Meal Replacement Shakes

I drink a protein shake for one meal 5-6 days a week. It's just in place of solid food when im busy and don't have time to cook but is no miracle weight loss trick. CICO is still vital for weight loss.

I use protein shakes to supplement because I have a hard time meeting my protein goals. I use Premier Protein, but here are some stats on the favorites (not sure if it will format well):

Name Calories Fat Carbs Protein Sodium Protein per 100 calories (10 or better is best)
Slimfast 190 6 25 10 210 5.26
Premier 160 3 5 30 360 18.75
Advantedge 100 3 3 17 430 17.00
Special K 190 5 29 10 220 5.26
Atkins 160 9 2 15 200 9.38
Muscle Milk 170 7 6 20 290 11.76

I like to make smoothies with protein powder. I'm using Pure Protein which has 25g protein per scoop.
Take some leafy greens like kale or spinach, a whole banana, some frozen fruit, scoop of powder, dollop greek yogurt (plain nonfat), and chia seed.
Blendy blendy blend.
I have been liking adding chia seed because it has a lot of fiber to help you feel full longer. I can go 5-6 hours before feeling hungry again.

I wouldn't recommend them unless they're low in sugar. You'd be better off making your own shake using coconut water/almond milk and some low sugar fruits and veg. You'll get way more nutrition that way

I do a whey protein isolate shake every day normally when i am at work i do use them for before dinner on days off i use them after workouts. Love them.

I don't like any program or product that requires me to replace actual food with some sort of drink. There are other ways to feel full and I enjoy eating actual food than drinking it.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I'd rather eat food.

This ^

I really like them for breakfast. I wake pretty early and tend to skip eating often. Shakes are a fast, easy way to relieve this.

The Spiru Tein shakes are great. I actually lost a lot of weight when I was 13 because of them. I don't think I would do it again though now that in 26 because it didn't teach me much about food. I just gained it all back and then some through high school and college. I can basically get the same results without it now. I still love drinking the shakes now and then as a treat. They are pretty good in my opinion.

If shakes are going to make you happy, then have them. You're not going to live on them forever, and you can use them as a learning tool and adjustment aid as you transition into a healthier lifestyle. I'm a green smoothie person myself, because I hate eating anything before 11:00 a.m., so I get their appeal. A scoop of vegan protein powder thrown in, and I call it good. In fact, that's what I'm having for dinner because I'm just not into chewing or heating up prepped meals today. Laziness, meet your match.

I see a lot of hatred for shakes on here, when the reality is that many of them are perfectly fine. They count as food, too. I'm so, so incredibly tired of seeing the asinine and unhelpful "oh, I prefer to eat REAL food" comments, when half the people making this argument do something others would never dream of doing and would actually look down on the "real food" crowd. You're not perfect, and neither is your plate, so come off it, please.

I've used Garden of Life Raw Meal or Vega One meal replacement for breakfast for almost 3 years. I use them for convenience, to help me hit my protein macros, and fiber and vitamin micros.

NO!!!

I tried doing my own smoothies, and while I did like them they did not make any big difference in weight loss, and really took a lot of time to make from scratch. It just is not sustainable for no real change in weight loss or improved health.

Everything I need comes from the foods I eat. And they are more satisfying.

I like them for breakfast on the go and also if I've fallen off the healthy eating wagon. They're good for breaking bad habits. Not very good for the long term though as they're just not that filling!