Aspire Drinks : Trial Verdict

I have reached the end of the Aspire Drinks Challenge that I started two weeks ago. That's 14 days of two drinks a day, keeping tabs on my food, drink, exercise and feelings.

I currently weigh 60.5kg, have a BMI of 19.3% and a body fat rating of 25%. This is what I look like on the final day of the challenge (excuse the tired expression, it was somewhat early when I took these. 

In short it appears to have had the opposite effect than the manufacturers were hoping. I've not lost any weight or size (in fact I appear to have put some on) despite taking the drinks and eating and exercising as I would have normally done. So it's been somewhat disappointing. Last week I wrote about how taking the drinks sometimes made me feel dizzy and faint, which I put down to when I took them. This, unfortunately continued on occasion throughout the second week, despite being more careful about when I took them, with the worst case being last Monday when I had to leave work early and didn't feel able to drive safely.

However, I don't want to dis the product completely. I was aware of it having a reducing effect on my appetite at the beginning of the trial and I would find myself eating the same types of foods but a little less than I would usually, without feeling hungry. I really couldn't say if it lived up to the promise of increasing my metabolism, or if I'd have put on even more weight had I not been taking them. I suspect part of the benefit comes from prompting one to think more carefully about what to eat, drink and do, much like keeping a food diary does. If you're taking something that's meant to assist in weight loss I think you're more likely to think about what you're consuming. 

But ultimately this was not a good product for me. I didn't see any real result and even if I had I''m not sure I'd have felt it worth suffering the effect it had on me. I'm sure it works for some people but I won't be recommending it.

Disclaimer: Although this is not a sponsored post I was sent the drinks to trial free of charge but am under no obligation to write a review, positive or otherwise.

Aspire Drinks : One Week In

I've now been using Aspire for a week and it's time to give some mid-challenge feedback.

The sensation I reported on day one after taking the drink hasn't happened everyday but I have suffered from it on three further occasions, particularly when I've eaten early or lightly the night before. It's a horrible feeling, leaving me feeling dizzy, lethargic, unable to focus and exhausted, which makes me nervous of using it. Although I didn't consider myself to be sensitive to caffeine I'm clearly sensitive to something in the drink as on day one, having had my second drink at 8pm, I was wide awake until about 2am! There's a reason they suggest drinking this stuff before work outs and at breakfast and lunch as opposed to with dinner... On day two I had one at breakfast and one at lunch and felt a lot more balanced.

I've grown to enjoy the taste of the drink and don't find it too fizzy. I have definitely noticed it having an affect on my appetite. I've occasionally wanted elevenses or a snack, but not as often as I may normally do and I seem to be making healthier choices. Overall I've been taking on less calories but not felt it having a detrimental affect on my energy levels for working out (aside from the days I've felt dizzy), which was my main concern; I was slightly worried that I wouldn't be taking on enough fuel.

I've just returned from a long and slightly indulgent weekend in Bath, but when I took my measurements this morning I found I was exactly the same weight and size as I was last Monday in spite of cream teas, ice cream and alcohol. It's hard to say whether Aspire had any influence in that respect... I should be able to give a more definitive answer regarding that at the end of the week as I'll have no disruptions to my usual eating and exercise regimes.

Aspire Drinks : Two Week Challenge

I've been lucky enough to have been chosen to test out a new and improved drink called Aspire, a lightly carbonated soft drink that claims to increase your metabolism, helping you to burn calories. I've been sent 28 cans of the Cranberry flavoured beverage and for the next two weeks will be consuming two cans a day and keeping a food and exercise diary. I'm in the habit of recording my body fat %, weight and certain key measurements each Monday which I'll also continue to do in an attempt to quantify what difference this drink makes. I currently weigh 60kg, have a BMI of 19% and a body fat rating of 24.7%. This is what I look like on day one of the challenge.

I've never tried anything like this before and am usually quite sceptical of any claims along these lines, generally believing that you can achieve almost any weight loss goal through a diet of largely unprocessed foods but I'm curious. The drink is apparently best served chilled and according to the website the main ingredients are green tea extract, guarana extract, ginger and L-carnitine, whatever that is. I had my first can this morning with breakfast instead of my usual glass of juice. A serving is 250ml and is 12 calories. It's available at Waitrose and Holland & Barrett amongst others. Holland & Barrett currently have this on sale for £1.79 or 2 for £2.68. If you take it as suggested, the cost really adds up. I generally steer away from carbonated drinks, unless it's soda or tonic water, so it felt odd having something fizzy at breakfast. The taste was quite pleasant though although the colour's rather shocking!

I had a bagel with jam for breakfast and did not feel the need to have elevenses but have felt quite light headed and a bit dizzy this morning. The instructions I got for the challenge advised me that this drink wasn't suitable for anyone who is sensitive to caffeine, and although I don't consider myself to be particularly affected by caffeine (I typically drink 2-3 cups of tea or coffee a day) this is the sort of feeling I imagine you might get from taking too much on and I didn't like it at all. I had my second can today after a run but before dinner and haven't yet felt the same thing so time will tell whether that was a one off and also what happens when I stop using the drink! I had lunch at midday which was a sort of home-made ploughmans, a satsuma, nakd bar and graze punnet during the afternoon and a dinner of chickpea curry with rice. I'm around 500 calories under my allowance today and don't feel at all hungry, in fact I could have foregone dinner.

I'll post again in about a week's time with an update and again at the end of the two weeks with my verdict.

Have you ever tried Aspire or another "diet" drink? What were your experiences?

Disclaimer: Although this is not a sponsored post I have been sent the drinks to trial free of charge but am under no obligation to write a review, positive or otherwise.