Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

[dixie77]

I know I am beating a dead horse here but I really wish someone could tell me something positive about the atkins shakes. I just love those things. I actually toyed with the idea of trying a shake for breakfast and one for lunch with some atkins snacks, veggies and an atkins dinner but all I hear is stall, stall, stall. Do the shakes knock you out of ketosis? Has anyone tried just the shakes without the bars? Just wondering if the bars are the stallers and the shakes are fine for induction. Unless anyone has had success on induction using the shakes then I guess I will have to leave the tasty little cans in the fridge till after I reach my goal weight.

[not2late]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

All I can tell you is that over the years ADBB has been around, the bars and shakes have stopped or slowed weight loss for plenty of people in Induction Phase. That's why we don't recommend them and if you choose to use them, you use them at your own risk.

There are people who have successfully incorporated them into their On-Going Weight Loss Phase, Pre-Maintenance Phase and Maintenance Phase, but you have to remember that OWL and Pre-Maintenance are experimental phases where you test how your body reacts to foods. Induction Phase is much too important, imo, to potentially derail by experimenting with these things. I've been around here long enough to have seen people experiment during Induction, see no losses or at least the losses they expected, become discouraged and go through alot of agony, and only get results when they removed the foods/drinks that are potential stallers.

[edesros168]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I dont understand why they are bad, they list only 4 G of carbs in them total??

[michigander]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

It's kinda like eating a hot dog. It only has 2 grams of carb, but the sodium makes you retain water, and you may even see the scale go up.

Shakes aren't bad in that sense, but basically, your body can respond to low carb foods in less than desirable ways.

Another example - drinking lots of diet soda instead of water will catch up to you in the long run too.

I personally like the shakes, especially because they're quick. However, if it means making me stall, I'm not in favor of it. Just remember the definition of the word stall. It's not like they make you GAIN weight...but they keep you from LOSING weight...which isn't that the purpose anyway?!?!

Best wishes....just don't sell yourself short. You'll like the results much better if you LIMIT the frankenfoods.

[not2late]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I dont understand why they are bad, they list only 4 G of carbs in them total??

Different people react differently to food ingredients. For some people, it's the artificial sweeteners. For others its the bulking agents and the additives.

So, it's a your mileage may vary type thing. And during Induction, you don't want to mess up your weight loss potential because it's the results from your initial 14 days of this Diet that will help you determine how to plan the rest of your weight loss journey.

[edesros168]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I've been having 2 eggs w/ bacon for breakfast, a shake blended with ice for lunch and a induction friendly supper. I am on my 8th day of induction and lost 10 pounds. I do mountain bike liek 5 miles a day though so I am getting plenty of excersise..??

[des]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I've done the shake for breakfast, shake for lunch, and induction-friendly dinner thing in the past, and I found it pretty effective. But not during induction. Stay true to induction for the two full weeks, and then eventually if you're not happy with those results, try the shake option. You can't get the fat you need during induction if you use the shakes for two of three meals.

[cocobelle]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I used the shakes with the last Atkins program - did just fine. Depending on which part of the NANDR you read, you'll find them not on the program, or on the program (the text part doesn't list them, but sample menus do list them)

I am in the distinct minority. With my work, I rely heavily on the shakes. (I am also diabetic, so the shakes were a godsend with the low blood sugars!) It's hard to say whether or not the shakes stalled me. I pretty much drank on a day (in that span between early breakfast and late lunch), usually five per week... from the beginning. Who's to say that I may have lost the weight faster? Maybe I would've, maybe not.

I will say, tho, be careful. I wouldn't worry about the shakes knocking you out of ketosis, as much I would worry about the shake starting those sweet cravings again.

Good luck!

[guekjian]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I also tried the shake for breakfast, bar for lunch and a balanced supper thing. I can tell you that the loss was faster (and I was less hungry) eating real food instead. It's up to you though...I would worry about stalling more than anything else! Good luck!

[sadie147]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I don't think it's a very good idea to replace full meals with a shake whether it stalls you or not. You are not learning proper lifetime eating habits doing that. Atkins is not Slimfast, and is not about meal replacements..it's about changing your way of eating for life, with whole foods.

I personally have used protein powders, in maintenance and my OWL to add protein to smoothies, but would never replace meals with them.

As for anyone asking why it is they can stall many people....Many people have different issues with different foods and ingredients, and those shake have alot of ingredients in them. If you have an issue with any of them you risk stalling.

[How Riveting]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

Personally, I've never gotten the appeal of a shake anyway. Sure, a milkshake - okay that sounds good. But these "nutritional" shakes always taste chalky and "vitaminy". I have also NEVER gotten why they are considered "meal replacements". Huh? If I drink an Atkins shake I'll be hungry again within 20 minutes. Quite frankly, I do not get why anyone in their right mind would consume something so disgusting when they can eat a good meal. Since we aren't counting calories here, why not go ahead and eat something?

My guess is that a lot of us got really used to dieting the old fashioned way and so we got into the habit of using shakes.

[LooseShoes]

Re: Atkins shakes can't be all bad...can they?

I enjoy the shakes, especially on days I'm not moving as fast as I ought to in the mornings. Not exactly a morning person! I do limit them to no more than 1 or at most 2 a week--sometimes I don't have any. I think the Atkins shakes taste good, but I try not to have much of anything that's not really natural. Minimizing the frankenfoods works for me.

You just have to see how your body reacts to them. If you're craving them, it might be best to leave them alone. If it's just a convenience at times, you're probably fine.