Advice Needed: Best Meal Replacement / Weight Loss Shake

As spring approaches I feel the need to drop some pounds and wanted a simple way to get started. I have found in the past that instead of worrying about and preparing a nutritious yet savory meal; meal replacement shakes work well for me.

My problem is that now that I am becoming more aware of what is in our food I am also more concerned about what is in my shakes. I can hardly read the tiny ingredient list on the sides of the bottles, but from what I can make out it doesn't look good. So, has anyone found something healthy that I can use to replace meals with for a few weeks?

I have looked at some of the reviews online, but I don't trust them and they aren't looking to eliminate dangerous chemicals like I am.

ATS?

ETA: Any other tricks and tips for weight loss and exercise would also be welcome. I could use the help!

a reply to: Metallicus

You want a good shake? Make your own! Try this one out for starters:

1 banana
1 cup skim milk
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
6 (or so) frozen strawberries
1 teaspoon all natural peanut butter
6 ice cubes (more if you want it thicker)

Throw it all in a blender and there you have it.

There are plenty of people here who can give you tips on exercise and weight loss. I've taught group fitness for about 20 years and in my experiece all I will say is this: Some exercise is better than none. It doesn't matter what it is just get out there and move.

As for losing weight a good rule of thumb is to take your target weight and multiply it by 12. This will give you a ball park number of how many calories you should consume each day to reach that weight.

Also remember, diet is good. Exercise is good. Diet + Exercise is the best way to achieve and maintain your goals.

Good luck!!

a reply to: Metallicus

I just always eat minimally. That is, I eat simple stuff in as simple a form as possible. Like nuts, whole grains, proteins, etc. And I run as much as possible. Just watch your calorie count and don't take in more than you need to. Every 3500 calories you can cut out, between diet and burning it off with exercise, will cut 1 pound. You could blend up some nuts, yogurt, and other natural stuff and make a shake of sorts. I personally don't mind what it tastes like. I can eat most anything if it's natural food.

I used to have a problem with weight. It used to sneak up on me no matter what i ate.

While i didn't diet so much, i was able to loose weight and keep it off.

I still eat anything i want. I wake up by 9 am and don't eat anything substantial till 2-3 pm. Then i eat again around 7-9 pm.

Two meals a day..that's it. Now when i say a meal, i indulge into things like two or three heaping bowls of cereal with whole milk. Three or four sausages with fried peppers and onions. Heaping mounds of mashed potatoes and corn, carrots, broccoli. Steaks and potatoes. Whole pizzas.

Im an absolute HOG! But i cant gain any weight eating like this.

When i work its pretty hard work. I burn a few thousand calories a day working. But work days are few and far between.

Mostly i sit on my rear in front of this stupid box o information.

For a little perspective, two years ago i weighed 240 and it showed. Today i weight about 195 give or take.

Prior to this it was all fast food and buffets because of my work schedule.

This is my success story and i hope it can help you in some form.

Good luck and don't give up.

Edit: i guess i did diet, just away from the fast food.

I've lost, drum roll please, 20 lbs since january.

And I did it by doing the following.

Keeping track of what I eat. I'm using an app called myfitnesspal. There's plenty that you can use. Just search on the app store.

Basically I'm limiting my intake to 1500 calories a day. For me that means that I'll be losing roughly 1.5 lbs a week. It doesn't sound like much. But in a year that's roughly 78lbs!

And of course I'm eating better. When you go down this road you start seeing that any time you eat out you're eating way too many calories. Most restaurants will serve you a 2K calorie meal. And unless you're working out. You'll never burn off those calories. I was sometimes easily eating 3K calories a day. No wonder I was over 240lbs.

And now I'm eating more vegetables, quinoa, beans and my lean meats plus other healthy snacks.
Change your diet. eat better foods and the weight will fall off.

a reply to: RomaSempre

That sounds like a good idea for a shake, the only thing I would watch for is the ingredients list on the protein powder. Try to get one without all the artificial sweeteners that these tend to have in them. Also, some brands have creatine in them, whether they list it or not on the label. Some people, myself included, don't mind the creatine because I use it sometimes to help bulk up.

a reply to: Metallicus

I like to make my own fruit smoothies such as chilled organic bananas, vanilla, cinnamon and ice and/or water with a normal blender. I make fruit salad and make smoothies with that as well. I also will eat veggie salads. A fruit and veggie diet does not keep you full for long so i increase to 6 meals a day. You can also look up recipes for green smoothies.

No matter want, a shake(or liquid) as a meal replacement ALONE is NEVER a good idea. You need solid food, meal replacement liquids will make you hungry faster.

The goal is to be healthy, while "dieting", to make sure what you ate is enough to make your hunger hold back.

Try to add some solid stuff, such as fiber(even tho its been said a lot), it will hold you off.


When you get hungry, it means your body's chemical gets altered and metabolisms slows down, even save fat..

Goal is to find a equilibrium where you can satisfy your hunger at the same time eat healthy.

Only effect food that helped me is vegetables(broccoli, carrots and bell peppers are great addition to make you full but with almost no calories), i have yet to experiment with anything else.

I agree with romasempre's suggestion. Smoothies are great. I suggest you make a big batch at once, pour into mason jars and freeze. Then each night just put one in the fridge to thaw for the next day. Side note on that, I haven't been able to successfully freeze it with the protein powder already added, it takes on a weird texture (in my opinion). If I want to add that, I do it at the last minute. There are tons of smoothies recipes on the internet. The protein is good though because it helps you feel full.

I also buy fruits and wash them all up, then just leave them sitting out in bowls on my counter. That way whenever I walk by I can grab a little something to snack on that's healthy, keeps me from getting too hungry. Then it's easier to eat smaller portions at regular meals like lunch and dinner.

And exercise of course.

a reply to: Metallicus

Hi there,

When you're talking about meal replacement shakes, you need to always be on the lookout for hidden GMO ingredients. Whey/casein protein is most often sourced from cows fed GMO diets. And most commercial protein powders contain GMO like soy lecithin and artificial sweeteners. Avoid these like the plague.

Here's a list of hidden GMO ingredients you might find on the side of your protein powder.

So what brands are safe? I like True Nutrition because the site lets you formulate your own protein blends, carries non-gmo protein types, and also allows you to opt-in for natural sweeteners like Stevia.

Note that these organic-style proteins won't necessarily taste as good as commercial GMO death-brands. But your body and mind will certainly thank you, and you'll find weight comes off WAY easier when you're not poisoning yourself with the GMO "food" mainstream outlets try and sell you.

Good luck!

a reply to: shaneslaughta

That system works well for me. I lived half my life eating that way. If you eat breakfast then you are hungry two hours later because you switched from burning fats to burning sugars. For some reason with me, I can switch over easier when I am sleeping. The only problem I found with this system is that thinking is slower, but often more accurate for figuring things out as you tend to be less impulsive and screw things up.

As soon as you eat starches or sugar, you have to start all over. You are hungry for a while then the hunger goes away as you start to burn fats in the body after depleting the liver stores.

a reply to: Metallicus

rice & turmeric dal for breakfast, lunch & dinner

for full slimness recovery, you do that same diet in india (rajasthan or uttar pradesh or bihar) preferably in June, July, August for maximum sweating

I guarantee 100% obesity problems solved (+ many other health issue - thanks turmeric) for far less money than cost all those replacement bs

a reply to: Metallicus

No matter how I spin it its going to sound like im trying to sell something.... oh well. first some info: lets use an apple for example. How long do you think an apple sits on the shelf after its picked before it hits the grocery store and eventually your counter top or fridge?

once its picked.... an apple can sit in an industrial freezer for up to 10+ months. the season for picking apples is not year round yet we have apples in the grocery store 24-7. so most of the nutrients are lost while the crystallization from the freezer destroys all of the cells in the apple.
Once again just an example.

thats not just for apples, thats for all fruits and veggies. so yea you may be trying to eat healthy with all of the fruits and veggies you buy, but in the end you are just throwing money down the toilet. all of the processing and chemicals going into everything nowadays is destroying what our bodies need on a daily basis.

If Ive intrigued you u2u me and ill send you a web site for more info and a possible solution. If not, hey no skin off my nose you were looking for suggestions and I was offering one. good luck. in the weight loss.

a reply to: MojaveBurning

I highly disagree with the freezing of stuff as the ice crystals stab the cells of the nutrients and vitamins you are trying to nourish you body with thousands of times, destroying them in the process. The sake then loses any nutritional value.
there will be people with different opinions and I encourage the research into it as you shouldnt ever take some ones word for gospel.

Just some food for thought. pun intended haha

Shakes never worked for me.
Check out the Ketogenic diet, its quick and awesome (be careful, do your reading before you start). I lost 40lbs in 3 months on it, and then lost another 20lbs over several months after, my theory is it kicked my metabolism into high gear and continued to burn fat after i left the diet.
I intend on going on it again, i have another 50 to lose.

a reply to: Metallicus

Garden of Life's Raw Fit and Fuco Thing Green, I hve lost 30 lbs.

Just out of curiosity, why do you feel the need to lose weight? I ask because so many people want to lose weight for the wrong reason--to look "good"--and not simply to be and feel healthy. A lot of people tell me I need to gain weight, but I feel fine and doc says I check out, so what do I care if culturally-brainwashed idiots don't think I'm dead sexy.

Anyway, I suppose either way it's better to lose the weight. But if your motivation is based on what other people think, your chances of success are slim (pun intended). You simply have to want to feel better, for yourself and not anyone else, and you will naturally find what works if you keep at it.

Aside from GMO, I'd stay away from soy in general. Products like Herbalife contain lots of it. Soy spikes estrogen levels, which is especially bad for women at risk for breast cancer. As far as the "best" meal replacement, they all claim they are the best, but they all taste like crap. The rage around my friends is Shakeology but its expensive IMO.

Also IMO, if you want to lose weight then take in your highest calorie meal when you get the most exercise then eat lower calorie meals the rest of the day. Everyone knocks calorie counting, but if you are burning more calories than you consume, you will lose weight every time. And also roaming around the office b.s.'in with co-workers for 8 hours is NOT exercise.

I personally am not looking to lose weight, but maintain. I eat normal meals, take raspberry keytones with green coffee bean extract, and exercise, which keeps me lean.

a reply to: Metallicus

IsoPure protien shakes.

I cannot remeber the exact calorie count, around 200-250ish, however 50gm of protien, vitamins, amino acids etc. You can mix them with water or milk, even blend in your favorite fresh fruits (bananas, strawberries in dutch chocolate was mine). They are quite filling, and by far the best I have found for a good all around protien drink.

Good Luck!

isoPure

Grim

Limes www.organicfacts.net...
should be the first thing you try, source them from a local garden if they grow where you are, blend the lime up including the skin as this is where the flavanoids are and they are fantastic for your body, take twice a day and the weight will fall off as well as helping your entire body.

Do not buy anything from a supermarket as virtually all of the food they sell there is dead. Avoid cereals completely as preservatives and a chemical flavour pack makes it taste and look good but once something is dead its dead plus you don't want to be eating uranium which is left in the fertiliser and then goes into our food.

so if you can't find the limes from a gardener only buy organic

When you lose weight you have to take into consideration that a lot of the poison in our body is stored in the fat cells and when you lose weight the poisons get released and go round our body again if the liver or kidneys can't excrete them quick enough, to get round this buy some hydrated bentonite clay this will grab the poisons and take them out of the body for you. Then move onto Borax that is if your Government haven't banned it, Borax grabs the poisons and excretes them out of your liver and kidneys so it is a little bit harder on your body, as a bonus borax will double the strength of your bones and will take the calcium that the fluoride has removed from your bones and dumped into your kidney's and brain, it also improves your cells membranes and therefore protects you from cancer as well, Borax cures all arthritis and osteoporosis and remember most governments are trying to ban it to keep you ill.

Chickweed works really well and macadamia nuts avocado and coconut, and try and take some sulphur MSM is a great source or flowers of sulphur

There is one piece of info that says removing homogenized milk helped one person lose weight without any other modification to diet basically all dairy products are really bad for you.

The lime will do the job you want all on its own but the other factors should influence how you go about it.

And if you do get the borax don't buy it with any scent added to it just find 99% or 99.5% this is non toxic you can normally find it in the laundry aisle, you take 6mg in distilled water a day, Borax would reduce hospital admissions by 30% due to broken bones and arthritis sufferers so you can see why doctors and the pharmaceutical industry wouldn't want to tell you how good it is for you as they are all about money nowadays not your welfare.
www.health-science-spirit.com...