Meal replacement vs protein

Don't do shakes. Cut out sugar and cut down on carbs and alcohol and you'll drop pounds.

View Quoted Comment I have been doing that for a couple years and havent dropped a pound. I only drink when its a holiday and I don't have too much sugar or carbs anymore. So, I feel stuck.

Keep below 20 grams of carbs a day and essentialy NO sugar

If you are going to the gym you need to make sure you get adequate protein. Lifting lighter weights will help build lean muscle which will increase you base metabolic rate and help you burn more calories.

Please look into IIFYM (if it fits your macros) before you cut carbs to below 20grams (which is completely unnecessary because carbs don’t make you gain weight). Macros are carbs, fats, and protein. You eat whatever you want as long as you hit your intake for the day. There are many calculators online to figure out the numbers of each macros that is right for your weight, height, age, and excersise level, as well as your goals. No diet should be one size fits all and that’s why IIFYM is the perfect diet for anyone, it’s based on you and only you. and many Facebook groups. It’s a sustainable diet because you can eat whatever you want.

It’s not about “better” it’s abour what your goals are and what you’re using them for. I prefer protein shakes that are low-sugar but aren’t pure protein - if you’re doing the protein shakes that are just 30 grams of straight protein you’re probably not actually even digesting it properly. I like the protein shakes that also have fiber and some fat, and those that have vitamins and minerals. I’ll use it as my protein source at lunch, and add a salad or some other veggies. Or I’ll just have it as a snack between lunch and dinner (mine is only 130 calories and 15 grams of protein so since I do a lighter lunch it works out for me).

Theres plenty of different diets and things to try out. I’ve done them all. For me, lazy Keto works because it cuts out all the bad sugars and carbs that I crave.

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Thank you for this, definitely going to look into this.

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Which one do you use? I was thinking a shake for lunch while I am at work, or when I work late.

I use Vega Essentials as a meal replacement for breakfast and love it! I’m always rushing in the morning but since I suffer migraines it’s extra important I start my day getting protein and other nutrients. It keeps me full from 7am until I eat lunch around 12pm. Not sure if it would help you with weight loss or not though it probable depends on your current routine and how your routine would change with a meal replacement/protein drink.

View Quoted Comment I eat what i want and i eat good food just not crap food. I did macro counting and only lost 4 lbs in 2 months. I rarely eat over 20 carbs a day and when i do they are good carbs and have lost 22 since doing this. Its all about what you are sustituting with the carbs and where you are getting your carbs. I guess like you said its not one size fits all

I decided to give Isagenix a try and it’s seriously the best decision I’ve made! The program is really easy to follow and you can start seeing results in your measurements after about two weeks.

So i have lost 18lbs in 5 months, I started trying to go to the gym 5 Days a week beginning in January and typically make it 3 or more. I also started drinking the Slimfast High protein shake a couple of days a week for breakfast/ lunch or dinner depending on what I felt like doing ( every once in a while I ended up drinking 2 in one day). I try to make good meal choices and stay away from sweets for the most part although I had a cookie today lol. This worked for me, small consistent changes - burn more than you intake...

A lot of books and articles have been published that offer great advice for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. As you continue to research the best options to reach your goals, I encourage you to do a little bit of activity each day, even for a short while if all you have is 10 or 20 minutes a day. Eat a well-balanced diet that nourishes you; lots of fresh vegetables and some fruit of different colors, beans, nuts, seeds, small amounts of meat sparingly. Drink lots of water each day. You will feel refreshed, healthy, and invigorated for your wedding. Best of luck!

Thank you everyone for your advice

Lots of water! No soda. And cut back on carbs a lot! Works great

View Quoted Comment Yes on the water!
Get into the habit of drinking 16oz of water before every single meal. I used to drink maybe 50 ounces of water, now I drink around 100 - way more than half my body weight in ounces!

I’m getting into the habit of doing intermittent fasting during the work week, so my schedule is: 16oz of water, then black coffee, the. 16oz more water - by then it’s about noon, so I eat a big lunch with all carbs coming from veggies. I’ll drink a protein shake and/or have almonds as a snack in the afternoon, and then eat dinner when I get home. And something crucial to my weight loss is dinner and DONE. I need to stop snacking after dinner 😂 which is doable if I make good, filling low-carb meals.

if you can’t imagine doing Keto, that’s okay! Just try to identify the carbs that really bloat you or make you feel like crap. For me, after I get healthy again, I will eat potatoes and sweet potatoes again, because they don’t make me feel awful and I actually can maintain and even lose weight while eating them. Tons of bread? Meh

Stick with whole foods and whole proteins. Shakes/bars/replacements are usually high in sugar and carbs which are your main enemies. I'm currently doing keto and have noticed a huge difference. My carb sources come from green leafy veggies and I stay full all day. I keep my carbs at 25 or lower a day, avoid sweets, carbs such as bread, pasta, etc, sodas and all processed foods and I feel great.

Protein will help build lean muscle without the other fillers in replacement shakes. Check out Rule One R1 protein (orange label). Strawberries and Creme is fantastic! This mix only has 100 calories, 0 sugar, fat and carbs. That’s impossible to find without it tasting like cardboard and this one is actually really good. The other flavors are good too. Idk about replacing a whole meal with it but we do it in place of snacks and it helps a ton

If you will be involved in weightlifting, make sure you have enough protein. It helps build lean muscless

Muscles. Sorry for the earlier typo