Shakeology or Advocare?

altinker

I have decided to order some ebay samples of Shakeology just to try it. I'd like to compare taste and ingredients between Vega One and Shakeology. I would use it as more of a supplement than an actual meal unless I used it to supplement a morning smoothie. I do prefer real food, but I'm just wondering why there is so much anger about this product.

StephJB1221

Shakeology is NOT a protein shake. Nor is it a weight loss shake.

It is a %100 natural (Macro and micro) nutrient dense meal replacement. It is not a one-dimensional protein shake.

Because Shakeology IS %100 natural (created by a vegan with a masters in nutrition and agricultural anthropology) the standard to remain natural does not allow for ANY artificial flavors, colors, stimulants, sweeteners or chemically modified micronutrients. Nearly every single product found in gyms, GNC, internet, you name it, have a LARGE amount of manmade chemicals dumped in it so that it tastes appealing to the general publics "idea" of what food SHOULD taste like.

When you add ONLY what nature provides, you get the CLEANEST and PUREST product possible. On to the superfoods. I don't expect the average person that follows you to know what Astragalus Root, Ashwagandha Root, Chia Seed, Maca Root, Gogi Berries and Reishi Mushrooms are (just to name a few super foods, Ill spare listing all 70).

Nor do I expect them to have general knowledge in all the health benefits and medicinal treatments that these foods have notoriously been used for centuries to treat examples as reducing free radicals from our body, improving our white blood cell count which helps us fight disease, reducing inflammation (the number one marker of EVERY disease), improving the natural flora in our digestive system, etc.

If BB grew these products in a lab and modified them to keep them cheap, that would be one thing, but EACH of the 70 super foods are imported from the countries, climates and pure soil they originate from and then dried to a specific protocol to maintain a whole food- absorption integrity. Everyone should value this $4 meal.

I first hand, have had tons of clients that use Shakeology and it has reduced their needs for diabetic meds, statins and ace inhibitors. It’s also relieved countless cases of IBS, colitis, and arthritis. Paying $4 and getting off their pricey side-effect laden medication and spending less than the average meal they would otherwise be spending is MUCH cheaper and a price well worth $119 for a month supply.

MagicalLeopleurodon

I dont like the idea of drinking a meal unless its soup. i prefer feeling full and having large quantities of healthy, colorful foods. if you MUST have the drink, you can buy greens and reds powders for $36. Much more cost friendly

jofjltncb6

Also, these have been the subject of numerous threads so that may be the reason for slow replies to your post.

Nah, I'd guess the reluctance in responding is because being honest in threads like this seems to be a lightning rod for strikes.

OP, my advice is to do neither. There are cheaper multivitamins and protein powders available.

contingencyplan

The fact that the only people who had positive things to say about Shakeology in this thread are sales reps for beachbody (called "coaches") should alone tell you to stay away. Their advice is hardly neutral. In any case, these meal replacement shakes are basically nothing more than a gimmicky inferior alternative to making actual meals from whole foods. Also if you exercise like you should your calorie requirements are high enough to make using low calorie alternatives to ANY food generally a bad idea.

MagicalLeopleurodon

I first hand, have had tons of clients that use Shakeology and it has reduced their needs for diabetic meds, statins and ace inhibitors. It’s also relieved countless cases of IBS, colitis, and arthritis. Paying $4 and getting off their pricey side-effect laden medication and spending less than the average meal they would otherwise be spending is MUCH cheaper and a price well worth $119 for a month supply.

That's $357 without s&h for my family-leaving us only $100 for groceries. I have read and researched shakeology and it is nutritionally identical to the greens/reds i take for $36/month for all of us.

lamos1

I have decided to order some ebay samples of Shakeology just to try it. I'd like to compare taste and ingredients between Vega One and Shakeology. I would use it as more of a supplement than an actual meal unless I used it to supplement a morning smoothie. I do prefer real food, but I'm just wondering why there is so much anger about this product.

I think the anger comes from people saying how much they love it and then at the end of their paragraph they throw in a mention of being a coach!

What they don't understand is, when they say they are a coach, it just makes the product that much more less attractive, because people will say anything to get a sale. They get FREE Shakeology every time someone buys it or a program from them. This is what someone has told me.

Beachbody coaches are like Jehovah's witnesses, when you see them you run!

erinsueburns

Why? really is the important thing here. Whatever you decide to do really ought to be something you plan on doing indefinitely/permanantly. For me, I drink alot of coffee in the mornings and used to use alot of real half and half or cream. Looking at my macros and calories it suddenly clicked for me that I could easily replace that cream with greek yogurt and/or protein powder. And considering I'm unlikely to stop drinking coffee, this is something I'm likely to be comfortable with for the rest of my life. The only real switch to it is going back to cold brewed coffee instead of hot. But honestly, making it once a week and keeping a pitcher in the fridge is way less hassle anyway.

I have tried both. I use a "shake" for breakfast. Both are expensive, however I prefer the taste of the Advocare to Shakeology (when plain)

I feel that Shakeology is a better deal than Advocare. This is why. When I purchase a bag of Shakeology I only use 1/2 a scoop of the powder, 1 TBLSP of peanutbutter and ice/water. It tastes like Reeces, which is like a treat to me. This helps me through out the day to not binge on bad foods, like Reeces.

The real questions is WHY you want to use a meal replacement shake. Is it because of the convenience (like me) or because you think 1 shake a day will fix all of your dieting issues?

coachmjfitness11

What they don't understand is, when they say they are a coach, it just makes the product that much more less attractive, because people will say anything to get a sale. They get FREE Shakeology every time someone buys it or a program from them. This is what someone has told me.


...this is FALSE.

lizzybethclaire

Never had those two, but what I do is have a protein shake occassionally if my protein is too low for the day. I just got the big whey protein at walmart for $14.99 Tastes pretty good to me, my husband thinks it is awful. I know a lot of people swear by shakeology on here.

coachmjfitness11

Yes, you can lose weight without ANY supplemental help. BUT. Some people find it does help. I personally have had personal success with Shakelogy, and while others out there may claim its a gimmick or unnecessary, It's a product, and the only one the market out there I truely believe in because i've seen it work. It's not just a protien shake, meal replacement or overpriced gimmick, its a fantastic tool to aid you in getting your daily alottment of fruits & veggies and nutrients with the added benefit of tasting awesome and curbing cravings, all while keeping you feeling satisfied in a quick meal form.

I'm not out there to sell anyone on the product, i just believe it works. Its unfortunate that people in the message boards seek these things out just to rip on things they haven't tried just because they believe they are unnecessary. If you think it may aid you, then go for it, if you don't, then dont. Healthy lifestyles are a wide array of combinations, why make it a competition?

daisyjen10

I use Shakeology for breakfast. (I do NOT sell it!) I like it because I am not a big breakfast eater so it's easy for me to drink in the car on the way to work. Otherwise, I was bad about skipping breakfast. This is just easier for me than cooking something and it keeps me from going though the fast food lines.

I don't expect it to work miracles, I just prefer it for breakfast. I had my doctor look at the ingredients and he thought it seemed like a good breakfast substitute. So I use it in conjuction with eating healthy my other two meals and working out. I do echo everyone else's sentiments, though...don't use it as a quick fix. It's not. It's just one of many things I'm doing to try and be healthy.

Hope this helps!
Jennifer

coachmjfitness11

"poor thing innocently asked a question dipped her toe into the shallow MFP oceans. Damn look at all those sharks circling. Gonna be a blood bath."

Isn't that the truth. I made the mistake of asking a family member who does the Body by Vi shakes a question about them. Once. 9 months ago. The theme music from Jaws has been playing ever since.

My biggest beef with it is people coming into the forums and spamming their sales links/soliciting MFP members as clients when it's explicitly forbidden by MFP rules. My other, maybe even more major issue (I don't know if Advocare does it, but Beachbody does) is bestowing the title of "coach" upon their salespeople. Using the title "coach" lends undue credibility in some people's eyes and I feel that it's unethical to call oneself a "coach" without some degree of formal training beyond just feeding hype and selling shake powders. By that standard, anybody and everybody who works at a nutrition store like GNC could be called a "coach", when in fact most of them don't know jack beyond what products they're told to pimp/promote.

is it soliciting when you simply answer the OP's question?

and as for the "coach" label, we're not trainers, fitness coaches, etc (unless we happen to also BE those things) - it's simply being a motivational coach. running challenge groups, keeping people motivated, giving them support, etc, etc. these are valuable things, no? and I'd much rather offer THAT to someone than just be a salesperson who - once I've sold you the shake - doesn't speak to you again.

it's not for everyone, and you don't need to like it. you don't need to use shakeology. you can hate on the people who DO spam/solicit/etc - but the majority of us don't. the majority of us are just in it to help people, because it's a lot of fun, and because it's a great community to belong to.

This.

No_Finish_Line

If you want to use the shakes, have at it. Just understand there is no magic to them. They are helping to create a calorie deficit which you can do with or without the shakes. As for cost, I think you would come out better getting some whey protein and making your own shakes.

i pretty much agree with this. and i'd echo the most important draw back to meal replacement shakes is that you don't learn as much about how to eat more healthy in a sustainable whey.

i wouldn't necessairly call them a gimick, because they just operate on the principal that if you eat less you will lose weight, its just not really a sustainable method, so once you reach your goal weight theres a very good chance your going go end up doing the same things that made you fat in the first place.

look into something called medifast maybe? i've heard good things about that, think doctors actually recommend it when you can't eat soild foods.

No_Finish_Line

also agree that shakeology at least is not just a protein shake and would be hard to reproduce 100% exactly by going to the grocery store and blending ingredients into your protein powder.

Wether or not these ingredients are going to do much more for you i don't know, but i'll have to give them that.

I bought them as a gift for my mother, because she does some beach body dvds and she sees the ads at the end. She had been slipping a bit, and i figured getting her these might motivate her to get back on track a little. And they did! she actually ends up blending fruit and whatever else in them, but who cares, the idea was to get her working out again, and it worked.

I guess my point is that sometimes these things have legitimate uses outside of just nutrition itself. Which has nothing to do with the OP but anyway...

fit4lifeUcan2

I did the shake thing after having our 2nd child thinking I would lose the weight faster and it would be easier to do. I maybe lost 5lbs over 3 or 4 months and hated it. It gets boring real fast and it's not so cheap. Its easier to just eat healthier and move more. I much prefer a diet plan that is more sustainable for long term than something I could only tolerate for a few months. Believe me you'll get to the point where you'll want to gag just looking at those shakes and you'll see real food and want to dive face first into it because you've deprived yourself for so long.

I've lost more weight and kept it off by just eating healthy and moving more.

sjgoes

A friend of mine uses Shakeology and loves it... I will ask her if I can give you her info... she would be honest about it.

No_Finish_Line

pretty much any BB coach can give you a free sample of the shakeology if that helps.

I don't buy any of thier suppliments but i've gotten a lot of thier programs and i have experince with the 'coaches'.

I can honestly say they never encouraged me to buy anything, other then suggesting i might like this or that program.

They did often encourage me to become a coach myself, and that was a little annoying, but i don't think any one particualr coach asked me to do this more then twice

julesxo

I have only used Shakeology and I like it!

I can make my own protein shakes yes however it isn't as good (to me).

I am aware of how to prepare my own food and eat healthy too, so that isn't an issue for me. I also don't believe in "diets" or looking at this as a weight loss aid. The reason I have the shakes is for convenience as my breakfast, since I have no desire for "real food" in the mornings.