Starting a new thread to hopefully keep it narrowly focused on the subject: simple indications or examples of meal replacement diet shakes for the BSD (600+200 kcal)

First, thanks Dr. Mosley for this excellent book! I received it a few days ago.

I’m starting my 8 week BSD (the “800 kcal” variant, not the “5:2” one) on Monday 01/02.

On pages 128/129 you say the last thing before beginning is to choose between MR diet shakes (600 kcal, to be supplemented with 200 kcal of non-starchy vegetables) or real food.
I’ll go with the shakes for various reasons, including: convenience, that I’ve never tried any, and that’s what the original Dr. Taylor’s study used. You also report an excellent success story with them at page 59 (the only other reference in the index). After a few weeks maybe, as you suggest, I’ll change to the real food with the book’s recipes for the entire meals and not just for the 200 kcal vegetables integration.

The problem is, I have no idea what to choose, and most importantly how to ensure they’ll provide me all the required nutrients in the right amounts for their 600 kcal: in other words, the same that the real food recipes in the book would provide.

There’s no indication of any kind in the book or in this site (where you do indicate, however, other products). I’m not asking for a recommendation or endorsement of any specific product of course, just some examples or at least the composition (proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates (!), other nutrients: types and quantities) we should generally be aiming for.

A quick search in a shop was terribly confusing: unclear what some things are for, some woman-specific products (while the entire book and all the recipes make no such distinction, correctly I think), wildly varying compositions (including up to 10% carbohydrates in some)…
A famous retailer has exactly 8 products on its website that qualify as MR diet shakes: 4 PHD ones “for woman”, 4 Forza ones non-gender orientated. If the recipes are not “qualified”, since what matters are the calories and nutrients, so the shakes also shouldn’t need to be.

We’re left in a right pickle by an otherwise excellent book on this aspect, can you please help?

Just 3 or 4 examples (as done for the glucose monitors on this same site, for instance), or a reference to the exact products used by Dr. Taylor’s study, or equivalent ones, would all be extremely helpful.

Be careful read what’s in the shakes slimfast is full of sugar! Personal trainer friend recommended my protein.com

Hi again diabetes.co.UK has info on original study at newcastle university they used optifast meal replacement sachets 3 per day plus meal of vegetables but not cheap!

I have done the meal replacement program (shakes) before as advised by my doctor. The meal replacements to use are Optifast or Optislim. Optifast is more expensive. I am in Australia so not sure if these are available in other countries. My doctor told me to avoid most other shakes as they are full of sugar and do not provide the correct nutrition.
Good luck GettingSerious. The shakes do work really well but I got sick of the sweet taste so only lasted 3 weeks on the program. It’s a good idea to introduce real food after a few weeks.

Hi, I have ordered some ‘elle belle’ low carb shakes from amazon as regular slim fast shakes are pretty high carb (25 – 40g per serving depending on flavour) and 2 shakes would mean approx 500 kcals where the low carb ones are half that for 2 shakes. They cost me £20 for 2 flavours which is meant to be for a 20 day supply (10 days per flavour, though the pouches look pretty small now they’ve arrived but only use 4 tsps for a shake so we’ll see) – will let you know how they taste as I am starting tomorrow too. Good luck! ☺

I have been using the Herbalife shakes ( I am not a rep or have any financial interest in this company btw). I find them quite tasty and work well with almond milk, making a meal replacement shake for 130 calories. They have about 9g of carbs per serving, and are nutritionally balanced.
I tried some PhD shakes but found them too sickly sweet.
I make up a double portion to take to work, half is my breakfast alongside a green shake made with green veg and some fruit, then have the other half on the way to the gym ( twice a week) and as a snack the other days.
With semi skimmed milk they are 200 calories.
Cost wise £28 for 30 days supply.

I have been using Exante shakes and also bars on and off since I started 18 days ago. Even though they have around 18g of carbohydrates per sachet, I have been testing my urine for ketones, which indicate if your body is burning fat. And so far no problem for me, it is burning fat every day. I think that is slightly lower than the carb count for Slim Fast, but Slim Fast aren’t designed to be used on a very low calories diet, as far as I know? They seem to cover the bases re protein, vitamin and mineral content, although I usually add a bit of extra salt to avoid getting muscle pains.

Thanks to all for the help. So, I’ve started today as planned, after doing some last minute shopping and analysis yesterday.
This is what I’ve found (I don’t like buying health stuff online, I’d rather go in main street shops for these things):
Optifast is simply not available without enrolling in a clinic, but from their site and others I figured out they contain approximately 20g of sugar (short for: carbs of which sugar, so there can be more carbs of the good kinds) for 100g.
Optislim doesn’t seem to be available in UK pharmacies or health and fitness stores.
Elle Belle, couldn’t find it anywhere, but I’d probably not use them due to too much carbs (of which the sugar is unknown), and also 500 kcal per serve is too much — I’d rather have 3* 200, or 2* 300 kcal portions to reach the 600 in 2 or 3 “meals”.
Herbalife, couldn’t find it anywhere either, seems interesting: so little calories (so, more portions), but 9g of carbs per 130 kcal means 41g of carbs for 600 kcal — it’ll depend on how much of that is “bad” (quick) sugar rather slow-intake sugars.
Exante shakes, also couldn’t find them anywhere.

In a pharmacy I found this (in all cases, grams of sugar (“carbs of which sugar”) per 100g):
AYMES: 38/100; Slimfast (who conveniently are the only ones to describe portions in ml rather than g, but with some simple maths I worked it out anyway): an incredible 50/100; Boots Slender: 33, 34, 35 depending on flavour; Conplan: 34, 33, 27 depending on flavour; Sculptress: 20, 21 depending on flavour; Celebrity: 30, 45 depending on flavour; Almaseed: 30. Many of these also had very low amounts of protein (which I understand I should be taking to preserve lean muscle mass).

Eventually I settled for 2 products:
from Boots: Sanatogen High Protein, with impressive 5.8g of carbs (0.4 sugar) and 81g of protein for 100g of product, and
from H&B: USN Diet Fuel Ultralean Nutrition shake, similar composition, 55g portions to 200-300ml of water for 200kcal (so I can have 3 a day) and which specifically is described for weight loss and lean muscle preservation, not performance or sport, etc.

I hope I’m doing it right, I’ll keep researching and of course I’ll make sure to also drink lots of water and have my daily 200 kcal of vegetables as per the recipes in the book, for the fibre and the general gut mobility, etc.
I’m pretty sure in three weeks maximum I’ll be trying to do it all with real food though, for more taste and satisfaction.

I was triggered into action initially by “That Sugar Film” (whatch it, it’s an eye-opener in many ways), then by articles by and about Dr. Mosley on newspapers.

I was about to post a similar question re shakes. I was wondering whether I could incorporate the PhD shakes into the diet as I often don’t get time to eat during the day. I also find them handy after I’ve been for a run, I usually have them with unsweetened almond milk which is a total of 120 cals per shake.

Hi GettingSerious
I have just started the diet today. I am using a Nutriblend to make my own shakes, and a book called The 5:2 Diet Low Carb Nutribullet Recipe Book by Susan Fotherington.
It’s available on Amazon. I’ve got it on kindle. It was about £3 I think.
Really recommend both!
Penny

I am using Purition shakes. Anyone else tried these ?

The Ellebelle shakes I am using are low carb and got them from amazon, 135 kcal per portion, not particularly tasty bit okay. Not having them every day but they are an easy quick breakfast. So far so good for me, 6 days in and 6 lbs gone ☺ though not too keen on the headaches I am experiencing the last 2 days, plus been very hungry today for the first time but hoping this will get better 😊

I keep seeing ads for these, are they any good? They sound interesting.

This is interesting – not heard of that Sanatogen one, so going to investigate. I’ve bought online only, so opposite of you. Hope it’s going well!

Hi FMJA
Were you asking about the Nutriblend. ?
It’s wonderful. I’m in love with it. And if you look at that book I mentioned- get the free sample on kindle- you can see the nutrients you can get would be just about impossible to reproduce in a commercial shake – so many micronutrients, some I hadn’t even heard of. I feel buzzing from them, sleeping better and more energetic.
Penny

I have been using PhD diet whey. 1 serving provides – 91cals, 1.2g sugar, 1.25g fat. 17g protein. This is for 25g scoop with 175mls water. You get different flavours and they are nice and thick. I also add a teaspoon of ground flax seeds . I find they are quiet tasty and good for protein. Keeps the calories low as well as a lot of the other MR as high in calories ..

I’m on Exante too. Just over two weeks and one stone down. I’m not prediabetic or diabetic so don’t know about the blood results.

My query however is: on page 129 of the book Michael recommends 600 cals in shakes, plus 200 cals in non-starchy veggies. This is like Exante’s Man Plan which I’m doing, where you can ‘spend’ the 200 cals on a high protein low carb meal. Now I reckon that 200 cals of veggies would be rather a lot of veggies! I have a chicken breast or small piece of fish. Would that make any difference? Would appreciate any opinions! TIA Louise

Bulk powders whey protein is brilliant order online . I have tried chocolate, berries and cream and banana, made up with full fat milk it has 250 calories and 30 g of protein. Very low sugar and carb content. I add xamthum gum powder and ice cubes and blend it. Makes a delicious smoothly that you will be impressed with.

Hi Lou
He says there are appropriate recipes in the recipe section and you need the veg to avoid constipation.
I had a look and there are recipes about 200 cals. They have other stuff in them such as feta or chick peas so it’s not just a mountain of cabbage!
Sounds like you’re doing well
Penny

Fran7 do you mix the Bulkpowders shakes with water or milk please?

I mix the protein shake with full fat milk but skimmed or semi skimmed would be OK. On the instructions it says mix with water but it tastes 100% better with milk and I am a great believer in enjoying what you eat. Hope this helps.

Fran.

Is anyone using the Cambridge shakes?

Thanks so much you saved me hours hard work. I’ve been using my 123 diet shakes left over from last diet. Wondered what shakes to have. Thanks for all your work.

You are welcome, the chocolate one is especially nice at bed time and will ensure that you do not wake in the middle of the night with hunger pangs.

Good luck and stick with it.

May I suggest “HUEL”

Tell me more about Huel please. It looks like it might do the job but I am new at this. Thanks.

If you are replacing all your meals with shakes (as in the Newcastle diet) you need to look at the vitamin content. Huel and other brands have not all your body needs.

Here in America I’m using the SlimFast shakes. But the newer kind that have only 1 g sugar. The old formula has sugar as the main ingredient! Plus the hewed formula has 20 G protein and vitamins and minerals. Atkins shakes another option but not as many vitamins.

If I use the powder mix I’m using coconut milk to lower the cards. Even fat free milk has 13 g sugar. Coconut milk has 1 g. To get my stomach used to coconut milk I’m using half fat free milk and half coconut.

You gotta read the labels.

Here in America I’m using the SlimFast shakes. But the newer kind that have only 1 g sugar. The old formula has sugar as the main ingredient! Plus the new formula has 20 G protein and vitamins and minerals. Atkins shakes another option but not as many vitamins.

If I use the powder mix I’m using coconut milk to lower the cards. Even fat free milk has 13 g sugar. Coconut milk has 1 g. To get my stomach used to coconut milk I’m using half fat free milk and half coconut.

You gotta read the labels.

I buy Premier Protein shakes at Costco. (I live in the US) they have 30g of protein, 1g sugar, 2 net carbs and 160 calories. They do sell powder in this brand at Amazon but for some reason it tastes awful so I stick to the premade. They taste great! I make “smothie cubes” by putting greens in the blender with a little water, pour them into an ice cube tray and freeze. I do this because organic greens go bad quickly. The greens are mixed, spinach, kale, chard, etc. I put 4 large cubes in the blender with my shake along with a little MCT oil or coconut oil. Avacado works too. Also a few berries. Delicious and filling and the flavors (choc or vanilla) work well to tone down the taste of the greens so it doesn’t taste like a spinach shake. Sometimes I put fiber powder in also but not always, just because I forget! I drink half for breakfast and half for a snack before lunch.