Trying meal replacement shakes. Help!

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  • kristen_rie
    kristen_rie Posts: 6 Member
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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!
  • cheriebah
    cheriebah Posts: 13 Member
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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 :)
  • Ajhughes01
    Ajhughes01 Posts: 8 Member
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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!
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
    edited September 2017
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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.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    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?
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    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.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    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.
  • CMNVA
    CMNVA Posts: 733 Member
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    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.
  • cheriebah
    cheriebah Posts: 13 Member
    edited September 2017
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    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
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    cheriebah wrote: »

    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!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    cheriebah wrote: »

    That's exactly what it is for me, I know what I'm having and when I'm having it.
    You can do that with food as well.
    It's something I've never tried after relentlessly failing at others options and methods.
    What were your previous attempts, and why did the methods fail you? My guess is that they were more similar to meal replacements than to real food in moderate amounts?
    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.
    But you won't wrap your head around your food issues by not facing them, you just avoid them temporarily, and they will get worse after a replacement diet. This isn't even about food, but about emotions.
    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
    Most of us have or have had issues with food for large parts of our lives. Many of us aren't healt freaks or gym junkies. But we have experience. And we understand the struggles you are facing, for a large part brought on by the diet industry, that tells you food is your enemy and you need to make up for your sins, and that this is a mandatory step towards a good diet and a healthy body. None of that is true. They are lies to make money from you.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Sunna_W wrote: »
    NOT Wisdom:


    DO NOT eat back your calories burned if you exercise!

    Sorry. This is generally not wise....depending how much exercise you do. If you are eating at a high deficit and then create more deficit, it's the same as not eating enough to fuel your general functions.

    For example, if MFP tells you to eat 1400 calories, and you exercise 500 or more of those in a day, that leaves you with 900 calories. This can be extremely unhealthy. Context mattes of course, but I would caution the OP to not take the above statement without appropriate context.
  • Lois_1989
    Lois_1989 Posts: 6,410 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Sunna_W wrote: »
    Wisdom:

    Calories in = calories out; if you eat less than your burn just by being alive you will lose weight and no exercise is required.

    DO eat back your calories burned if you exercise! DO NOT "over exert" yourself. Take it slowly. Just move more. Gentle stretches and walking just a might faster.

    Cut your calories to the amount that is correct for your height / current weight (and weight loss goals) and try adjusting your macros (under your home table) to something close to 100 grams of carbs daily with a 55% protein / 50% healthy fat split for the rest of your calories. This should be your eating plan for life - not just for weight loss. Research shows that denial and abruptly making changes all at once dooms people to fail and gain back the weight. This must be a life time choice without denial to be successful.

    I am compliant about 75% of the time with this formula and I haven't gained any weight back.

    Given the amount of weight you are looking to lose - GO SLOWLY!!! That way you minimize the amount of loose skin and flab. It has a chance to shrink as you shrink. Think 1 kg a week maximum. I am 60 and I lost weight without having a lot of hanging skin this way.

    FEED your body / skin with lots of protein, bone broth (rich in collagen), and fresh veggies. When I was losing (in teh beginning) I used blended meals (basically a protein shake for breakfast and a blended salad for lunch) and a high protein / healthy fat low sugar / low carb dinner. I wasn't really all that hungry.

    Some things that helped me:

    http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/
    https://www.westonaprice.org/about-us/healthy-4-life/
    https://www.paleohacks.com/

    Fixed it for you

    Also, the carb/fat/protein is entirely up to the person. Low-carb might not suit all.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    Sunna_W wrote: »
    Wisdom:

    Calories in = calories out; if you eat less than your burn just by being alive you will lose weight and no exercise is required.

    DO NOT eat back your calories burned if you exercise! DO NOT "over exert" yourself. Take it slowly. Just move more. Gentle stretches and walking just a might faster.


    Do eat your exercise calories back that's how the site is designed to work. Taking today in to account, if I didn't eat my exercise Calories then by the end of the day I'll be netting at least -500 Calories, which is in no way healthy. I'll eat my exercise Calories thank you very much, I've earned them.

    I'm not sure what's meant by do not "over exert" yourself, I take multiple high intensity classes a week and push myself to my very limits, but I've taken two years to build up to this point. Sure walking a little faster may help at the beginning, but you're most likely going to want to increase your activity level at least a little as time goes on.
  • cheriebah
    cheriebah Posts: 13 Member
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    I have tried many times to go on a 'diet' or eat healthy, do portion and calorie control and exercise. I don't personally think I'm not facing the problem with the right way to learn about eating by doing these shakes. I have a calorie counted/portion controlled dinner and snack responsibly when I get peckish, so for me that's a big deal in itself. By starting with educating myself with one meal at a time, I don't feel over whelmed. So when I get train my body into being satisfied with that particular meal, I can cut out a shake and start doing the same for lunch and step by step continue until I am eating fabulously for the whole day and still seeing results or maintaining when I'm happy. I do agree with eating the calories I have earnt back from exercise as I don't want to deprive my body of what it needs to be healthy. This is a step by step journey and I want to do it the best way for myself. I appreciate everybody's input and teaching me things I didn't know and I take everything into account!

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