Periodically I will revisit a post and update it with new information. Not a whole lot has changed with Shakeology since I started taking it besides Beachbody adding a few new flavors. What has changed since I originally wrote this review of Shakeology in 2011 is me.
I still use Shakeology daily. Firing up the blender and brewing a pot of coffee are two engrained parts of my morning routine. Rarely do we miss a day of having Shakeology and if we do its because we finished a bag and are waiting for our monthly auto shipment to be delivered.
When I first started taking Shakeology I was 29 years old and in pretty damn good shape. When I wrote this original review in 2011 I was 31 years old and in even better shape. Right now I am 37 years old and in ok shape.
Outside of a couple small injuries I believe Shakeology has had a positive influence on my overall health over the years. I’ve made the change to a mostly Paleo diet a year ago and can see changes from eating this way. Put Shakeology and Paleo together and its my feeling the two have done enough on reducing inflammation in my body where I notice it.
I’m still amazed I do not get the sinus infections I used to get. Something happened the first spring after taking Shakeology 8 years ago that has kept these sinus infections from getting me. Starting in junior high school all the way to turning 28 years old I would come down with a sinus infection that would put me down for up to a week every March. I am not sure how or why they stopped but it coincides with using Shakeology.
The biggest change since I started using Shakeology is I now have two kids born one year and twenty days apart. First one July 9th, 2014 and the second one coming July 29th, 2015. I will admit to a little bit of baby weight added on until my youngest turned one.
Saying all that I cannot deny the amount of stuff (germs, etc.) they bring home from the daycare and in general. There have been a couple instances where some lazy cough or runny nose took a week to go away with only one time where I was sick for a couple of days.
Its my opinion that Shakeology gave me that little extra “health boost” to help keep things functioning properly.
My three year old son and two year old daughter started drinking Shakeology with us every morning when both were around 18 months old. They both love Shakeology. Its the one thing besides stupid fruit snacks that they ask for randomly. Sometimes they fight each other to turn on the blender.
It should be known that they were some growing pains when giving the kids Shakeology. It was so much easier when I could put it in a sippy cup or a cup with a lid. Eventually they didn’t want a lid and to de-escalate a situation at 7am I would put two inches worth of shake in a cup without a lid and hope they would not make a mess.
We have had our fair share of spills on the carpet and many chocolate mustaches. And drips on their clothes after getting them dressed to head to daycare which resulted in getting them entirely re-dressed. But nothing compares to the time my 2 year old daughter dumped the entire cup of chocolate Shakeology on her head. I may have let her cry for a minute as I went to get my iPhone to take a picture.
Shakeology is a meal replacement shake. This we know. What I never did until last year was start using it as a meal replacement. What I did for years was use Shakeology as a meal addition shake. Yes – I was having Shakeology with breakfast instead of on its own.
This little adjustment left me feeling lighter throughout the morning and with more energy. Baby weight started coming off and I felt more energetic working out again. Particularly Body Beast as I’ve been mostly doing this one since my kids were born.
We alternate between regular chocolate and vanilla flavors. Add a banana, blueberries, strawberries, ice, water, and blend. Thats our day to day recipe. Once a week I’ll throw some peanut butter or PB2 in there. And I’ll throw a scoop of collagen peptides in my glass. Got to take care of these knees.
We have bought Vegan Shakeology in the past and maybe once a year we will buy a bag to keep as backup when our regular order goes out. I’ve always thought the Vegan Shakeology (all flavors) had a lighter taste and didn’t fill me up like the others. You’d have to be spot on with the blender or it would be very watery. I like Vegan Shakeology but not as much as the regular ones.
Maybe two times a year we will buy a box of the Shakeology packets to have around for when we travel. I continue to take them with me on ski trips and keep one in my golf bag. Again, just that little boost to get through the day.
After 8 years of taking Shakeology I feel it has continue to show its value as an all around nutritional product. Yes – I am a Beachbody Coach and if you click on a link to Shakeology on my site or sign up to be a coach with me and buy Shakeology I will be compensated.
But what person in their right mind would take something every day for 8 years if it was a piece of crap? This is the message I try to get through to people who are on the fence.
From this point I get into reviews of each Shakeology I have tried along with answering questions about it.
Chocolate Shakeology Review
Chocolate is the one flavor of Shakeology I continue to order. It has been my favorite flavor over the last seven years.
When I switch up my alternating flavors I keep this one and switch the other flavor. There is just something about a chocolate shake that works.
My Chocolate Shakeology recipe is simple. Banana, strawberries, blueberries, and occasionally some peanut butter. It tastes good enough that I do not get bored with it. Even after all these years of drinking it. Andrea and the kids like it to so I don’t see a point with changing it.
Chocolate Shakeology is the flavor I would recommend somebody start with when trying Shakeology for the first time. The ingredients do not overtake the chocolate taste.
Beachbody has improved and tweaked the formula and flavor of chocolate over the years and I feel they have it down pretty good right now.
If Beachbody does make changes to the chocolate formula I will update it here.
Vanilla Shakeology Review
My second favorite Shakeology flavor is Vanilla. It was a nice change of pace when Beachbody introduced it from the years when you could choose from Chocolate or Greenberry.
The interesting thing about Vanilla Shakeology is it does not taste like Vanilla. I have had a number of Vanilla flavored foods over the years and this does not taste like one of them.
Maybe I have never had real Vanilla before and that is why this tastes so much different. If the powder was not white-ish you would not say this is Vanilla.
I do like it and I use the same recipe as Chocolate Shakeology in Vanilla Shakeology. A banana, strawberries, blueberries, and peanut butter. It tastes great.
Beachbody has made a few changes to the ingredients over the years as they tried to perfect it. I remember it being a big deal for them to get the formula right after they found out a secret most companies do in the processing of meal replacement shakes is to put additives in to give it a Vanilla taste.
Getting a real Vanilla taste is hard and its why Beachbody took the extra time to get it right. Vanilla is typically the flavor I keep on my alternating monthly order with Chocolate.
Tropical Strawberry Vegan Shakeology Review
I do not mind the Tropical Strawberry flavor. It doesn’t really taste strawberry nor does it taste tropical. You know what I’m talking about.
When we get tired of regular Chocolate Shakeology we switch up our order to the Vegan flavors and always include Tropical Strawberry.
I throw in some berries, spinach, and kale if we have it in the fridge. This is my go to recipe for this flavor.
And for some reason I just cannot get it to turn out right when I use the blender. Its always runny.
It doesn’t bother me but there is another adult in the house who does a much better job of getting every flavor in a smoothie type texture. I am getting better though.
Tropical Strawberry is lighter than the regular flavors because of the plant based proteins they use. Its pretty much like this with all of the Vegan flavors.
The powder itself looks almost Vanilla with a touch of strawberry in it. Not the other way around. If I was full on Vegan than Tropical Strawberry would be a simple choice.
Vegan Chocolate Shakeology Review
For the first time in years I changed flavors on my monthly Shakeology auto ship order. For 2018 I switched it to Tropical Strawberry and Vegan Chocolate.
I’ve been rocking this Paleo way of eating for awhile and thought it would be best if I lightened up on the meat where I can. So I went full on Vegan with my Shakeology order.
I doubt it will make a dramatic difference with my health as its the same ingredients as the non-Vegan besides what they use for the protein. Plant based versus animal based.
It is not my first time using Vegan Chocolate. Never really liked it when it first came out. I just preferred the taste of regular Chocolate.
Plus, the Vegan Chocolate was tricky trying to blend as it is much lighter. Would always come out soupy.
But I enjoy it now. And my blending skills are better. Add a few more ice cubes and pieces of fruit and it ends up creamier. Just how I like it. Mmmm…
I’ll probably stay on the Vegan Shakeology kick for awhile as I’m enjoying how much lighter it makes me feel throughout the day. Its not a dramatic difference but it is subtle.
**Original 2011 Review When I was 31 Years Old Below**
Shakeology Results
Just like with any supplement I was a little hesitant about it at first. How much difference could Shakeology make? I ate healthy, took vitamins, and had a protein shake after working out already. Wasn’t this enough? I thought so as those are pretty much the basics in nutrition or at least what I thought. Little did I know how much I did not know about nutrition.
Many thin or in shape people tend to believe that another meal replacement shake or supplement is not going to make that big of a difference. Most say they eat well enough and cannot justify spending $120 a month for a bag of magic powder. That put me in the same boat as them before using Shakeology. I finished three rounds of P90X, one round of Insanity, and was in the best shape of my life. I will admit to having a cheat meal or two along with a couple adult beverages on the weekend. Yes, I am a real person.
I started taking chocolate Shakeology one time a day as instructed. No recipes for the first couple days as I wanted to see what it tasted like straight up and it was very good. However, on day 3 I started to feel different. Things started happening and err…moving. Beachbody needs a warning label on the Shakeology bag that says “May Cause Extreme Bowel Movements.” I know this is TMI but just being honest. I did not know if I should be scared about what just happened or excited.
It took 35 days to finish off the first bag of Shakeology. This was perfect because of the free shipping you get from Beachbody when you choose auto ship. My next bag showed up the day after I finished the first one. I worked out almost every day and used Shakeology daily.
The one thing I noticed during the first month was how I felt lighter, was not as hungry, was more alert, and I craved better food. Those first two weeks were like a jumpstart to my digestion system. The more I took it resulted in less EBM’s. I hope you think that’s funny because I could not write this without making light of it. Yes, Shakeology will make you poop.
Shakeology made a big of difference in my results. I know I shared TMI with you but I think its important to know. I do not know what each ingredient in Shakeology does but it felt like it was gently scrubbing the insides of my stomach and forcing the garbage out.
Remember how I thought I was eating well? I took a photo with my shirt off and saw more definition in my body than ever before. I had not taken my body fat % in awhile but I know it had to drop to get the definition that was showing. At the time I was doing a mixture of P90X, Insanity, and Tony Horton 1 on 1 workouts but was nothing I had not done before.
My before and after Shakeology photos show more definition in my abs and my gut looks tighter. Must be from the EBM’s. My arms and forearms look bigger too. Not sure if its because I had more energy when working out or if it was Shakeology cutting through the body fat so they look more defined.
A Funny Shakeology Story
Since I was having such great results with Shakeology I decided to give away a box of Shakeology samples for Christmas last year to my family. Each aunt or uncle received 5 samples and I told them they had to use it everyday. Four days later I received a phone call from one of my uncles who is over 50 years old. Hilarity ensued over the next 20 minutes.
He told me he had been having record setting bowel movements over the past 4 days. My uncle even called his Doctor to see if there was something wrong. He’s about 30 pounds overweight but is active playing golf, bowling, and does a physical job at GM.
After losing 7 pounds in 4 days he felt so much…you guessed it…better, lighter, and full of energy. He asked me where he could buy Shakeology and has been taking Shakeology since. I’ve had a few stories about Shakeology like this said to me before.
Shakeology Tips
I drink it in the morning along with eating a bowl of Kashi cereal, oatmeal, or a breakfast burrito. This maximizes the benefits of Shakeology throughout the entire day. Eat something before drinking Shakeology after a long night of partying. It felt like an epic battle of good and evil were duking it out in my stomach. I’ve done this twice and one time I puked. I think the booze had a stronghold on my stomach and needed to be absorbed by food before introducing the over 70 good ingredients that Shakeology has.
If you know that you are going to do some drinking then make up a glass of Shakeology before you head out. This way Shakeology has the stronghold on your stomach throughout the night. I did this by chance one night as I forgot to drink Shakeology that day and the next morning I woke up not feeling fuzzy when I should of been for the amount I consumed. Also, I’m not saying drink more because Shakeology will cure hangovers.
The longest I’ve gone without drinking Shakeology in the past two years is 4 days and its because we ran out before our auto shipment came in. Day 1 and two were ok but on day 3 I felt a little slower, heavier, and had less energy. And yes, I was not as regular on the 3rd and 4th days. Its like my body was telling me it was missing something that it enjoyed taking.
I have received a number of questions over the years about Shakeology and will do my best to answer them here. Most of my answers below are from personal experience.
Shakeology Samples
To expedite the process of finding the flavor of Shakeology you like most you can now buy Shakeology sample packs.
Shakeology Sampler – $25. Chocolate, Vanilla, Cafe Latte, Greenery, and Strawberry flavors.
Shakeology Vegan Sampler – $20. Chocolate, Vanilla, Tropical Strawberry, and Cafe Latte vegan flavors.
Summary
The meal plans that come with P90X and the Insanity workout are IMO the toughest things to follow. Shakeology has really helped me a lot as I really don’t like to cook and this guarantees at least one good meal a day. It has increased my results with the workouts and I just feel better all around. I don’t even care that it costs me $90 a month (Beachbody Coach price) to buy it. Sometimes I have to buy another bag of it because I’ll have two servings a day and run out before the end of the month.
Regardless of where you are in your health or fitness you really need to buy a bag of Shakeology and give it a try for at least two weeks. Personally, I think Shakeology is the best product Beachbody makes. Yes, better than P90X. Put the two together and you have a winning combo.
So head over to the Beachbody store and buy a bag of Shakeology. Chocolate is my favorite. If you want to read about the ingredients first then get a free Beachbody account and do some reading. I hope you take my Shakeology review seriously as I’ve said probably more than I need to but I want you to know how great this meal replacement shake is.
Does an unbiased review of Shakeology actually exist on the internet?
LOL. Right? I doubt a non-Beachbody Coach would ever write a review and for obvious reasons. And if they did, they probably learned about those obvious reasons and signed up to be a Beachbody Coach.
However, I did put this tidbit in my review.
“But what person in their right mind would take something every day for 8 years if it was a piece of crap?”.
There probably are some coaches who say Shakeology is great, buy it for years, and never use it. That probably exists.
But not in my house.