Shakeology Challenge Diary

Day 1: Eww!
Below is the recipe for my first shake

  • 1 packet Chocolate (they shipped packets instead of the bag)
  • 8-10 oz of water
  • 1 tsp Sugar-free Pudding (supposed to help thicken)
  • 1 tsp Orange Extract (supposed to make it taste like a chocolate orange)
  • Ice
I mixed it in my Vitamix blender then poured, tasted, and made horrible faces. It is STRONG. After a couple more sips I decided I needed something to dull the flavor so I poured it back into the blender and added a whole banana. Tastes slightly better but still not something I am going to drink again. I am trying really hard to finish the shake by chasing every sip with a gulp of water and I am not sure I will make it through. Tomorrow I am going to use milk instead of water and only half a packet of shakeology. I can't speak to whether it is having any effects physically or emotionally since I am still less than 1/4 of the way through. :-(

This might be a very short experiment.

Evening Report: I officially gave up and dumped the shake down the sink. Both the chocolate and the orange flavors were too much to handle. I thought 1 tsp of extract seemed excessive but decided to follow the recipe anyway. So far this is an effective weight loss solution because I can't even think about eating after that horrible experience. I hope things get better.

Day 2: Better

8-10 oz 2% Milk
1/2 Packet Chocolate Shakeology
2 Drops of Peppermint Extract

This was much better. I was able to drink it right down without any issue. I wouldn't say it tastes exactly like a thin mint cookie but it is close. The only thing that I will change tomorrow is adding ice. I think it would taste even better if I can get it super cold.

Evening Report: I was hungry a couple hours after drinking the shake this morning. Tomorrow I will try using the full packet but doubling the milk. I will also drink the shake for lunch instead of breakfast since that is when I would prefer to miss a meal. I hope I will eventually get the hang of this. No noticeable physical effects.

Day 3

16-20 oz milk (half skim, half 2%)
Packet Chocolate Shakeology
Iew drops of pepermint
Ice

Tastes better made with ice but it also adds to the volume of the shake. It was a lot of shake but I was able to finish it during my lunch hour. I finished the shake around 12:15 and I was perfectly ok waiting until 5:30 to eat again.

Evening Report: I was very tired during the early afternoon at work but bounced back. I don't know if this has anything to do with the shake or more the fact that I had already spend 4-5 hours sitting at my desk pretending to be busy because no one has time to train the new girl yet. Other than that no physical effects

Day 4

1 Pint Milk (1/2 skim, 1/2 2%)
Packet Chocolate Shakeology
1 banana

I used the banana today instead of extract because the hotel I am staying at had bananas out at breakfast. They also had 1/2 pint cartons of milk which is why I used the measurement. I am not a huge fan of banana flavor in shakes but this turned out quite nice. The strength of the banana flavor helped to overpower the super chocolaty flavor of the shake itself. I think it is better with ice but I prefer only having to refill my giant cup once.

Evening Report: The last two days I have felt quite bloated around 4pm after having the shake for lunch. I think my body might no longer be used to consuming that much milk in one sitting. Tomorrow I will try substituting water for half of the milk. Tonight I ordered PB2 and I can't wait for it to arrive!

Day 5

8 oz Skim Milk
8 oz Water
Packet Chocolate Shakeology
Orange Extract

I think my first bad experience has turned me against orange from now on. There wasn't too much of a difference with water replacing half the milk. The biggest difference was that the water wasn't refrigerated so the shake was even warmer than usual. Tomorrow I am going to try to remember to make the shake before I leave for work so it will have 4 hours in the refrigerator before I drink it. That is closer to what I will normally be doing when I am no longer living 5 minutes from work.

Evening Report: No more feeling bloated!

Days 6-10

I am starting to get the hang of this but it is getting a bit boring. I have started to make the shake in the morning and stick it in the fridge for 4 hours before drinking it. I highly recommend this strategy if you don't put ice or frozen fruit into your shakes. I asked for a sample serving of the tropical strawberry which should be arriving soon. Hopefully I will like it and can shake things up a bit. I am also looking forward to the arrival of my PB2 because peanut butter makes everything better. Especially chocolate.

Evening Reports: I am not sure I am the best person to be doing this study because I don't register minor changes well. If it isn't quantifiable I am not going to think about it. I did have a completely sleepless night last night which was not pleasant but I am not feeling any lack of energy today. Either one of those could potentially be attributed to the shakes. I will keep you posted with any changes.

Day 12

Chocolate Shakeology with PB2 is delicious just like I assumed it would be. I do find that Shakeology has a strange aftertaste. The initial flavor of the shake with PB2 is very Reese's like but it doesn't last long because of the aftertaste. I am also noticing that the aftertaste really only happens for the first 3-5 sips everyday. So it is there everyday, but not for the whole shake.

Day 16

Change of plans. I have about 10 servings of Shakeology Chocolate left. So far I haven't felt really big changes but I do like that I am losing a little bit of weight. I also like how easy lunch is everyday. I do not like how expensive Shakeology is. Before purchasing more I will want to become a coach to get the extra discount even if I doubt I will actually sign anyone else up. Before I take that step I want to see if I can get similar results and ease of use from another product. I just order a batch of IdealShape meal replacement shakes and will try that for the next month and write about any differences in taste, feel and results.

Day 18

I used my Strawberry Shakeology sample today. I went for a simple recipe and mixed it with 1 cup of OJ and 1/2 cup of water. As usual I mixed the shake in the blender before going to work and ate it for lunch. I was a little concerned when I made it home for lunch because the shake had separated in a gross looking way. I was a little concerned but it didn't smell like it had spoinled and I couldn't see any reason to believe it would in such a short period of time. I popped it on the blender for few seconds and it seemed fine.

After trying this shake I understand why people say that the vegan flavors taste chalky. It wasn't really a bad thing, just a little difference compared to the chocolate. I actually prefer the chalkiness of the strawberry over the over-chocolaty flavor of the chocolate. I could very easily get used to drinking the strawberry flavor.

I received my first batch of IdealShape in the mail today. I ordered one bottle each of chocolate and vanilla to test them both out. I think I will do one more week of just Shakeology. After that I will spend a week alternating between Shakeology and IdealShape.  

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