Soylent 2.0 based diet - 90 lb weight loss goal

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13

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  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    First, congrats on your weight loss and all the efforts you are making to improve yourself and your life. That is AWESOME!

    However, as others have mentioned, I think the concern is what happens when you decide to go back to real food, after weeks or months of not having to really manage your eating habits. If you do choose to stick with Soylent, maybe use the extra time you will have (from not cooking, having dishes, etc) to plan how you can manage your grocery shopping, meals, etc. when you're done. There are tons of websites, including Pinterest, that can help you find quick, easy, affordable meals.

    $75 at Trader Joes feeds my husband and I for 2 weeks...3 meals a day, plus snacks. To avoid waste, I buy fresh veggies that tend to last longer such as brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. I also buy frozen veggies so I always have a variety of veggies easily available. I've also used Pinterest to find tons of one-dish and crockpot recipes which saves me lots of time, and I'm trying to get better about making larger meals in the crockpot to freeze so I'm cooking less often.

    I've found having a good variety of spices (which are cheap at Trader Joes) has been a game-changer. I recently had literally 40 chicken drumsticks I wanted to use up before buying more meat (because of a BBQ that got cancelled). Every other day I drizzled 6 of them in olive oil, and sprinkled different seasonings on them. In one week, we had crispy oven-baked chicken with Italian spices, Ethiopian-spiced chicken, Cajun chicken, and curry-spiced chicken. I never spent more than 5 minutes prepping the food every other day, and I never got bored (trust me, I get bored of the same foods very easily!) To go with it, if I was rushed, I'd just nuke some frozen veggies, or heat up a sweet potato. If I had more time (like, 10 minutes), I'd slice some veggies (sweet potato, zucchini, muchrooms, onion, bell pepper), drizzle them with olive oil, salt & pepper, and throw them in the oven with the chicken to make roasted veggies.

  • GettingFit5551
    GettingFit5551 Posts: 110 Member
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    You have a great attitude Mary Murrah. Good luck with your journey.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    What is your exit strategy? Most including experts, agree that you should eat the way you ate when losing weight. What are your plans when you reach goal weight?

    I am not bothered by soy nor meal replacements but I do hope you have maintenance in mind as you go through this weight loss.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
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    It wouldn't be my choice, but I wish you the best of luck! I will be watching this thread with interest.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited March 2017
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    leanjogreen18 wrote: »
    What is your exit strategy? Most including experts, agree that you should eat the way you ate when losing weight. What are your plans when you reach goal weight?

    I am not bothered by soy nor meal replacements but I do hope you have maintenance in mind as you go through this weight loss.

    This.

    The weight loss phase is the easy part, and usually only lasts a few months to a couple years. It's the maintenance phase where most people fail miserably. I don't doubt that the OP can lose the weight, but I'd be interested in a follow up a few years from now, to see where she's at. Hopefully one of the few who are actually successfully maintaining, but I just don't see how this weight loss plan is setting her up for long term success? I truly hope I'm wrong though!

  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    This is just an elaborate prank, right? Nobody would seriously call their product Soylent.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    This is just an elaborate prank, right? Nobody would seriously call their product Soylent.

    I had to google it, but it looks like it's actually a thing-someone better have been fired over the name lol.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    jennybearlv wrote: »
    This is just an elaborate prank, right? Nobody would seriously call their product Soylent.

    I had to google it, but it looks like it's actually a thing-someone better have been fired over the name lol.

    I visited their website, but anybody can make a fake website. I'm not convinced.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited March 2017
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    jennybearlv wrote: »
    This is just an elaborate prank, right? Nobody would seriously call their product Soylent.

    I had to google it, but it looks like it's actually a thing-someone better have been fired over the name lol.

    I visited their website, but anybody can make a fake website. I'm not convinced.

    I was able to put it into my Amazon cart, so it does indeed look like a real product, (though 'real' may be a bit of a loosey-goosey term in this case :p ).
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    jennybearlv wrote: »
    This is just an elaborate prank, right? Nobody would seriously call their product Soylent.

    I had to google it, but it looks like it's actually a thing-someone better have been fired over the name lol.

    I visited their website, but anybody can make a fake website. I'm not convinced.

    it is real. they sent me a sample awhile back. its been out for several years.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    jennybearlv wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    jennybearlv wrote: »
    This is just an elaborate prank, right? Nobody would seriously call their product Soylent.

    I had to google it, but it looks like it's actually a thing-someone better have been fired over the name lol.

    I visited their website, but anybody can make a fake website. I'm not convinced.

    Nope, it's real, and they knew perfectly well the association of the name.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Hoshiko wrote: »
    I know this will make me sound like an ad, and you're getting a lot of criticism here, but soylent is one of the few meal replacement products out there with a good scientifically researched background. I know a lot of engineer/nerdy types who use it as a meal replacement because they often forget to eat and have terrible diets, and it works for them.

    I do also know one person who used it as a weight-loss tool, but they didn't replace every meal, just lunch. It worked, but mostly because it curbed her snacking instinct while at work. Sounds like you're doing this more as a way to save money and break bad habits, and I guess it could also be successful in that way. I mean, worse case scenario you end up using it once a day or so and go back to planning healthy meals.

    Anyway, I wish you luck and am interested to see how you get along. Also realize that 1200 is a bit low, so you might want to consider adding a 4th shake to get in all of your nutrients, because it's not designed to be a weight-loss product and the macros/vitamins are calibrated for ~1600 calories minimum.

    EDITED to add: I just saw you're not going 100% soylent, so that's good. In that case I think this could be a good tool for you, and I wish you luck!

    Citations required.
  • MaryMurrah
    MaryMurrah Posts: 15 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Day 4: 3/14/19 #TightenThatShitUpTuesday #TTSUT

    So day 4 and I'm feeling great. Today is a snow day (I'm in Boston) and I'm going to call my gym to make sure they're open. It should be interesting getting to the gym! I usually walk... today will be more like a climb!
    I've started to tell people about this diet and I've been met with mixed reactions. Some people are intrigued, some are encouraging, and some are downright dismissive and sometimes nasty. I'm just glad to be exercising control over myself and targeted focus on my goals.

    I haven't been craving food as intensely as I did the first two days. Today I'm really happy with some rice cakes, peanut butter, and chia seeds. I'm trying to get to the grocery store but we'll see.

    Not only am I feeling a difference in my caloric intake, I'm feeling the difference when I eat real food. I don't crave large portions, and I'm satiated on smaller portions. In just 4 days. I understand I'm going to face some binges. Today is a test for me being cooped in my apartment all day. I could very easily try to order take out or try to even find 'healthy' takeout of some sort. Doesn't exist really.


    #TTSUT is all about toning what you've got going on. I take progress pictures on Tuesdays. Today will be determined by if the gym is open.. if not, I'm gonna do some yoga and try some laps in the house or something.
    I'm excited by the people who've added me on MFP - add me to get a closer look at my journey!
  • austinsneeze
    austinsneeze Posts: 222 Member
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    It's a good meal replacement when you're on the go, or a good alternative to dinner. The people who made it were super over-the-top. That's all they drink, but it's not normal. However, if you don't feel like eating anymore or you lack taste buds, then it's nutritionally dense and a good decision. Probably not for the rest of your life. (The bathroom would also be very upset with you for that life choice.)
  • Hoshiko
    Hoshiko Posts: 179 Member
    edited March 2017
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    cityruss wrote: »
    Citations required.

    Well, you've got me there if you're asking me to compare Soylent to all meal replacement products, as I'm not usually a fan of them. But as far as the development of the product is concerned it's much closer to medical food than to what we usually think of as a commercial meal replacement.

    http://www.medicaldaily.com/rob-rhinehart-24-creates-soylent-why-you-never-have-eat-food-again-244648

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/03/14/rob-rhinehart-has-a-crazy-plan-to-let-you-go-without-food-forever-it-just-might-work/?utm_term=.2271de716402

    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/01/soylent-gets-tested-scores-a-surprisingly-wholesome-nutritional-label/

    https://mycrobes.berkeley.edu/
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 514 Member
    edited March 2017
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    My daughter bought the packaged Soylent. Her intention was to replace one meal a day with it. It is a meal replacement and supposedly has all the nutrients you need. It tastes bland like pancake mix. She used one package and the other 5 lie in the kitchen pantry, She bought frozen fruit to mix in it but hasn't tried , in the end it would be as many calories as fast food and that is what she was trying to cut out. So for her it didn't work. While it is can help with obesity , it is also suppose to be a nutritional meal to those who have no access to proper diet and they donate to the World Food Program , I think part of the intent was to make a product that could provide the nutrition, should food not be available. Anyway I wish the original poster good luck and hope you can lose your weight while staying nutritionally healthy. Perhaps you should write a blog about your journey, I think there is a section for that. We all have to lose in a way that works for ourselves..I am one of those people that need something to get me started at least till I reach a point of ..no longer being obese..I Then began my journey to eating healthier . If I were able to do that from day 1, I never would have gotten into the position of being obese. So OP I do wish you success along your path to good health.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
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    Yeah, I too heard it can be useful to people who are starving in developing countries, especially since it doesn't have to be refrigerated.

    However, that was not the original intent in creating it. It was created by a brogrammer who thought cooking and eating meals was a waste of time because it took him away from the computer.

    "I'm not trying to make something delicious; there are already a lot of delicious things. It's all about efficiency, it's about cost and convenience. Now I don't have to cook, I don't have to clean dishes . . . Food is a haven for reactionaries. In the past food was about survival. Now we can try to create something ideal." (Quotes from here.)

    Just a weird worldview.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    So my question is (forgive me if already asked) - are you gonna eat like this the rest of your life?
  • ahoier
    ahoier Posts: 312 Member
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    This stuff looks so cool.....ahaha/ I may just try it....I'm a creature of habit, and tend to eat the same stuff day vt day.....eggs, yogurt bananas, apples, celery, green beans, baked beans, wheat bread......but what appealed to me was the coffiest or however it's spelled...often times I miss out breakfast, sneaking out of the house so early.....then by lunch I'm ravenous hahaha.....and I work at a grocery store....haha. This may be what I need, for my morning pick up haha so I'm not craving bad food by lunch time....
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