Shakeology .. Isagenix .. Body by Vi .. Thoughts please

To my understanding, they're just protein shakes with a lot of sugar. Buy yourself some flavoured whey at costco or gnc or whatever and save yourself the (incredibly high) cost.

All of the mentioned take advantage of people who are unknowledgeable about nutrition, weight loss and MLM's. Lots of people are fooled into these programs due to the great sales pitches and desperation of people who have a hard time losing because they don't want to change how they eat.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I've done both Shakeology and Body by Vi, each for approximately two months, give or take a few days. I have found that they help loose weight initially but at the price of nutrition. Yes, I lost weight but I had other side effects being on it: lots of my hair falling out, unable to maintain the feeling of satiation, horrible skin (dry, itchy), irritability, bloating, irregularity. Once you get off these meal supplements, you gain the weight back even if you continue to workout as if you were on shakes. These shakes do not help you learn how to eat nutritiously and are a just teaching bad habits of relying on gimmicky dieting. Remember, the companies of who makes these shake mixes want you to be on these meal supplement mixes for as long as possible so that they can make money off you. You can save money by eating nutritiously, sensibly, and in moderation. If you are looking to drink something as one of your meals, you make your own smoothies by smartly combining healthy, natural ingredients without any of these chemical laden mixes. As I always say, if the ingredients has names that require you to do a google search to figure out what they are, chances are it shouldn't be in your body.

...They certainly have similarities ..

yes. yes they do

Don't hold back, Dave.

With working both a full time and part time job and a sole support parent I find it challenging getting enough protein in which was why I was thinking their protein shakes would be helpful.. Any suggestions than as to what I could put into a shake for a meal replacement that could have 15-20 grams of protein ?

Liquid egg whites. You can buy them in cartons with no taste and smell.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

With working both a full time and part time job and a sole support parent I find it challenging getting enough protein in which was why I was thinking their protein shakes would be helpful.. Any suggestions than as to what I could put into a shake for a meal replacement that could have 15-20 grams of protein ?

15-20 grams of protein? if that's all you need you can get that from basically anything. 2 eggs, a couple strips of beef jerky, a tall glass of milk. i wouldn't pay money for a shake for that amount, especially not the overpriced overhyped products that you mentioned. also, you want to look at a protein drink as a *supplement*, not a replacement.

If you want protein shakes or powders, there are plenty you can buy from a regularly grocery store or in bulk on the web. I buy the Whole Foods 365 generic brand whey protein powder and it serves me just fine. If things like Shakeology or Body by Vi were really that special, why on Earth would they need a complex pyramid scheme to sell them? Think about it.

I'm curious if anyone can suggest what to look for in a regular grocery store brand shake? They are quick and easy and taste great. Some mornings this is just easier then chopping up a bunch of fruit. I can easily throw in a cup of frozen berries if I feel like it. Thanks!

I was always told to look for something with a higher protein content versus sugar content, and to also look for whey protein isolate as it's a higher quality than what some other brands use.

I personally prefer the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard kinds because they come in soooo many different flavors.

If you want to bake with the powder for added protein in brownies, cakes, etc, look into casein as it bakes more evenly and smoothly than whey. Although if you are careful, whey does fine as well. I guess it just takes trial and error.

With working both a full time and part time job and a sole support parent I find it challenging getting enough protein in which was why I was thinking their protein shakes would be helpful.. Any suggestions than as to what I could put into a shake for a meal replacement that could have 15-20 grams of protein ?

Why would a shake be a MEAL REPLACEMENT? Why can't you just have it as an actual meal, or better yet, have an actual meal? I've found that cooking a couple eggs and bacon takes about the same amount of time as whipping up a fancy schmancy shake, unless all you do is use powder, water, and a shaker cup which will taste like pure @$$.

I personally find cooking bacon and eggs MUCH longer then blending a shake

I also find that shakes are quite tasty.

I just started ordering Optimum Nutrition but before that I was using Body Fortress Whey Isolate that you can buy at Walmart or grocery stores. They are around 24grams per scoop, plus if you used milk it adds 9 more.

We're you about to keep the weight off that you lost after you stopped using the Shakeology? And were you just using the shakes or doing the entire program?

Sorry - I missed the response...

Yes, I am on Maintenance mode. My struggle now is finding enough calories due to running 70 - 90 miles a week. I am now doing cellucor protein drinks for breakfast and adding 2 - 3 scoops. I've been on Maintenance for a month now. And now my focus is on a healthy low fat / high protein diet.

I used Shakeology as a breakfast replacement. And I just replaced 1 meal a day with Shakeology. My typical breakfast before was peanut butter and jelly on a bagel or toast. Shakeology was a much healthier choice. And I credit it for curbing cravings and providing a healthy start to the day.

No, I didnt do the entire beachbody program. And I never placed 1 order through beachbody. I ordered vanilla 30 day supplies of shakeology off of ebay. I got the bags for approx $110, which is cheaper than beachbody.

Good luck with your decision.