Thinking of using diet shakes ?

woo1324
woo1324 Posts: 168 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
So i was thinking of using some diet shakes , i wasnt planning to use them to replace my meals more just as a breakfast as i hate eating in the morning and i never have time to prepare anything i want something thats got what i need to have a good constant amount of energy and to feel full for the morning and low in cals

Does this sound like a okay idea , i really hate "diet products"and dont want to be doing anything that is not a natural normal way to lose weight not interested in fads , but figured it may be a good breakfast

or is this just another one of those diet products that will end up doing me more harm then good?

Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    if you hate eating in the morning, why eat at all? just get your cals in later in the day
  • SimplyDeLish
    SimplyDeLish Posts: 539
    use a high protein, low sugar... Many times I'll blend them and add some fruit...they can be a great breakfast on the run.
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
    if you hate eating in the morning, why eat at all? just get your cals in later in the day
    Yep. The time of day/night you consume your cals doesn't matter. Check out the evidence: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390149-should-i-eat-at-night
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    if you hate eating in the morning, why eat at all? just get your cals in later in the day
    This.
  • Justin_1972
    Justin_1972 Posts: 25 Member
    I had success years ago with slimfast shakes.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Read the label and see if you like the look of the ingredients list - the ones I've looked at seem to be mostly variations of milk and sugar with a bit of artificial flavours and colours thrown in.

    The other option would be to make your own smoothie for breakfast - you could have the fruit all ready to go and just throw it in the blender with some milk (dairy or soy or almond or rice milk) and peanut butter or ground almonds and you have a healthy brekky that is ready in a minute. Or maybe even blend it up the night before ready to grab in the morning.
  • ginandtonica
    ginandtonica Posts: 54 Member
    I think it is important to eat something in the mornings, and if you are short on time a good low cal, high protein shake is a perfect go-to meal. Eating in the morning give your body fuel for the day, starts your metabolism and can help to keep you from making bad choices for lunch and sooner because you are STARVING!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    I think it is important to eat something in the mornings, and if you are short on time a good low cal, high protein shake is a perfect go-to meal. Eating in the morning give your body fuel for the day, starts your metabolism and can help to keep you from making bad choices for lunch and sooner because you are STARVING!

    Funny my metabolism works all the time.

    OP:Meal timing is irrelevant. If you don't like to eat breakfast then don't! I save the calories for later and have a bigger meal :]
  • SouLThinking
    SouLThinking Posts: 308 Member
    For years and years I didn't eat breakfast. I just had no appetite in the morning. I really think it messed up my metabolism. So anyway when I started really getting serious about my weight I started making myself eat at least 200 cal of something in the morning. Well, now it's a habit. As a working mom I too don't have much time. My breakfast consists of something I can fix in less than 5 minutes LOL. I usually have a packet of butter flavored grits (100 cal) and 1/2 of a 100 cal sandwich thin ..I might spread some sugar free jam on it or maybe some butter just depends on what I feel like. But I can tell you that eating breakfast sped up my weight loss. I too have had shakes ..when it's not cold LOL. I make my own. I take a cup of mixed no sugar added fruit and a cup of almond milk ...blend up the frozen fruit with the almond milk and add a little splenda if you want or not. It's less than 150 cal. There are a lot of quick and easy breakfast foods. They might not be as quick as grabbing a canned shake but definitely lighter on your $$. Now that I have been eating breakfast everyday for almost a year I can't go without it. You train your body in good habits...just like we trained it into bad habits.

    Nichole
  • andreacord
    andreacord Posts: 928
    if you hate eating in the morning, why eat at all? just get your cals in later in the day
    Yep. The time of day/night you consume your cals doesn't matter. Check out the evidence: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390149-should-i-eat-at-night

    Thanks for this. I'm a student with finals coming up which means I'm nocturnal now , this makes me feel a lot better.

    And OP I use meal replacements sometimes if I'm not hungry as well, or you could just get a protein powder instead of slimfast. Usually use a generic option of slimfast or a protein powder because I don't like eating in the mornings either but find myself starving if I go to class without having something
  • meex
    meex Posts: 135 Member
    i have a couple of tubs of meal replacement shakes in the house for when i a. couldn't be bothered to cook b. don't have the time (like when im going shopping and know i'll be tempted by all that food) or c. when i don't have any food left in the house right before payday. They are handy to have on standby when all else you have is bad
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
    I take medications that require food so I absolutely have to eat in the morning, even when I'm not hungry. Didn't know if you fell into that unfortunate category...

    What I do is eat things that I really "want." Make it an indulgent meal for yourself.

    I eat things like lean hamburgers with swiss cheese, caramel rice cakes with almond butter, etc. Just anything I really like.

    To answer your question though, I don't think there's anything *wrong* with using diet shakes, you just might be able to get more filling and cheaper options. Sometimes I blend skim milk with vanilla protein powder and frozen fruit. It's like a milkshake for breakfast.

    Best wishes whatever you choose!
  • Ina63
    Ina63 Posts: 4
    I tried the slimfast shakes to jumpstart my diet. I lost about 5 pounds the first week. I still use them for a breakfast or lunch when I am rushed for time and keep them on hand at work. I can't leave work so If I have to work late, this is a great quick "meal".
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    I don't eat breakfast, and can somehow go for a long or fast run anytime of day. I DO NOT feel sluggish, as if my metabolism wasn't burning. In fact, I started losing weight by skipping those unnecessary calories I was forcing myself to eat for breakfast. For me, eating breakfast didn't mean I would eat fewer calories later in the day. So doing simple math, skipping that useless meal left me a bigger calorie surplus at the end of the day.

    People who claim they skipped breakfast and it somehow affected their day negatively may not be giving you all of the details. Too many people prove you don't need breakfast to kick *kitten* in your day. Simply try it for a week or two and see for yourself.
  • monicamk1975
    monicamk1975 Posts: 298 Member
    I was having a hard time getting in 1200 calories recently and added in the Isomax whey protien shakes. They taste ok and I dont have to cook anything or eat anything too heavy at night. I do 2 scoops and 1 cup milk and 1 cup water and for 280 calories it fills me up and gives me like 55 grams of protien. You could do 1 scoop and 1 cup of milk for about 200 calories. I didnt use to eat breakfast either and have noticed since I started eating every 4 hours that I never feel like I'm hungry and have been losing weight pretty quickly. For a quick breakfast I eat BetterOats with a TBS of natural fiber. Fills me up till around noon and takes 90 sec to make in the microwave.
  • mrwall1
    mrwall1 Posts: 11
    my nutritionest thinks replacing one to two meals a day with a shake is a good idea to help lose weight quick.... i used to do the slimfast, but now i do the special K, a lot better taste, and i believe less carbs.... i tried to do just the shake, but found i still need something to go with it...
  • nataliegentle
    nataliegentle Posts: 1
    It's true that it doesn't matter what time you eat, but skipping meals is an issue. You should eat some protien after you have been awake for 30 minutes to get your metabolism going. It can often be hard to eat protein so early, so thats where protein shakes are good. I have mine with soy milk or water, and maybe a piece of fruit if you need it to keep you going. Ideally you should eat every 2 - 3 hours through the day, so that your body is continually fuelled, and then you will eat small portions at lunch and dinner.

    Also - I dont know about you, but if I skip breakfast I have no focus or energy. It really is the most important meal of the day.
  • autumnridge
    autumnridge Posts: 97 Member
    Healthwise, breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day since you are breaking your fast, hence breakfast. If it is difficult for you to eat much, why don't you make a healthy smoothie with fruit and yogurt? It doesn't have to be more than 1 cup full, but would replenish your energy to jump start your day. Even a slice of toast with PB or J would work. I hope you find something that will work for you.
  • thenewme5351
    thenewme5351 Posts: 7
    Hey, my name is Christina. I just started a 90 day challenge thats based on a meal replacement shake that taste awsome. I am loving my transformation. They do work but you got to watch for the product lables. Good luck to you!! Would love to be mfp friends!
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    There's nothing wrong with them really, as someone else said they can be a good way to jump start a diet. I used Slimfast shakes & bars for the first month or two while I got myself educated on nutrition & got accustomed to logging & tracking my calorie intake. They helped me get used to eating at a certain calorie level each day & eat regularly so it was a good thing.

    However, they aren't really meant to be used for long-term weight loss, & once I incorporated regular exercise into my routine I was getting really hungry. By then I was less overwhelmed by the whole food logging thing so it wasn't too hard to replace those shakes with real food that had similar caloric value. For several months I carried SF bars in my purse for emergencies & that came in handy more than once.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Shakes are fine as long as they're not "diet shakes".
  • jms11416
    jms11416 Posts: 25 Member
    nothing wrong with a slim fast for bfast... as long as your eating sensible the rest of the day. i have a protien shake almost every night for dinner bc i hate eating late or cooking after i get home from work & the gym... it's a carb control drink & it fills me up... once an a while i'll boil egg afterwards if im still hungry. enjoy you drink but still eat FOOD
  • fitmel08
    fitmel08 Posts: 8
    Wow lots of conflicting thoughts on this!

    I don't have any "evidence" but my weight loss hit a plateau at one point & my Dr suggested I start getting at least quick smoothie or fruit/cottage cheese combo to get my healthy habits started off right in the morning/when I get up - I'm REALLY not a morning eater either (especially when I worked a weird shift and was going to school at night), but I found it to be really helpful; had a lot more energy, I was more motivated to exercise earlier in the day, and my hunger cues were totally different compared to when I skipped breakfast. For example, no breakfast typically meant that I didn't eat until lunch- I tracked myself for 2 weeks (no changes, just to see what I was really doing) and my portions for the rest of the day were really large & I kept eating a lot later in the day.

    When I ate breakfast, I kept it light and then found that I was a little hungry (not ravenous) about 2-3 hours later so I started structuring a small snack (usually a piece of fruit and some cheese or something) and my lunch/dinners were lighter/smaller, but I also ended up having another small snack between those too (keep in mind, I had a late work schedule, so "breakfast" was actually at 11:30, about 30-60 minutes after I woke up). Lost 5 pounds within that month & definitely did feel less sluggish & sleepy during the day.

    I don't know if this will help, but I worked with a personal trainer/registered dietitian at my last job and she gave me this site- I found the whole thing to be helpful but specifically the myth/truth page might help out?

    http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitfacts_display.aspx?itemid=2677
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