Friday, May 20, 2016

Forza 'Shake It Slim': Review


Forza: Shake It Slim

I started my weightloss journey with a whopping 8 stone odd to lose and although I'm over half way there it still feels a million miles away. I need to be lighter to relieve pressure on my joints and increase my energy and general health.



I've been lucky enough to trial a few products through my blog from supplements to shakes and high protein foods, though my biggest success has just come from healthy eating and reducing my sugar intake. I have enjoyed shake diets though (in small doses!) and recently received some shakes from weight loss brand 'Forza' to help me shift a few more stubborn pounds.

I was really pleased to see that for this diet you were to replace just two meals a day with shakes, meaning you could have a third 'normal' meal to look forward to that was filling and healthy. I love my evening meals with my husband so I decided to have the quick shakes while I was running about after the children in the day and save my larger meal for the evening to relax and enjoy.

As well as the 7 day supply of shake mixes I was sent one of the official Forza shake bottles that includes a ball to break up clumbs and a filter to stop any lumps coming through the mouth piece. It was a very pretty pink too!

The shakes come in three classic flavours, Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. Normally I avoid strawberry milkshake after some awful medicine I had a kid that tasted just like it, but I thought 25 years on it may be time to give it a try again, especially as they had been so kind as to send them over for the blog.

One day mid week I decided I would start my Forza diet. I was tired, pre-mentrual (sorry tmi) and my heart wasn't in it. I wasn't in the right 'go get it' frame of mind to start a new plan so after my breakfast shake I decided to leave it until the next Monday, as Mondays tend come with a lot more motivation!


Preparation


The shakes come in foil plastic packets that I needed to open with scissors, a tiny point but I would have loved a rip-able packet. The powder goes straight in the mixer bottle with the ball and 300mls of water (I tried more and it was not good on the flavour). Next you simply give the bottle a shake and in a few seconds all the lumps are gone and it's ready to drink. I've seen reviews saying that different flavours mixed differently or that one left lumps - they were all the same for me and mixed with no problems whatsoever.

The Bottle


Now I wouldn't normally pick out the bottle to comment on, it's pretty standard to get a nice bottle alongside the shakes, but I just did not gel with this one for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the lid seemed really hard to line up to screw on after filling. I don't know if it's just me (it probably is!) but I just struggled with that and learnt quickly to get it right before shaking.


Another thing was the mouth piece of the bottle. I loved the look of the design but I don't know if it's my face, but I just found it awkward to drink out of and the hole on it was quite awkward initially. The Forza bottle costs £4.95 and comes in pink and blue, I love the look of it though and really liked the big carry handle so I could hang it on the pram on our days out.


The Shakes


As I mentioned earlier, my first shake I tried with extra water and really didn't like it which shocked me as it was chocolate! I normally do this with slim shakes and it's not too bad but with these you definitely need to stick to the instructions.

I decided to brave the Strawberry shake and wow I actually really loved it! It was like melted strawberry ice cream in a way and completely delicious. I also loved the vanilla one which I wouldn't normally choose either. I was so pleased that I loved those two as bizarrely, although I did like the chocolate once I made it correctly, I much preferred the others - strange for a chocoholic!

The shakes are pretty thick and yummy and on their own don't keep you feeling full for too long, but if you up your water intake as recommended then I had no problems at all with feeling hungry and actually forgot my lunch on day two and ended up having it mid afternoon. On a day with less water though I struggled a little and was tempted by dangerous snacks.

These shakes are perfect if you have a sweet tooth and a few pounds to lose. I do think you have to be in the right frame of mind though to get started.



The Results?

After the first day, I awoke feeling instantly less bloated, after three days I had lost three pounds and then I'm afraid I went completely off track after a terrible day and seeing family for a meal. I will pick up where I left off though next week and finish my course as it is such a nice easy meal on a busy day. I felt much more energetic during the three 'shake' days and felt/looked much slimmer in my tummy area and I would expect to have lost half a stone in week one if I had stuck to it which I would be happy with for this kind of diet for a quick fix before a holiday or event.

Verdict

Having tried a fair few shake type products now, this is definitely a big competitor. These shakes tasted pretty nice, I would have liked to of had a bigger portion in one go, but I suppose it's that kind of thinking that has me overweight in the first place! These are yummy to drink, convenient on the go and mix well leaving no lumps or bits. Price wise these are pretty good and at the moment this starter kit is on sale at just £18.99 (normally £25.99) which you can buy here on their website if you'd like to try it for yourself. 




Disclosure: I was kindly gifted a weeks supply in exchange for an honest review.