Weight loss meal replacement shakes for dinner? Why not?

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torismith001
torismith001 Posts: 80 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've noticed that every meal replacement or protein shake has said to drink in replacement of breakfast and lunch. But I always eat pretty well for those. DINNER is my problem. Why doesn't it say dinner? What are the consequences?
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Replies

  • mrmarius
    mrmarius Posts: 1,802 Member
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    not really a consequence most people like to eat larger meals for dinner. but if you can make a shake work for dinner go for it
  • torismith001
    torismith001 Posts: 80 Member
    edited April 2015
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    The problem is that I DO eat large meals for dinner lol. That's why I was considering the replacement shake. Is it bad to have that amount of protein so close to night time?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Timing probably doesn't matter, unless it creates mental issues for you. The main problem, at least for me, is that it wouldn't be satiating.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    According to my Googling, it's effectively because SlimFast doesn't actually contain much in the way of nutrients or anything for your body to run on, and they advise you to have a proper dinner so that your body has something to run on for the next 12 hours while you're asleep, because SlimFast won't provide that. That's just what people are saying though, it's not an official reason or anything.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    the consequences are you don't get to eat real food...meal replacement shakes are just awful.
  • brightsideofpink
    brightsideofpink Posts: 1,018 Member
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    torismith001 wrote: »
    The problem is that I DO eat large meals for dinner lol. That's why I was considering the replacement shake. Is it bad to have that amount of protein so close to night time?

    If you eat big meals for dinner, I don't think a replacement shake is going to help you. Its going to make you feel more unsatisfied than a smaller meal would.

    If evening time is typically a hungrier time for you, there are better fixes. Figure out why. Are you eating too little earlier in the day and its catching up by then?

    Do you just like a bigger meal? If so you could try going lighter and saving more calories for dinner time.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
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    torismith001 wrote: »
    The problem is that I DO eat large meals for dinner lol. That's why I was considering the replacement shake. Is it bad to have that amount of protein so close to night time?

    Meal timing has zero to do with weight loss. There is nothing "bad" about having protein at night, or at anytime of the day for that matter. There is nothing wrong with eating large meals for dinner. calories in vs out for weight loss.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    I sometimes have an appetite problem. I keep whey protein in the house for days when I don't feel like eating. Those days, a protein shake is better than nothing, but it's generally better to get your calories from REAL FOOD with the balance of nutrients and fiber that come along with it.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Don't try to solve a problem you have with a big appetite with meal replacement shakes.

    Can you try reframing your question here with what's really at issue? From what I read between the lines, the problem is that you're consuming 3 large meals, and you're looking for a quick fix of cutting calories by replacing one of those large meals with a shake.

    BAD IDEA.

    So, let's go back to square one, okay.

    What is really at issue here?
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    If you want to and it's something you will stick with, go for it. But I prefer to just budget my calories a little better so I can afford a bigger dinner if that's what I want. Personally I prefer being able to snack all day over any one bigger meal, so I make sure my calories are in line to do that.
  • torismith001
    torismith001 Posts: 80 Member
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    What got me into this idea is that I'm in college and don't have time to cook good meals for dinner. I study CONSTANTLY. I eat a good breakfast and pack a sandwhich with maybe a naked drink for lunch. By the time dinner comes around I crave JUNK. And junk is convenient. But a lot of my friends who are fit say they replace a meal with a shake. But they do it for lunch or breakfast and after research I found that they all advise breakfast or lunch but it was never said why NOT to do dinner. Plus even if I eat a big dinner, I still want junk later. These shakes keep me full longer. So I was just wondering if they help or hurt for dinner etc. hope this clarifies lol. Plus they taste like vanilla shakes so my taste buds think I'm getting the junk I want
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Meal replacement drinks ...what you gonna learn from them?

    Eat real food
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    torismith001 wrote: »
    What got me into this idea is that I'm in college and don't have time to cook good meals for dinner. I study CONSTANTLY. I eat a good breakfast and pack a sandwhich with maybe a naked drink for lunch. By the time dinner comes around I crave JUNK. And junk is convenient. But a lot of my friends who are fit say they replace a meal with a shake. But they do it for lunch or breakfast and after research I found that they all advise breakfast or lunch but it was never said why NOT to do dinner. Plus even if I eat a big dinner, I still want junk later. These shakes keep me full longer. So I was just wondering if they help or hurt for dinner etc. hope this clarifies lol. Plus they taste like vanilla shakes so my taste buds think I'm getting the junk I want

    You are not as busy as you're going to be when you've got a family and a job so stop making excuses

    If you have cooking facilities pre-prepare. Pout stuff in the fridge you can grab

    Learn how to make your life work for you ...expensive meal replacement drinks are short term fixes IMHO
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    torismith001 wrote: »
    The problem is that I DO eat large meals for dinner lol. That's why I was considering the replacement shake. Is it bad to have that amount of protein so close to night time?

    why don't you just eat a smaller, more reasonably portioned meal for dinner? That's going to be far more satisfying than a meal replacement shake. Dinner is my favorite meal of the day...I would go postal if I was replacing that meal with some *kitten* *kitten* shake.

    If I was going to do meal replacement I would personally opt for breakfast or lunch simply because I'm on the go whereas for dinner, I'm home...my guess is that's why people generally use them for breakfast or lunch.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    My guess is that dinner "usually" has more nutrients than breakfast and lunch. Think meat and veggies etc etc. So omitting that would rob you of a lot of nutrients.
    However if you swapped your dinner to lunch instead, having a shake for dinner is not going to make a difference. That's the only thing i can come up with :)
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    Well, you can experiment and see how you do :) But I agree with those above who suggest paying attention to getting the nutrients you need. I found that I was hungry a lot during intensive class prep (I joked that it was all the glucose being used by my big brain lol) and found that snacking on raw fruit and veggies kept me away from the more calorie-dense, less nutritionally sound "junk."
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    torismith001 wrote: »
    What got me into this idea is that I'm in college and don't have time to cook good meals for dinner. I study CONSTANTLY. I eat a good breakfast and pack a sandwhich with maybe a naked drink for lunch. By the time dinner comes around I crave JUNK. And junk is convenient. But a lot of my friends who are fit say they replace a meal with a shake. But they do it for lunch or breakfast and after research I found that they all advise breakfast or lunch but it was never said why NOT to do dinner. Plus even if I eat a big dinner, I still want junk later. These shakes keep me full longer. So I was just wondering if they help or hurt for dinner etc. hope this clarifies lol. Plus they taste like vanilla shakes so my taste buds think I'm getting the junk I want

    You can make a sandwich in less than 5 minutes. You can eat fruit or vegetables with little to no preparation. You can cook a large amount once a week and divide it into portions and it is ready to reheat/eat every day. Soup is easy and reheats well. Eggs are fast cooking.
    There are tons of recipes that are quick to prepare or do not need attention once you throw them in the oven so you can keep studying while you are waiting. I put plain chicken breast in the oven and did other things today while it was cooking.
    You can get a slow cooker, dump stuff in and it is ready to eat in the evening.
    If you want a meal replacement drink or "junk" food have it if it fits your calorie goals but you aren't really too busy to obtain and eat other things either.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,712 Member
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    torismith001 wrote: »
    What got me into this idea is that I'm in college and don't have time to cook good meals for dinner. I study CONSTANTLY. I eat a good breakfast and pack a sandwhich with maybe a naked drink for lunch. By the time dinner comes around I crave JUNK. And junk is convenient. But a lot of my friends who are fit say they replace a meal with a shake. But they do it for lunch or breakfast and after research I found that they all advise breakfast or lunch but it was never said why NOT to do dinner. Plus even if I eat a big dinner, I still want junk later. These shakes keep me full longer. So I was just wondering if they help or hurt for dinner etc. hope this clarifies lol. Plus they taste like vanilla shakes so my taste buds think I'm getting the junk I want

    Why don't you try it and see? If it works for you, great! You don't need approval from anyone here. Similar experiences and success would be nice, but you don't really need that, either. If you are getting enough calories and nutrients with your breakfast and lunch, then try replacing your dinner with a good quality shake. The key to success at this is finding what works for YOU. Trial and error. Give it a week and just see how it goes.
  • Lexicpt
    Lexicpt Posts: 209 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »

    You are not as busy as you're going to be when you've got a family and a job so stop making excuses

    If you have cooking facilities pre-prepare. Pout stuff in the fridge you can grab

    Learn how to make your life work for you ...expensive meal replacement drinks are short term fixes IMHO

    This. Not to mention that most of those shakes cost an arm and a leg. You can buy real food for a fraction of what you would spend on meal replacement shakes.

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