User's comments:
"My breakfast consists of three heaped teaspoons of SHAPE milkshake, with about 250ml of low-fat milk. This usually satisfies me until lunch time, which is 13h00. If I'm not hungry in the mornings, or don't feel like eating, I usually just have a cup of SHAPE, so that I'm having something anyway.
Otherwise, if I'm really hungry, I'll have two slices of low-GI toast with margarine and cheese, but I'm trying to lose about 10kg so I try not having toast every morning. I know it's important to have breakfast - and the SHAPE keeps me going.
I battle to eat cereal because it makes me so hungry about two hours later and the taste and texture makes me nauseous. Some mornings before gym, I eat low-fat yoghurt to keep me going and then have the SHAPE when I get back.
How would you rate my breakfast? And is it fine to keep having my SHAPE shake? Also, if I'm really hungry, I sometimes snack on dry muesli."
Expert's comments:
Shape is a meal-replacement drink that contains nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and is relatively low in kilojoules and fat. The directions advise that it be taken as a substitute for breakfast and lunch daily.
Three tablespoons of the powder should be mixed with 200ml of whole milk. In your case, you are using low-fat milk, lowering the overall fat content of the shake. It claims to be an effective weight-loss product when used in conjunction with a kilojoule-restricted diet.
When it comes to weight loss, the most important thing to realise is that there are no magic potions that will make you thin. Many of these products are expensive and usually won't work unless you reduce your overall food intake or control your portions.
Ultimately, ‘weight-loss/slimming’ products should be seen as aids – they might have the desired effect of giving you energy and a feeling of satiety, but they must be used in conjunction with a kilojoule-restricted and balanced diet and an exercise programme.
Meals in a glass can be part of a balanced diet and in some cases are preferable to a poor diet or missing a meal completely as they do contain nutrients. Eating early in the morning is hard for a lot of people, so I'm glad that you are at least taking something to break the fast.
However, I would like to make a few comments:
- Most shakes don’t contain fibre, as is the case with the Shape shake. Fibre plays an important role in bowel regulation and blood-sugar control as well as helping to give the feeling of satiety after a meal.
- Shape (made with milk) provides approximately 490mg calcium, an important mineral for bone health that has also been linked to weight management. Women up to the age of 35 years absorb calcium optimally, so it is important to ensure that you consume the recommended 1000mg of calcium daily. A glass of milk (250ml) provides approximately 200mg of calcium, so if you're not someone who consumes a lot of dairy products, or soft-boned fish e.g. salmon/pilchards, a calcium supplement is advised.
- The second and third ingredients in the Shape shake are sucrose and dextinmaltose, meaning there is a lot of sugar making up the shake’s energy and carbohydrate content. This could result in a fast increase in blood sugar.
- There is some evidence to suggest that consuming nutrients in the liquid form as opposed to the solid food form can lead to the consumption of more calories without necessarily providing the same sense of satisfaction in terms of satiety. So, be wary of this – an apple is far more satisfying, contains fibre and less calories than two glasses of undiluted apple juice.
- I understand that you don’t like the texture of cereal. Would porridge also make you nauseous? If not, oats, mealie meel (e.g. Kreemy meal) and Maltabella are great breakfasts for cold winter mornings when eaten with low-fat/fat-free milk.
- Have you ever thought of making a smoothie at home? This is a great way of getting fruit and fibre in for the day. Below are some ideas for smoothies:
Smoothie recipes
Pawpaw punch:
1 small papaya
1 punnet of strawberries
1/2 cup of low-fat natural or vanilla yoghurt
1/2 cup of low-fat milk
1/2 cup of pawpaw or mango juice
1/2 cup of Jungle oat bran
juice of 1 lime
Energiser:
1 handful of almonds
1 handful or raisins
1 banana
1/2 cup of Jungle oat bran
1/2 cup of All-bran flakes
3/4 cup of low-fat milk
1/2 cup of low-fat vanilla yoghurt
Fruits of the forest: 1-2 cups of strawberries
2 ripe bananas
1 granadilla
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
3/4 cup of low-fat milk
1/2 cup of vanilla yoghurt
1 cup of All-Bran flakes
1 Tbsp of sesame seeds
2 Tbsp of pecan nuts
Passion fruit frappe:
1 ripe banana
2 granadillas
2/3 cup of low-fat vanilla yoghurt
1/4 cup of low-fat milk
1/3 cup of mango juice
A handful of almonds
1/2 Jungle oats
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Fruit whip:
2-3 fruits of your choice (in total, 2 cups of fruit chunks)
Use different fruits to vary the colour:
- Yellow: pawpaw, pear, apple, pineapple, mango, banana, orange
- Pink: guava, strawberries, frozen mixed berries, red grapes, pink
melon (spanspek)
- Green: kiwi fruit, green grapes, green melon
- Please be careful to associate bread with weight gain. A slice of wholegrain toast (like the low GI breads you mentioned) in the morning, with a low-fat and protein-containing topping, e.g. Oxo and mozzarella cheese is a great breakfast.
It is essential not to cut carbohydrates completely. Carbohydrates (starches) are the body’s first and most important source of fuel for everyday living and during exercise. A low-carbohydrate diet will result in a general lack of energy and fatigue over the long term as well as a lack of concentration and irritability.
It is also associated with water loss and muscle protein breakdown as the body will first seek energy from its protein stores, not fat stores, when insufficient energy is obtained from food (also occurs when meals are missed or during starvation). Ultimately, there will be very little fat loss.
Your body is able to utilise carbohydrates very efficiently, particularly when you are active, and will only store it as fat if consumed in excess. Ideally, fibre-rich carbohydrates (wholegrain cereals and breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes and pulses, fruit and vegetables) combined with moderate protein and low fat will provide the best building blocks to build and maintain muscle and lose weight.
- When you are exercising, it is important to ensure you are providing your body with energy from food. This will help maintain and build muscle. It is a good idea to eat something small like a yoghurt or fruit before exercising and then to drink a carbohydrate-containing drink e.g. Energade / Powerade / Ceres / Liquifruit or eat your meal or a snack afterwards.
- In terms of snacking, it is important to know what type of muesli you are eating. Always choose those that are not roasted in oil and are lower in fat e.g. Jungle Lifestyle Muesli; Nature’s Source range of low-GI mueslis (Mixed Berries, Orange & Spices, Apple & Cinnamon); Fineform muesli; Morning Harvest muesli. Below are some ideas for healthy snacks:
Fresh fruit or fruit salad. Low-fat/fat-free yoghurt and mixed seeds can be added to the fruit.
Dried fruit rolls, sticks and bars, e.g. SAD mebos sticks/bars.
Health bars, e.g. Woolworths Cranberry & almond bar, Apricot & sesame seed bar, Yoghurt & nut bar; Mixed seed bars, Jungle oats Berry/Yoghurt bars.
1 small muffin (banana, carrot, date & nut or bran) and a fruit.
175ml yoghurt or 300ml drinking yoghurt (low fat/fat free) and a fruit.
Peanuts and raisins or dried fruit and nut mix with a fruit.
A slice of wholegrain bread, rice cakes, Cornthins, provitas or digestive biscuits with peanut butter and/or honey. Other toppings could include cottage cheese, Oxo, Marmite, avocado pear, fish paste, jam (obviously adding tomato, lettuce and cucumber to the topping will increase the nutritional value).
Vegetable bites, e.g. tomato wedges, cucumber or carrot sticks, celery sticks, baby tomatoes (fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese will add some taste variety).
Popcorn (made with minimal oil).
Biltong (no fat, like ostrich, game meat, lean beef).
In summary, when you take any ‘slimming’ product, you need to ensure a lifestyle change and a behaviour change towards food, without which you will have very little success in achieving long-term weight loss.
Go back to the basics, work with your body rather than against it and listen to your body’s hunger and satiety signals. This mental shift will enable you to have long-term success in weight control.
Here are some pointers to ensure healthy weight loss, which should be no more than 1,5kg per week:
Eat three meals a day with two healthy snacks in between meals. Meals should contain fibre-rich carbohydrate, moderate protein and low fat. Include a wide variety of foods from all food groups (dairy, meat, fish, poultry and eggs, starches, fruit and vegetables, and fats) and don’t remove foods or food groups completely from your daily intake.
Aim to eat at least five fruits and vegetables daily (e.g. two fruits & three vegetables)
Control portion sizes and avoid eating seconds.
Drink at least 1,5 litres (6-8 glasses) clean water a day.
Exercise up to 4-5 times a week to ensure you are burning adequate energy compared to intake, to increase your metabolism, increase muscle mass and reduce fat.
Good luck with achieving your healthy way of life!
An interesting aside
According to the Medicines Control Council, diet plans (by themselves or adjunct to other products) need to provide evidence that the suggested diet(s) will provide adequate proteins, vitamins and that the diet is capable of achieving the results claimed.
Diet plans need to provide at least 4 200 kJ daily, be balanced and be planned by a registered dietician.
In the case of meal-replacement powders, they also need to provide at least 120g of carbohydrates a day. Words such as "with a balanced kJ-restricted diet" should be printed in equal type size and prominence.
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