I lived on a DIY total meal replacement shake for about a year:
Pros:
- Feel fucking amazing. Not just digestive, but mind, energy, mood, all over feel great.
- Perfect poops. I'd poop the same ideal poop everyday at the same time. Two wipes and done.
- Cheap-ish. DIY made it much cheaper than commercial products. Allowed fine tuning too. Was something like $7/day.
- Never hungry. I had three shakes a day and was very satiating. I would go months without experiencing the feeling of hunger.
- Lots of water. Each shake had ~500ml of water in it, which made it much easier to stay hydrated.
- Maximized exercise gains. Was tailored for working out, so I didn't leave anything on the table due to nutritional deficits.
Cons:
- The taste and texture. Bad and worse. Wasn't excruciating to get down, but fell into the "It's not good but I'll still have it" camp.
- No variety. Basically the same thing all the time.
- Weak jaw. Your jaw muscles weaken quickly when not being used all the time. It's surprising to eat regular food and find your jaw aching and tired after half a sandwich.
- Planning. Kind of minor but I would need to plan a bit more to make sure I had shakes ready to go. They tasted best if they could sit for an hour or so after mixing, and where chilled.
I gave in eventually because regular food is just so enjoyable and because GNC stopped making the micro nutrient powder that was essential too it.
Pros:
- Feel fucking amazing. Not just digestive, but mind, energy, mood, all over feel great.
- Perfect poops. I'd poop the same ideal poop everyday at the same time. Two wipes and done.
- Cheap-ish. DIY made it much cheaper than commercial products. Allowed fine tuning too. Was something like $7/day.
- Never hungry. I had three shakes a day and was very satiating. I would go months without experiencing the feeling of hunger.
- Lots of water. Each shake had ~500ml of water in it, which made it much easier to stay hydrated.
- Maximized exercise gains. Was tailored for working out, so I didn't leave anything on the table due to nutritional deficits.
Cons:
- The taste and texture. Bad and worse. Wasn't excruciating to get down, but fell into the "It's not good but I'll still have it" camp.
- No variety. Basically the same thing all the time.
- Weak jaw. Your jaw muscles weaken quickly when not being used all the time. It's surprising to eat regular food and find your jaw aching and tired after half a sandwich.
- Planning. Kind of minor but I would need to plan a bit more to make sure I had shakes ready to go. They tasted best if they could sit for an hour or so after mixing, and where chilled.
I gave in eventually because regular food is just so enjoyable and because GNC stopped making the micro nutrient powder that was essential too it.