Weight loss meal replacement shakes for dinner? Why not?
torismith001
Posts: 80 Member
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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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 it0
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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?0
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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.0
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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.0
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the consequences are you don't get to eat real food...meal replacement shakes are just awful.0
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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.-1 -
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.0 -
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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.0
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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?-1 -
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.0
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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 want0
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Meal replacement drinks ...what you gonna learn from them?
Eat real food-1 -
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 IMHO0 -
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.-1 -
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
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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." 0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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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I have been wondering the same thing, I think you should give it a try. Same problem here, I always go to sleep late and by the time of 8-9 pm I start craving some junk. With my lack of discipline I think it would be a good idea to go for it, but for me it would be more like a late snack or that milkshake alternative I'm craving for.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
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If replacing your evening meal with a shake will help you eat your calorie allowance then there is no issue at all.0
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I like to eat my calories.
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I've done this before...and eaten pre-packaged food like Lean Cuisines.. And it would work most of the time. But then if I forgot to bring my dinner to work or didn't have any in my freezer I would eat terribly. The best thing that has worked for me is learning how to eat appropriately. I feel like shakes and frozen dinners are great for someone starting out, but when you reach your goal would you still be eating the shakes? Probably not. And you wouldn't have learned how to improve your diet and eat appropriate portions of real food. I'd start by looking online for easy recipes that sound like you'd enjoy them and start cooking dinner. Plus you get way more nutrients by eating real food0
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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.
Shakes really are not that expensive compared to a meal. You can get them (Atkins Shakes) for $1.25 each at WalMart and even cheaper on sale.0
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