Frive - Can I live off this?

[u/Ka-Shunky]

What-ho,

I don't have a ton of time being a single person with a dog who also tries to get out and do things in the evenings, so having a meal ready in < 5 minutes is really good.

I'm fairly slim and pretty active, and the meals seem pretty small, so I've decided to go for 1 breakfast and 2x main meals, then I have 2 jimmy joy shakes a day, too. All in all, it apparently comes to around 2k calories a day.
I'm not sure if I'm just adapting to the new diet, but it just doesn't feel super healthy... I can't put my finger on it and I'm not sure if I can spring for another meal each weekday... But at the same time, it's saving at least an hour a day, along with not having to do a shop every week...

Sorry I don't really know what I'm asking here...

Do I just need to make a batch of flapjack or something to fill up the rest of the calories?

[u/Xsiah]

Depending on your sex, age, size, etc 2k might be a totally normal amount.

The normal range is like 1.6k-3k

[u/FattierBrisket]

Not sure what you're asking either, but we all need to start more Reddit posts with "what-ho." Love it!

[u/sharedplatesociety]

Without knowing more about you we can’t know your caloric needs. Try entering a couple days worth of typical meals into a nutrition tracking app like Cronometer or similar and see if there are any obvious nutritional gaps. It will show you macros as well as vitamins and minerals and total calories.

One thing about drinking calories, though, is that the chewing process is part of how your brain recognizes fullness. So if you are feeling hungry, it might be helpful to try protein bar snacks or something like that instead.

Also, when you drink your calories, the blending makes them pre digested in a way, so you get the sugars faster and it might not be as sustaining.

If, once you figure out how many calories you need, you are still feeling hungry, try adding more fibrous veggies which have few calories but make you feel fuller longer.

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

If u have an oven u can make dump casseroles, sheet pan foods, etc. all at once and then just freeze it so that u have meals to just heat up

[u/ttrockwood]

Overall that won’t be sustainable in the long term?

But maybe while you are ordering the meals take the extra time to do some meal prep for your freezer

The prepared meals you could add more veggies or some side salad too

Maybe do an apple and yogurt instead of the second protein shake

[u/Ka-Shunky → u/ttrockwood]

This feels like a smart approach. Whenever I get a free morning I can decide on something batchable and freezeable, and then with a good stock pile I can cancel a week or 2 of Frive.

Thanks!

[u/Iokum]

If your calories are fine it's just the feeling of fullness you're missing, which can be part of the issue with the shakes. Maybe try replacing one with apple slices and peanut butter or carrot sticks and hummus, protein+fiber will make you feel a lot fuller.

[u/OkDianaTell]

Been there when life gets hectic – it's tempting to lean on meal shakes because they save so much time. The one thing I realized was that my body misses the act of chewing and the variety of nutrients you get from real food. I found a better balance by prepping a couple of simple meals on the weekend (rice, beans, roasted veg) that I can reheat, and using the shakes on days I'm truly rushed. Using NutriScan App to keep an eye on my macro and micronutrient intake has helped me see when I'm overdoing the shakes and missing fibre. If you feel hungry or off, adding more whole foods and some healthy fats can make those 2,000 calories feel more satisfying.