Thread: Eating food versus shakes.

Hi All

Having a discussion with some friends over the weekend and we have pretty much all been on various diets at different times. One thing we started to talk about is does it matter if we lose weight by being on shakes or eating food, and how well have we then kept the weight off.
I am doing food at the moment with Go Lower but I was just wondering how you guys have done and what works best for you. I am sure you can imagine the debate 8 girls were having in the pub on Friday and I told them I would post on here, because I told them what a great site I had discovered and see what the general opinion was? So come on all, please help to settle an argument and help me out.

Many thanks

Suzy

I could not do shakes - its too antisocial for me. But I would love the results it gets!

Umm. Interesting question. I think much depends. How the dieter perceives the shakes, how much education goes along with the programme..and after.

But, I'm trying to think of a diet which only includes shakes for the whole 'journey' and can't think of any, though I'm sure there must be.

As for maintaining Whether you have more of a chance keeping it off if you've lost your excess weight on shakes alone (hypothetically as I don't know any), or whether you've lost on food, even that is possibly a little more complex that it appears.

Since maintenance has very little to do with the diet you lost the weight on (IMO), then my view is that it should make very little difference at all.

You would think that someone on 'real' food would do better than those just surviving on shakes, but there really are few diets out there where you learn to eating a balanced diet suitable for long term maintenance rather than a diet that is 'tweaked' to help weight loss along (ie, products that have been reduced in fat but with more additives, very low fat foods with very limited healthy fat additions, low carb etc.)

But as I say, few diets, if any rely totally on shakes alone for the whole duration, so I doubt much evidence is out there to support one way or another. I know that the main 'shake' diets in the UK include food as some stage; Cambridge can be done with food all along, and both LL and LT have 'real' food towards the end to get you back for portion control and healthy eating.

Slimfast has food too, though obviously a different type of 'shake' diet.

Very interesting question though

Hi.
Thanks for the replies so far. Shrinkingannie, I have to agree, I am a foodie so shakes don't do it for me.
KD thank you for your reply, I think you have given me even more food for thought, excuse the pun. I am not going for anything scientific just general opinion. I know most shake diets include maybe one meal but we were just trying to decide which works best long term.
I am on Go Lower and this is definitely working for me as I get to eat (and not have to cook) and although the meals are designed around putting my body into ketosis at least it is real food rather than a chalky tasting shake, as you can see I am not a fan of shakes.
I guess I just want people to confirm I am right that once you come off shakes and go onto real food it is still a challenge to keep the weight off.
I have probably opened a can of worms now and others will say "but we kept if off after a shake diet," but that is exactly what we were discussing and if I am proved wrong I will hold my hands up to the girls and admit it! First though I have to be proved wrong.
I am really looking forward to seeing where this goes and reading all your replies.

Best regards

Originally Posted by SuzyK

I have probably opened a can of worms now and others will say "but we kept if off after a shake diet,"

I kept it off after a 'shake' diet

4 and half years now

i just couldnt do it i did slim fast for a while and now cant even smell a shake without gagging but thats just me lol

4 years now since I reduced my weight by 12 stone on a shake diet.

Saying that maintenance in my opinion has nothing to do with how you lost the weight, I haven't dieted in 4 years and that is why I am still slim.

It was when I changed from using a diet as a lifestyle choice to just a tool that I found success.

It was also dealing with why I was really overeating that unlocked the doors to stopping dieting for good.

Hey there

Another one who did the shake diet and kept the weight off, coming up for 2 years now. I agree with Mike and KD that I don't think how you lose the weight is the key to maintaining the secret lies in changing the way you think about food and your relationship with it.

Cheers
G

Hi All
Thanks for the replies. I guess I knew this would happen KD, that can of worms has been opened.
Icemoose I see you lost some of yours with Lighter Life, is that not similar to Go Lower that you have foods, although I think you also have shakes with that one don't you? That was what put me of going for it, well that and what I was told about the cost!
Porgeous thanks for your comment as well, my relationship with food is probably my biggest problem, I love to eat all the wrong stuff, in fact not even eat, it is the snacking I am having to deal with, chocolate and crisps are my downfall.
Well done all of you though on keeping the weight of.
Natasha, I am with you when it comes to shakes.
Now come on guys lets get this discussion really going. I want to try to win my argument! Not that I am competitive or anything, (much).
I see some similar threads have come up at the bottom of the page so I am going to have a nose at them and see if they are for or against my theory.
All the best to you all and please keep those replies coming.
Regards

Originally Posted by SuzyK

Hi All
Thanks for the replies. I guess I knew this would happen KD, that can of worms has been opened.

Nah. Just a discussion

Icemoose I see you lost some of yours with Lighter Life, is that not similar to Go Lower that you have foods, although I think you also have shakes with that one don't you?

Nah. Both LL and cambridge include food at some point. Cambridge more so. In fact you can do the whole of Cambridge with food, and many people do.

That was what put me of going for it, well that and what I was told about the cost!

Can't speak for LL, but Cambridge's lower plans works out about the same as a healthy basket of food. Of course, many people report to save money on it because of the few nibbles, takeaways and alcoholic drink that they aren't buying when on the diet. Last I heard it was cheaper that Go Lower, but I might be wrong.

Now come on guys lets get this discussion really going. I want to try to win my argument! Not that I am competitive or anything, (much).

LOL. You might have just met your match

Any 'diet' that restricts what you eat (or drink) so drastically that you lose a lot of weight quickly, will always run the risk of the dieter re-gaining the weight if the original 'problem' with food hasn't been addressed. For some people it's ignorance (not knowing what food is good for them), for some it's overeating or lack of portion control (whether through boredom/emotions/stress etc.), for some it may actually be medical issues that aren't discovered until a strict diet is tried.
Whatever the reason- unless this is addressed and resolved, keeping the weight off will always be a struggle- no matter how the weight was lost. Just my opinion though....

I was successful with WW's years ago and kept the weight off for a couple of years.

I then did SLIMFAST and kept the weight off for longer.

The good thing about SLIMFAST that I found was that you didn't have to think about food. With other diets I was constantly thinking about food, what to buy, what to cook, how to cook it, how much to have etc. With the shake, I just opened the can and drank it.

I found Slimfast difficult for the first week or two but once I got into it, it was really easy and I found I had loads of energy.

I did lipotrim and then the cambridge diet a couple of years ago. I lost a lot of weight but unfortunately I'm now heavier than I've ever been.

My personal experience is that neither of these diets helped me address food and my issues with it. I used them as a quick fix.

Wow, thanks for the replies KD, you are very informative, why didn't I know about people like you before I started doing all my diets...... you would have probably saved me a fortune. I must admit I am finding Go Lower quite reasonable but then I am only eating their stuff and hardly anything else so hubby says the shopping bill is down. I have met my match have I???? Honest I was only joking, I am a pathetic wimp when it comes down to it, well hubby may not agree because I always get my own way with him but that is because he loves me!!!
Hey Porgeous when I just went down through the posts I really looked at the photo of you, talk about a new person, you look totally different, well done you for maintaining.
Hi Irishmum, thank you for you opinion, that is exactly why I posted this thread, just to get different ideas from people, and find out what others thought, and try to win my "discussion" as well. You comments are actually very useful to me personally beacuse I lose and then gain more but that is beacuse what I like is not good for me so I am really trying this time to be sensible and think about what I can not eat alot of in the future, like a lot of the snacks I used to eat, thinking oh well, tomorrow I will be better and I never was.
Hi KookyWooky, although I can't do shakes I agree with you my biggest problem is what to do with the food, especially as I "can't cook, won't cook" and I am also a VERY fussy eater. It always got a bit much to keeping asking the OH to try to cook something different for me when he can and will eat whatever is put in front of him and stays slim. That is why finally for me I am finding something that works as I only need to open the packet, put the food in the microwave, wait for it to cool down and eat!
Hi MissPiggyFi, I totally know where you are coming from,I always ended up putting more weight on than when I had started, that is why I am sticking to a food diet now but without any of the hassle as it is all prepared.
Well guys thank you so much for your replies. I am hopefully meeting the girls again over the weekend so any more comments will certainly give us something to talk about. I will have to ask them what else we can discuss on here as I have found this thread really interesting reading.
Best regards and keep posting your replies.

Morning All,
I ended up meeting up with some of the girls last night and we discussed this thread. We couldn't agree on anything conclusive so any more replies would be great to see which way it will actually go.
Best regards