Shakes

[iloveredwine]

I am considering trying shakes to kick start weight loss. I've tried and failed calorie counting, low carb, slimming world etc as I think once I eat something it's a free for all. Has anyone done this for a few weeks and managed to eat healthily after?

[Heartshapedfairylights]

I started on Tesco shakes yesterday in an attempt to remove the temptation of food.

So far so good.

[iloveredwine]

Are you having 3 a day? Well done so far! what's the best flavour? I cannot just have healthy food!

[Mumathon]

I did SlimFast for three weeks (always planned to just be 3) to kick start some weight loss. That was a couple of weeks ago and I moved on to just a calorie controlled diet. I found it helped to ‘reset’ my snacking/portion sizes expectations. The weight loss was good on the shakes and had slowed now, but I needed to get back to ‘proper’ food after three weeks!

[Yokatsu]

I did slimfast for 6weeks when I started losing weight. I just didn't trust myself with food and I'd had enough of it. After 6 weeks I changed to calorie counting and using my fitness pal. At that point I'd ramped up the exercise and slimfast did not provide enough calories. I hit target weight with at least four stone lost a year later. I've gone up a bit from the lowest weight (it actually didn't look great) and maintained there with my fitness pal since.

I swear by calorie counting in the long run but slimfast was absolutely fabulous for me at the start. Sometimes I even go back to it after a splurge period eg Christmas.

[iloveredwine]

right I'm going to get some today. I just can't trust myself around food. it's like once I have 1 thing I give up and graze all day. Which shakes are the nicer?

[Yokatsu]

Pre-made Caffè latte cold

But that's just a personal preference. They all need to be cold

[Vitalogy]

The ingredients and cost of those ready made shakes isn't good. A banana/milk or other fruit smoothie is a better idea. I have replaced a meal with one of these myself and lost weight.

[Yokatsu]

No they aren't. But making my own really wouldn't have worked for me. I needed a total break from trusting myself with food. Getting used to measuring and logging all my food was a really important skill but once a day doing this was quite enough pressure for me. As time went on it became second nature so doing it for everything was so much easier than if I'd had to log and measure everything straight off.

I got really annoyed with people who told me about the unhealthness of shakes. They were way more healthy than my then diet and served a really important psychological role. They absolutely did jump start my diet. With the shakes I couldn't get it wrong and even if I did it was so limited that it didn't effect my overall weight-loss. It was simple and easy.

With the shakes I proved to myself weight loss was possible. Then I had the confidence to do it properly.

[iloveredwine]

I'm going to get some shakes and tins of powder. Slim fast is on offer in Superdrug so going for it. I'm one that can't regulate my food intake so I need a set thing to eat or drink. this is why I can't stick to healthy eating at the moment. hopefully once I have got used to no snacking I can have another go but for now I think this is the way forward for me!

[Yokatsu]

Start something like my fitness pal while you are doing the shakes, log the shakes and the one meal a day get. Use it to start teaching yourself what calories actually look like. The shakes aren't sustainable long term. My fitness pal is your the healthy sustainable exit strategy, for me it will be on and off for life because I don't regulate my food intake well without it.

[Cassimin]

I've bought exante.
Lots of offers and flavours.
I did Cambridge and lost 2 stone. It was great but a bit expensive.
Unfortunately 5 years later I'm going to have to start again.
It annoys me when slimming world followers say shakes are no good, you put it all back on.
When they've been going back and rejoining for years.

[iloveredwine]

is exantie the same as slim fast? I already have my fitness pal. I use it and log what I eat then after lunch I just carry on eating!

[Cassimin]

It's shakes, bars and meals.
I've only had the shakes and bars and most of them are ok.
There's a forum you can join if you need support or advise.

[Vitalogy]

I just had a look, the chocolate Slim Fast is 230 cals, my narna/milk one is less than that.
Long term these shakes/bars don't work, so why people keep eating them I don't know.

[Yokatsu]

Long term these shakes/bars don't work

Bit of a nonsense phrase that isn't it? It doesn't actually mean anything

If you stuck to the shakes long term you would continue to lose weight until you're weight reaches a level that it will maintain on about a 1200 cal diet. that sense if you stick to the shake diet, it will work. The shakes won't suddenly stop working.

If you return to your normal eating patterns when you "finish" the diet. You will put on weight. That is the same with any "diet". If you go back to overeating you will go back to putting on weight. That's not the shakes not working that's your choice over what you put in your mouth.

Most people won't sustain a shake diet long term, at 6 weeks. And the problem with the shakes is that they don't teach you what you should be eating in the long run. That doesn't mean the shakes don't work, they do, it just means you need a sustainable long term plan that suits you. They also don't provide enough calories if you do anything more than the most limited exercise or a highly active job. These are all valid critisms of slimfast

And for all the fuss about sugar, when i was tracking my nutrients I did find slimfast one of the easiest most effective ways for getting all the nutrients you need on a 1200cal diet. It isn't easy otherwise. Your shake might be less calories but that's only good or bad in the context of the rest of your diet either in context of nutrition or calorie values.

Long term no diet, either maintenance or weight-loss, will "work" if you don't keep to it. People do shakes because they they are a simple way to lose a lot of weight quickly. Long term weight loss/management takes dedication and commitment, but that's the same whatever method you use to manage your food input.

[Vitalogy]

Bit of a nonsense phrase that isn't it? It doesn't actually mean anything It means exactly what it states. The same as your quote below:

Most people won't sustain a shake diet long term, at 6 weeks. And the problem with the shakes is that they don't teach you what you should be eating in the long run.

I went down 3 clothes sizes over 10 years ago, I've never bought Slim Fast and the likes.

[RavenLG]

I started Slim Fast 23rd April.
I've had a few days where I've not stuck to it, ate and drank what I wanted.
To date have lost 9.8lbs (had lost 10lb last Friday when weighed in but had a bad weekend).
It's fine if I stick to it. I, like other PPs, need the routine and the temptation removed. I'm hoping to lose a few stone doing this then slowly re-introduce meals (porridge / oats at breakfast, shake at lunch then after a few month soups etc.), and introduce exercise at the same time. Currently I feel too big to exercise (old injuries and general size is stopping me).
I wanted a quick kick start but as long as it keeps dropping hopefully I will be happy. I need to stop caving at the weekend (DP is away for 3 weeks working so hoping I will be good!)

[Yokatsu]

Good for you

I went down 4 stone+ and 3-4 dress sizes. About 1 stone and 1 dress size of that was slim fast

Different strokes for different folks.

[thechocman]

Shakes work but a lot of people rebound.

Make sure you have an exit strategy. At some point you WILL need to learn how to track actual food intake and incorporate exercise or it's likely you'll put a bunch of it back on and possibly more.

[iloveredwine]

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm going to give it a go. initially for 6 weeks and see how I get on as others have said I need to reset my attitude to food.

[Singingtherapy]

Think I'll join you! Going away at the end of July so my goal will be to lose at least a stone by then. Going shopping for slim fast tomorrow!

[rememberthetime]

Slim and Save is a good lower cost option. Slim fast is quite high in sugar and having a mixture of shakes, bars, soups and meals is actually easier as it is less boring.

I lost 4 Stone some years ago and use these types of meal replacements when I need to lose again.

A study came out in the news today about how very low calorie diets are good as a way to lose quickly. Diabetes can be reversed and you lose more than any other diet type. Honestly - they really work and they take away temptation. You can't go wrong - until you start to eat again.

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/25/formula-meal-diet-plan-can-tackle-obesity-in-short-term

Just make sure you use the refeeding program correctly so you don't start adding too much food too quickly.

[helloBuddy]

I use Slimfast for breakfast, I blend it with a banana and then I eat a low cal lunch and tea. I snack on fruit or yoghurts. I've lost 13lb in 6 weeks. One of these weeks I completely ate crap but I got back to it. I'll sometimes have a shake for dinner depending on what I feel like.

[Grasslands]

i was going to link the guardian article as well. anything that helps even for a short period of time is worthwhile.

[iloveredwine]

starting today as was out all weekend. what shakes are you all doing? yes I read the article too. very interesting.