One week in and I HATE the shakes

U

Uphillstruggle

Full Member
Hi all :)

I lost 4 stone on LL in 2007, maintained but then had a baby at the end of 2009. The stress of the pregnancy and subsequent premature birth of my son meant that I put it all back on and another 3 stone!

I've worked hard to get that three stone off and now I started Exante (my second attempt) at 14.9 last week.

I'm one week in and lost 7lbs already which I'm delighted about, but the problem is that I am having a lot of trouble with the shakes. I am gagging every time I drink them and I hate them - I have tried all the soups, porridge and shakes but hate them all. I am currently managing one choc shake and one vanilla (with coffee) plus a bar.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Can I have two bars a day? Can I dilute them less so that I don't have to swallow so much?

Is there even a way (I know this sounds awful) of making them solid so that I could swallow it whole in little chunks (like a tablet)? I want to stick to this, but the past two shakes have actually made me vomit. I know it must be psychological, but they really do taste rank!

Heeeelp!!! xx
 
Hi Irene,

At the time I didn't have any trouble with them for four months - I didn't "like" them, but didn't retch! Although I tried one the other day and did gag on it (I think the chocolate one tastes identical to the Exante one).

I tried CD once and hated them far more! I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it for the losses!

:)
 
U r only taking them for the nutritional value. U can do whatever u have to to take them, thick thin. Warm cold. Have u tried a sweetener in them? Have u tried coffee in the chocolate?? Maybe really thin them down. Take half a shake four times a day rather than twice? Unfortunately u cannot have two bars, too many carbs x
 
Hi, sorry to hear you're hating the shakes and well done for sticking with it. I know that we can have only one bar each day, so that doesn't help. Personally, after just one day, I feel these shakes are quite bland by comparison with LL and CD -but luckily I can have them without any adverse reaction. I've heard of people making shakes into a mousse consistency - so using very little water - or crushing ice cubes in a blender, blending the shake and having a sort of ice cream. I've tried the ice cream version when I was on LL, and it requires lots of imagination and took me forever to eat. I trained as a LL counsellor many years ago, and I remember that it was important to eat their shakes within 15-20 mins to retain the vitamins etc. Exante shakes say serve immediately, so I don't know if the same rules apply. I've never done the mousse version because I try to make every meal as big as possible, but maybe that might be something that would help you - it would be a smaller, you'd eat it quicker and get all the nutrition. Good Luck
 
I can't advise about the shakes as I have never tried them - don't do milkshakes in the 'real' world, so unlikely to like diet ones!! :)

However, I have grown to really like the soups after hating them initially.

The chicken one in particular tasted vile for the first few weeks - now it is my favourite :D

I think my tastes just changed over a few weeks and now I really like all the soups, and I just have them and a bar a day.

I can't really advise you what to do - but if you are actually vomiting, you are going to become ill persevering with this as it stands.

If you think you can get used to the products, stick with it - however, sad as it may be perhaps Exante is not for you? :sigh:
 
Last edited:
I make my shakes up with quite a bit more water so there is more of them to drink and they last longer!
So making them up with more water is fine.

Have you tried them hot?
Hot with a spoonful of coffee and a sweetner?
Cold with a spoonful of coffee (my favourite!)

You can make a shmuffin :D but only allowed to do that with 1 pack a day. Mix your pack up with a few spoonfuls of water until it's a thick paste, then pop it in the microwave for about 60 seconds (sometimes less, just keep an eye on it) and it turns out like a cake type thing!

Ice lollies, again can only do these for one pack a day.
Mix your pack with about 300-400ml water, I use sparkling, pour into ice lolly moulds and eat them when they are set.

Mix up your shake til it's a thick paste, spread it on tinfoil so it's a choc bar shape and put it in the freezer. Takes about an hour or so to 'set' You can then eat it like a choc bar or cut it into little pieces.
Again only for 1 pack a day.

I made banana custard when I was on exante last time.
Make your shake up as normal and add a few drops of vanilla essence, put it in a saucepan and heat it up, stirring all the while so you dont burn it.
It goes nice and thick and tastes really really nice.
And yet again, only for 1 pack a day!

Hope some of those help.
 
Hey blue u clever thing!!!! Never tried any of those not even a hot shake!!!!
I add coffee and ice to vanilla and choc shakes!! Nutmeg and ice to banana and that's about as exciting as it gets lol gonna try the hot shake check me out getting adventurous lmao!!!!!
Will let u know if I like it!!!!! Xxxx
 
Hi,

I just started Exante last Friday and I quite like the shakes. I found them a bit thick so I mix them with a little bit more water and drink with a straw - it seems to help. I really worried about the soups from day 1 and gagged on them, especially the mushroom. I was terrified that having bought a bumper pack I was going to not only waste all that money but use it as an excuse to stop. So I looked on the forum and there's loads of great advice on one of the stickies about shakes and soups so I followed some of their tips.

What works for me is using more water in the soups and NOT blending or whisking but just mixing to a paste and then gradually adding hot water (about 300 mls). It makes them thinner and more like a conventional packet soup. It works so well that I had one at work today (Veg) in a flask and my friends were saying how nice my soup smelt (Really!!!).

I'd really give some of the other tips a go - something that hit home with me was someone who said that you don't need to think of it as 'nice food' but nutrition that's going to help get you to the weight you need and to just 'hold your nose and glug'! I also weighed myself after two days and had lost 5 lbs so that was a brilliant incentive. I really hope you can find ways to get over this blip.

All the best :)
 
lol Kazz when I tried exante for the first time I didn't even know about the adding coffee so just had the shakes and soups as they were, yuck!

There are quite a few old threads on here about what people do to pep their packs up. If I come across any I'll post links to them.
 
Hi,

I can't help too much with the shakes because I find them not too bad if I mix them with a bit more water (ice cold) and drink with a straw!

On day 1 I was terrified though because the soups were making me gag. I looked at the stickies on shakes/soups and found some brill ideas. The big one that hit home with me was not to think of them as 'nice food' but as nutrition that was going to help me lose weight. I weighed myself and in two days I'd lost 5 lbs - a brilliant incentive.

BUT, I had to make the soups not so gloopy because that was the gaggy thing with me. I make them up with more water, about 300 mls and do NOT blend or whisk but just mix to a paste with hot water and gradually build up to 300 mls. It makes it thinner and more like a normal cup a soup type thing. In fact, I had a veggie one in a flask for lunch today and my work friends (who don't know I'm exacting) said how nice my soup smelt (REALLY!!!). So I hope you find things to help you through this horrible stage - I'm sure you will! :)
 
I found exactly the same thing with the shakes - got through day 1 and didn't know how I was going to stomach day 2! The only ones I can drink as they are are the vanilla and banana, but I've found that with sweetener, the strawberry goes from vile to yummy, and the chocolate just needs sweetener and half a spoon of coffee. I'm on day 4 now and LOADS happier!
 
I only like 2 flavours of shakes, and can only have them hot. I use 75-100ml of hot water with a sweetener in, and mix vigourously! Sometimes need to microwave for 20 seconds as well.

Result is a kind of "custard" that is pretty lush, especially the chocolate one.

Try it, its really nice!
 
i only have the banana and vanilla shakes and the exante bars or tesco slim bars. I dislike all the others. LL shakes are sweeter than exante ones! and i rather miss the fudge one. I've tried them hot, banana = lush. Vanilla turned out weird and curdled.

Have you thought about taking the slower route and doing working solution? You still get great losses.

I make then thick and juts glug them back. I do enjoy the bars though. Cold, warm in the microwave (they burn easily though) - my fav.
 
Hello - can we use canderel as a sweetener in the shakes / porridge?
 
I've only had one shake so far, the strawberry one, and hated it! I was prepared to dislike it because I don't like them anyway but it was still a shock :p after lots of searching through the forum I've decided to try doing a shmuffin in the morning! :) hope it's better than today's experience! I hope you find a way to cope with the shakes too! xx
 
Lizzy i think you can use any tablet sweetener, so candarel should be ok - i use splenda tablets in my tea but never used them in a shake as i think they're sweet enough.

Koody girl how long do you nuke the bars for? I should imagine the chocolate orange one would be quite nice warm, a bit gooey and melty!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Blubell._.0422
Step4 1200kcal Hello anyone who is still here
Replies
5
Views
3K
dovydaitis
dovydaitis
elle2585
It’s been over a decade - back here to get comfy
Replies
4
Views
760
elle2585
elle2585
Cheekypasterfield
Live, Love, Eat & Repeat
Replies
6
Views
1K
Cheekypasterfield
Cheekypasterfield
jules1981
My Goal is to be Healthier dropping from 26 stone 10 lbs
2 3
Replies
42
Views
5K
tipperary
tipperary
Tano
Exante diary #1
Replies
4
Views
1K
Yoyobunny
Y
Back
Top