Do meal replacement drinks work
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Huel is the meal replacement shake of choice that I use. I chose it because of its high fiber content (7.7g fiber per 400 kcals) and low sugar (1.2g per 400 kcals).
If you want to go the MR route I would look for something that has a lot less sugar and doesn't list maltodextrin as its main carb source. Huels main carb source is oats which are much healthier long term.
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chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »@ceiswyn because I wanted actaull advice from people that have done the diet or knew people what have or had any sort of helpful advice, not people who have never even tried the diet telling me that I won’t be able to do it
Might I suggest that you're not getting advice from people who have had success on this plan because everyone here who has tried this plan or a similar one found it unsuccessful?
A lot of us here, myself included, have tried all kinds of weight loss products. I did Slim Fast for a while. Did I lose weight? Yes, a little. Did I understand why I was losing weight? No, I did not. I also was hungry and unhappy. I stopped drinking the shakes, gained the weight back, and became convinced that I just could not lose weight. After all, a "weight loss plan" hadn't worked for me.
This is the most common pattern we see with people who use diet shakes. What I experienced was pretty typical. Can you find people who love Slim Fast and want to keep drinking it? Sure, but that's far less common. Most of us are happier and find it easier to stick to our weight loss plans if we eat foods that we enjoy, and fit them into our calorie goals.
It wasn't until years later, when I started tracking my food and making sure I was in a calorie deficit, that I actually lost weight. I lost 100 pounds and have kept it off for over a year and a half now. I haven't had a single meal replacement shake in the four-ish years since I started losing weight. You really do not need those shakes unless you just love the taste of them.13 -
My grandmother took slimfast for years. She's not slim, and it certainly wasn't fast.8
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I did the SlimFast diet years ago, but decided that I was tired of feeling like I wanted to eat my left arm after about 30 mins..lol. I did lose weight, but it came right back once I started eating normally again.
I also have a coworker who has drank the Walmart brand slimfast shakes off and on for years for lunches, and he's about 100 pounds overweight. Has been the entire 7 years I have known him4 -
They didn't work for me (this is going back years ago). I used them and was still hungry, so would eat food with them. Which was defeating the purpose. With that being said, it can work for you not everyone is alike. We all lose weight differently.2
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I confirm that I have tried and failed to lose weight with Slimfast among many many other stupid diet plans that I spent my hard earned money on. This is how it works.
You will be ok for a few days, all excited about the weight you are going to lose. You will lose a few pounds quite fast but that will mostly be water weight.
The weight loss will slow down if you last more than a week or two. You will then get impatient and start getting cross and wonder why you are bothering.
You will also be bored with drinking the same stuff over and over and start craving (insert your fave food here)
You will then start eating on top of the shakes because you are bored and hungry and they just don't satisfy in the way real food does.
You will be increasing your calorie intake, weight loss will stop, you will get even more annoyed and then give up and binge.
After a while when you are not hungry anymore and you have gained any lost weight back you will go out and buy this product (or similar) again and start the whole yo yo diet thing again .
This is how the people who make these products keep you coming back for more over and over. This is why people stay fat, because they don't learn the first time around.
You have the chance to do it right first time by listening to the people here who have lost weight and kept it off. I swear to you that counting your calories and eating the food you like within your calorie goal is so much better, healthier and more nutritious for you and it is sustainable for the rest of your life. I have lost 36 lbs so far and intend to lose another 30 without the use of any shakes at all.
Put your stats in MFP to lose 1lb per week and eat the calories it gives you. You will lose weight, you will not starve you will be able to keep to the diet what more could you need?
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I'm sure they've changed the formula since my college days, but I hated Slim Fast when I tried it. Not enough food for me (I lose better eating 1600-1700 cals and want to gnaw my own arm off below 1400) plus the shakes always sat in my stomach like a rock.
Can meal replacements work? Sure. I'd guess they have the same abysmal success/failure rate as every other diet out there (including calorie counting). But it's not something I'd suggest to others based on my own experiences with it. But to each his/her/their own. If it works for you and you're fueling properly/not missing anything with this, then your experiences are what matter. You've already bought the products. May as well try it and see. Just make sure you're getting a real meal with them and not something ridiculous like some berries.4 -
For me, they didn't. I got hungry soon after drinking it and in the long run consumed more than I should3
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Work for what?
To lose weight? Sure they work for that because you are consuming less calories. The downside is fast weight loss usually also results in muscle loss which for some is a deal breaker.
To get adequate nutrition? Not usually but it’s possible depending on the shake and what else you are consuming.
As a sustainable lifestyle change? Maybe for some people but never for me. I enjoy food too much and find it more sustainable to learn appropriate portions of real food so I can still enjoy eating while maintaining a healthy weight.
I’ve done the shake and protein bar route. It did not work for me long term. I felt bored and deprived and could never stick with it. I’ve been very successful reaching a healthy weight counting calories and macros.
I do still supplement with the occasional shake or bar and might even have one in place of lunch one day if I’m not super hungry. But I do this when I’m not hitting my protein macro usually as a way to supplement rather than replace food. I still eat normally the rest of the day and/or week.3 -
I personally find that liquid calories don't make me feel as full for as long. I used to drink a lot of protein shakes, and I typically found myself getting hungry much sooner than if I had consumed the same amount of "solid" calories, and would frequently find myself going over my daily calorie goal because of it.2
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I see two fails here.
1. Start with YouTube and Google research.
2. Buy the product before checking with dieting veterans.
I predict a very boring few days with modest results. Might as well muscle through now that you have spent the money.
I suggest afterwards:
1. Start with a reputable source like https://www.choosemyplate.gov
2. Read the stickies on this site. Buy yourself a $20 food scale. Log your food.
3. Set modest weekly goals.
You will be a transformed human being within a year.7 -
They don't work for me. I have tried a different brand of meal replacement. In doing so I found out two things. Firstly, I need to eat my food to take away hunger and feel full. Drinking calories just doesn't do it for me. Secondly, when I restrict my calories too much I end up hangry. You seriously do not want to be around me when this happens. This hunger just led me to overeat so any weight lost was quickly regained. For many what happens is a cycle of restrict then binge. Fortunately, I was smart enough to give up after a week, knowing that it was not a realistic way of going about long term weight loss.1
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I tried the Slimfast diet about 15 years ago. It was an abysmal failure. I was hungry all the time and didn’t successfully lose weight doing it.
I don’t have a problem drinking calories for meals on occasion; I went through a phase a couple years ago where I’d have a protein shake for breakfast, which I enjoyed and was filling for me, but I still had to track my calories. I wouldn’t survive ONLY drinking them, or even mostly drinking them, for that matter.2 -
I think your question has been answered very well, but just want to add this - there is a place for it depending on the type of person. My mom lost (And has kept off) 80 lbs over 20 years ago with Nutri System. It works for people who want to be told exactly what and how much to eat without second guessing it. But her experience is extremely rare.
And I pretty much always drink my breakfast - coffee mixed with a protein shake, sometimes blended with a banana and peanut butter or almond butter. That works for me, but I still count calories, so I don't consider it "meal replacement" - it's just that my meal in the morning is liquid.3 -
Lavndrblu2 wrote: »Before I started eating LCHF, I used weight loss drinks 2 ways. (1) Hubs & I would take them on road trips in case we couldn't find a place to eat right away and (2) I wasn't very good at portion control, so I would have a canned shake about a 1/2 hour before dinner. So, not starving when I sat down for my meal, I would eat less.
I have been LCHF for 4 months, lost 30lbs., A1c (diabetic) went from dangerous at 10 to normal under 5. I am 72yo and feel great. No bloating, no hunger pangs, no cravings, no crazy moods, no brain fog and plenty of nutrients. (Lots of good advice about low carb on YouTube
) Shakes are not bad of themselves, they are just not good instead of meals.
Hey I have a question... I read some things about LCHF and it is what I need.. I need low carbs anyway, I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol... My question is does the LCHF idea negatively effect this in your experience?1 -
Lavndrblu2 wrote: »Before I started eating LCHF, I used weight loss drinks 2 ways. (1) Hubs & I would take them on road trips in case we couldn't find a place to eat right away and (2) I wasn't very good at portion control, so I would have a canned shake about a 1/2 hour before dinner. So, not starving when I sat down for my meal, I would eat less.
I have been LCHF for 4 months, lost 30lbs., A1c (diabetic) went from dangerous at 10 to normal under 5. I am 72yo and feel great. No bloating, no hunger pangs, no cravings, no crazy moods, no brain fog and plenty of nutrients. (Lots of good advice about low carb on YouTube ) Shakes are not bad of themselves, they are just not good instead of meals.
Hey I have a question... I read some things about LCHF and it is what I need.. I need low carbs anyway, I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol... My question is does the LCHF idea negatively effect this in your experience?
If you have high cholesterol talk to your doctor before starting a HF diet1 -
chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »I
I’ve just bought these drinks and I am thinking of starting them tomorrow. I will be having one for breakfast and dinner and then tea a low calorie meal or a bowl of fruit. Just wondering if anyone else has tried these and had results and what low calorie meals can you suggest to have with them
Yes they do work. They have vitamins and minerals once you get to your goal weight you only have one shake for one of your meals and stay within your calorie allowance and after a while replace the final shake meal with another balanced meal againg keeping in your maintanance budget. Loosing weight has to be done however it is best for you.0 -
hybridangel wrote: »chloerebeccaxx125 wrote: »I
I’ve just bought these drinks and I am thinking of starting them tomorrow. I will be having one for breakfast and dinner and then tea a low calorie meal or a bowl of fruit. Just wondering if anyone else has tried these and had results and what low calorie meals can you suggest to have with them
Yes they do work. They have vitamins and minerals once you get to your goal weight you only have one shake for one of your meals and stay within your calorie allowance and after a while replace the final shake meal with another balanced meal againg keeping in your maintanance budget. Loosing weight has to be done however it is best for you.
Or you could just start out doing this with yummy, actual food.
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