Q: Can I have low-carb shakes/cars for a CM meal?

A: We don't recommend it.

Direct from the Hellers (http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com):

If you are on any of the Carbohydrate Addict's Programs, we strongly encourage you to avoid "protein powders" and other strangely concocted, patented, or manufactured products. On our programs, you will do best when sticking to "real foods". Avoid drinks, mixes, and the like that contain ingredients that are not found in nature - your body was not meant to handle the latest chemical mix from the lab. Take the time to fix yourself real food. You are worth it!

(Donna - theoldmommy)

I have used them in moderation and I must say that I love the taste, however, you should really be careful with artificial sweeteners. Many of us have experienced cravings or weight loss stalls while using them.

My second caution would be the total carb content. I know that many other lo-carb plans instruct you to subtract the fiber content from the total carb count to get the effective carb count but the Hellers don't mention that anywhere in their book. They either disagree with the science behind it or they just don't want us to think that much about it. They recommend no more than 4g per CM meal. The best way to do that without thinking about it is to stick with the foods on their "acceptable" food list.

You might try them for a short time and if your progress slows or stops, you can consider dropping them for a while to see if things pick up again.

Carb Solutions Bars
(Sarah - stormy_chica)

I used to have a Carb Solutions bar every day for breakfast. It seemed to work for a while, but then I hit a huge plateau. I couldn't figure out how to make it move until someone suggested I try some real food for breakfast. The weight began to drop almost immediately. There are so many artificial sweeteners in those things that they really can cause serious stalls. I would use them for emergencies only.