Meal Replacement Shakes / Bars? - Advice?

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TeenageMutantNinjaMike
TeenageMutantNinjaMike Posts: 97 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi - just checking with the group to get some feedback. I have been using Slim-Fast shakes over the last couple weeks and really enjoyed them. I make malts for a meal replacement or a snack with one scoop of powder and then lots of ice and a little milk.

My wife is all good with these, but she has encouraged me to get something with more protein and fiber, she is leaning towards more of the muscle-building shakes.

I am just looking for some advice and places where others have had success.

I am utilizing these in places where sodas, ice cream, or sugary snacks would be the norm, right now just this small move though feel really good to replace something very bad for my weight loss with something less damaging. :)
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Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    The additional protein might be good, depending on what else you eat, but calories are still an issue with them. All the more so with "muscle building" shakes.

    If you can stay satiated and under your caloric goal with them, they're probably fine, though you can make your own for a lot less and without much effort.
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    If you're trying to lose weight, a lot of the shakes intended for muscle building are very high in calories and would not leave you much room for a meal later in the day.

    I'm not a fan of Slimfast myself, but they are at least sold through normal retail (and not an MLM). They're not horrible from a nutrition standpoint, but they're not great either.

    How many calories per day are you targeting, and how much of that are you filling with shakes or other meal replacements/
  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
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    i have a meal replacement protein shake each morning. I have the chocolate flavor and make it with 8 oz of 1% milk, 2 TBSP of PB2 and ice -- then zip it in the blender. It tastes just like a chocolate milk shake!
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    Do you plan on drinking them for the rest of your life? If not, what's your transition plan (when you stop the shakes & bars and start eating "real" food again)?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I like real food, so unless you're lacking in protein, I would say don't bother.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    edited July 2015
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    TeenageMutantNinjaMike wrote: »
    Hi - just checking with the group to get some feedback. I have been using Slim-Fast shakes over the last couple weeks and really enjoyed them. I make malts for a meal replacement or a snack with one scoop of powder and then lots of ice and a little milk.

    My wife is all good with these, but she has encouraged me to get something with more protein and fiber, she is leaning towards more of the muscle-building shakes.

    I am just looking for some advice and places where others have had success.

    I am utilizing these in places where sodas, ice cream, or sugary snacks would be the norm, right now just this small move though feel really good to replace something very bad for my weight loss with something less damaging. :)

    This section would be my concern. Don't get hung on 'bad food'. When you want to stop drinking shakes and eat food again, you need to know how to eat in moderation again. Eating dessert and other snacks is a part of that. Weighing and eating a single serving of those foods, and making them fit into your calorie goals, is important. Ultimately this will be a part of your success.
    If you enjoy the shakes, there's nothing wrong with them, as long as you're learning to incorporate them into your overall diet in a good way that will lead to long term success.
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
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    I have days where I'd rather have a shake over a meal in the morning. I like the Labrada Lean Body chocolate. 40g protein, 8 g fiber, 290 calories per serving.
  • aubreyjordan
    aubreyjordan Posts: 276 Member
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    I really enjoy Lean Shake 25 by GNC. I like the pre-made shakes much better than the powders. The strawberry and the banana flavors are awesome. I usually only drink one after a workout though.
  • fidangul
    fidangul Posts: 673 Member
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    I keep some slim-fast shakes at home and use them as a grab n go food sometimes when it's too busy to prep anything(generally in the morning).

    I don't think in the long run to follow their own regime would be successful as I don't intend to stick to a strict diet as their's, not now not in the future. So maybe once a week/two weeks I might use it just to not go hungry(better than nothinn I guess).

    Plus for a small bottle it is quite calorific. I have a whole meal for that amount of calories.
  • raeraecan
    raeraecan Posts: 3 Member
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    I use slim fast for the morning, it just seems easier right now for me. I have lost about 38lbs. I have 65 more to go. In the morning having the shake it simple and worry free. I Dont know of any other shakes. I Dont use the whey or protein ones they are very high in calories. I use fat free milk.
  • mochomito
    mochomito Posts: 81 Member
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    I like the slim fast shakes. I haven't tried any other. They seem to work fine with me, but I onl drink them once in a while.
  • zaxx1953
    zaxx1953 Posts: 389 Member
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    I think meal replacements (of my own making) are a great COMPLEMENT for days when I don't have a lot of time in the morning or post workout if I want to get nutrition in pronto and take a shower.

    I DON'T think they are good ideas if you use them as a foundation of a healthy meal plan.

    Here is a typical post workout meal shake for me:

    16 ozs. Milk 1%
    1/2=1 whole banana
    22 scoops high quality whey supplement
    1 serving natural peanut butter.


    That's a nice high calorie, high protein, high nutrition/healthy fat shake to replenish a LARGE adult male after a long resistance/HIIT workout.

    You can certainly scale it down to your needs, and add oatmeal instead of bananas for a breakfast meal.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    @zaxx1953 you meant 2 scoops of whey supplement, not 22, right? :open_mouth:
  • Miss_TeaPot
    Miss_TeaPot Posts: 55 Member
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    I recently tried Ideal Shape shakes. They aren't super high in protein but they are low in calories. My friend who introduced me loves them and has been losing weight steadily(6 pounds her first week after a plateau). I personally didn't like drinking my meals so I switched back to food lol but the taste was pretty good and the websites offers tons of recipes for the different flavors.
  • myrandalanders15
    myrandalanders15 Posts: 1 Member
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    Im just starting to get back into healthy eating. I want to replace two meals with shakes. What would be the best protien to use? HELP
  • briannadunn
    briannadunn Posts: 841 Member
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    strong_curves wrote: »
    Do you plan on drinking them for the rest of your life? If not, what's your transition plan (when you stop the shakes & bars and start eating "real" food again)?

    I hear this comment all the freaking time..you slowly phase out the shakes as you get closer to your goals.
  • kissedbythesunshine
    kissedbythesunshine Posts: 416 Member
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    I love Slim Fast shakes. I haven't tried any others but hopefully you find one that better suits your needs.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Keep in mind that protein shakes help you supplement protein needs. They may not contain fat or fiber.

    Meal replacement shakes should include protein, fat, and fiber, if you are going to replace more than 1 meal.

    Many people supplement protein with powders, but you can turn this into a meal by adding spinach, fruit & some kind of fat.....nut butter is a good addition.

    Whey protein is popular.....soy protein has a nasty taste to me. I like Pure Protein.
  • TenMilePt
    TenMilePt Posts: 1 Member
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    I use the products from Soylent for both breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, I use the Soylent 1.5 powder and usually add a banana (for flavour), 1 scoop of protein powder, 1/3 cup AllBran buds and mix it with 2% milk. That makes for ~880cal meal. The Soylent on it's own is 500Cal and can be mixed in lower amounts. It has an excellent balance of micronutrients. Note that I need a higher calorie breakfast as I cycle to work and burn about 650 cals -- so for those on a lower calorie diet, you'd adjust the ingredients to suit.

    For lunch, I use the Soylent 2.0 liquid. It's 400Cal. More convenient for work as mixing the powder there was a mess.

    What I like about Soylent -- first, they deliver it to my house for free. It's relatively inexpensive at ~$1.60 per meal (powder) or $2.50 per meal (liquid) and it has an excellent balance of Protein/Fat/Carbs and micronutrients. You can literally replace all meals with it if you wish.

    http://files.soylent.com/pdf/soylent-nutrition-facts-1-5-en.pdf
  • xaryo
    xaryo Posts: 104 Member
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    I like to keep meal replacement bar (like slim fast) in my office drawer, my bag and my car. always useful when I don't have time to eat a proper meal.

    For me they are more used as a temporary solution for huger, than really included in my meal plans.

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