This post is meant to inform & express my personal opinion about this product. My purpose is to share my personal experience and also educate what I now know. I hope I don’t downplay,offend,or disrespect anyone affiliated with BeachBody. In fact, I believe that with the right precautions & expectations it’s actually a good way to get started on your fitness journey.

There was a summer years ago when my hubby and I thought it was a good idea to buy the Insanity DVD’s from Craigslist to get in shape. Every time we did the workouts, we were told we needed to buy Shakeology. Since we wanted the muscles Sean T promised we ended up doing so. In hindsight, it’s silly to think we’d get results from just drinking a shake and doing 2 months of HIIT cardio. What can I say, we were young and naive. We didn’t know any better. After finishing the program, we stopped taking the supplement mainly because it’s expensive as hell. Obviously, our bodies gradually took back their pre-isanity shape within weeks. We knew what we had to do to get back into shape, but just thinking about doing another round of Insanity was exhausting. So the DVD’s sat there collecting dust for years.

I’ve seen the before and afters of people claiming it’s worked for them. I mean, it did for us to a degree but the results weren’t sustainable. They just didn’t last very long which was always so discouraging. It wasn’t until I learned about counting macros in January of 2015 that I realized why it works.

Shakeology isn’t the magical powder it’s hyped up to be and here’s why:

1. After analyzing the macros I realized Shakeology is just a yummy overpriced protein powder. It works because drinking these shake increases your protein intake daily. Most people are protein deficient. But there are other protein options out there to choose from.
2.  Results are most likely happening from tweaking your nutrition, not from the powder or workouts themselves. If you don’t know how much you should be eating you may not see results even though you’re doing all the workouts. At the end of the day, what maters is what goes in versus what goes out.
3. Sure, it’s a bit fancier because it has powdered greens and all sorts of other goodies. However, I doubt it’ll ever compare to the benefits of eating the actual vegetables. If you see it as a vegetable replacement, you’ll missing out not only on fiber but also fresh micronutrients your body recognizes!
4. Even if it does taste good initially, drinking it every day gets old quick. Knowing your protein options from real food allows you to diversify your tastebuds along with all the vitamins & minerals your body needs.
5. Going from any non-active lifestyle where you’re eating whatever you want to an active lifestyle that forces you to think about what you’re eating gets you results. It’s not the shake that’s magical. It’s the total calories going in versus out & where those calories are coming from. If you’re getting fuller from protein, your body is less likely to crave the ice cream, beer, or chips at night.
6. Did I already mention it’s really expensive?

Now that I count macros I choose to eat more protein in the form of food. Sometimes I supplement with a protein powder of my choice if I haven’t eaten enough for the day. I don’t drink a protein shake & hope to get fit. I know exactly how much I need per day according to my current goals. Right now, I’m drinking Whey+ Dutch Chocolate from Legion Athletics. I don’t get paid to share this. I simply do my own research & try different ones out. So if you’re looking to get in shape, you don’t need Shakeology but you can choose that form of protein if you want. My suggestion is to figure out how much protein your body needs (along with fats & carbs) for your specific fitness goals. 

My personal advice for anyone thinking about drinking Shakeology or starting your fitness journey using this approach is:

1. Be realistic about your goals. I guarantee it took Sean T years of serious weight lifting & proper nutrition to get the way he did. He did not get this way in 21 days or even 2 months.
2. Do your own research. There are hundreds of other protein options you might also like that will cost significantly less. Sure they might not have all the added extras Shakeology promises, but my personal preference involves knowing where my other supplements come from. I personally like to know the quality & quantity I’m taking in when it comes to probiotics, vitamins, & minerals. It’s not an additional burden to take these extras for me. But obviously, you get to decide this for yourself.
3. Be very careful about overdoing the workouts. If done incorrectly, HIIT cardio can create injuries. If this is your first time working out, please don’t try to keep up with the people in the videos. Go at your own pace. Remember, if you injure yourself even a little bit, it hinders your progress.
4. If you do decide this is something you want to do, see it as a stepping stone. These workouts & daily shakes are not sustainable in the long run. If you want to make it a lifestyle, at some point you’ll need understand the basics of nutrition ( at least a general idea of what your macros are)  & start lifting heavier if you really want to build muscle & perk up.

Also, did you know this about Protein?

• Protein is one of the vital macronutrients (along with carbs & fat) the body needs to function at its best.
• Protein keeps you fuller longer because it requires more energy to break down in your body.
• Protein curbs hunger better than carbs or fat which means it helps control “bad” food cravings. So having more protein prevents uncontrollable binging.
• Protein is 4 calories per gram. The average Shakeology shake has 20 grams of protein on top of whatever else is added. If you’re the typical woman who skips breakfast but is now replacing it with a shake, you’re bound to eat an extra 350 calories you wouldn’t otherwise. You might wonder what this has to do with anything right? Well, I believe more than 80% of women still believe the lie that to lose weight you have to eat less, which is why they skip meals. Drinking these calorie dense shakes helps prevent under eating. Believe it or not, this actually helps you lose fat because your body is finally learning to trust that you’re going to feed it. So instead of hoarding fat, it’s learning to let it go.
• When the right amount of protein is paired with strength training fat loss is sped up because your growing muscles are being fed the right amount of protein to recover properly. You’ve heard that muscle burns fat right? So it’s not the workouts that are transforming your body necessarily; it’s actually because you’re adding more muscle to your frame. So mamas, don’t be scared to add muscle. Getting big and bulky takes years of hard work and dedication. Most women who start lifting heavier & know how to eat will instead get leaner & stronger. Isn’t that what you want?

I hope that you enjoyed this article & that I didn’t step on any toes.

Much Love,