Has anyone had success with using shakes

Mrsindepenant1
Mrsindepenant1 Posts: 196 Member
edited March 2020 in Food and Nutrition
I’m looking into using meal replacement shakes to replace breakfast and possibly lunch if they are filling enough. Iv found some low calorie protein shakes 150cal max each.
Has anyone else had success using shakes? I only have coffee in the AM so I’m use to skipping breakfast anyway.

Replies

  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    I really only use protein shakes to get my protein up in the right range when my deficit is so steep that it's hard to do it with "real food." Or if I'm in a hurry. They work, but I'm a "savoury" so too much sweet is unappealing.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    I kinda agree with @rheddmobile. You have to find your own way, and that probably won’t include shakes twice a day for the rest of your life while everyone around you is eating real food. But shakes can be a good fill-in or occasional meal. I used to have one on the nights I mowed the lawn and worked in the yard all evening. 1 cup skimmed milk, 1 banana, 1 individual packet whey protein, and a carload of ice in the blender, kept all but one glass in the freezer and sipped on it from about 5 to about 10. Worked great for that one night. I tried them off and on. I really suggest you use them only as a snack or a shortcut when it’s hard to get a meal, but easy to take a can or shaker with you.
    Again, do your own thing. Different things will work for you than worked for me.
  • Mrsindepenant1
    Mrsindepenant1 Posts: 196 Member
    Thanks all. I’m having a really s****y day so I didn’t really say what I wanted to haha.
    I’m more wondering if people found replacing meals with shakes satisfying enough. It will be a short term thing maybe a month and then breakfasts during the week likely long term
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    I didn’t. But that’s just me. You might. I’m a volume eater. Lots of salad, low cal veggies.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Mrsindepenant1 wrote: »
    Thanks all. I’m having a really s****y day so I didn’t really say what I wanted to haha.
    I’m more wondering if people found replacing meals with shakes satisfying enough. It will be a short term thing maybe a month and then breakfasts during the week likely long term

    I found they weren’t bad when frozen and eaten as ice cream, but were pretty unsatisfying when drunk as shakes.

    Greek yogurt, berries, and a small portion of nut butter is a real food alternative which is almost as easy as a shake.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Shakes can be effective. They are quick, take the thought out of what you will eat, and let's face it, sensory specific satiety takes over. Probably why a bland liquid diet experiment was so successful. In one experiment, an grossly obese individual lost 200 lbs in a year. Now, I agree with the above, it's not long term sustainable. If you need a quick snack, sure have a shake, but I think most of your diet should be whole foods.
  • stephaniek511
    stephaniek511 Posts: 86 Member
    I tried the shake thing for breakfast...even when I made sure that the shake was around 400 calories, I was still "starving" by about 9am. It's probably a mental thing for me but I just can't do the liquid as a meal thing even though I see specifically that it's the same number of calories.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,662 Member
    I started out having a homemade smoothie for breakfast. Luckily I hit on a combination that was not only filling, but looked and tasted like a Wendy’s frosty and it made me look forward to breakfast. Here I am eighteen months and 85 pounds later and still having the same (well, tweaked for more nutrition) smoothie for breakfast, and I miss it like crazy when I can’t have it.

    However, lunch is usually a volume salad, and snacks and dinner are heavy on protein.

    Man does not survive on shakes alone. (He could, but he would be misssssserable!!!!!)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Mrsindepenant1 wrote: »
    I’m looking into using meal replacement shakes to replace breakfast and possibly lunch if they are filling enough. Iv found some low calorie protein shakes 150cal max each.
    Has anyone else had success using shakes? I only have coffee in the AM so I’m use to skipping breakfast anyway.

    Protein shakes aren't meal replacements...they are protein supplements. They do not have the requisite nutrition to qualify as a meal replacement. They are lacking in vitamins and minerals and other nutrition that you would want with a meal replacement.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I tried SlimFast shakes back in the 90's. It absolutely did not work for me. I found that I need to chew actual food in order to feel full.
  • leahkathleen13
    leahkathleen13 Posts: 272 Member
    Sometimes i feel the shake makes me hungrier cause it is like a dessert.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    I feel like ig you go w one go w a higher calorie one. All the ones i tried were low cal and i was hungry within the hour/ two hour mark unless you add fat like coconut oil to up calories.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,662 Member
    angelexperiment wrote: »
    I feel like ig you go w one go w a higher calorie one. All the ones i tried were low cal and i was hungry within the hour/ two hour mark unless you add fat like coconut oil to up calories.

    My dietician suggested adding Greek yogurt to my breakfast smoothie to bump up calories and protein, but I ran out and discovered I much preferred adding a serving of cottage cheese. It makes it very rich, creamy and satisfying, and not as “tart” as adding the yogurt.
  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
    I use premier protein ready made shakes, or I use protein powder mixed, with different fruits and veggies in my nutribullet
  • Mrsindepenant1
    Mrsindepenant1 Posts: 196 Member
    Thanks all, I tried making them up with water and they were below average, added some banana and still average. Made one up today with half full fat milk and water and it kept me satisfied for 3 hours. I think it will be best for when I’m on the go or if I got that 3pm slump.
  • Onedaywriter
    Onedaywriter Posts: 326 Member
    Once or twice a week I put 1 cup of frozen berries with a scoop of whey protein and water in the nutribullet for breakfast. I often use a similar mix for a snack at night. It does keep me full until lunch, but I generally have some fruit for a snack at around 11am. I feel like I get my protein along with some vitamins and fiber from the berries. One cup of frozen mixed berries has only around 80 Cals

  • OHFlamingo
    OHFlamingo Posts: 239 Member
    I need way more than 150 calories in the morning for breakfast, otherwise I'd be starving for sure! However, I have found that making a protein smoothie almost everyday for lunch, with almond/coconut milk, protein powder, berries, bananas, pumpkin puree, etc. satisfies me until dinner, as I need the extra protein, being a vegetarian, and on 1200 calories (per mfp). I tried SlimFast before, and they didn't taste all that great, I got hungry quickly, and it became expensive. Just try some shakes for a couple weeks, and see how it goes for you. If you are not used to eating breakfast, maybe it'll work for you. If not, try something else until you find what you like, and what works best for you. Good Luck! 😁

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