Meal replacement shake vs protein shake

sophie_bowers
sophie_bowers Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I've started a new diet this week hoping to lose 4 stone in total and am beginning with a low carb and meal replacement combination to kick start my weight loss for the first month. So I've been drinking two meal replacement shakes per day (1 for breakfast and then 1 for either lunch or dinner) and having one low carb meal...mostly chicken/meat and veg. However...I realise that the particular shakes I am drinking (Tesco Ultraslim- very similar to SlimFast) are actually really high in carbs and sugar which is completely counter productive when I'm doing so well to eat low carb meals and snacks. Would I be able to get the weight loss effects that I want from drinking protein shakes instead of high carb meal replacement shakes? I have always thought that protein shakes are purely for people who want to bulk up, which I don't want to do...but when I think about it, it makes sense to me that these shakes would be better than the high carb ones because then I'd actually be on a low carb/ketosis diet. Has anyone been successful in weight loss with these high carb shakes? Thanks :happy:

Replies

  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    There is very little difference in terms of weight loss between high and low carb diets.
  • kristensaav
    kristensaav Posts: 41 Member
    You should go to Walmart or Sam's club they have a line called EAS carb advantage lean and toned. Only 100 calories. They are great in between snacks. High in protein low in carb. They are also around the same price as Slim Fast and they are very filling with the high protein content in them. Google it online it is EAS!
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    Slimfast has a low-carb "High Protein" version.

    It tastes, imo, a bit better than EAS (kind of watery), but EAS is a good option too.

    But to your question, sure, if you want a meal replacement drink - protein shakes are fine for that sort of thing. I add a bit of psyllium fiber to mine.

    Maybe take a multivitamin if you are doing this a lot. Meal replacement drinks usually contain vitamins that protein shakes don't.
  • sophie_bowers
    sophie_bowers Posts: 7
    Thanks for your helpful reply! But can they be used as meal replacements? If they are only 100 calories that means I'd only be consuming 200 calories for breakfast and lunch and would have to find a whole load of calories from somewhere else for my main meal and/or snacks. The shakes are really convenient for me as I work long and different hours every day and don't always get my lunch break at lunch time...so it's so easy for me to just have one shake before work in the morning and one at work for lunch. I want to continue this routine but just with less carbs! :) But surely a 100 calorie shake can't be used as a meal replacement?
  • sophie_bowers
    sophie_bowers Posts: 7
    Oh good, I'm so glad to hear that protein shakes are a possibility. But does anyone have a solution to the calorie issue? I don't want to eat so little calories that I pass out and my main meals are usually only around 350-400 calories so if the protein shakes are only 100 that's a total of 600 calories per day not including snacks!!
  • blackgold86
    blackgold86 Posts: 171 Member
    If you are aiming to do low carb/keto, are you upping your fats? Low carb doesnt mean low fat, so enjoy some olive oil or butter with those vegies..

    If I was to do what youre doing and only have one meal a day, I would have a protein powder smoothie instead of a pre-packaged meal replacement. As you said, its full of sugar and other things you dont want. I would add Coconut oil, almond milk, berries to the protein.. Anything to satiate me..

    Otherwise you could start keto/low carb now with 3 meals a day!

    Hope that helps.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Oh good, I'm so glad to hear that protein shakes are a possibility. But does anyone have a solution to the calorie issue? I don't want to eat so little calories that I pass out and my main meals are usually only around 350-400 calories so if the protein shakes are only 100 that's a total of 600 calories per day not including snacks!!
    Maybe eat more for your main meals? 350-400 calories is very little for what you consider a main meal. I would honestly recommend eating real food rather than meal replacement shakes (start as you mean to go on for a lifetime), although I do understand the convenience of them if you're really pushed for time. You could quite easily add in some calorie dense snacks like nuts though.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    If you are aiming to do low carb/keto, are you upping your fats?

    Good point. About 10 years ago I did low carb for a few months and I'd make these yummy "chocolates" with unsweetened cocoa and coconut oil. Loads of calories, but low carb small and very tasty.

    Their only downside was that they needed to be refrigerated or they'd melt at room temperature.
  • sophie_bowers
    sophie_bowers Posts: 7
    Hi, yes I have been upping my fats, or at least trying to...but I'm very new to this so am still figuring out which snacks are higher fat and protein and low carbs...I've eaten nuts for the last few days to up my calorie intake. I do know that I can do low carb on 3 meals a day but I want to kick start my weight loss with a much stricter routine for the first month which is why I decided on two shakes a day. So if I drank two low carb protein shakes per day and continued eating my low carb meal and snacks that could work?? Also...can it still be on a keto/low carb diet if I'm consuming up to 40g of carbs per day or does it have to be much lower and no more than 20g? Thanks for your help :)
  • blackgold86
    blackgold86 Posts: 171 Member
    It could work! See how u go, but 2 shakes a day for a month would be a hard task! Eating 3 meals a day may not be as "strict" but the end results could be similar and you would have enjoyed it more!

    Whether its shakes or food, meet your calorie requirements.
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    Oh good, I'm so glad to hear that protein shakes are a possibility. But does anyone have a solution to the calorie issue? I don't want to eat so little calories that I pass out and my main meals are usually only around 350-400 calories so if the protein shakes are only 100 that's a total of 600 calories per day not including snacks!!
    Maybe eat more for your main meals? 350-400 calories is very little for what you consider a main meal. I would honestly recommend eating real food rather than meal replacement shakes (start as you mean to go on for a lifetime), although I do understand the convenience of them if you're really pushed for time. You could quite easily add in some calorie dense snacks like nuts though.
    Do you like trail mix? That's my go-to when I need to bump up my cals quickly but I'm not hungry or don't have a lot of room. Make your own or buy in a store. I have several low sodium ones (<150mg/srv) in reserve.
  • sophie_bowers
    sophie_bowers Posts: 7
    [/quote]
    Maybe eat more for your main meals? 350-400 calories is very little for what you consider a main meal. I would honestly recommend eating real food rather than meal replacement shakes (start as you mean to go on for a lifetime), although I do understand the convenience of them if you're really pushed for time. You could quite easily add in some calorie dense snacks like nuts though.
    [/quote]

    I am eating nuts as snacks to try and up the calories but I'm finding it difficult to add calories to my main meal without overloading the plate with a mountain of veg (or of course adding carbs!) I even tried adding gravy today and then realised that it's high in carbs :/

    I do agree that as a lifestyle I should be eating real food 3 times a day but as I said I'm looking for a motivation and confidence boost at the beginning of my weight loss plus I do work really awful hours- part of the reason I put on all of the weight in the first place...snacking on chocolate and crisps etc. behind my desk. So for the first month at least I want to try and kick start my weight loss to prove to myself that it's possible and that I can do it!! :D
  • sophie_bowers
    sophie_bowers Posts: 7
    [/quote]
    Maybe eat more for your main meals? 350-400 calories is very little for what you consider a main meal. I would honestly recommend eating real food rather than meal replacement shakes (start as you mean to go on for a lifetime), although I do understand the convenience of them if you're really pushed for time. You could quite easily add in some calorie dense snacks like nuts though.
    [/quote]
    Do you like trail mix? That's my go-to when I need to bump up my cals quickly but I'm not hungry or don't have a lot of room. Make your own or buy in a store. I have several low sodium ones (<150mg/srv) in reserve.
    [/quote]

    Thanks, that sounds like a good idea for my snacks :) I've never tried trail mix before but if it's just a mixture of nuts and dried fruits then it sounds yummy :)
  • sophie_bowers
    sophie_bowers Posts: 7
    It could work! See how u go, but 2 shakes a day for a month would be a hard task! Eating 3 meals a day may not be as "strict" but the end results could be similar and you would have enjoyed it more!

    Whether its shakes or food, meet your calorie requirements.

    Thanks :) I may change it to one shake a day for breakfast after 2 weeks...I've already done one week on it so am confident I can do at least one more...but of course I couldn't maintain it forever...

    I'll give the protein shakes a go instead of the high carb and sugary ones I'm on at the moment and if it all fails, I'll think more seriously about just doing keto flat out! Thanks for your help!
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    Thanks, that sounds like a good idea for my snacks :) I've never tried trail mix before but if it's just a mixture of nuts and dried fruits then it sounds yummy :)

    Dried fruits will probably be too many carbs to stay in keto. So, read the packages carefully.
  • blackgold86
    blackgold86 Posts: 171 Member
    Or make your own keto trail mix! Which is basically nuts, seeds and coconut..

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