Don’t weight loss marketing blurbs for weight loss shakes sound awesome … kind of like the hype for the Ashley Black fascia blaster?
“Lose 20 lbs. in 30 days!”
“Say goodbye to illness and regain your life!”
Short, enticing phrases that are specifically designed to elicit an instantaneous, strong emotional reaction.
“I want that!”
It is no secret that we all want to look fantastic and feel great, and the skinnier and fitter the better. Right?
Thanks to the daily onslaught by media outlets that the ideal body is skinny with no love handles, and the frightful rate at which chronic illnesses are rising, it is no wonder we are lured in by promising headlines.
However, are they just that? Promising headlines?
By the time a client seeks out my services they are desperate for a change, and when I ask what they have tried, they have tried it all.
The most frequent answer I get is weight loss shakes, or meal replacement programs. Though I am not a fan of any of these programs, I am also not 100% against them either.
I do believe there is a place for weight loss shakes in some people’s weight loss journey, especially if a person is extremely overweight and they need a jump start to start to see improvement. I have seen products like weight loss shakes be very beneficial for this purpose, and this purpose alone.
When you read testimonials for weight loss shakes, you will discover that a person lost an unbelievable amount of weight, reversed their illness, cholesterol numbers dropped and the list goes on and on. Reading these makes jumping on board even more enticing.
But here’s the deal. Any person giving up processed, refined food, sugar, grains, dairy or alcohol is going to lose weight, regardless if it ‘s via a shake or by eliminating these things from one’s diet.
As for the great test results, one will get the same results again by eliminating the culprits listed above.
So, if you can get the same results by drinking a shake or popping a pill versus eating and preparing real food, doesn’t it make sense in our fast-paced, instant gratification world to do the just that?
Would you be surprised if I told you my answer is NO? Don’t get me wrong, I am all for making our lives easier, but this is one instance where I don’t agree.
What are my issues with weight loss shakes or commercial protein powders in general?
I am not going to spend time on the fact that the majority of these companies are hyped by salespeople focused on building their “teams” and making money – they know virtually nothing about nutrition and health issues beyond what their company tells them.
The Truth about Weight Loss Shakes
1. There is NO substitute for real food. Let me repeat that.
Weight Loss Shakes are NO substitute for Real Food!
Sure, a product can be packed full of vitamins and minerals, but these nutrients are added into the product in their individual component form, and more than likely a synthetic version of the actual nutrient.
Real foods, especially fruits and vegetables, are full of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Each one has hundreds of related compounds and they all act synergistically together to ensure good cellular health. 1
Synthetically made, isolated nutrients have different shaped compounds than naturally occurring ones, and because they are not accompanied by related compounds, our bodies have a harder time using the nutrients effectively.
2. Most weight loss is all gained back and then some. Yes, there is weight loss to be had, but the majority of people who depend on weight loss shakes to lose weight have a harder time maintaining their new weight, or they gain all that weight back plus some unwelcomed pounds once they end the program.
Many of these plans have you eat one “healthy” meal a day. The problem with these meals is they are usually low calorie and low-fat meals. Yup, you heard me correctly, LOW FAT.
Not only are they eating a meal that is not satiating them, but there is also no education in what a nutrient-dense, whole food meal looks like and how to implement these meals once the diet period is over.
3. You need fat to lose fat! Simply put, our body needs fat to be healthy.
No diet shake or pill is going to give you the fat your body needs. In order for your body to absorb and utilize the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, you need to be eating fat. Plain and simple.
Good fats. Coconut oil, nuts, and seeds, avocados, pastured butter, lard, ghee, raw milk, etc.
But here is the caveat. If you are going into your program overweight or have digestive issues, chances are your liver and gallbladder are not functioning at full capacity and your body’s ability to break down and process these fats is impaired. If you have not addressed this area during the diet, when you start eating your good fats you may run into trouble.
4. My final rant issue with these products is one’s overall health. When clients come to see me and they are desperate to lose weight, 100% of the time there is going to be an underlying digestive issue. They may be dealing with only their digestion, or it has manifested into some form of chronic symptoms, such as hormone imbalances or autoimmune issues to name just a couple.
Consuming these products does nothing to help poor digestion due to low stomach acid, intestinal infections or bacteria, food sensitivities, sluggish gallbladder, leaky gut, etc.
So, what are your options? First off, if you are going to take the route of consuming these products, please make sure you are working with a qualified nutritionist who can also educate you and guide you into incorporating a whole food, nutrient dense diet.
Switching from the Standard American Diet (SAD) to a nutrient dense, whole food diet will automatically ensure weight loss barring any hormonal issues which you will need to seek a holistic practitioner to rectify.
Eliminating the intake of processed foods in a box, junk food in a bag, meals from a drive-thru is a good start. Incorporate vegetables into your meals and pair them with quality, complete proteins and plenty of healthy fats. Drink your water, hydration is key! Practice mindful eating, reduce stressors in your life and exercise.
Practice all of these, and I promise you will lose the weight for good and regain your health – without any weight loss shakes!
More Information
How to Use Coconut Oil for Weight Loss
Why Eating Real Food Might Not Equal Losing the Weight
Extra Pounds No Protection from Serious Fat Deficiency
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This is such a great article because so many consume “diet foods” like frozen lunches or weight loss shakes. These companies spend so much money on advertising and endorsements and they completely dupe people into eating low quality garbage. The economy is almost rigged to make people fat. Salads cost $6 and a cheeseburger cost 99 cents. They only way people can compete with this set up is through the sort of information that you are giving here.
Sandra,
Good article. I especially like “You need fat to lose fat!”. Most people simply thinking cutting fat out will work. But it doesn’t! Plus, as you mentioned, you will regain the weight you lost and some in no time, after you are off your ‘shake diet’. I know I have been their in my early years.
Great article! April 1st I started a whole30. I recently past my 100th day and no longer count my days simply bc that’s how i eat now. With that said I have not lost anything or look that much different. What I did get from eating whole foods in their truest form, was inner healing. My skin is clear and hydrated. Sleep and energy has improved 100%. I take milk thistle to help heal my liver to help break down the fats protein and carbs that I eat. I also take magnesium, probiotics and other herbal supplements that help my adrenals and stress. Sometimes things don’t happen over night even when your doing very thing right. That’s when you have to give that extra push and tell yourself that no matter what your gaining health and hopefully eventually the weight will come off:)
Cinz,
Good for you for sticking it out beyond the 30 days. I have been Paleo for over 3 years and I don’t even think about what I do not eat anymore.
In terms of not losing any weight, I would ask if you had weight to lose? I also tell my clients that Paleo is not a weight loss diet, it is a diet that takes you back to eating nutrient dense, whole foods. Yes, people lose weight if they are coming off the Standard American Diet, but many do not.
I would also ask why you are taking adrenal support? Is your life stressful that you feel your adrenals are in trouble? Stress is a biggie when it comes to resistant weight loss.
You are on the right track, and again, be proud of what you have accomplished to date.
A nice alternative to weight loss shakes is Bulletproof Coffee. You cam make it with butter and coconut oil instead of MCT oil or with just butter alone.
Moni,
Bulletproof coffee is a great alternative, but still not a replacement for real food. I enjoy a cup every morning with both butter and MCT oil and it gives me a great boost for my workouts.
Which real foods would you recommend then for gaining weight if that’s the issue.
Elsha.
Elisha,
If I understand you correctly, you want/need to gain weight? Adding good fats into your diet is a great way to add calories. Coconut oil, nuts and seeds, avocado, fatty fish, grass fed butter, ghee, etc.
I would also look at how much protein you are eating and making sure you get a good ratio of veggies to protein. Eat when you are hungry and maybe get a check up to make sure there is not more going on inside that is inhibiting weight gain.
I completely agree with your article, Sandra. Weight loss shakes should not take the place of real, whole foods. However, as you stated, clients/customers/patients NEED help eliminating the bad foods from their diets. To prevent them from feeling deprived, those bad foods should be replaced with better foods. Ideally, those replacements should be whole foods…but not everyone can jump on the vegan bandwagon overnight.
Many of my clients are already doing their own research about food and are looking for something to help them bridge the gap between what they should be eating and what they actually are eating. I offer them “gap insurance.” (:
Many of my other clients are already eating whole food diets and they simply want an upgrade. So I help them with that…because honestly, none of us is 100% clean 100% of the time.
And then I have clients who come to me and are completely clueless – admittedly – and they desperately want to start eating better, but do not know where to begin. I can help them too.
I help my clients transition from the Standard American Diet into a healthier, whole foods diet, by offering them a few different stepping stones. First, I help them bridge the gap with Juice Plus+ Orchard, Vineyard, and Garden blend capsules. These capsules have the power of 26 different fruits, vegetables, and berries in a fast, easy form. This is often the first step towards healthier eating. The second step is healthy fast food. Once people are getting the nutrition from the capsules, they can start to get into food prep and healthier eating by adding our Complete drink mix or protein bars. Rather than grabbing a bag of Doritos from the vending machine, these healthy, plant-based snacks give people real energy to make it through an afternoon slump.
Third, I teach people how to get control of their food by growing it themselves – no digging, weeding, or hard labor required. The Juice Plus+ Tower Garden is a simple, sustainable way for families to save money and ensure the safety of the food they eat.
Finally, for people who are lost in all the hype and are looking for someone to guide them through it all, I offer an inside out lifestyle transformation program that encourages them to:
Avoid dairy, gluten, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar.
Increase their water intake, exercise, sleep, and whole food consumption.
Share their experience and be an inspiration to others.
So, although it’s easy enough to say, avoid this, don’t eat that, eat this, get more of that…sometimes we really do need to fill in the missing spaces with things that make sense. Juice Plus+ makes sense to me and my family…
Hi Christina,
I am not sure where you got the idea that I am promoting a vegan diet, if anything I am completely against a vegan diet for several reasons not related to this article.
How you help your clients transition to eating a whole food diet are great solutions and I admire you for that.
Do you have any recipes or guidelines for making a real food smoothie or shake using real whey? I just tonight strained the whey from my clabbered milk and would like to begin making healthy shakes/smoothies for breakfast but I’m not sure how much or what else I should put with it to maximize the nutrition. Thanks!
Hi Kim,
Smoothies are awesome and are a great way to get some whole foods into your diet. However, I do want to caution that you do not want to rely on them for everyday meals. One of the major steps in our ability to digest food is chewing. Chewing is what gets our stomach acid flowing and stomach acid is what helps break down the food that enters the stomach among other things.
If you are going to use a smoothie as a meal (which I did this morning), make sure you “chew” your first few sips to get things going.
Good for you making your own whey! Depending on how much you have made or put in your shake, it may not be enough protein and if you access to pastured eggs, I may add one or two raw eggs to your shake.
If I make a shake it usually is water based with a handful of some kind of greens, a raw egg, a scoop of gelatin powder, one fruit of my choice and a 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
I was over weight and tried so many things. Different things work for different people and I was lucky enough to find one that worked for me. I lost 18 pounds in one month without much exercise and it’s been a life changer. I’m a little embarrased to post my before and after photos here but if anyone actually cares to hear what I’ve been doing then I’d be happy to help in any way. Just shoot me an email at [email protected] and I’ll show you my before and after photos, and tell you about how things are going for me with the stuff I’ve tried. I wish someone would have helped me out when I was struggling to find a solution so if I can help you then it would make my day
Hillary,
Congratulations on your weight loss and I hope it has been a life changer in terms of your health and happiness.
Though you say you had no help, you seem to be doing well and don’t hesitate to reach out and ask people around you for help.
If you would like to share your pictures,you may email me at [email protected].
Great article! I ended up loosing a lot of weight after starting a better “diet”. It seemed to take a good year to really see the difference. I did not start my change in diet for weight loss but to return to a traditional nutritional diet. And after 3 years of cutting bad fats, processed foods and eating more butter, broths and making sourdough “everything” I have started tanning for the first time! Well, I would tan before, but it took a while and I would usually get a good burn every summer. This summer…I start to tan in almost 30 minutes. It is encouraging to see my body working more fully. Still have a way to go but happy to see the change.
Anne,
Good for you! You have made positive changes to your diet and your life doing it the right way.
I like to tell my clients that they did not get to where they are overnight and it will not be on overnight success story. Losing weight slowly and eating the right foods is what ensures the weight will stay off and in turn a healthier body all the way around.
Keep up the good work!