To ask if you've ever had success using a shake based diet..?

[printedlace]

So I'm looking into different options. I know it's a typical New Years resolution to eat better, loose weight etc.. but I do really need to do it this time.
My partner and I are TTC.. I've not had any confirmed fertility issues but I am a little overweight, and I'd like to fry to do what I can to help our chances 😀

So I'm looking into either slimming world or slim fast (shake based) I've done slimming world before, liked it - but it's so easy in my opinion to stray off track.. but that could be my crappy willpower 🤣🤦‍♀️

I'm swaying more towards slim fast shake diet. I guess I'm just wondering if herbalife / juice plus / slim fast has worked for anybody before? Before I go out and blow a load of money on shakes 😅

There is no substitute for a healthy balanced diet.

There is no quick fix.

We sometimes don’t value our own bodies enough. Imagine if a friend of yours told you they were feeding their kid on a shake diet, you’d be shocked wouldn’t you? So please don’t do that to yourself.

I appreciate it is hard for some to lose weight even with a balanced diet and an exercised, but IMO you’ll be more likely to conceive on a healthy diet than a shake diet, even if you’re carrying a few more pounds than you’d like, as at least your body will be getting what it needs.

Good luck TTC!!!

So slimfast gave me the quick start, I learnt nutrition and healthy eating via mfp.

@CMOTDibbler That’s what I do, I live for my Saturday off (and Friday night!) I’ve found that I don’t eat as much on my day off though as my appetite is a lot smaller (sadly not the case right now after all the junk I’ve eaten over Christmas!)

Every person I know that has done shakes has lost weight rapidly, waxed lyrical about it and then gained it all plus more. Then they flip to another brand of miracle life changing shake. Repeat ad infinitum.
Not an ideal choice at a time when your health is crucial is it?

If you're doing it with a view to ttc I wouldn't. VLCDs (which the shakes tend to be) play buggery with the menstral cycle. I did exante for a bit and was spotting constantly throughout, and looking at the Facebook group this was a common problem.

I wasn't even on it that long - I think it started in my third week.

Nothing that makes your body do that can be very good for you.

I was dubious about JP to start with but I felt really good on the detox part of the diet (the first two weeks) basically cutting out dairy (apart from 6 eggs a week and full fat natural yoghurt) wheat and gluten. Eat lean meats..50% of your plate should be veg, 25% carbs (basmati rice, sweet potatoe) and 25% protein. Loads and loads of water. Once the shake part of it is complete, you end up back eating as per detox!

Slimfast is 1200cal. The same as most low calorie diets. I can't talk about the rest.

Every diet will work. Or not work depending on how you look at it. If you consume more calories than your body burns you will put on weight. If you consume less you will lose. If you don't naturally eat the right amount for you healthy weight, maintaining a healthy weight is a permanent effort.

That's the same for any "diet".

For me slim fast gave me an easy idiot proof way to get started.

I have just started a shake diet (not going to say which one but not slim fast) I’ve done it before and honestly I lost loads of weight. Like 5 stone in 6 months so I’m doing it again. Yes I did put on weight again but I’ve been pregnant twice since then. I’ve just started yesterday. I’ve tried healthy eating but I always over eat so for me shakes take that away, if I’m just having shakes then a dinner I won’t over eat as not going to have any extra shakes and the dinner is the only real food I eat. People can criticise but it’s better than staying fat. I’m trying what I can to lose weight.

I know someone who lost weight on a shake diet several times
They put the weight back each time, when they ate their normal diet

It would be better to increase your exercise & change your existing diet

Diet shakes are old school, you need to get onto Huel

I lost 6kg using Almased, although 2kg has gone back on over Christmas. Tbh the reason it worked was it made me properly calorie count and log food, and I tried to eat more protein than carbs/fat. The 3 days of just Almased shakes was just miserable enough to stop me sabotaging it when I started reintroducing food!

I’m starting slimfast tomorrow, 1 shake and 1 bar plus a low calorie dinner for Mon to Friday then normal dinner Friday, normal at the wkend but less of the chocolate then back on again. Will see how it goes

First two weeks are a detox

What does that mean?

I have only ever had success with calorie counting, high protein, low carb eating when losing. I did this after having DS and lost four stone. I put three back on two years after due to an accident left me unable to walk or cook for several years. I lost that again in 2016 and have stayed the same weight since then without counting. I put a bit on over Christmas but just a couple of pounds and I always do.
Shakes won't fill you up, they will cause havoc with your blood sugars, you'll lose will power and feel like a failure when you're starving an hour after having one, they won't teach you what to eat so you'll pile weight back on after, and most importantly they will not help your egg quality.
Try the My Fitness Pal app for logging what you eat. Do it for a few days and you can start to see where you can cut back when you see what and how much you are eating.

I tried a shake diet many years ago. I was so hungry I woke in the night crying.

Yes I lost weight about 7 years ago using slim fast. I probably wouldn't do it now but I had a huge appetite and I think it just sort of reset how much I needed to feel full.

If its partly about the ease of making a milkshake rather than a meal, you might want to try Huel instead for one of your meals. It's more nutritious than just protein powders or sugary sweet stuff.

@cg88

Also herbalife tastes like feet!!

😂🤣

thank you 🎉

Do slimming world but calorie count as well. Slimming world is a very healthy way of eating. It's downfall is the whole "eat until you are full" ethos. I have no "full".

Shakes can cause metabolic adaptation where your body stops burning calories because you're not consuming enough and so will only burn what you consume. Which means when you stop them and eat anywhere near normally again your metabolism is still burning fewer calories but you're in a surplus and so gain more weight. Hope that makes sense!

This true of all low calorie diets though isn't it?

Sorry don’t know how to tag for offskki. Detox is basically cutting sugar, dairy, wheat and gluten, alcohol and caffeine out.

I started Exante last February for 10 weeks. MUCH nicer than Slimfast.
I've lost 2.5 stones and have kept it off so far.

Shakes can cause metabolic adaptation where your body stops burning calories

Have you researched how many calories you will "not" be able to eat 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I was worried about it until I actually read the details.

Its statistically significant as in it happened to enough people to know it happens.... umm.... that's about the limit of it.... the difference in calories requirement is minuscule.

Do weights or strength building program and you can balance out most "ill effects" anyway

I've lost weight on Slimfast.

I find it keeps me literally away from food. I do have to go to the fridge (because personally i like them cold) but apart from opening the fridge door and grabbing the thing, i don't have to go near any other tempting stuff. That's a massive plus for me. If i don't have to see or deal with food i can leave it.

Secondly i find my stomach shrinks really fast so that when i do eat my meal at the end of the day i'm fuller on much less.

Thirdly i do believe there is something in it which inhibits your appetite (if there isn't an it's all in my mind - i don't want to know, i believe there is and it works for me!)

Yes in the past i've put weight back on eventually after losing it with SF. However, i've also put weight back on after losing it eating a good old 'healthy diet'. When you start pigging again that's what happens. That's life! When you stop doing what ever it was which was making you lose weight/stay slim you will put it back on!

The trick is to get it off and then find a way to keep it off long term. I can do it and when i've lost on slim fast it has sometimes taken a good few years to go back up.