Weight loss shakes can be a good way to reduce your calorie intake and kick-start your weight loss. How effective shakes are will depend on the way you use them and the ones you choose. There are several strategies to optimize your success with shakes.

Think Short Term

Shakes are rarely meant to help you lose a tremendous amount of weight or to supplement your meals indefinitely. When you start using weight loss shakes, think about incorporating them for a month. If you are trying to find a way to lose many pounds or change your lifestyle long-term, start slowly by replacing a single snack with a shake. This can easily cut several hundred calories from your intake each day. For people who are trying to shed a few pounds for a special event, you may want to replace one meal with a shake in the beginning. After a month, you can re-evaluate your strategy, or you may choose to alternate a few months of incorporating shakes with a few months on working on eating a normal diet.

Choose Wisely

Reading labels is critical for weight loss, so reading the labels on shakes is also important. You should be conscious of the number of calories in a serving so you are not consuming more calories than necessary and you need to accurately measure the powder. Ideally, you will choose shake mixes that offer nutritional benefits, such as those fortified with vitamins and minerals. The more you use shakes as a meal replacement, the more nutritious your shakes need to be. Another consideration is the macronutrients in each serving. You should lean on mixes that provide you with more protein. When you use shakes as a replacement for snacks, the protein will be helpful in combating hunger until your next meal.

Consider Additives

If your shake will be a meal replacement, you may consider adding protein powder to boost the protein and make the shake more like a meal. Simply choose a protein powder that is pure protein with little or no added carbohydrates. Other additives you should consider are fiber powder or psyllium husks. Many shakes have little or no fiber; however, fiber can help you feel full, which is especially important since your meals or snacks will be liquid. Just be mindful of the amount of fiber you add and increase the amount slowly to avoid unpleasant gastrointestinal issues.

You can find almost any vitamin, mineral, or supplement in bulk powder form which allows you to customize your shake to your specific weight and health goals. For example, if you lift weights, you may want to add creatine or another supplement to aid in recovery. People who do more cardio might benefit from caffeine or green tea extract added to their shake around workout time for energy.

Using shakes as a snack or meal replacement can be a good strategy to shed excess pounds or jump-start a lifestyle change. Paying attention to the nutritional and macronutrient information in your shakes will make it easier to stick with the plan.