Meal replacements? Good or bad?

ravenladham
ravenladham Posts: 13
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So I've recently bought some meal replacement drinks and they taste okay and everything and I could just drink 3 a day an stay way under my calorie goal an probaby lose a lot of weight but I'm not sure if it's even actually healthy to do this , I'm a dancer and do yoga often and I wanna make sure I'll have enough energy to do those thins but I do want to lose weight .
Am I making sense ?
anyways just maybe leave some comments or tips , if u have done this before maybe just tell me if it was good or bad?
Thanks guys! :)

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    yeah id rather eat my calories, thanks. LOL
  • MsJess92
    MsJess92 Posts: 8
    I had purchased some and used them to replace my breakfast and sometimes lunch since I am super busy those times and normally didn't eat much at those times anyway. I did loose weight but when I started using this app I found that they had the bad fats. I also found that it became less of a meal and more of a drink to my brain and I fought myself eating other stuff with them. I don't know if that helps but that was my experience. I don't drink them anymore either.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    They can help you lose weight.

    But they don't teach you anything about proper portion control, macros & nutrients provided by different foods, etc so many people find once they stop drinking them, they gain all the weight back and then some.

  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    im sure they can help but it sounds terrible ... eating is nice
  • fitmissbliss
    fitmissbliss Posts: 126 Member
    Love them. Swear by them.
    I've at times replaced all my meals with them, and at times replaced just one meal per day. It helps me particularly when I'm feeling a bit "out of control" with my food intake.
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
    Would you rather eat or drink your food? A meal replacement shake can be great if you say, never have time to make breakfast, and you're so hungry by lunch you can't successfully moderate your food intake. Or maybe you have time for a big breakfast but you don't get a lunch break and you only have time to drink something quickly. Personally, I don't see them being beneficial in any other circumstance. I would also venture to say it's less expensive and more delicious to make your own smoothie in place of one of these shakes, which are generally overpriced. That way you can really gear them to yourself, filling them with plenty of protein. Even then, you still have to ask yourself, would you rather eat or drink your food?
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 809 Member
    Meal replacement shakes are okay in a pinch. Everyone has a day once in a while where they are running late, and they are good on those days if the only other option is to not eat. But, they aren't meant to replace meals all the time. Eat real food, and just use the shakes if you have a day where you can't prepare a meal for whatever reason. You need all of the nutrients that real food contains. I eat 1600 calories a day of real food, and I eat extra on days where I exercise a lot, and I've lost 64 lbs.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Its just nicer to eat your calories and healthier. Fibre is one thing they muss out on and you arent menat to replace all meals with them.

    We have had a similar query to this regarding someone at ballet school an the drive to be thin and a worrying relationship with food. You are only 18 and still developing, so it makes sense that you learn enough about nurition and weight loss that you are healthy and do any weight loss in a healthy way. If you get things out of perspective then you could develop an eating disorder or damage your health.

    You will find weighing less is not always the answer and that you could focus on conditioning and toning to become stronger and fitter, which wuld make you look thinner, even though the same weight. It would also benefit your dancing.
  • ravenladham
    ravenladham Posts: 13
    thanks for all the quick feed back!! <3
  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
    I like a nice, chocolate meal replacement powder with lots of ice and blueberries. Makes it like a super awesome Frosty style shake that percievably fills me up. Find a good quality powder like Earth's Organics low calorie meal replacement powder and use it whenever you feel you don't have time to make a meal. :smile:

    Calories are calories, some people find it's easier to control themselves eating real food, others are just fine pretending their M.R. is a sweet treat. :smile:
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
    I use protein drinks as a breakfast for the mornings I work. I usually only get hungry about 3 hrs after I wake up, but I work early so I'm never hungry to physically sit down and eat breakfast before work. So this is a solution for me and it does help me. I adore it for that. Otherwise, if I was hungry before work, I'd prefer to eat my food.

    I don't really think that there's a harm in using them. However, you want to make sure you learn proper eating habits to create a lifestyle change, not just a temporary change. If what you want to do is sustainable for you long term, then why not. However, if it's not, don't do it. I see all of this as a life style change, not a temporary thing. I am eating how I will in the future for my life. That way I make sure I am making positive changes and losing weight now so I can maintain later.

    Good luck.
  • Farm_Girl_Strong
    Farm_Girl_Strong Posts: 81 Member
    I use a protein powder with fiver added if I am in a Hurry or no time to prepare food. With kids at home, it gets hectic and for me they have been great in a pinch. However I still prefer actual food.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    For me the main issue is that they're just not filling at all for one, and second they don't really teach you good eating habits.
  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    For me the main issue is that they're just not filling at all for one, and second they don't really teach you good eating habits.

    If you don't find them filling, then my guess is that you are not using one that's high in protein. I LOVE my protein powder. It takes the guesswork out of breakfast, has 22 grams of protein, tastes just like a chocolate milkshake and keeps me full until lunch.

    Since I foresee doing this long term, it absolutely helps me towards planning the remainder of my nutrients for the day.

  • iamchuckbass78
    iamchuckbass78 Posts: 34 Member
    I love them, but I only use them to replace one meal a day. Typically breakfast bc I'm not a breakfast eater.
  • cosmo_momo
    cosmo_momo Posts: 173 Member
    I find that they taste TOO good so I avoid them. I remember as a kid when my mom used slimfast I would drink them too :# or ensure? So good haha
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    eileensofianmushinfine wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    For me the main issue is that they're just not filling at all for one, and second they don't really teach you good eating habits.

    If you don't find them filling, then my guess is that you are not using one that's high in protein. I LOVE my protein powder. It takes the guesswork out of breakfast, has 22 grams of protein, tastes just like a chocolate milkshake and keeps me full until lunch.

    Since I foresee doing this long term, it absolutely helps me towards planning the remainder of my nutrients for the day.

    Nope, it was a protein shake. I was hungry an hour later...
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I have a protein shake everyday, simply because I love the taste and it helps me hit my protein levels.
    I do add: banana, cottage cheese,wheatgerm, raw egg, chia seeds and spinach. This definitely keeps me full for hours.
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    They can be OK if you're too busy for a meal.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    I've never had much success with them because I feel I really need to be chewing in order to feel I've had a meal. I've never been much of a smoothie person either, probably for the same reason.
  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    I've never had much success with them because I feel I really need to be chewing in order to feel I've had a meal. I've never been much of a smoothie person either, probably for the same reason.

    i felt the same way as you before I tried them. I LOVE my protein shake. I make it with milk and ice and run it all in the blender. Tastes just like a milk shake.

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