Has anyone tried meal replacement/shakes?

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judgejess
judgejess Posts: 36 Member
We all remember the Slimfast commercials from the early 1990s (at least I do!), and while some thought it was a gimmick, I'm now seeing MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS CENTERS--AFFILIATED W/ HOSPITALS--selling and/or promoting meal replacement shakes. A hospital-based weight-loss program I once attended encouraged use of shakes, but I didn't get into it then.

I'm curious to know what your experiences w/ shakes/smoothies/etc has been? Have you had long-term success? Today, I started with the "Right Size Hunger Smashing Smoothie -- Lean Cocoa Bean." It tasted great, but I'm a tad nervous about starting such a plan.



(A note of caution: I loved the flavor and went online to look up reviews. Apparently, many people don't like buying directly from the company, accuse it of fraud, etc. I have no clue; I just bought it at a brick-and-mortar CVS.)

TIA for your advice and anecdotes,
Jess

Replies

  • truddy6647
    truddy6647 Posts: 519 Member
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    ok I have and here is my take with meal replacement or shakes....they are fad diets and will work in the short run. However, if there is not a change in who the individual views food as well as their diet after the shakes or replacement they will regain the weight back. This is way to maintain weight loss it takes and change not a diet to get there.
  • rahdeyoung
    rahdeyoung Posts: 16 Member
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    I started this journey with a program associated with a hospital. We used protein supplements. Shakes, meals, bars etc. it was a 12 week their-product-only program and it has lifetime follow up and meetings. I lost a lot on the product and was able to interrupt the cycle of carb binging and crashing. Not that I can't fall back into it, but it was very helpful. I guess my anecdote is that it helped a lot to get started. Now I'm eating some of the bars as snacks (they are yummy) and tracking calories and carbs. I agree that it isn't a way of life and isn't a long term fix, but it made me realize how little protein I was eating and how much protein can help with weight loss.
  • jenEphur
    jenEphur Posts: 33 Member
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    I've done it twice - once in high school and currently.

    In high school, I tried replacing lunch and bringing one with me instead of buying a school lunch. I don't remember much..I remember I didn't do it for too long, but that was when I lost a good 50 pounds. I want to say that I was probably super hungry by the time I got home, which is most likely why I quit doing it. That was back in 07/08ish.

    As for this time around, I don't normally eat breakfast. I know that's horrible, but I'm never hungry in the morning, and it generally makes me sick. I decided to buy the generic slimfast at wal*mart to "replace" breakfast, the meal I never ate anyway. It seems to really be working for me. I was always super hungry by lunch and would scarf it down. Now, I am just a normal hungry.

    Once I get back from vacation, I'm going to make fresh fruit/veggie blends to take a few times a week, and switch out with the generic slimfast, just to vary it up a bit. It helped me, because it allowed me to get breakfast without getting sick in the mornings. :)
  • mep0430
    mep0430 Posts: 37 Member
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    I use them occasionally but to be honest, I like to chew my calories. I find it more satisfying.
  • melissa3324
    melissa3324 Posts: 33 Member
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    My biggest problem with the shakes is that I am starving all the time! And the shakes taste so good, so I drink way more shakes than I should. I tried them when I was younger but will never do that again.

    This lady at this gym I used to go to tried really hard to sell me this weird shake diet thing. She kept talking to me all the time about it, inviting me to promotions and stuff. There was no way I was going to do a shake diet.
  • jenn8278
    jenn8278 Posts: 396 Member
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    I'm currently doing a 21 day challenge with a friend of mine who works for Beach Body. They promote Shakeology, but it is heck of expensive! I've been replacing breakfast with a Special K protein shake each morning. Because of the protein, I am not super hungry at lunchtime. I mean, I also have a snack around 10am, but in general, I am not ravenous.

    I don't necessarily agree with the shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch thing. I found that I was more hungry and way over ate at dinner. Balancing more throughout the day is the way to go, at least in my case.