I’ve always been a skeptic when it comes to losing weight with products like diet pills and meal replacements. Ever since I started my weight loss journey, I’ve believed that shedding the pounds is about eating the right foods and getting enough exercise. That’s why I was such a fan of Slimming World and the Low-GI diet that I did with Tesco Diets before I got married five years ago.
With those plans, I got to eat real food and see results. With Tesco Diets, I lost two and a half stone in four months. In the first couple months at Slimming World, I lost nearly a stone – but my weight loss there was a bit yo-yo-ey. During my pregnancy, I only gained eight pounds with Slimming World too – meaning that once Pumpkin popped out, I was about two stone lighter again.
So, yes, I’ve seen results with ‘real food’ plans, and I am certainly still a fan of that type of eating – after all, losing weight is about making lifestyle changes that you can maintain after you’ve hit your target.
But here’s the thing: healthy eating just hasn’t been working for me lately.
For two months, I stuck to my Slimming World plan like glue. I even kept a food diary and gave it to my consultant who could find nothing wrong with it. But I was still gaining weight. That was very frustrating, and all I can figure out is that my post-pregnancy body wants to hang on to the weight even more.
When the SW consultant who had seen me through my pregnancy left the group, her replacement was awful and I stopped going. Then the group actually shut down. The closest group is now a ten-minute (£1.45 single) bus ride away and on a day/time that I won’t be able to do once I go back to work in November. Basically, SW groups are now out for me.
What’s more, cooking satisfying and diet-friendly breakfasts and lunches has gotten much more difficult with the baby. I’m sure I’ll eventually get myself organised, but for now I need convenience foods to get me through the day.
For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to just ‘eat right’ on my own. But that hasn’t worked. There has been a lot of temptation and without some sort of guidelines to follow, I just end up eating all the bad things. I’m now at the heaviest I’ve ever been (except for when I was pregnant) and something needs to be done.
I spent a few days thinking about my options and realised that the convenience of meal replacements might be what I need right now. I looked into several different brands, and they all seem to work in basically the same way: two meal replacement shakes, two to three snacks and a ‘normal’ dinner. Even the ingredients and nutritional content seem fairly comparable) So it was just a question which one to use.
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My final decision? Visalus – also known as ‘Body by Vi’.
This product is relatively new to the UK market, so there’s not much information available about it, other than the endless marketing fluff from the company and its representatives. Why did I choose it then? Well, because it seems to be the one that has the best reviews in terms of flavour – and if I’m going to be drinking something twice a day for the next three months (the company promotes a 90-day challenge), I want it to taste good.
Also, I have an aunt and cousin-in-law in America who used Visalus a couple of years ago. They saw great results at the time (and I remember them commenting on the flavour too). The cousin even went on to become a representative.
I ordered a two-week supply very early on Sunday morning and it arrived today. If I’m happy with the results after two weeks and think that I can cope with 90 days of drinking the stuff, I’ll order more. In the mean time, I’m going to keep a journal of how it’s going and share it on my blog.
Wish me luck!
Have you ever tried meal replacement shakes? Which ones and how were they? I’d love to hear your experiences – as well as any tips and tricks in the comments below.
PS: I am in no way affiliated with Visalus, nor have I received any compensation for my reviews. The company does operate a number of different marketing schemes to get people talking about their products (such as get three friends started and get a free month supply). I’m not taking part in any of those options and all opinions are my own.
I love my Visalus. If you work the program, it really gets the job done. Unfortunately, I’ve reached a plateau of 42 pounds and haven’t lost any more weight. The good thing is that I’ve been able to almost maintain it for almost 2 years. I’m waiting for some test results to see if I’m having an under active thyroid which would go a long way toward explaining the majority of my symptoms. I’ve also wondered if I’m not feeling sluggish and fatigued because I’ve not been drinking my Vi-shakes. I also like the Neuro stuff that I added to my water. Which cousin is a rep? If I’m going to order more shake mix, I’d rather keep the cash in the family! Also, if you get 3 friends to join, then your shakes are free. I think you’ll do well and will enjoy the flavors. Check out my Pinterest page for some shake recipes. Keep me posted.
Oh, I thought Vanessa was a rep – that’s who I meant anyway (oops). Well done on the loss and maintaining it – that’s the hard part! I’ll definitely check out your Pinterest page for recipes, although I think I’ll be enjoying the cakey goodness all on its own for a while 🙂