How Many Herbalife Shakes Should You Drink a Day? UK Guide

How many Herbalife shakes a day to lose weight?

Two. The classic plan replaces two of your three main meals - usually breakfast and lunch - with a Formula 1 Nutritional Shake, then you eat one balanced, colourful meal in the evening. That's it. No skipping dinner, no living on powder.

The logic is simple: each shake made with semi-skimmed milk provides roughly 220 calories alongside protein, fibre and more than 20 vitamins and minerals. Swap it in for a 500-700 calorie breakfast or lunch and you create a steady calorie deficit without having to count every bite. This approach is backed by an authorised EU claim, assessed by the European Food Safety Authority: substituting two daily meals of an energy-restricted diet with meal replacements contributes to weight loss.

Three things make the two-shake plan work in practice:

• Keep the third meal sensible. A shake for breakfast and lunch won't get you far if dinner is a takeaway every night. Aim for lean protein, vegetables and whole grains.
• Drink plenty of water and keep moving - the plan is designed to sit inside a healthy, active lifestyle, not replace one.
• Be consistent. Gradual, steady progress beats a dramatic week followed by a rebound.

Can I drink 3 Herbalife shakes a day?

You can own three tubs, but the standard programme says no - don't replace all three main meals with shakes. Herbalife's own guidance, and every sensible nutrition source, is to keep at least one solid meal a day.

Why? Whole foods bring things a fortified shake can't fully replicate: variety, chewing and satiety, plant compounds, and the habit of actually cooking and eating well - which is what keeps weight off once you stop losing it. NHS-linked weight management services make the same point: shakes work best replacing one or two meals within an otherwise balanced diet.

There is one legitimate use for a third shake: as a snack, on top of your meals rather than instead of them. A half-serving shake mid-afternoon can be a smarter option than biscuits. That's very different from drinking three shakes and eating nothing else.

How many scoops of Formula 1 go in each shake - and how many calories?

One serving of Formula 1 is 26g of powder - two level tablespoons (about two scoops) - blended with 250ml of semi-skimmed milk. On the two-shake plan that's 52g of powder a day, so a 550g tub lasts roughly 10 days; the 780g Vanilla Cream tub stretches to about 15.

Calories depend mostly on what you mix it with:

• 250ml semi-skimmed milk: around 220 kcal, with roughly 18g of protein
• 250ml skimmed milk: around 185-190 kcal
• Water plus 2 scoops of Protein Drink Mix: around 200 kcal, with a higher protein content - the option many UK coaches suggest for weight loss

Protein matters here for a reason recognised in EU nutrition rules: protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass - useful when you're losing weight and want it to be fat, not muscle. For a full breakdown by milk type and flavour, see our guide to how many calories are in a Herbalife shake.

How many shakes a day to maintain your weight?

One. Once you reach your target, drop from two shakes to a single shake replacing one meal - typically breakfast, because it's the meal most of us rush or skip anyway. This also matches an authorised EU claim: substituting one daily meal with a meal replacement contributes to the maintenance of weight after weight loss.

Plenty of long-term Herbalife users settle here permanently: one shake at breakfast, two normal meals, and the scales stay put. If your weight starts creeping up, you can return to two shakes a day for a while. And shakes aren't only a weight-loss tool: plenty of sporty users add one after lunch - on top of their meals, not instead of them - as an easy way to get extra protein in, which contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass.

Is it safe to only drink Herbalife shakes?

An all-shake diet is not what Formula 1 is designed for, and we don't recommend it. Herbalife's programme is built around shakes plus real food, and the product sits within the EU rules for meal replacements - which assume you're replacing one or two meals, not all of them.

You may have read about the NHS "soups and shakes" programme, where people follow a total diet replacement for 12 weeks. That does exist - but it uses specific low-calorie products, is medically supervised throughout, and is aimed at people with type 2 diabetes under clinical care (details on the NHS England website). It is not a template for doing the same thing at home with retail shakes. If you have a medical condition, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your GP before changing how you eat.

What results can you expect from a shake instead of breakfast and lunch?

Everyone's starting point is different, so be wary of anyone promising a number. What the two-shake structure reliably gives you is a controlled calorie intake, decent protein at every meal, and two decisions a day you no longer have to make - which, for most people, is where diets usually fall apart. Expect gradual, steady weight loss rather than dramatic drops, and treat the evening meal as the real test of the plan.

If mornings are your weak spot, we've covered the breakfast swap in detail - timing, satiety and how to make it stick - in can I replace breakfast with a Herbalife shake?

FAQ

How many Herbalife shakes a day should I drink to lose weight?

Two Formula 1 shakes a day, each replacing a main meal, plus one balanced meal of normal food. This matches the authorised EU claim for meal replacements used within an energy-restricted diet.

Can I drink 3 Herbalife shakes a day?

The standard programme doesn't recommend replacing all three meals. Keep at least one solid meal a day. A third shake is fine only as a snack on top of your meals, if it fits your daily calories.

How many scoops of Formula 1 per shake?

26g per serving - two level tablespoons, or about two scoops - with 250ml of milk. On the two-shake plan you'll use 52g of powder a day.

How many calories are in a Formula 1 shake made with milk?

Around 220 calories with 250ml of semi-skimmed milk, including roughly 18g of protein. Skimmed milk brings it down to about 185-190 calories.

How many shakes a day to maintain my weight?

One shake replacing one meal a day. Substituting one daily meal with a meal replacement contributes to maintaining weight after weight loss, per the authorised EU claim.

Ready to start? The two-shake plan is easiest with everything in one box - our Herbalife Packs & Programs bundle Formula 1 with the extras UK customers use most, with up to 35% off, free UK shipping on orders over £79, and every order dispatched directly by Herbalife UK.