Things I've Learned About Shakes...
 

they need doctoring! I always figured they would, but some need a LOT of help.
I've "budgeted" for allowances like a tsp of unsweetened dark cocoa powder, a TBSP of fat free cream cheese does WONDERS! and liquid splenda is a must if you have a sweet tooth.
adding a tsp of Benefiber helps create more fullness too, and keep things moving along ;)

to get the right consistency without ending up with cup fulls of foam, start by making the packet into a paste with whatever liquid you're using, gradually adding more and more until its the consistency you like.
I tried blending them with ice and I got like 32oz of slushy foam, maybe it's my blender...

drink them cold, cold, cold! over ice, blended with ice, whatever, just make sure they're cold.

I can see how some people might have trouble fitting all the shakes in, especially if they don't wake up early in the morning, drinking one every three hours or so, they're filling, especially if you add FF cream cheese...

also, I shouldn't have limited myself to just shakes, I didn't think I'd want soup or veggie joe, but there will be more variety in my next order.

happy shaking!

Learn something new, I would have never thought about putting fat free cream cheese into a shake!

you'd be surprised what even a Tbsp will do to a shake, makes it smooth and rich :D

I put a 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter, the no sugar added stuff, to my shakes. I'm sure it works with any brand, but with the medifast dutch chocolate, holy crap - heaven in a glass.

how do you miss the peanut butter in the shake? blender? also, has any one tried to premixed shakes?

haha! Yep, blender. That probably would have been good for me to mention :P I use about 1/2 water, 1/2 ice and the pb, blend up, and it tastes just like a horribly decadent milk shake. I'm obsessed with it at the moment.

I haven't tried the cream cheese yet, I'm thinking I might use that trick to help me get through some banana flavored shakes I've been trying to forget I still have.

hmm peanut butter!
I just found the Fage 0% yogurt cups that are 100 calories, 7 carbs, and 18g protein (yes 18g!!) that I thought I could sub for a shake or an oatmeal if I needed to with some PB swirled in :carrot:
OT: I'm glad to see people posting again, I was afraid the crickets were going to continue for weeks!

Since I am new to medifast and still learning the plan. I do not see how you can add stuff to the shakes and not alter the results. I know that the shakes aren't the best....but isn't adding "stuff" to our food how we all got fat in the first place? Seems very counterproductive to me.
???
It is my understanding that the condiments and healthy fat are to be used in the preparation of the lean and green meal.

It depends on what you add to the shakes. I wouldn't add fruit, milk, etc because you don't want to increase sugars and carbs since they're carefully regimented with medifast. However, depending on your nutritional needs and the condiments/healthy fats you do or do not use throughout the day, there's some room for manipulation.
For example, I don't use a bunch of condiments when I cook, so I normally have some to spare in that category. And a tbsp of peanut butter (I prefer the no sugar added kind but medifast doesn't say anything about it needing to be sugar-free) counts as a snack. Since I'm trying to up my protein intake and I'm not a snacker, it works out well when I add it to a shake.
Though typically, my shakes consist of just 1/2 ice and 1/2 water though - slushie power!

I tried the PB, it was pretty amazing but a lot of work. I measured and it was only about 25 calories extra, I think it's worth a treat every now and then.

Thanks for the explaination, I can see how that can work. Since I will probably be on MF for the rest of the year I guess it's good to know these things.

I love that yogurt! I am not sure where you are located, but I tried the Kroger store brand, and its pretty yummy. They usually have them on sale for 89 cents.

Don't forget - you can use the Torani or DaVinci sugar free flavored "syrups" in your shakes - that's how I do mine! Nothin' better than a Mocha Cream shake w/ a bit of decaf inst. coffee granuals, vanilla SF syrup 2 ice cubes and 10 oz water...blended to pure yumminess!!

They have TONS of flavors in those syrups but the vanilla is my favorite!! (oddly enough!)

I make allowances for the stuff I add, I make sure that I'm always on target for calories, I'm usually under in carbs, and definitely on target for fat.
Other people on the boards substitute store bought food for a shake and continue to lose weight, and I think of it like this...
If adding a small amount of cocoa powder and FF cream cheese (which is what I use now) will make the shakes more filling and more palatable for me, and that will help me stay on plan and not cheat, then it's worth it until my body gets used to the change in calories.

YMMV, but I wanted to make the change is easy on my body and mind as possible, and it seems to be working for me.

About PB-
I was wondering how I could use this, because it's so high calorie/fat so I did some research and found out about PB2 powder... a lot of liquid dieters add this to their shakes so they can enjoy PB without all the fat/calories, mine comes in today

Torani/DaVinci- I use these religiously, I have about 12 flavors right now, so far my favorite combo is hazelnut syrup with chocolate shake and caramel extract... it's super good. Sometimes I'll add a splash of strawberry to my protein fruit drinks (I have a grapefruit one) and it adds a subtle change that keeps me from getting bored. :carrot: