Trying meal replacement shakes. Help!
cheriebah
Posts: 13 Member
So after putting on a whopping 60kg I've decided to start trying to lose some weight. I wanted to try meal replacement shakes for the first time, to see what all the hype is about. I'm a tightass when it comes to money so I opted for the Aldi slim and trim shakes at only $2! I'm completely clueless with anything fitness/diet, so the plan is to have two a day, having a healthy dinner and exercising 3-4 times a week. It's my first day and I will take on board any advice I can get!
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I've been on one for a week. I blend it with milk and it adds up to 200 calories. I only have it for dinner though. What I find is that I'm under my calorie goal and I end up having a small snack (protein or a vegetable) after the shake. I'm using it to teach myself self-control at night. So far I haven't seen a difference weight wise. But it's only been 7 days.
From what I've heard, people gain weight quickly when they go off the shakes and eat normally again. The best advice I can give is to start with one meal and practice portion control.
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I assume you are doing this short-term to jump-start weight loss? My advice is that you're going to feel very hungry after your initial motivation gets shaky. While it's one thing to eat low-calorie meals, liquid meals tend to make many people feel hungry because there is really no volume. It will take some time to see if you that as an issue for you. For breakfast I had two eggs scrambled in a bit of olive oil, with some onion and Jimmy Dean Turkey sausage crumbles which clocked in at about the same calorie count as your Aldi shake.
There is no way, by lunchtime that I could handle only another 200+ calories.
Just be prepared for this and have your expectations on your hunger be realistic.4 -
To lose weight, you just need to eat less, but you also have to do it consistently and for a long, long time. Can you see yourself having meal replacements as part of your everyday routine for the foreseeable future? Didn't think so
Just eat food. 3 -
If you don't mind me asking, why have you opted for Meal Replacements? You can lose weight just by creating a calorie deficit. Meal replacement shakes aren't ideal for the long term as you won't learn any portion control.
My advice would be save your money, log your food and stick to your calorie allowance that MFP gives you and spend the $14 on some fresh food.4 -
I have been doing a smoothie 2 week "reboot" for a week. But it is not a shake. It has veggies (kale, spinach, cucumber, broccoli, sprouts), fruit (pear-very good, banana, pineapple, berries, melon-not good, papaya-not good), milk/yogurt, healthy fat (chia or flax seeds, avocado), and whey protein powder. Definitely not low cost, but healthy and real food. You start with three smoothies a day for five days, two for five days and a healthy meal, and then one for five days and two healthy meals. It is tough, but what I found was that after "detoxing" myself, chicken, tomato, brown rice and broccoli tasted WONDERFUL. The structure has helped me get back into tracking everything.13
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I assume you are doing this short-term to jump-start weight loss? My advice is that you're going to feel very hungry after your initial motivation gets shaky. While it's one thing to eat low-calorie meals, liquid meals tend to make many people feel hungry because there is really no volume. It will take some time to see if you that as an issue for you. For breakfast I had two eggs scrambled in a bit of olive oil, with some onion and Jimmy Dean Turkey sausage crumbles which clocked in at about the same calorie count as your Aldi shake.
There is no way, by lunchtime that I could handle only another 200+ calories.
Just be prepared for this and have your expectations on your hunger be realistic.
I agree with this. You are far better finding food that is equivalent to the amount of calories to the shake. It's about changing your habits and choices with food.1 -
I have been doing a smoothie 2 week "reboot" for a week. But it is not a shake. It has veggies (kale, spinach, cucumber, broccoli, sprouts), fruit (pear-very good, banana, pineapple, berries, melon-not good, papaya-not good), milk/yogurt, healthy fat (chia or flax seeds, avocado), and whey protein powder. Definitely not low cost, but healthy and real food. You start with three smoothies a day for five days, two for five days and a healthy meal, and then one for five days and two healthy meals. It is tough, but what I found was that after "detoxing" myself, chicken, tomato, brown rice and broccoli tasted WONDERFUL. The structure has helped me get back into tracking everything.
There is no detox, only food.
(h/t Ghostbusters)10 -
The whole detox etc. is just complete *kitten*.
The only reason to drink smoothies/shakes/whatever is if you like to drink them. I for example eat 400 calories worth of smoothies/milkshakes etc. which is around 2dl for my recipes in the evening instead of grabbing a bag of chips or candy.
While losing weight, you will feel hungry and there is no way around it. Eat less energy dense food, eat less of everything, drop unhealthy stuff full of sugar like soda drinks, chocolate and candy completely.
Also measure/calculate nutrition values yourself. One generic brand of smoothies is 60kcal/100g while the one next to it on the shelf is 200kcal/100g even though it's "organic" and "healthy" and "Superfood" in big fat letters. One of them will make you really fat really quickly and the other one is a decent healthy snack.0 -
The whole detox etc. is just complete *kitten*.
The only reason to drink smoothies/shakes/whatever is if you like to drink them. I for example eat 400 calories worth of smoothies/milkshakes etc. which is around 2dl for my recipes in the evening instead of grabbing a bag of chips or candy.
While losing weight, you will feel hungry and there is no way around it. Eat less energy dense food, eat less of everything, drop unhealthy stuff full of sugar like soda drinks, chocolate and candy completely.
Also measure/calculate nutrition values yourself. One generic brand of smoothies is 60kcal/100g while the one next to it on the shelf is 200kcal/100g even though it's "organic" and "healthy" and "Superfood" in big fat letters. One of them will make you really fat really quickly and the other one is a decent healthy snack.
Your first sentence I agree with but the second is a load of woo, you don't need to cut anything out, just eat it in moderation. I've been at this for almost 10 months and aside from hormonal cravings, I have not felt hungry whilst losing weight and I have lost almost 40lbs. Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable and if you like soda and chocolate and it fits into your calorie allowance, there is absolutely no reason not to have it in moderation unless you have a medical reason to cut it out completely.6 -
And you'll be clueless on how to eat correctly because the shakes teach you nothing on how to control your calories. Are you going to drink them forever? If not, then know that liquid dieting has the highest regain weight of any diet due to not learning how to eat correctly when they try to eat food again.So after putting on a whopping 60kg I've decided to start trying to lose some weight. I wanted to try meal replacement shakes for the first time, to see what all the hype is about. I'm a tightass when it comes to money so I opted for the Aldi slim and trim shakes at only $2! I'm completely clueless with anything fitness/diet, so the plan is to have two a day, having a healthy dinner and exercising 3-4 times a week. It's my first day and I will take on board any advice I can get!
You can lose weight eating food. You just need to learn how to limit HOW MUCH you eat.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Copy/pasted-- Just replace the word Herbalife...
Okay- here's what you do...
Step one: Throw the Herbalife in the trash where it belongs.
Step two: Input your stats to MFP and set a modest calorie deficit.
Step three: Weigh and measure every single thing that goes in your mouth. Use a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. (less)5 -
So after putting on a whopping 60kg I've decided to start trying to lose some weight. I wanted to try meal replacement shakes for the first time, to see what all the hype is about. I'm a tightass when it comes to money so I opted for the Aldi slim and trim shakes at only $2! I'm completely clueless with anything fitness/diet, so the plan is to have two a day, having a healthy dinner and exercising 3-4 times a week. It's my first day and I will take on board any advice I can get!
If you want to take off the "whopping 60kg", you're going to need to understand:
1. How it got there
2. Why the energy balance (i.e. calories) matters
3. The way it got there is the same way that it will come off. Except by eating at a deficit instead of surplus.
4. That it is going to take longer than you think...provided you do it right.
5. That if you do it in a very short time, you'll likely not actually have done it in a short time because crash diets rarely work long term.
6. There is no such thing as a "kick-start" or "jump-start". There is just a start. Start with your next food decision.
If you do your plan above without knowing how any of this works, your chances are not favorable.
You are a member of MFP. Enter your stats. Since you have admitted you are clueless about how this works, do not set your weight loss goals to the most aggressive setting to start with. Start with a very modest deficit, weigh and log everything. Get used to that before increasing your deficit.
Read the stickies.
Read the stickies.
Once you've finished those, read them again!
Don't fall for the typical pitfalls. Your weight will fluctuate. It always has and it always will. It will frustrate you. Losing fat is a process that doesn't always show on the scale week to week or even over a month.
If you set up your MFP account as "sedentary", eat back exercise when the diary tells you you've earned them. This is designed for you to maintain a reasonable deficit. You can maintain your deficit eating whatever you want as long as you track stuff.
A bigger deficit is not better and is not healthy. If MFP tells you to eat 1400 calories and you stop at 800, that's not better. If MFP tells you to eat 1400 and you "earn" 400 in exercise calories, eat up to 1800. Don't try to beat the system. Just work the process. This is one time when being more aggressive is not better. Remember, even though you are in this lose weight, the real reason you are even doing that is to be healthier. Put health #1 and take your time. I promise you'll be better for it.
Time is your friend.
A repeatable process is your friend.
This community is your friend.
Good luck.15 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »I have not felt hungry whilst losing weight and I have lost almost 40lbs. Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable and if you like soda and chocolate and it fits into your calorie allowance, there is absolutely no reason not to have it in moderation unless you have a medical reason to cut it out completely.
I just have to chime in here and say that many people *do* feel hungry while losing weight. For a while, I thought something was wrong with me, but I've come down to the fact that I am just a hungry person. Always have been, always will be. Thankfully, I've never had to lose more than 30 lbs so my appetite didn't put me in too bad of shape. But I am hungry. I am hungry eating 1700 calories a day. And they are pretty good calories.
I just think that some people feel hunger more than others. It's the same way with thirst. I almost never feel thirsty.
But I agree that you don't have to be miserable. There is a balance between normal hunger feelings and I'm Gonna Lose My Mind hunger feelings.0 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »I have not felt hungry whilst losing weight and I have lost almost 40lbs. Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable and if you like soda and chocolate and it fits into your calorie allowance, there is absolutely no reason not to have it in moderation unless you have a medical reason to cut it out completely.
I just have to chime in here and say that many people *do* feel hungry while losing weight. For a while, I thought something was wrong with me, but I've come down to the fact that I am just a hungry person. Always have been, always will be. Thankfully, I've never had to lose more than 30 lbs so my appetite didn't put me in too bad of shape. But I am hungry. I am hungry eating 1700 calories a day. And they are pretty good calories.
I just think that some people feel hunger more than others. It's the same way with thirst. I almost never feel thirsty.
But I agree that you don't have to be miserable. There is a balance between normal hunger feelings and I'm Gonna Lose My Mind hunger feelings.
I kind of meant like I don't feel any hungrier whilst losing weight than I would normally, sure if I had an active day, I have an appetite, but I don't feel like I am going to starve between meals.0 -
So after putting on a whopping 60kg I've decided to start trying to lose some weight. I wanted to try meal replacement shakes for the first time, to see what all the hype is about. I'm a tightass when it comes to money so I opted for the Aldi slim and trim shakes at only $2! I'm completely clueless with anything fitness/diet, so the plan is to have two a day, having a healthy dinner and exercising 3-4 times a week. It's my first day and I will take on board any advice I can get!
I work in pounds not kilos so my maths may be off here, but..
I've lost 140lb, which is approx 63.5kg over the last 2 years and I've lost it simply by eating less and moving more, no meal replacement shakes, but real food. Throughout the whole 2 years I've very rarely ate below 2000 Calories and very often ate in excess of 2500.
Plug your details in here, choose a sensible target loss (1lb/week is great for a slow, steady, sustainable loss), weigh and log all solid foods (measure liquids) and try and slowly but steadily increase your activity.
I will be honest and say that I do have a protein smoothie on a regular basis, but it's a snack rather than meal replacement and I use it as a way to add Calories after I've already had three main meals and 2 snacks and very often comes in at around 300 Calories (I am very active and so get to eat a lot of food).5 -
There's hype about meal replacement shakes? Who knew? I sure didn't.
Ask your slim friends if they live their lives on these 'meal replacement shakes'. I expect you'll find they do not. That's a clue.2 -
Thanks guys for all you're feedback. To all the people who made a fuss of the fact I said I was clueless, I understand where you are coming from but am seeing that particular feedback as a bit passive aggressive. I have done a ton of research about what I'm doing and no I don't plan on doing this long term. I need to learn how to count calories and master portion control as not being able to control myself has been a problem for years. Even when I was 50kg I had this problem, but had an addiction that kept my weight down. Since stopping it has been a struggle. To me, the shakes are there for convenience at first, while I learn to manage my eating habits instead of getting over whelmed and fail like every other time. I know real food is the way to go and I will get there slowly, the way that works for ME
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So after putting on a whopping 60kg I've decided to start trying to lose some weight. I wanted to try meal replacement shakes for the first time, to see what all the hype is about. I'm a tightass when it comes to money so I opted for the Aldi slim and trim shakes at only $2! I'm completely clueless with anything fitness/diet, so the plan is to have two a day, having a healthy dinner and exercising 3-4 times a week. It's my first day and I will take on board any advice I can get!
I work in pounds not kilos so my maths may be off here, but..
I've lost 140lb, which is approx 63.5kg over the last 2 years and I've lost it simply by eating less and moving more, no meal replacement shakes, but real food. Throughout the whole 2 years I've very rarely ate below 2000 Calories and very often ate in excess of 2500.
Plug your details in here, choose a sensible target loss (1lb/week is great for a slow, steady, sustainable loss), weigh and log all solid foods (measure liquids) and try and slowly but steadily increase your activity.
I will be honest and say that I do have a protein smoothie on a regular basis, but it's a snack rather than meal replacement and I use it as a way to add Calories after I've already had three main meals and 2 snacks and very often comes in at around 300 Calories (I am very active and so get to eat a lot of food).
@firefly72 , you have no idea how inspiring this is for me as someone only a few weeks in and trying to keep the numbers down!0 -
thought I'd share, my hubby had to have all his upper teeth pulled last year & he waited 6mo to be healed before he applied to get dentures, during that time he had most of his meals in our nutribullit, including what ever I made for dinner he put in there along with some almond milk. He learned a lot about nutrition during that time & still has morning shakes, as do I. He lost all his extra weight, got off insulin & has not gained it back. All that to say you can make your own & put whatever you want in them. I put fruits & veggies in mine3
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That's awesome Eva! Big props to you guys I am interested in making my own shakes so that's given me a big push, thankyou very much 1
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Being a truck driver I don't get to be as active as I used to be or want to be. I do the best I can to eat healthy, I take groceries with me in my truck so I'm not as tempted to buy other food while I'm out. A personal trainer suggested that I try using whey protein shakes as a meal replacement. I drink on one from the time I get up until my lunch time, usually eating an apple and drinking a bottle of water also. For lunch it's usually a tuna pack and then I have another shake in the evening after I workout. I've only been doing this for 8 days now. Yes, I get hungry but when I eat food I feel fuller more quickly than before. I would think that using a meal replacement shake would be a judgement call on your part. If you use it correctly and feel like it is the best option for you at the moment, then do it!2
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Thanks Kristen. I do eat healthy snacks in between my breakfast and lunch shake and again between lunch and dinner. The shakes are a good way for me to stay in control of my portions as I don't need to eat heaps to feel full in between meals unlike Im used to doing. Only on day two but so far so good! Thanks for your feedback 0
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I've just started doing this as well, partly because i struggle to find the time to look after myself with getting 2 kids organised for school and me for work. I would often go without meals, so the shake for breakfast, soup with salad for lunch is going to be my friend for a while. Dinners are always easier. I am only planning a month or two to kick start, then switching to a low gi style diet. I know I wont be able to sustain the shakes forever but it is also about retraining my mind and body. Good luck!1
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kristen_rie wrote: »Being a truck driver I don't get to be as active as I used to be or want to be. I do the best I can to eat healthy, I take groceries with me in my truck so I'm not as tempted to buy other food while I'm out. A personal trainer suggested that I try using whey protein shakes as a meal replacement. I drink on one from the time I get up until my lunch time, usually eating an apple and drinking a bottle of water also. For lunch it's usually a tuna pack and then I have another shake in the evening after I workout. I've only been doing this for 8 days now. Yes, I get hungry but when I eat food I feel fuller more quickly than before. I would think that using a meal replacement shake would be a judgement call on your part. If you use it correctly and feel like it is the best option for you at the moment, then do it!
A protein shake shouldn't really be used as a meal, it's a supplement to get you extra protein if you aren't getting it from food, if you are going to go the shake route, you should be aiming for an actual meal replacement shake (as much as it pains me to say it - because you still aren't learning how to eat properly) because the better quality ones do have the nutrition you require in terms of vitamins and minerals, a protein shake does not. Doing this long term can do you some serious damage because you are not giving your body the fuel and nutrition it needs.
Personal trainers for the most part are not qualified in nutrition.0 -
Ajhughes01 wrote: »I've just started doing this as well, partly because i struggle to find the time to look after myself with getting 2 kids organised for school and me for work. I would often go without meals, so the shake for breakfast, soup with salad for lunch is going to be my friend for a while. Dinners are always easier. I am only planning a month or two to kick start, then switching to a low gi style diet. I know I wont be able to sustain the shakes forever but it is also about retraining my mind and body. Good luck!
You don't need a kick start (unless you are a motorbike). Why would going on a diet be easier after doing shakes for some weeks? Maybe you dread the idea of going on a diet. You don't need any named diet. You can eat whatever food you like. Couldn't eating together as a family and nourishing yourself sensibly, be a good routine to practice?0 -
Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with throwing in a protein shake/meal replacement shake to use as a meal. I would suggest that they be used here and there, like once or twice a week. If you start fully replacing two meals a day with them you will not only quickly get sick of them, but you will probably "crash and burn" and give up the diet completely.
Start thinking of what you can create within that same amount of calories. You can make a pretty big salad with chicken and a bunch of veggies. Add small amount (1 tbsp is enough) of your favorite dressing and you're good to go. Or even a filling vegetable or chicken soup. If you spend time getting creative with food within the 200-300 calorie mark, then you will be more motivated to keep going.0 -
I have protein shakes (actually smoothies because I use ice and blend it) with yogurt and fruit and they have plenty of nutrition. For me, when I do have them, they are not meal replacements; they are simply food. Sometimes they are a snack. Sometimes I guess they are a meal. I have them because I enjoy them.
I would not use them the way many of the Big Diet companies suggest. "Shake for breakfast, shake for lunch, 'sensible dinner'" can be a trap for a lot of people because they don't promote healthy habits, or more importantly knowledge.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
You don't need a kick start (unless you are a motorbike). Why would going on a diet be easier after doing shakes for some weeks? Maybe you dread the idea of going on a diet. You don't need any named diet. You can eat whatever food you like. Couldn't eating together as a family and nourishing yourself sensibly, be a good routine to practice?
I kind of understand why the OP is doing it. Shakes would never work for me; however, when I have been overeating and weighing to much, it's almost like I need to stop doing it cold-turkey. That gets me past my cravings pretty quickly. I will generally do a 1200 calorie diet for a week or two just to kind of get myself off the junk and reset. It's just something I need to do that works for me. I realize other people have different methods, such as easing into it, etc. The shakes just probably get her away from all that choice and food until she clears her head.1 -
That's exactly what it is for me, I know what I'm having and when I'm having it. It's something I've never tried after relentlessly failing at others options and methods. Once I get used to the smaller portions and wrap my head around all of my food issues I will more than likely stop the shakes as I know it isnt a sustainable option. I came on here for some help and encouragement for my situation and some people need to realise it's not easy for me to handle the food side of things as of yet. So I went for a different option. I'm not a gym junky or over all healthy person, I'm a beginner. I appreciate your understanding to my situation. Thank you0 -
That's exactly what it is for me, I know what I'm having and when I'm having it. It's something I've never tried after relentlessly failing at others options and methods. Once I get used to the smaller portions and wrap my head around all of my food issues I will more than likely stop the shakes as I know it isnt a sustainable option. I came on here for some help and encouragement for my situation and some people need to realise it's not easy for me to handle the food side of things as of yet. So I went for a different option. I'm not a gym junky or over all healthy person, I'm a beginner. I appreciate your understanding to my situation. Thank you
The point people are trying to make is you don't need to be a gym junkie or a healthy person to lose weight. That's the media and diet industry making you feel like it's some complicated process. This is my favourite weight loss mantra - It's not easy to lose weight but it is simple.
To answer the bolded:
MFP's calorie allowance does not take exercise into account because you do not need exercise for weight loss (it's good for your overall health but not necessary for weight loss). You can lose weight eating the foods you like by making small changes that you can stick to long term, we were all beginners at one point and many of us have made the mistake of trying x, y & z to lose weight.
Try logging you normal food intake for a couple of days and see where you are taking in the extra calories, you'd be amazed at the small changes you can make to your diet without feeling like you are missing out on something or starving. For me this was things like using olive oil in cooking, that was about 200 calories extra I was eating in any cooked meal, I've now swapped it out for Spray oil which saves me between 180-190 cals. I started weighing out portions of pasta, cereal, etc and realised I was eating double or more of the recommended portions, now I will bulk out the meal with veg or fruit, so I still get the same volume of food, but not as calorie heavy.
You can do it, you just need to believe that you can!4
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