Myth: Weight loss shakes help you burn fat and keep weight off. This is one of the biggest lies in the diet food industry. Liquid meal replacements, protein drinks and things like Slim Fast have been around since 1930. If they really worked, there would be no obesity problem.
They don’t work. In fact, they contribute to the growing problem. In the 1970s, they were responsible for numerous deaths.
As a result, they became “medically supervised”, which are supposed to be “safe” because they are doctor supervised and patients are given vitamin and mineral supplements. These “plans” only provide 800 calories per day. That’s hardly enough for a growing child to thrive on.
Using shakes for weight loss and other “super-low” calorie diets may work temporarily. Oprah’s experience with them in the late 1980s resulted in millions of dollars worth of sales. But, she eventually gained the weight back.
It’s this roller coaster ride that you really want to get off of. Instead of helping, liquid replacement plans make the ride longer. When you severely restrict your caloric intake, your body goes into “starvation response”. It thinks there is no food available and that’s why you aren’t eating. Instead of burning stored fat, it saves that, just in case.
It slows down all of your body’s processes and converts glycogen from muscles to energy. That further reduces the number of calories that you burn at rest. So, when you complete the program, 20 pounds lighter, you are also 20 pounds weaker.
If you begin eating normally, you will gain back every pound and then some. Because you destroyed that valuable muscle, you cannot eat as much as you once did and still maintain your weight.
You can use weight loss shakes, if they are well designed (please avoid the ones that contain corn syrup) and provide enough calories and other nutrients. But, YOU still have to do the work. Either you do it now, without the “quick fix” provided by liquid meals or you do it when you stop using them. But, at some point, you must exercise more and change the way that you eat, for life.
If you want a quick trick, to lose some extra pounds, try a colonic cleanser, instead of the weight loss shakes. If you are frequently constipated or have other stomach problems, you might lose as much as 40 pounds, without doing anything else.
Results vary, of course, and the cleansers do not work for everyone, but the better ones are very safe. They are primarily composed of dietary fiber, which is lacking in most of our diets, these days.
Dietary fiber basically “blows up” inside your stomach, causing you to feel full faster. It also works to carry away toxins and plaque that build up on the interior of your intestinal walls. It will help reduce bloating; cramping and constipation, while helping you lose weight.
If you do use weight loss shakes, use them sensibly and try to change your eating patterns and increase your level of physical activity at the same time. It’s the only long-term solution.
