Meal Replacement Shakes

keke7133

Hi! I just started my most recent weight loss journey yesterday. I chose to do meal replacement protein shakes. So far I found that 1% milk makes them so much tastier. Using water wasn’t for me. Should I switch to something with less calories? Or is 1% milk ok? Also, on top of the protein shakes, I’m eating healthy dinners. I’ve dieted in the past, but I’ve never dieted using shakes. It’s always been just good old fashion healthy eating and calorie counting. Anyone else diet both ways in the past? What way gave you better/quicker results? Thank you!

KrissDotCom

Results are based on calorie deficit, not the existence of shakes.

If milk fits into your calories.. use milk

Evamutt

I make a shake every day, I use Cashew milk because I love it & 25 cal/cup

psychod787

I would ask, why replacement shakes? I mean, i think the research backs them for certain parts of the weight loss community. Since you claim to have a history of portion control, I'm kind of lost.

Tonydevolanii

Eat normal food
Lock the thread

keke7133

I decided to go with meal replacement shakes this time due to the lack of time I have these days. Since I dieted last, I’ve had 2 more children. The time that goes into meal prep and making separate meals for my family doesn’t seem as doable as it did 6 years ago when I had just 1 child. With so much going on these days, I wanted to try something I knew would be easier to stick to. I know myself, and if I started out meal prepping, I would fall off the wagon quickly.

TeaBea

Why would you do separate meals? Smaller portions (than usual for you) and add a nice veggie side. Limit snacks.
Move some more and you've got a calorie deficit.

I can stick to a diet short term. For me the long -term....... maintenance has been the problem. What will your maintenance strategy be? Shakes don't change eating habits long term.

Tcarp869

keke7133 wrote: »

I decided to go with meal replacement shakes this time due to the lack of time I have these days. Since I dieted last, I’ve had 2 more children. The time that goes into meal prep and making separate meals for my family doesn’t seem as doable as it did 6 years ago when I had just 1 child. With so much going on these days, I wanted to try something I knew would be easier to stick to. I know myself, and if I started out meal prepping, I would fall off the wagon quickly.

Do whatever works for you

DancingMoosie

I lost all my weight eating the same dinner as my husband, just took small portions of high calorie items, and more of the lower calorie veggies. We never eat breakfast or lunch together, so...I will say that I often make iced coffee with half scoop protein and half a meal/protein bar or I'll have light Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast. Lunches are often salad or mixed veggies with protein, fruit for a snack. Kids can and usually do like eating these things as well. My nephews like different raw veggies with hummus, chicken or burger with ketchup, lots of fruits, and they even eat bok choy soup and tofu.
As for milk in your shake, it comes down to calories.

keke7133

My kids aren’t picky. If mom likes it, they usually like it also! My problem is getting my husband to eat healthier. He likes take out and fried foods way too much. Say he wants a cheeseburger for lunch, I’d have to make him the cheeseburger, and make myself something else bc I know I can’t just eat some of that burger. I’d eat it all. I have no will power when it comes to tacos, burgers, and chicken wings. Lol I have to either eat all healthy, or all bad. I’m hoping I can start to slowly get him on the bandwagon, then I can stop the shakes and eat healthy meals as a family. Shakes have been a great start, but I know it’s not something I can keep doing forever.

Beautyofdreams

Have you tried mixing diced mushrooms in your ground beef? It's hard to detect, will lower the calorie count and gives a juicy burger. You can mix up to 1/3 of the beef mixture as diced mushrooms before substantially effecting the taste. Just experiment and see what you like.

yirara

I'd think if husband wants a burger but it's not on the menu for the day then he needs to do it himself. You're cooking, you decide what's on the menu. That could be a burger every now and then, but not every day.

Geneveremfp

yirara wrote: »

I'd think if husband wants a burger but it's not on the menu for the day then he needs to do it himself. You're cooking, you decide what's on the menu. That could be a burger every now and then, but not every day.

Agree with this. He might enjoy eating more healthily if the barrier to unhealthy food is higher aswell. I went mostly plant based and my husband started joining me as my meals looked nicer than his and it was easy enough to do enough for him too.
It might be worth just having a chat with him about it so he knows what to expect and so he has some time to sort himself out.

mc62412

I use shakes. When I’m running behind or just super busy they are a life saver. You do what ever works for you.
I went one week before with one of my meals being a replacement shake. Sometimes it’s just so busy !!
Some weeks I’ll drink them more others not so much or not at all. Everyone is different. I find that what I’ve been doing is absolutely working for me so that’s just the way I’m rolling. 😄

MikePfirrman

My wife has a protein shake almost daily. Together, we lost over 130 lbs and have kept it off for around 10 years.

She found out she has a cow dairy allergy so she uses vegan protein powders and likes a milk that's half cashew and half coconut (I think it's a Silk brand). It's her way of feeling like she's drinking a milkshake without the guilt.

She uses just a bit of frozen fruit and ice along with it and blends them in a blender.

I do the same a few days a week but not as often after workouts for a meal replacement. If I don't have leftovers in the fridge I'll make one. I like frozen berries in mine -- love the polyphenols and they are lower calorie. If I do a harder workout, I might put in a half of a frozen banana as well (but I've been in maintenance for years and I'm not in a calorie deficit).

LenGray

I make a chocolate peanut butter shake with Greek yogurt (~20 grams protein) once a week and drink half for my post-workout snack on lifting days when I'm at school. I like it because I have an hour commute to get back home and I'm starving by the time I get there, so the shake gives me some calories and tides me over until I make lunch.

In my opinion, if shakes work for you, use them. They're a great tool to get calories and protein, especially if you're busy. But, use them with moderation and in addition to proper nutritious food for long-term sustainability.

I'd also highly recommend finding healthy ways to incorporate foods that you love into your way of eating. You mentioned that you love burgers but don't feel like you can have them right now. Add-ins like lentils and mushrooms can reduce calories and taste the same. Also, changing the way you eat them (add a sprinkle of cheese instead of a slice, open-faced on toast, chopped into a veggie-filled wrap) can cut calories while still being really enjoyable!

nanastaci2020

Do what works for you. If low fat milk fits in your calories and makes the shake enjoyable and you find it filling: go for it.

Personally I do a decent amount of (calorie controlled) fast food and/or frozen food. Some would say frozen/highly processed food is not healthy. But if it makes life easier and fits in my calories and $ budget: Success.

As to the household/family/etc.: if you want to expand their horizons in terms of food then go for it gradually. We each play roles in our own households. One spouse may handle most of the kitchen stuff while the other spouse handles much of the yard work. Nothing wrong with that. At least until the kids get older and you can farm those tasks onto teenage labor!

cwolfman13

I'd say the biggest downside to a meal replacement shake is that you don't really learn anything for the long term. You don't really learn how you should be eating, nutrition, etc. I also find shakes pretty unsatisfying as a meal replacement personally

Also, are you actually using a meal replacement? You say meal replacement shake and then protein shake. A protein shake isn't really a meal replacement unless you're adding other things...otherwise it's just protein and a protein supplement. A meal replacement shake is going to include other nutrition that your body needs, not just protein. If you're just drinking protein shakes for two meals and then dinner, I'd wager that you aren't really meeting your overall nutritional needs in regards to vitamins and minerals and the like.

Diatonic12

For me, they do lack the satiety factor. After a time, you may choose to use them as a supplement instead of a MR. I have whopping boatloads of protein powders that I don't want to waste. I'm making pancakes out of them for sandwiches, omelettes and crepes. Adding fruits, vegetables and other proteins of every kind.

kshama2001

keke7133 wrote: »

My kids aren’t picky. If mom likes it, they usually like it also! My problem is getting my husband to eat healthier. He likes take out and fried foods way too much. Say he wants a cheeseburger for lunch, I’d have to make him the cheeseburger, and make myself something else bc I know I can’t just eat some of that burger. I’d eat it all. I have no will power when it comes to tacos, burgers, and chicken wings. Lol I have to either eat all healthy, or all bad. I’m hoping I can start to slowly get him on the bandwagon, then I can stop the shakes and eat healthy meals as a family. Shakes have been a great start, but I know it’s not something I can keep doing forever.

My OH and I have burgers together - his are around 6 oz and mine are exactly 4 oz. He has a big bun (and cheese.) I have a big salad with a half serving of tortilla chips. He grills, I do the rest.

In fact, maybe we will do this for dinner tomorrow night...

We don't do tacos, but I do do something similar with burritos - he has regular burritos and I have a big salad with the burrito fixings and a half of a tortilla, toasted.

psychod787

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I'd say the biggest downside to a meal replacement shake is that you don't really learn anything for the long term. You don't really learn how you should be eating, nutrition, etc. I also find shakes pretty unsatisfying as a meal replacement personally

Also, are you actually using a meal replacement? You say meal replacement shake and then protein shake. A protein shake isn't really a meal replacement unless you're adding other things...otherwise it's just protein and a protein supplement. A meal replacement shake is going to include other nutrition that your body needs, not just protein. If you're just drinking protein shakes for two meals and then dinner, I'd wager that you aren't really meeting your overall nutritional needs in regards to vitamins and minerals and the like.

I agree. If you are struggling with protein intake, a shake helps, but I think the research points to eaten calories being more satisfying vs liquid. I prefer to eat my protein.

kshama2001 wrote: »

keke7133 wrote: »

My kids aren’t picky. If mom likes it, they usually like it also! My problem is getting my husband to eat healthier. He likes take out and fried foods way too much. Say he wants a cheeseburger for lunch, I’d have to make him the cheeseburger, and make myself something else bc I know I can’t just eat some of that burger. I’d eat it all. I have no will power when it comes to tacos, burgers, and chicken wings. Lol I have to either eat all healthy, or all bad. I’m hoping I can start to slowly get him on the bandwagon, then I can stop the shakes and eat healthy meals as a family. Shakes have been a great start, but I know it’s not something I can keep doing forever.

My OH and I have burgers together - his are around 6 oz and mine are exactly 4 oz. He has a big bun (and cheese.) I have a big salad with a half serving of tortilla chips. He grills, I do the rest.

In fact, maybe we will do this for dinner tomorrow night...

We don't do tacos, but I do do something similar with burritos - he has regular burritos and I have a big salad with the burrito fixings and a half of a tortilla, toasted.

Am I invited?😉

keke7133

Thanks so much everyone. I learned a lot reading through all your comments. I have to work out a way to lose this weight without relying on shakes every day to get me there. Using them when I’m pressed for time and running late sounds much more doable in the long run. To be honest, I ordered them after seeing a friend lose a lot of weight after a year of drinking shakes twice a day, then healthy meals/snack on top of shakes. I thought for sure she was doing something right bc She look great!

I love the ground beef/mushroom mix idea! My husband and I love mushrooms. I’m going to try that for dinner this weekend! Please forgive me if I post questions more than most. I’m trying to learn the healthiest way to get me to my goal weight. Google offers too much info sometimes and before I know it, my head is spinning.

yirara

Please do ask questions! I know the community can at times be a bit snarky (guilty as charged as well) but is generally well meaning and, compared to many sites the regulars are very science driven.

Mind you, I had lots of fastfood this week. I had a burger of 100gr beef with pickled veggies, avocado, low fat poppy seed yogurt, carrot and some crunchy leaves in a small raisin bun and a big salad with the same yogurt sauce on the side. Came in at 560 calories and was absolutely delicious. (yes, no cheese. I liked the stuff on it too much to bury it under cheese taste). Today I had tempeh marinated in some kind of sharma mix I whacked together, a pile of various veggies, garlic on small tortillas and with guacamole. About 550 calories. I find tortilla have a lot less calories than tacos, thus that's my choice. I prepared much more tempeh and veggies than I could fit on the tortillas, thus I ate the rest without.

SCoil123

keke7133 wrote: »

Hi! I just started my most recent weight loss journey yesterday. I chose to do meal replacement protein shakes. So far I found that 1% milk makes them so much tastier. Using water wasn’t for me. Should I switch to something with less calories? Or is 1% milk ok? Also, on top of the protein shakes, I’m eating healthy dinners. I’ve dieted in the past, but I’ve never dieted using shakes. It’s always been just good old fashion healthy eating and calorie counting. Anyone else diet both ways in the past? What way gave you better/quicker results? Thank you!

I personally like shakes and smoothies as long as I stay aware of their calorie totals (some can get high). For me a low calorie and nutrient dense shake can help me maintain my nutrients easier while in a calorie deficit. I struggle to hit my protein goals when cutting so I’ll often have a premier protein shake for lunch. It’s 160 cals and 30g of protein so it works well with my goals.

paperpudding

i dont use shakes myself - but if you are happy using them and your overall calorie intake is on target and your total intake is reasonably nutritious - sure, do it if it works for you.

keke7133

I’m on day 5 and I’m surprisingly really enjoying them. So far shakes work for me. Thank you!

Dogmom1978

keke7133 wrote: »

My kids aren’t picky. If mom likes it, they usually like it also! My problem is getting my husband to eat healthier. He likes take out and fried foods way too much. Say he wants a cheeseburger for lunch, I’d have to make him the cheeseburger, and make myself something else bc I know I can’t just eat some of that burger. I’d eat it all. I have no will power when it comes to tacos, burgers, and chicken wings. Lol I have to either eat all healthy, or all bad. I’m hoping I can start to slowly get him on the bandwagon, then I can stop the shakes and eat healthy meals as a family. Shakes have been a great start, but I know it’s not something I can keep doing forever.

My husband eats what I make, or he can cook for himself. That said, I generally eat the same as him with smaller portions and some extra veggies or a salad. If he wanted fried foods, he would definitely cook for himself lol.

Sounds like your husband might need a reminder that regardless of weight, his food choices are very unhealthy and I would imagine he wants to be around to watch his kids grow up.