[MamaJ]

I know we've talked and talked about various types, but would you mind if we do a consolidated repeat here? I've really not been very hungry and making myself eat during the day, so, I'm thinking that I could substitute at least one meal with a LC shake-assuming it's a bit tasty!

Those who have tried them, suggestions, caloric and carb info would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Janice - trying real hard for 25 lbs before June 30th
(of 2002)

[Pooky]

Janice are you reading my mind?? I was just going to ask the same thing becasue I'm just so darned busy that a shake is about the only thing I can handle sometimes--and even when I'm "cruising the fridge" for something to munch on!

[Leenie]

Janice,

Sorry I don't drink them things. A couple times I tried slim fast and well it kinda made my stomach hurt and I couldn't go potty. Try going to GNC or some sort of health store and see what they have. I would guess it would be trial and error on your part. Sorry I can't be of any help.

Love, Leens

[DonDar]

I use the Atkins Shakes. I was very successful loosing weight on slimfast (60 lbs) although unsuccessful in keeping it off. So chugging down the shakes is easy for me. I learn to love things that others may find not so great. I do it for convience and not so much for great taste. Although I do enjoy the chocolate flavored shakes for a chocolate fix.

I highly recommend that they be kept refrigerated, it makes them taste better.

[MamaJ]

I appreciate your input. I've never done them before either Leenie but as Jenny says the convenience is what I really need and the low carb and protein instead of missing meals and doing the starvation mode. I'm not expecting the shake to taste like a chocolate malt, but hard to gag down that soy taste!

I checked out the LC recipe section and there were some that sounded just great but I think I need to go the premade type for the quickies!

I think I'll pick up the Atkins and try. Has anyone tried the Carb Solutions?

Thanks again.

J

Oh, PS - Jenny, did you just replace one meal with the shakes.

[ageoldie]

As I write I'm munching out on a Banana smoothie. I use the Whey Protein from GNC in the flavor Vanilla Ice Cream. To vary the flavor I mix it with a frozen banana (as I did just now) or I've found if you just a "PINCH" of the dry powder sugarfree jello it make wonderful strawberry or cherry drinks. The also make this powder in a chocolate flavor, but I'm not brave enough to spend the money for it if I'm not sure I'll like it.

[jiffypop]

first things first. www.vitalady.com you can order samples for about 2 bucks (US) each.

met-rx [pronounced metrics for some reason!!!] makes a low carb version in many flavors. and you KNOW i went straight for the chocolate. and, oh so happily, they have a CHOCOLATE LOVERS multipack with chocolate peanut butter, chocolate mint, double chocolate fudge and a couple of others.

MET-RX's low carb also comes in a fruit flavored multipack. i really like the pina colada, but the orange cream is a little weird.

these two products have about 50 g of protein in them to mix up in 12-16 oz of milk, and are extremely gooey. i mix about 1/2 package in about 4-6 oz of milk, and it's the consistency of a thick pudding, which is quite a nice change.

myoplex low carb also comes in a pre-mixed shake with about 20 g of protein, and the chocolate fudge tastes kind of like yoohoo. not my favorite, but sometimes i'm desperate. and they have a powder as well

gnc has a chocolate whey protein [super designer whey i think it's called] with 20 g protein per scoop, and it's actually quite decent with a little fake sugar added.

there's also this power blend that has 55 g protein for 2 scoops. one scoop twice a day does it for me. and of course i use the chocolate. there's a vanilla and strawberry [haven't tried it yet], but there's NOTHING ON THIS PLANET that will make the vanilla drinkable!!!!

there's also isopure, which many folks like because it can be mixed in juice or sprinkled on food. i haven't tried it yet, but i did buy a pre-mixed version of it today. it looks like a juice, but i have no idea what it tastes like yet.

as for doctoring them up, i ALWAYS add a small spoonfull of GOOD unsweetened cocoa, and some fake sugar to it. sometimes a little instant coffee powder is good, too.

depending on the number of carbs you allow yourself, you can also mix in frozen fruit or a couple of graham crackers or even a chocolate cookie or two!!!

adding a couple of teaspoonsful of sugar free, fat free pudding mix will make it taste richer and a bit thicker.

DO NOT ADD JELLO POWDER to any of these. if you MUST add a fruit flavoring, use either an extract, or dissolve the jello powder with some boiling water.

hope this gets you started!!!!

[Ms Spotdog]

I am impressed!

I'm going to print this out cuz I always get to the powder drink section and can't remember what is supposed to be good! Thanks!

Kel

[ThatGirl]

I get recipes from ALL over so I have NO idea where these came from but they are ALL good. I'm REALLY sorry I can't give credit where it is due.

Protein Shakes

Fruit Shake
1/2 cup frozen without sugar strawberries
1-2 scoops French vanilla protein powder
1 T. cream cheese (or 1/4 cup Ricotta or
cottage cheese)
1/3 cup half-and-half cream
1/3 cup whole milk
3-4 pkg. Splenda or your chosen sweetener
4-5 ice cubes
Whir in blender until all the ice chunks are ground up, but no longer. The blender can't take it!
Make this also with blueberries, peaches, tart cherries (add a drop of almond extract
with the peaches and cherries, and a dash of nutmeg with the peaches), raspberries, or mixed berries. All these fruits can be bought frozen without sugar--check labels to be sure--some are mixed in with sugar added.

Blueberry Shake
-1/2 cup frozen blueberries (preferably fresh frozen, not from a grocery store - I always think they taste better. I picked a ton last summer and still have a couple quarts in the freezer.)
-2 scoops vanill protein powder
-3 cubes coconut milk (frozen in ice cream tray)
-half and half or heavy cream to taste
-2-3 Tbl. cream cheese
4 oz. water
3 ice cubes
1/2 tsp. splenda (I am going to go looking for blueberry syrup at Nature's flavors today)
1/2 tsp. maple extract
Whirl in blender. I find that if I leave my blender on for a few minutes, whirling away, the shakes get creamier and creamier. Whips the cream I guess.
Enjoy - I figure it is a bit higher in the carbs, around 10, but you could probably cut the berries down. And half the protein powder if you want, but it really helped make it taste like cheesecake.

Pumpkin Shake
Take a can of regular pumpkin and divide it into the sections of an ice-cube tray, about 1/4 cup in each section. Freeze; remove the little bricks from the tray and place them in a plastic bag or dish and store in the refrigerator. Freezing the pumpkin helps make the shake thicker!
Use about 2 bricks (sometimes I use 3) per shake. Put the pumpkin bricks in the blender, and add 1-2 scoops vanilla (or French vanilla) protein whey powder. On top of this, put 3-4 pkts. Splenda (also can add a little Stevia as it can't be tasted in an item this strongly flavored). I then use 1/3 cup half-and-half and 1/3 cup milk, but if short on cream, I have been known to use evaporated milk in place of both (more carbs, however!). Add 1 Tblsp. cream cheese, OR 1/4 cup ricotta or cottage cheese. Sprinkle in some nutmeg and cinnamon to taste. I was using pumpkin pie spice, but it is not as good as the separate spices, for some reason. Add about 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 4-5
ice cubes. Whir in blender till the ice and pumpkin cubes are relatively smooth.
I don't know the carb or protein counts for this, as it has so much room for interpretation and modification! Enjoy making your own additions or subtractions as to taste and for added protein or less carbs. Pumpkin is as low-carb as most veggies, and full of vitamins, especially A, so think this is pretty nutritious.

Butterfinger Frosty
Serving size: 1
1/8 cup cream
1/8 cup half and half
1 scoop Chocolate Flavored Whey Protein Powder( I used Designer Protein)
1 package sugar substitute(I used Splenda)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups crushed ice
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
Whirl all together in food processor(I used blender and it was a bit chunky with ice)and you have a butterfinger flavored frosty.

MOUNDS BAR SHAKE
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 Tbsp. DaVinci chocolate syrup (w/Splenda)
1 scoop Designer Protein powder, choc flavor
1/4 cup cottage cheese
2 frozen coconut milk cubes
1 tsp. coconut extract (or more to taste)
2 ice cubes
Mix well in blender.

Basic Shake:
(patterned after Sweetiepie's shakes - I like to use this one for more dessert-type shakes:chocolate/pumpkin...)
1/3 cup 1/2-N-1/2
2-3 Tb heavy cream + water or Sugar Free syrup of choice to equal 1/3 cup
1 oz. cream cheese
1/2 t. vanilla
1 packet white stevia powder (sometimes I will also add one packet of Splenda)
1 scoop of Protein Powder
4-5 Ice cubes
1/8 t. Xanthan Gum (Add after all ingredients are well mixed)
Ecc: 4.5g / Pro: 24.5g

Basic Yogurt Shake:
This is particularly good with berries/fruit.
1/2 water
1/4 cup of Whole Milk, plain, yogurt
1 scoop Protein Powder
1 package stevia/splenda or to taste
If the fruit is frozen, no ice cubes are needed
1/8-1/4tsp Xanthan Gum if you like it thick.
Ecc: 2 Pro: 22
Yogurt Note: I use Stonyfield Farm - 1 ecc for 1/4 cup - you can subtract 8carbs from the label's number because the bacteria "eats" the sugar in the yogurt. Label states 12 -8 =4 per cup - cool huh?

Variations:
Many of these variations have been found by doing a search of this site. Please forgive me for not remembering who created them and many, many thanks to all who have shared their ideas.
Patterned after Sweetiepie's Pumpkin shake:
Pumpkin: add 3.6 to ecc
2 blocks of frozen pumpkin (ice cube size)
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t sugar free maple syrup
pinch of salt.
Pie spice:
I mix a large batch of this so it's always on hand.
2t Cinnamon,
1t ginger,
1/2t cloves.

Butterfinger: add 5 to ecc
1 Tb Penzey's Dutch Cocoa powder
2 TB Peanut butter

York Peppermint Patty: add 1 to ecc
1 Tb Penzey's Dutch Cocoa powder
peppermint extract to taste (usually 1/8-1/4t)

Mounds: add 3 to ecc
1 Tb. Penzey's Dutch Cocoa powder
4 blocks of Coconut Milk(to replace the ice cubes)
coconut extract to taste

Chocolate Banana: add 1 to ecc
1 Tb Penzey's Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 t Banana Extract or to taste

Cantaloupe: add 5.7 to ecc
1/2 cup of Cantaloupe

Blueberry: add 5.2 to ecc
1/3 cup blueberries
Lemon extract to taste

Eggnog no additional ecc
1 tsp. Rum extract
pinch of salt
You may want to add additional sweetner
top with nutmeg
This one is particulary refreshing!

Key Lime Shake: no additional ecc
In place of the sugar free syrup/water/cream in the basic shake:
Disolve 1/2tsp sugar free lime jello in 3Tbs warm water. Add cream to equal 1/3 cup.
Any flavor of sugar free jello will work. The possiblities are endless...

[jiffypop]

thank you for all those wonderful recipes!!! i'm going to try some of them since i'll be on protein shakes for the rest of my life. and the idea of ricotta or cottage cheese is fabulous. i'd heard of people using silken tofu, but that's not something i usually have around. [i like it, but i just don't often buy it for some reason].

thank you thank you thank you!!!!

and jenny... so glad you found something that works for you. we were told that slimfast had too many carbs for us to use, so we all head for the lowcarb products with the higher protein levels. keep up the good work!!!!

[ThatGirl]

Happy to help I have been low carbin for a long long long time and I have a ton of tricks and LOVE to share them.

[Pooky]

Bought some vanilla shake powder today--Estro-Soyit's called. Has phyto estrogens in it--good for folks like me who have PCOS. Guzzling down my first glass and it really has little taste to it so I might have to add something--any suggestions? It's supposed to be French Vanilla. Here's the nutritional stats on the stuff:


22 protein
1.1 fat
0 carbs
0 sugars

Oh! And I forgot to ask--can I make this stuff up ahead of time and keep it in the fridge as I need it?

[MamaJ]

Thanks for all the wonderful info and recipes! I'm printing this out so I don't forget a single ingredient or product!

Pooky-that was my next question. I get so busy that having a premade can or premade mix in the fridge and handy sure would be nice. Also, for "work" lunches or traveling I wonder if you could sort of half freeze them-would that mess up the taste? Probably sounds like a stupid question but I'm thinking of days when I'm on the run and can take a sippy cup for on the road.

Next question-Vanessa, if memory serves me correctly, you did/do Atkins, right? So, if I'm following closer to CAD and use one of the fruity ones, that would just serve as my RM ? Actually I've cut out my reward meal but leaving the option in two days a week, just in case, so, I guess it wouldn't matter.

Thanks so much! Glad I started this thread! Lots of options here and sure better than grabbing a no-no food in a hurry!

Janice

[ThatGirl]

MamaJ yes I started off with Atkins back in April of 99 but have since added back HIGH fiber bread (not every day and never more then a slice or two a couple of times a week), most fruit (not bananas cause they are super high in carbs), if I haven't had any bread I might have some brown rice or whole wheat pasta with dinner (a half a cup or so maybe) and just about all veggies except potatos. We also have a BIG salad for dinner at least once a week. I hope that makes sense.

I also bought a Bowflex machine back in January and use it 6 days a week as well as my treadmill. All that being said I also do something bad ....I take ONE free meal every week. I usually take it on Sunday when we eat out and have what ever I want and dessert too if I want. It really helps me stay with my plan and not get bored. I have remained low carb the whole time (except for when my house was being finished and I stayed with my fat free inlaws for 2 months....gained quite a bit of weight back ) This is really working for me. My whole family eats this way and will for life I think.


Blueberries, strawberries, cantalope, pumpkin, and coconut milk are all REALLY low in carbs and I use them but I'm not sure you allow yourself at your nonreward meals.

Hope this helps

[jiffypop]

about making these up ahead of time... read the labels. many of them say that you have to consume them immediately. and some also say that they can't be frozen.

if anyone finds a brand that can be mixed ahead of time, PLEASE let me know!!!!