight loss (do you mean weight loss rate)? Healthy weightloss is slow; at a higher weight you can lose a lot faster than at a lower weight. What you want to do, is to ensure you're in a calorie deficit. Logging your food intake correctly, is the easiest and most reliable way to do that. MFP has already given you a calorie target. If you hit that every day, you lose weight.

It's not necessary for weight loss to exercise, but moderate exercise is good for you.

4legsRbetterthan2

Nothing legal is going to help you lose faster when intaking the same amount of calories through eating normal food or eating meal replacements.

That said, some people find meal replacements help them stick to their calorie goal, so they can be a great aid if you are one of those people. Others find they are much happier and more satisfied eating their typical meals and just tweaking portion size or ingredients to make it fit in their calorie goal. You have to figure out what works for you. If you do decide to use meal replacements to lose weight make sure you think long term and plan for a transition phase back to normal meals. If you quit using them once you reach your goal and never learned to stay withing your calorie goal using normal foods then you may just ruin all the hard work.

~best wishes

Evamutt

I sometime make a "meal" shake to replace breakfast/lunch. or just have one without replacing a meal.We make our own. I use non fat plain greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, frozen/fresh fruit, spinach &/or kale & the "healthy meal" powder I get from my dtr in law who uses/sells herbalife. Hubby puts a lot more in his...carrots/cerery,flaxseed..you get the idea

Evamutt

Wish I could edit my last reply...just want to add that when hubby had to have all his upper teeth pulled, he drank most of his meals. He learned to make nutritious smoothies & for dinner, he just put whatever I made in the nutribullit & added almond milk, it was like a cream soup. He lost all his extra weight & got off insulin & feels great. So you can replace a meal with a smoothie, depends what you put in it. He put meat, chicken etc what ever I cooked

batorkin

A protein shake keeps me much fuller throughout the day. I use muscle milk pro which has 32g of protein, only 1g of sugar, and lots of vitamins. It has 160 calories, but I find I eat on average about 500-600 calories less on days where I have a protein shake in the morning. Protein keeps you fuller, for much longer.

grinning_chick

I picked up using a protein shake every day to meet my daily protein goal of around 100 grams/day and stay within my targeted daily calorie range at the same time. I was not successful doing so without.

I fit in whenever and wherever. Sometimes it's a snack. Sometimes it is "lunch" as a bonafide lunch break only exists on paper in my line of work. Sometimes as breakfast or supper. I eat two actual meals a day and they tend to float around as to when they happen, depending on my hunger level.

leggup

Any food/pill/powder that claims to burn far is just high-caffeine snake oil. If it worked, everyone would do it.

Shakes can be a way to meet a protein goal if you can't with food, but I like food. I lost 72 lbs with zero shakes/protein supplements.

JaydedMiss

Absolutely not. Nothing else to it. Eat food.

toxikon

I personally find that liquid calories simply do not fill me up. Whether it be smoothies, protein shakes, meal replacement shakes, etc. They just seem like a waste of calories since they don't provide me any satiety.

Most weight loss supplements are a total waste of money. Most of them are mainly caffeine, a known appetite suppressant and energy booster available in... (drum-roll please) coffee and tea! Or caffeine pills if you really need it. Other "herbal" ingredients are usually a random assortment of crap that has NO proof of affecting weight loss whatsoever.

Your best investment is a digital kitchen scale - they run $15-20 on Amazon. Set up MFP to lose 1-2lbs per week, and stick to your daily calorie goal it provides for you. Log every morsel that goes into your mouth with your food scale. Make sure you're getting enough protein and a bit of fat in your diet, and eat whatever else you want.

stanmann571

If it's effective, it's either illegal, prescription, or dangerous.
If it's legal, it's either dangerous or ineffective(caffeine)
Even the stuff that's prescription is somewhat dangerous

toxikon

stanmann571 wrote: »

If it's effective, it's either illegal, prescription, or dangerous.
If it's legal, it's either dangerous or ineffective(caffeine)
Even the stuff that's prescription is somewhat dangerous

^^^ And all of the above are temporary bandaids that won't teach you how to eat when you stop taking them.

TeaBea

Keep in mind that weight loss is just the first step. Pills and supplements (intending to make weight loss easy) won't give you the tools you need to keep the weight you do lose off.

We need to establish new eating patterns. I got fat because I eat too much. A weight loss shake doesn't address that, but measuring & logging portions does. Measuring & logging is a "reality check" for me.

jjpptt2

cassrodriguez08 wrote: »

Wondering if it is beneficial to use some sort of weight loss supplement (fat burner) or use shakes? For example, is it better to replace meals with a good protein shake? Is there a good shake or supplement to consume before or after exercising to increase total weight loss? Just curious to know what the best course of action is....i have over 200 lbs to lose and any help (safely) would be great!

The only benefit you'll see from a fat burner is a placebo effect/psychological.

Shakes can be helpful for supplementing nutrition (macros/micros), but only if you are deficient in whatever they provide (and easy example is protein shakes - they are primarily protein, but are only helpful if you aren't otherwise getting enough protein). Beyond that, they are largely personal preference. If you need something quick and easy, and your options are a breakfast shake or a #5 from McDonalds, then the shake may well be a good option.

As for pre/post workout, it doesn't matter for weight loss. As with the issue of shakes, do whatever works best for you. I find that having a shake post-workout helps fend off cravings/munchies/eat all the foods later in the day. So that works for me, but your mileage may vary.

There's a lot of trial and error when it comes to finding what works for you. So don't be afraid to try something and see how it goes. Give it a couple of weeks before you decided yay or nay, but play around with different methods. It can be frustrating, especially in the beginning, but stick with it. If you can get in a good groove, it'll make a huge difference down the road.