Finally bit the bullet and downgraded my fancy meal replacement health shakes

[MoneyCat]

I've been going over everything in our household budget and getting rid of stuff or downgrading stuff to increase our savings and it was time to finally do away with my fancy Beachbody Shakeology meal replacement shake habit. I signed up as a Beachbody coach to get a discount on it, because the stuff is awesome, but at $112/30 servings it was just way too expensive. I wish it was cheaper because there really isn't anything on the market as good as Shakeology as a meal replacement plus supplement, but I can no longer justify that kind of expense.

I'm replacing it with Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal from Amazon.com. It's not as good, but it costs $37/30 servings and I can get that even lower with Amazon gift cards I earn each month from Bing Rewards and Pinecone Research.

End of an era, I guess. I lost 30 pounds in six months with Shakeology and exercise. I'll probably have to start taking a multivitamin to replace some of what I got from Shakeology.

[GuitarStv]

So, question begging to be asked here . . . why are you incapable of simply cooking yourself normal nutritious food and eating it?

[MoneyCat]

So, question begging to be asked here . . . why are you incapable of simply cooking yourself normal nutritious food and eating it?

That's like asking "why do body builders eat nutritional supplements?" Because if you want to have superior health -- particularly for people like me who are professional martial artists -- you have to pay for it.

[jtraggie99]

So, question begging to be asked here . . . why are you incapable of simply cooking yourself normal nutritious food and eating it?

That's like asking "why do body builders eat nutritional supplements?" Because if you want to have superior health -- particularly for people like me who are professional martial artists -- you have to pay for it.

So you make a living as a martial artist?  What exactly does that involve?

On a side note, most so called "bodybuilders" are probably better off focusing on real food as much as possible and supplementing with protein shakes as needed.  Most other supplements on the market are junk and a waste of money.  I say this as someone who routinely makes protein shakes for breakfast.  Of course I can get a tub of protein powder with about 50 servings for $40-$45.  That and skim milk and some frozen fruit.  It may not be the cheapest thing, but it's quick, easy, and nutritious.

[GuitarStv]

So, question begging to be asked here . . . why are you incapable of simply cooking yourself normal nutritious food and eating it?

That's like asking "why do body builders eat nutritional supplements?" Because if you want to have superior health -- particularly for people like me who are professional martial artists -- you have to pay for it.

It's an open secret that bodybuilders shoot up steroids on a regular basis.  Looking to them for 'superior health' advice is probably a poor idea, given that PED usage is such a problem in the sport.

I've trained with some of Canada's Judo and TKD Olympians, under a no-gi BJJ world champion, and under a guy who has regularly fought in the UFC.  None of them would advise regular use of supplements in place of real food.  Certainly, none of them would claim that superior health can be purchased in a can.  :S

[MoneyCat]

So, question begging to be asked here . . . why are you incapable of simply cooking yourself normal nutritious food and eating it?

That's like asking "why do body builders eat nutritional supplements?" Because if you want to have superior health -- particularly for people like me who are professional martial artists -- you have to pay for it.

So you make a living as a martial artist?  What exactly does that involve?

On a side note, most so called "bodybuilders" are probably better off focusing on real food as much as possible and supplementing with protein shakes as needed.  Most other supplements on the market are junk and a waste of money.  I say this as someone who routinely makes protein shakes for breakfast.  Of course I can get a tub of protein powder with about 50 servings for $40-$45.  That and skim milk and some frozen fruit.  It may not be the cheapest thing, but it's quick, easy, and nutritious.

I actually work two jobs. I work as a high school teacher for my main job and I also work in the evenings as a martial arts instructor. I basically use my expertise to teach people how to fight for tournaments. I have to be in peak physical condition at all times because my job involves sparring for hours each evening.

I don't doubt that many body builders use steroids, but the "clean" ones take nutritional supplements to optimize their health while closely managing their caloric intake. While it's possible to do that with regular food, supplements make the process easier, especially when it comes to problems like hunger suppression.

Surprisingly, it's often cheaper to take supplements than to gather and prepare all the different foods individually. I guess it's kind of like how it's often cheaper to purchase a rotisserie chicken at the warehouse store rather than make one at home.

[big_slacker]

There isn't anything as good as shakeology? In terms of taste or what? Vega One for example has less salt, sugar and more protein, costs like half as much even for retail and it's cheaper still on amazon. There might be more of some types of vitamins in shakeology but the question is always does that matter and the answer is almost always no. :D

I also lean towards the vast majority of nutrition coming from whole foods. I used to do a typical athlete's cabinet full of supps but these days just b12 and some protein powder to ADD to a whole foods fruit/veggie shake post workout. Doc gives me crap about not taking a multivitamin but he's got a belly and I'm lean with perfect bloodwork over 40 so who is right? ;)

Dunno if I'd use no gi BJJ champs and UFC guys as my source though since a ton of those guys are on gear just like the BBers. Jon Jones ran through the whole LHW roster while doing coke and clubbin, now he pops for anti-e supposedly from tainted boner pills so.....

What was this thread about again??? Haha. Congrats OP on reducing your MRP cost! In the end forward progress is forward progress.

[GuitarStv]

Dunno if I'd use no gi BJJ champs and UFC guys as my source though since a ton of those guys are on gear just like the BBers. Jon Jones ran through the whole LHW roster while doing coke and clubbin, now he pops for anti-e supposedly from tainted boner pills so.....

There is a big problem with 'roids and BJJ competition.  Sadly drug testing is still pretty rare in our sport, so cheating is rampant.  I'm very sure though that my coach was not taking PEDs when he won the worlds in 2014.   (FWIW, I'm less sure about the guy I trained under who went on to fight in the UFC.  He was never in bad shape, but did gain a lot of muscle very quickly before one of his matches which really made me wonder . . . and I don't trust drug testing in the UFC.)

[andy85]

i used to be all about supps when i was younger...looking back it was such a waste
I still use a few though: amazing grass green superfood to drink every morning, whey protein post-workout, sometimes creatine....thats it really. The only thing i may add is a fish oil supp...just havent gotten around to it yet.

but yea, that shakeology stuff is crazyyyyyy expensive.

[big_slacker]

Dunno if I'd use no gi BJJ champs and UFC guys as my source though since a ton of those guys are on gear just like the BBers. Jon Jones ran through the whole LHW roster while doing coke and clubbin, now he pops for anti-e supposedly from tainted boner pills so.....

There is a big problem with 'roids and BJJ competition.  Sadly drug testing is still pretty rare in our sport, so cheating is rampant.  I'm very sure though that my coach was not taking PEDs when he won the worlds in 2014.   (FWIW, I'm less sure about the guy I trained under who went on to fight in the UFC.  He was never in bad shape, but did gain a lot of muscle very quickly before one of his matches which really made me wonder . . . and I don't trust drug testing in the UFC.)

For sure there are plenty who aren't using, but it was even common in the 90's when I was training and competing so I imagine it's gotten worse. Similar to amateur cycling, they're still playing catch up with the pros, no one is testing ammy's except maybe at the national level.