Smoothies

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GlynisClaire
GlynisClaire Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been drinking a smoothie every morning (instead of oatmeal and toast). But I've gained weight. Can you really loose weight be replacing at least a meal a day by a smoothie. I calculated my smoothie to have over 300 calories. If I cut calories by not adding greek yogourt and only have the fruit and almond milk, is that a healthy enough breakfast?

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  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    You can, if you stay in a calorie deficit. Sure fruit and almond milk is 'healthy' but so are bacon, eggs, toast and oatmeal... Don't feel that you have to have a smoothie, drink them if you enjoy them. And make sure you measure and count the calories, some of mine have +500 calories. :)
  • HaleysHeartfeltJourney
    HaleysHeartfeltJourney Posts: 27 Member
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    Smoothies are good for you if they contain the right ingredients. There's lots of smoothie recipes online that can help as a meal replacement that will keep you fuller ,longer. Try chia seeds in your smoothie, along with the fruit, and almond milk. Greek yogurt is good for you too, like all things, its okay in moderation. A few favorites I've seen on here for breakfasts that are filling, tasty, and good in caloric amount are greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. You may not notice the weight loss immediately, give your smoothies time as a meal replacement.

    Try
    Greek Yogurt
    Almond Milk
    Ice
    Fresh Berries
    and maybe almonds or granola for added protein. :)

    Good luck!
  • cbunbaker
    cbunbaker Posts: 29 Member
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    I just started drinking green smoothies after I saw an article in a recent issue of Womans World magazine. The article was about Robyn Openshaw who was very overweight. She had tried every diet she could think of to lose weight, nothing worked until she happened to read about green smoothies for weight loss. She was so successful, she has her own website, and a book titled The Green Smoothies Diet, and she has youtube videos telling what to make your beginner smoothies from. I bought several bags of spinach and kale to use. Can someone tell me how to best preserve the greens so they won't go bad before I can use them. They were on sale, that makes them more affordable.. She said the calorie count was around 200 for a pint, and she recommended 2 pints a day. Her recipe makes 2 quarts, for 2 days worth of meals. She said to use 2 cups fruit,1 lb. raw greens such as spinach, kale, chard,and collards, or what you prefer. Then add 2 cups fruit, and some stevia to taste. That's not a lot of fruit when you divide it into 4 smoothies. The recipe she shared in the WW article called for 2 tbsp. chia seeds, and3 tbsp. pea protein powder so that you get your protien and your fiber, and it helps to keep you full. I can post the exact recipe that is in the article if anyone wants it. Its a little different from the recipe on her site. I hope someone has some tips on how to keep the greens fresh.
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    Have you tried using frozen spinach? I don't ever see frozen kale, but at least your spinach won't go to waste.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Caloric deficit is what's required for weight loss. What's in the smoothie?
  • PaperSt
    PaperSt Posts: 27 Member
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    Caloric deficit = Weight Loss
    Healthful eating = Optimum body functioning
  • lmr0528
    lmr0528 Posts: 427 Member
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    My smoothies are only frozen fruit, water and chia seeds. It's filling enough to last me a few hours in between snacking/eating. I don't like yogurt and would rather not have the extra calories from milk if I don't need them.
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    If you cut the greek yogurt out, I don't think a smoothie with just fruit and almond milk would sustain you for breakfast. Personally, I love smoothies, and I too make mine with almond milk, but I treat mine more as a snack than a meal because they tend to fall around 150 calories. If you're adding greek yogurt, which is full of protein, and the calories are around 300 calories, I'd say that is a better idea for a meal to sustain you, give you energy, and keep you full. That being said, drink a smoothie for breakfast if you love smoothies. Don't drink a smoothie for breakfast if you'd rather eat a meal, but think a smoothie is going to better aid your weight loss. Calorie deficits are what create weight loss, eating foods you enjoy while in a deficit is what sustains weight loss.
  • cbunbaker
    cbunbaker Posts: 29 Member
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    wkwebby wrote: »
    Have you tried using frozen spinach? I don't ever see frozen kale, but at least your spinach won't go to waste.

    Yes, I had a bag of frozen spinach already in the freezer, so I used it. The smoothies were good. I think the nutrients are probably just the same. She was saying in her article that fresh was better, so I thought I would try fresh.I did look for frozen kale yesterday at the grocery store, couldn't find any either.
  • cbunbaker
    cbunbaker Posts: 29 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Caloric deficit is what's required for weight loss. What's in the smoothie?
    in my post, I put the ingredients in there for what I put in the smoothie. I was skeptical, but when I tasted it, it was good.
  • cbunbaker
    cbunbaker Posts: 29 Member
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    cbunbaker wrote: »
    I just started drinking green smoothies after I saw an article in a recent issue of Womans World magazine. The article was about Robyn Openshaw who was very overweight. She had tried every diet she could think of to lose weight, nothing worked until she happened to read about green smoothies for weight loss. She was so successful, she has her own website, and a book titled The Green Smoothies Diet, and she has youtube videos telling what to make your beginner smoothies from. I bought several bags of spinach and kale to use. Can someone tell me how to best preserve the greens so they won't go bad before I can use them. They were on sale, that makes them more affordable.. She said the calorie count was around 200 for a pint, and she recommended 2 pints a day. Her recipe makes 2 quarts, for 2 days worth of meals. She said to use 2 cups fruit,1 lb. raw greens such as spinach, kale, chard,and collards, or what you prefer. Then add 2 cups fruit, and some stevia to taste. That's not a lot of fruit when you divide it into 4 smoothies. The recipe she shared in the WW article called for 2 tbsp. chia seeds, and3 tbsp. pea protein powder so that you get your protien and your fiber, and it helps to keep you full. I can post the exact recipe that is in the article if anyone wants it. Its a little different from the recipe on her site. I hope someone has some tips on how to keep the greens fresh.

    In her youtube video, Robyn Openshaw said, if you drink 2 pints a day of that recipe, you will lose weight, thats what I am trying to do. Now that I am older, the weight is getting harder and harder to come off.
  • lmr0528
    lmr0528 Posts: 427 Member
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    ashleycde wrote: »
    If you cut the greek yogurt out, I don't think a smoothie with just fruit and almond milk would sustain you for breakfast. Personally, I love smoothies, and I too make mine with almond milk, but I treat mine more as a snack than a meal because they tend to fall around 150 calories. If you're adding greek yogurt, which is full of protein, and the calories are around 300 calories, I'd say that is a better idea for a meal to sustain you, give you energy, and keep you full. That being said, drink a smoothie for breakfast if you love smoothies. Don't drink a smoothie for breakfast if you'd rather eat a meal, but think a smoothie is going to better aid your weight loss. Calorie deficits are what create weight loss, eating foods you enjoy while in a deficit is what sustains weight loss.

    My smoothies are only fruit, water & chia seeds and they end up being around 300 calories. I put in a lot of fruit and about 2 cups of water, it fills up my 24 oz cup. It definitely fills me up for quite awhile, more than most other things I could eat for breakfast. But everyone is different, so what works for one, may not work for another.
  • Bulls_23
    Bulls_23 Posts: 199 Member
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    I'll just ask this here, rather than make a thread, I've been making smoothies a lot lately, and I'm just assumed they were healthy, but would you guys agree? These are all the ingredients I use (combinations of them)

    Blueberries
    Strawberries
    Bananas
    Pineapple
    Kale
    Spinach
    Splash of Orange Juice.

    Obviously not all those every time, but some combination.
  • ashleycde
    ashleycde Posts: 622 Member
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    lauraripson wrote: »
    ashleycde wrote: »
    If you cut the greek yogurt out, I don't think a smoothie with just fruit and almond milk would sustain you for breakfast. Personally, I love smoothies, and I too make mine with almond milk, but I treat mine more as a snack than a meal because they tend to fall around 150 calories. If you're adding greek yogurt, which is full of protein, and the calories are around 300 calories, I'd say that is a better idea for a meal to sustain you, give you energy, and keep you full. That being said, drink a smoothie for breakfast if you love smoothies. Don't drink a smoothie for breakfast if you'd rather eat a meal, but think a smoothie is going to better aid your weight loss. Calorie deficits are what create weight loss, eating foods you enjoy while in a deficit is what sustains weight loss.

    My smoothies are only fruit, water & chia seeds and they end up being around 300 calories. I put in a lot of fruit and about 2 cups of water, it fills up my 24 oz cup. It definitely fills me up for quite awhile, more than most other things I could eat for breakfast. But everyone is different, so what works for one, may not work for another.

    Yes, but the chia seeds in your smoothies are providing additional calories, and a bit of protein. You're also using a lot of fruit, and therefore consuming more. I more meant that 300 calories for a smoothie is good if you're going for a meal, while 150 calories for a smoothie is better as snack, not a meal, which is what a 16 oz smoothie with fruit and almond milk comes to when I make them. Some people are good with a light breakfast, or no breakfast at all. You're right, everyone is different, and that's awesome. I was merely suggesting that a higher calorie smoothie with protein would likely offer a better alternative as a meal than a low calorie smoothie without protein, and that the former would be more filling, and provide more energy (because more calories provide more energy).
  • jazzandbill
    jazzandbill Posts: 140 Member
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    i could only share what i eat but dont know if is the right way since im new here.. i eat oatmeal for breakfast using almond or cashew milk and adding 1/2 of a banana. and as a snack or for lunch i drink a smoothie also with 1/2 of a banana, 1/2c of almond milk the rest of the liquid i use is water.. i put frozen spinach, kale sometimes avocado, strawberries and 1 scoop of protein powder.. it taste so good jejje.. ;)

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