Meal replacement shakes...thoughts?

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bradp1979
bradp1979 Posts: 154 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been toying with the idea of eating a breakfast of something like light yogurt (80 cals) and granola (130 cals/1/4 cup), and then for the rest of the day substituting meals for protein shakes (280 cals/ea), with some fresh fruit for snacks. I did this for one day last week, and I dropped 3 lbs almost immediately, but gained it back just as fast.

Has anyone else experimented with something like this with any success? What are anyone's general thoughts?

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Replies

  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
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    Unless you plan on doing it for the rest of your life, I disagree with it. You're better off developing healthy eating habits that will last you long-term instead of some short-term diet.
  • bradp1979
    bradp1979 Posts: 154 Member
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    I completely agree, I have made a 180 lifestyle change in how I eat and exercise, in that I only eat when I'm hungry, and I only eat until I'm not hungry any more, as opposed to eating until I'm full. I am not looking for some kind of "diet", as it were, I was thinking more on the terms of it being a way to kind of detoxify.
  • slogan119
    slogan119 Posts: 9
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    I have a meal replacement shake (10 oz. water, 4 oz. 2% milk, 4 oz. Chobani vanilla yogurt, 3 oz. frozen spinach, 4 oz. strawberries, 4 oz. blueberries, a serving of Herballife Formula 1 soy protein powder and a serving of Optimum Nutrition protein powder) most days for breakfast and lunch. It's easy, I get everything I need, and it lets me concentrate on work for the time I'm working without worrying about what I'm eating. Add in a sensible dinner, and I've had a great day of healthy, tasty food.

    Can I do this forever? Not for both meals, but for breakfast I can do it forever - it makes life really easy, especially when you can drink it on the go or while reading the paper on a weekend.
  • ambrise
    ambrise Posts: 7 Member
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    I did the meal replacement through Herbalife ( a shake for bfast and one for lunch) and lost 30 pounds in 3 months. However, when I stopped drinking the shakes I gained the weight back. I feel it was because it was a temporary change and not a lifestyle change. Now I drink carnation instant breakfast for breakfast and then eat healthy well balanced meals and healthy snacks for the rest of the day. I seem to lose weight faster this way and I am way more satisfied. :) Hope this helps
  • oOMusicBabii
    oOMusicBabii Posts: 494
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    Well balanced shakes are great for snacks between meals but doing them as meal replacements is silly. Only good time to use shakes for replacement meals is if you're someone who gets sick from eating breakfast or has a hard time with eating first thing in the morning and that is a way to start your day off right. Shake diets are not sustainable and are only good for quick weight loss that you will probably put back on once you add in regular meals again.
  • mspris2u
    mspris2u Posts: 161 Member
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    I occasionally drink an Advocare meal replacement shake for breakfast on days when I am A) pressed for time in the morning or B) need to keep my calories down. I tend to be a big breakfast eater so wouldn't do it every day but I do like the convenience factor and they keep me pretty satisfied..
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    I don't use them as meal replacements, i do protein shakes for snacks or post workout. For satiety reasons, you will stay full longer with eggs or chicken then a protein shake. From what i read, your body can process whey a lot fast than other types of protein.
  • mrykyldy2
    mrykyldy2 Posts: 96 Member
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    Meal replacement shakes are great for a person that doesn't have a lot of time in the a.m. or someone, like my son, who can not really tolerate solid food in the morning. Another thing that I so myself is to take one cup of plain yogurt, a half cup oatmeal, and two different half cup servings of fruit throw in a blender and there is breakfast, it keeps me going for a few hours till I can grab another piece of fruit and a string cheese. If you are going to do protein shakes as a meal replacement, go to GNC and talk to one of the people there. I have one close to me that is operated by a man that is a personal trainer and nutritionalist, he also spends many hours researching the powders and supplements that he sells at his store.
  • floridaboater
    floridaboater Posts: 20 Member
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    You have to figure out what works best for you...most folks I know who've done it, gain the weight back because they start eating food again. Personally, I use protein shakes for my snacks or in lieu of my nightly ice-cream!
  • bdiment
    bdiment Posts: 2
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    Make sure it is a Meal Replacement shake and not a protein shake, there is a huge difference. It needs to be balanced. The Best Meal replacement shake I know of on the market is made by Adovcare. You dont have to do it for ever or even every day. But on those days when you are in a hurry or dont have what you need to have a good breakfast then they are great. I personally start my day off EVERY day with one to be sure by body has exactly what it needs on a daily basis. Those are my personal opinions on the subject. I know in the last three months I have lost over 25lbs so it must be working. [Link removed by mod]. Works for me and doing it every day.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Make sure it is a Meal Replacement shake and not a protein shake, there is a huge difference. It needs to be balanced. The Best Meal replacement shake I know of on the market is made by Adovcare. You dont have to do it for ever or even every day. But on those days when you are in a hurry or dont have what you need to have a good breakfast then they are great. I personally start my day off EVERY day with one to be sure by body has exactly what it needs on a daily basis. Those are my personal opinions on the subject. I know in the last three months I have lost over 25lbs so it must be working. [Link removed by mod]. Works for me and doing it every day.

    How do you justify its the best shake... this based on a study or you being a distributor for them? Also what makes them better than a shake like EAS or muscle milk which are high protein moderate carbs and full of vitamins.. not trying to be rude but curious?
  • bdiment
    bdiment Posts: 2
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    I became a distributor to get a discount. With that being said, you are trying for balanced nutrition for weight loss, not muscle gain, then a balance between carbs and proteins is best, according to the different publications I have been reading. Im no expert, just trying to let people know what has worked for me. You could be right about the muscle milk if your working twards more muscle gain but I did make the asumption that it was weight loss that we were talking about.

    As for the best, I am refering to the balance and the flavors. I know flavor is not the best thing to go off of but I find most of the shakes to taste horrible which makes them hard to take for any amout of time. Hope I didnt offend you by putting the web address, If I see somthing that interest me I like to go look.
  • Anastasia0511
    Anastasia0511 Posts: 372 Member
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    I hate food and can't stand eating so I drink Shakeology once to two times per day and have been doing it for two years and I am healthy, in shape and all my medical records are in tact. I'm not starving or sick from lack of food because I am getting the right stuff inside my body. I also use a product called Green Vibrance which is a ton of freezed dried juices and grasses. If you don't get your PH levels in tact you are never going to feel good, lose weight and keep it off no matter what you eat or drink, bottom line.
    I wouldn't waste my time with any of the stuff you can buy in the stores. It's loaded with sugar and a lot of it has saturated fat. Meal replacement shakes are good for anytime, not just for on the go, as long as you're drinking the right one. I don't have a weight problem but there are many who do that drink Shakeology once a day to help with their diet and weight loss issues.
  • cjhart81
    cjhart81 Posts: 200 Member
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    I have a protein shake for breakfast with lots of berries in it, just like a smoothie and I love it and will carry on having it! I lost 18lbs in 6 weeks doing it, my house mate has done it for a month and lost 11lbs.. and its only replacing breakfast.. and its basically a smoothie so cant see what harm it will do. i dont WANT to east breakfast i like the smoothie... but everyone is different.. OH and I do have a cooked breakfast on a sunday tho :)
  • leanne9876
    leanne9876 Posts: 301 Member
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    I have a few shakes here and keep a few in my bag, I don't use them everyday but I have them there for when I am out and I know I won't be able to get a healthy meal or won't make it home in time. I think it's a good idea for a snack or as a replacement now and then but I wouldn't rely on them day after day.
  • mckmom69
    mckmom69 Posts: 22
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    bump
  • avocado12
    avocado12 Posts: 197 Member
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    They do work for a quick fix kinda thing, the Slim-Fast ones etc. HOWEVER, you could make a home made shake/smoothie to have for your breakfast. Unfortunately the branded stuff i.e Slim-Fast are full of crap and sugar.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    I frequently have a shake for breakfast; it's just about exactly the amount of calories I look for in that meal, healthy and delicious. I like to have them after a workout as well.

    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup greek yogurt
    1/2 cup frozen berries
    1 scoop whey protein isolate
  • littlehedgy
    littlehedgy Posts: 192 Member
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    One of the ways your body signals that your are full and sated comes from the act of chewing. There are a ton of published studies saying that eating solid food verses a liquid, like a shake, will help you feel fuller and happier. That being said, I have severe nausea in the mornings. Its super gross, and I'm not even pregnant! But for me since I'm scared the act of chewing when I am that nauseated will cause me to... ahem... lose my composure, I will drink a meal replacement in the morning

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