Hi Ladies,
Ever since I started my weight loss journey I have been drinking a kirkland weight lost shake for breakfast (from costco). Now I really like them, they taste great and the make me go to the bathroom every day like clockwork. TMI, I know, but before I started these I only went like 2 times a week. The problem is that I've started using the daily plate and it says that I can only eat 1095 calories a day, so the 230 calories for the shake is a lot, usually its the biggest thing I get all day. My question is, is the shake really worth it for taking up that many of my calories, or should I switch to something else?

I'm not a fan of the shakes, myself, but it's really a matter of how you feel. If you can eat balanced meals the rest of the day, not go over your goal calories (which do seem low to me, btw), and not feel too hungry, I say go for it.

I think 230 should be fine if you have that as breakfast you could add fruit to it etc and still have 800 for the rest of the day.

I thought the daily cals seemed really low too, but that's what the daily plate said 3 times in a row. I guess maybe its because I'm so short. But if I stay within 1095 cals I am starving and cranky. I usually can't even do it, I do more like 1200 or even 1300. I don't know.

I have read that you shouldn't go below 1200 calories, but I'm definitely not an expert...I guess you can kind of see how things are going and modify as needed, maybe stay around the 1200-1300 calories you're eating and if you're losing on that then keep it up, if you're not then go down that low...I'd just be worried you won't get enough nutrition on 1000...

1095 is too low for an average target...the fact that you are starving and cranky is telling you this.

Ask yourself...could you eat that way every day for the rest of your life?

I played around on the daily plate and you may be setting too high a weightloss rate or too low an activity level. Also, if you use exercise separately from your daily calories that gives you extra calories. The tracker doesnt take that in to account.

Start with a higher calorie level and see what happens.

As for the shakes, every once in a while is ok, but most studies have shown that drinking your calories isn't as satiating as EATING. For 230 calories I could have a pretty big meal.

Thanks Ennay, you make a really good point.

Goodness! 1095 calories isn't much at all -- frequently considered not enough to get in all the nutrition and FUEL your body needs on a daily basis.

I would really caution people to be careful of estimates of calories we "should" be eating. They are just that -- estimates.

Healthy weight loss is considered to be 1-2 pounds a week -- with higher numbers for people who weigh more. The right number of calories for you would probably be an amount that had you losing 1 pound or so a week! But you'll only figure out how many calories that is for you over time, with some trial and error...

As for the shakes, I do frequently drink homemade shakes with whey protein and frozen berries and really love them!

I drink shakes all the time! I don't know about not being satisfied, that hasn't been a problem for me...I think it depends on what's in the shake. Also I just don't have time to sit down and eat a "Meal" at breakfast. Between feeding the animals and getting myself and my SO and our teenaged daughter out of the house I barely have time to make sure my skirt isn't tucked into my tights! LOL I find that a shake works with my schedule and they're relatively inexpensive. I think it comes down to your lifestyle and what works best for you. Keep in mind that Bob Greene of the Best Life Diet recommends Slim-Fast shakes as part of a simple, balanced diet if you are strapped for time.

Cheers,
Tamara

I also agree that this is too low. Try a couple of different calculators and see what you come up with.

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Layri, how funny!!

Comawhite, I would also tend to agree with the others and say that's probably not enough calories for you. I find that when I start to get cranky or starving, it's time to eat. Another thing is I'm not sure about those shakes in particular, but I know that a lot of them have tons of sugar and relatively little actual nutrition to them. So, you might want to take a look at that and see if they're giving you lots of protein for your calories. For 230 calories at breakfast, I could have any of the following: a serving of flavored oatmeal and a yogurt or piece of fruit, a bowl of cereal with fat free milk, 2 pieces of whole grain low calorie toast (I use either Weight Watchers Multigrain or Arnold brand) w/ a little bit of peanut butter and jam, an eggbeaters omelette with lots of veggies and a yogurt, etc. The list goes on and on and those items I think would stick with me a lot longer than a shake... but if you really like them and couldn't think of doing your plan without them, then enjoy! Most importantly though is bumping up your calories a little to the point where you're not feeling starved. Oh, and if going everyday had been a problem in the past, that probably meant that you weren't getting enough fiber before and you're getting more now. That might be something else to pay attention to.

If you are worried strictly about the amount of calories in the weight loss shakes, I would try either the Target or Walmart brand. I believe they are both around 180 calories per can and a whole lot cheaper than slimfast. When I originally bought them I was surprised that they had less calories than SlimFast. Personally, I like the flavor of the Target and Walmart brands much better, too!

I just double checked and my Walmart brand shake I've got as a "just in case im starving" in my desk is 180 calories.