The Truth About Weight Loss Shakes And Calories
If you read my blog, you know I’m an Independent Team Beachbody coach, and that I use and promote a product named Shakeology. I’ve never hidden that fact on my blog, nor will I. Shakeology is quite simply the best single 140 stand-alone calories you can consume in a single sitting or in a single meal.
However, I find it interesting that one MLM company in particular is attempting to single out Beachbody’s product in an attempt to make their product seem superior.
Their rationale?
- Less calories
- Less fat (which is not true)
- Less cost
In looking at some comparison documents between the two products, I’ve formed an opinion:
Calories are NOT your enemy, contrary to what certain companies say.
Yes, Shakeology is low calorie at 140 calories per serving. But taking in one shake a day is not what makes the difference. Sure, if I drank a single serving of Shakeology with nothing in it, I’d create a calorie deficit that would help with the fat burn unless I intake more calories than normal later.
Let me put it this way:
Your body has certain calorie thresholds: Your metabolic rate, your overall daily burn rate, your maintain rate, and your optimal burn rate.
- Your metabolic rate is the base number of calories your body needs each day to keep running. Take in under this over a period of time and your body will start consuming itself (protein is a great alternative source to find glucose, the carbohydate your brain needs to function…get too little glucose in your diet, your body starts consuming muscle to find what it needs).
- Your daily burn rate is your metabolic rate plus all other daily activity, including normal tasks and exercise.
- Your maintain rate is the amount of calories you need to eat each day to maintain your current weight.
- Your optimal burn rate is the amount of calories you need to consume in order to maintain healthy fat loss. For many, that is a maximum of 1,000 calories per day under their daily burn rate. If you are doing more strenuous exercise, this may need to be lowered to 500 calories/day deficit.
For most, taking a weight loss shake seems like the “easy fix” to their problem. After all, it takes out one meal completely and allows them to have a deficit built in to a meal.
But there are problems with this:
- You assume that the person knows their optimal burn rate. Not many do. They’re not taught what that is, so they just underconsume.
- You assume that the person is going to eat clean the rest of the time. If they are not consuming enough, their body will crave carbohydrates and fats.
So basing a comparison of the amount of calories in a single serving shake is just foolish. The body needs fuel to burn.
With saying all of this, why do I use Shakeology and why do I recommend it?
Simple.
- Shakeology, the shake itself, is just one part of the system. Exercise and healthy eating is the other part, and Beachbody gives all of this information and an exercise program to those committed to using Shakeology monthly.
- The shake can have more calories if needed. My standard shake has 435 calories in it (and truth be told, I need to bulk it up just a bit more).
- If I’m going to consume something, or suggest for someone to consume something, I want to make sure it has everything a person needs or would need to get out of a meal. That has to be more than just a mild portion of vitamins and minerals. It needs to be enough to fuel their body with nutrients, although there are not a lot of calories.
- I have to know that it is going to keep people satisfied. Of the people I personally know that are on Shakeology, and some of them classify in the obese range, I rarely hear of anyone saying the shake did not keep them full.
- It has to be all natural. It has to be whole foods, from everything from the nutrients to the flavoring.
- It has to be able to be used for purposes other than a weight loss shake. That is where Shakeology excels.
Don’t let comparison charts pointing to calories and a few other things fool you. You need to consume calories to burn fat. And you cannot rely on a shake system alone to do the work. Proper weight loss and balance in life comes from healthy eating (including or not a shake), exercise, rest, and nutrient support. Beachbody shows you how to get all of this with the Shakeology system.
You can check out the full Shakeology system here.
