This is personal preference, but most people like about 350-500ml of water per serve (3 scoops).  If you prefer a thinner drink, then it’s no problem to add more liquid.  We think using very cold liquid tastes best.  Have a play around with more or less liquid, water, milk and a combination of water and milk, to find out what works best for you.

You have the choice of mixing FastFx with just cold water, or using 50/50 water and trim milk (or dairy free milk). This is totally up to you and your weight loss goals. Adding the milk will give you a bit more energy, may fill you up a bit more and some like the taste, but will add more calories, so slow down the weight loss slightly. 

Our suggestion is, if you can, just mix it with water. This will provide maximum weight loss.  On days when you might be struggling more for energy, or if you prefer the taste, try changing to a 50:50 mix of water and skimmed milk, (or almond or soy etc). Again, have a play around with different mixtures to find what you enjoy the most.

Yes! Many customers enjoy 'mixing it up' by adding scoops of two different flavours. If you like the sound of that, go for it. Because all our flavours have similar nutritional compositions, it won't effect your weight loss. For example, you might like to try Chocolate and Mixed Berry, or Vanilla and Salted Caramel.

The great advantage of the FastFx programme is its flexibility. You can replace just 1 meal a day,  2 meals a day or you can replace all 3 meals a day with FastFx.

The more meals you replace with FastFx the quicker your weight loss will be, but choosing how many and which meals to replace will depend on your level of commitment and your weight loss goals.

The quickest and most efficient way to lose weight is to replace all three meals a day with FastFx.  This kick starts your metabolism and sends your body into ketosis quickly - this is where the serious fat burning happens.  Our customers who replace all 3 meals with Fastfx report losing between 2 and 4 kilos a week (depending on what else they ate).  Some people find it easier to replace all their meals because it means they can avoid food all together.  For some, preparing a meal can bring too much temptation to over eat, or eat high calorie foods.  Replacing all meals with FastFx means you can essentially stay out of the kitchen and it helps remove a lot of the temptation.

But, replacing all three meals does require more discipline and commitment.  It is certainly possible but the first two or three days can be challenging.  If you feel that you would struggle, or if you cook for others or have a lot of social events that revolve around food, then it may be easier for you to just replace 2 meals a day.  Then you can still eat a meal with your family, or eat out if required.  The weight loss will still be encouraging (depending on what else you eat), but obviously a bit slower.  If you replaced 2 meals and ate a healthy third meal you would hope to see approx 1-2 kilos loss a week.  

If you are happy for the weight loss to be slower and easier, you can replace just 1 meal a day.  Customers do still report losing weight, but this method will take you a bit longer.  It is the easiest of all the options. Just watch what else you eat in the day to ensure you are setting yourself up for success (see below for suggestions).

As long as you like. Because FastFx contains absolutely everything your body needs, you can replace all three meals (plus 2 cups of vegetables & 1 teaspoon of oil) for as long as you like. Once you have reached your weight goal you can reduce to fewer shakes per day for maintenance.

Ketosis is a metabolic process where your calorie intake drops below a certain level, and your body begins to burn fat reserves.

During this process the liver produces chemicals called ketones.  These help the body to burn fat and release a hormone to your brain that helps turn off hunger signals. 

Ketosis is the ultimate zone for weight loss and can be very difficult to get into with normal dieting alone. FastFx is carefully formulated to put your body into ketosis quicker.

There is a difference between a “Keto diet” and putting your body into “ketosis”.  A Keto diet is very low in carbohydrates but high fat.  Ketosis is different.  Both words sound similar, but are, in fact, different.

FastFx is not a keto diet (although it is low in carbohydrates), but it will get your body into ketosis.

We don’t recommend a strictly keto diet because we don’t see great medical support for a high fat diet and, when taken to extreme, keto can be unhealthy.

We think that a more balanced and healthier approach is to reduce overall calories, replacing nutrient poor calories with nutrient high calories.  FastFx has enough energy (carbs) to give you the fuel you need to get through the day and not to turn your metabolism sluggish, but is very low in fats and has no refined sugars.  This means that your body will go into ketosis after a few days and the real fat burning will start to happen.

No.  FastFx is low in carbohydrates and will help put your body into “ketosis” but it is not a “Keto diet”.  A Keto diet is very low in carbohydrates but high in fat.  Ketosis is different.  Both words sound similar, but are, in fact, different.

FastFx is not a keto diet, but it will get your body into ketosis.

We actually don’t recommend a strictly keto diet (of low carbohydrate and high fat) because we don’t see great medical support for a high fat diet and, when taken too extreme, keto can be unhealthy.  

We think that a more balanced and healthier approach is to reduce overall calories, replacing nutrient poor calories with nutrient high calories.  

FastFx has enough energy (carbs) to give you the fuel you need to get through the day and not to turn your metabolism sluggish, but is very low in fats and has no refined sugars.  This means that your body will go into ketosis after a few days and the real fat burning will start to happen.

It's not really. FastFx has less than 17g of carbohydrates per serve, which does make it a low carb diet (less than 57g/day). We include that many carbs because carbohydrates are what give us energy and are absolutely essential for our health and wellbeing. 

We believe that diets that encourage you to remove all carbohydrates from your diet are unhealthy and they would not meet the NZ guidelines for a Formulated Meal Replacement.

NZ and Australia have very strict rules about what meets the criteria for a “Formulated Meal Replacement” and the amount of carbohydrates we have must fall within that.  Any less carbohydrates and a product does not qualify.  There are a lot of products on the market whose carbohydrates are too low and which do not meet the criteria. These must only be used as a supplement and should not be used to replace a meal.

It's not. Please be reassured that there are absolutely no refined sugar - (and certainly no artificial sweeteners).  The percentage of ‘sugar’ in our ingredients can be confusing because it actually refers to carbohydrates, which, for labelling purposes, is labelled as sugars. 

Carbohydrates are what give us energy and are absolutely essential for our health and wellbeing.  We believe that diets that encourage you to remove all carbohydrates from your diet are unhealthy.

NZ and Australia have very strict rules about what meets the criteria to be called a “Formulated Meal Replacement” and the amount of carbohydrates we have must fall within that.  Any less carbohydrates, (or sugars) and a product does not qualify as a Formulated Meal Replacement.  If a product has less energy, it must not be used to replace a meal and can only be used as a supplement.

But, the ‘sugars’ FastFx contains are simply plant based, slow release, high energy carbs, which help you feel fuller for longer.  This helps you stick to the plan and less likely to reach for the biscuits.

We do know that sometimes it is slightly tricky to blend. This is mainly because it is all natural. Many other powdered drinks contain anti-caking products to help the powder dissolve, but we really wanted to keep it all natural, so, sorry, but a little bit more work is required.

Using a blender is the easiest way to blend your FastFx, and it also slightly aerates it, which gives it a lovely smooth texture. Not to worry if you don't have a blender or need to mix on the go - pop it in a Shaker with a mixing ball and get shaking.

Yes.  There is a scoop inside every bag.  Sometimes they nestle down into the powder, so you might need to have a little poke around to find it.

Our flavour profiles have been designed to have subtle flavours. They are intentionally not overly sweet and with muted tones. There are several reasons for this.

Because the ingredients in FastFx are all natural, the flavour intensity is less than that of artificial flavourings. Sometimes when we taste natural flavours, we can be surprised because we are so used to artificial flavours. 

Our Mixed Berry, for example, is literally flavoured with dried berries, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t taste like a Strawberry Milkshake - these types of drinks use artificial flavours and not natural products, so the taste we have come to associate with Berry is not even made from berries.

Another reason we keep our flavours subtle is that other Meal Replacements on the market have very intense flavours, which, after a few days can become very difficult to drink. We have found that, generally, people find a more subtle flavour more palatable over a longer period of time.

Another reason for our subtle flavour is that flavours, even natural ones, contain calories. The more flavour we add, the more calories, and, ultimately, the less weight loss.

We are also passionate about helping people recondition their taste buds. As a culture we have become very used to intense, artificial, sweet flavours. We believe that having a more subtle flavour helps to change the body's dependency on sweet things. This will help towards reconditioning your body’s expectations when you return to a normal diet.

Fastfx contains mostly low FODMAP ingredients and we have many customers with IBS who find it helpful for their digestive health.  The type of pea protein we use in FastFx is low FODMAP.  Unlike green peas, yellow split peas and the process used to extract our protein, makes it gentle on your gut.  

FastFx does contain Oligofructose and Inulin, which for a very small number of people can be a trigger for IBS symptoms. 

If you have IBS and find FastFx is not for you, we are developing a gut friendly range. Contact us for updates on when that will be available

Fastfx is safe for people over 65, but we are bound by labelling rules that require these kinds of precautions to be included on packaging. It is simply because the NZ calorie guidelines and daily recommended amounts are based on adults between 18 and 65.  Obviously the daily requirements for someone over 65 are usually no different, but that is just the perimetres of the guidelines and so we have to add a  precaution for younger and older people.  

If you do have other health issues (such as diabetes for example) then any diet or lifestyle changes should be run past your GP and, if you lose a lot of weight, any medicine you are taking may need to have the dosage reviewed.

Yes.

FastFx doesn’t contain anything that could harm your baby, so it is perfectly safe for you to use while you are pregnant, in fact, all the extra vitamins and minerals would be wonderful for your baby's health.  

But when you are pregnant you need a lot more calories than usual and it is not usually the time to be focusing on major weight loss.  

In your first trimester, you need about 1800 calories a day, second trimester 2200 calories per day,  and in the third trimester 2,400 calories per day.  That means that the 3 FastFx meal replacements (totalling 612 calories) wouldn’t be enough to also feed your baby.

You can use FastFx as part of your healthy diet, but you would need to make sure you added more calories to your day, to keep your growing baby healthy. 

Given this, we recommend using our other Meal Replacement called TotALL.  TotALL has all the essentials of FastFx but slightly more calories and will fill you up less, so you will still be able to get your other healthy calories in during the day without feeling too full.

Because you and your baby's health is paramount, it would also be a good idea to run it by your Doctor.

Yes.

FastFx doesn’t contain anything that could harm your baby, in fact, the extra vitamins and minerals would be great for them.  

We have lots of mothers who are breastfeeding and use FastFx  (either for careful weight loss or to top up their essential nutrients).  

But the important consideration is that when you are nursing you need about 450-500 extra calories per day.  That means that the 3 FastFx meal replacements (totalling 612 calories) wouldn’t be enough to also feed your baby.  You would need to consume about 500 more calories on top of that. 

You can use FastFx as part of your healthy diet, but you would need to make sure you added more calories to your day, to keep up your milk supply.  Add some snacks, such as almonds, fruit, rice crackers, avocado, vegetable sticks and hummus and a high protein dinner (such as grilled chicken, a small potato or kumara and lots of vegetables).

If you are finding you are too full on FastFx to add more calories, then we can recommend using our other Meal Replacement called TotALL.  TotALL has all the essentials of FastFx but slightly more calories and will fill you up less, so you will still be able to get your other healthy calories in during the day without feeling too full.

Other than the calorie limitation, FastFx would be safe to use while breastfeeding.  Just remember to care for yourself during this exciting but draining time. Because you and your baby's health is paramount, if you have any concerns, please run it by your Doctor. 

Our range of Soups are still Formulated Meal Replacements and can be used to replace a meal or to replace your FastFx Smoothie.

They are great for adding variety to your day, especially helpful if you are replacing all 3 meals with FastFx and want something a bit different. FastFx Soups are also lovely if you crave something savoury and warm.

The soup base is made from whole foods, made fresh by our team.  The combination of vinegar and citrus and a special heating process, means that we can make them shelf stable without having to add preservatives.  You can keep the soup in the pantry until you are ready to use it.  Then keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Each soup pouch contains 2 serves of vegetable soup and 2 sachets of FastFx vitamin and mineral powder.  You simply heat a serving of Soup, add hot water to taste, and then whisk in one of the sachets.  Unlike any other soup on the market, FastFx soup contains a massive 18.8 grams of protein, fibre and every single vitamin and mineral your body needs for a complete meal.  Just like FastFx Smoothie, it contains slow release carbohydrates for energy, is vegan and contains no dairy, soy, gluten or artificial flavours or colours.

Because FastFx Soups use fresh ingredients and no preservatives, they do have a slightly shorter Best Before Date than our powdered products.

These tasty dressings have been made to complement the FastFx weight loss programme.  We designed them to add to your 2 cups of vegetables or salad, to give variety and flavour to your meal, without adding the calories.  At just approximately 20 calories per serve, they are an easy way to keep it interesting, without compromising your weight loss.

Barely Dressed dressing are also ‘naked’ of artificial sweeteners,  artificial flavours, dairy, gluten, soy and other nasties.

Yes, FastFx is suitable and safe for people with Type 2 Diabetes. 

In fact, there is a lot of research to show that a Meal Replacement, like FastFx, can really help with Type Two diabetes, not only because it is very low in sugar and fat, but also because losing weight can help reduce and often reverse Type Two Diabetes.

We would suggest you watch your blood sugars levels carefully, as a change in diet can cause changes there and keep your GP in the loop.

Also keep in mind that, as you lose weight, you may need to change your prescriptions dosages,  so talk to your GP about that.

TotALL is another HealthFx Formulated Meal Replacement, that you mix and drink instead of a meal. 

While FastFx and TotALL are both Formulated Meal Replacements, TotALL has been designed for health and weight maintenance not weight loss.  It contains slightly more calories than FastFx, slightly different sources of plant protein and fibre and contains some healthy fats. 

TotALL is perfect if you are too busy to eat healthily, have health concerns that mean you struggle to eat normally, want to make sure you are ticking all the nutritional boxes or are caring for fussy eaters.

Like FastFx, TotALL is still plant based, vegan, allergen and preservative free and made in NZ.

If you are wanting the ultimate weight loss, FastFx is the product of choice.

Given all the incredible ingredients we've put into FastFx, sometimes, the first few sips can be hard. Our taste buds are used to high fat, sugar and flavourings. Something that is 100% healthy can take some getting used to.

Very occasionally, the saponins in Pea Protein can taste a little like unripe fruit - this is a seasonal issue that can sometimes come with natural ingredients. If you find your FastFx is slightly bitter, try the advice below.

It's important to say that over half of our customers are repeats, so almost everyone loves (or comes to love) the taste of FastFx.

We've designed FastFx to work, not to taste like a milkshake.

We know you'd prefer a product that does what it claims, so don't give up - try a few of the things below for the first few days, and, trust us - you will come to love it.

If you need, try adding;

- very cold water or a handful of ice

- more water or milk to taste

- frozen berries or

- half a banana or

- vanilla drops

- sprinkle of cinnamon

- half a teaspoon of honey or natural sweetener

- coffee or milo

Also, it's amazing how customers love (and don't love so much) different flavours. Most people enjoy one or two of the flavours much more than the others. So, if you are struggling with the taste, but want to persevere (because you know it works), why not buy our Mixed Box and find a flavour that works for you.

Our most popular flavours are Vanilla, Chocolate and Mixed Berry. Salted Caramel is another favourite.

But, it is amazing how customers love different flavours. So, if you are worried, why not try our Mixed Box, a single serve of each of our flavours - to help you find your favourite flavours.

Essentials is a supplement you can add to your home made soup to boost the nutrition while keeping the calories very low.

It is the same 'supernatural' powder that comes with our FastFx Soups, but we've popped it in a tub for those who prefer to make their own soup.

Simply add a few scoops of Essentials and mix, to give you added protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and fuelled while you lose weight.

At only 76 calories per serve, it is the perfect way to boost your soup while you are cutting the calories. 

Essentials is tasteless and will mix easily into soups, pasta sauce etc.

It can also be a great way to get extra nutrients into the family meal.

Note:  Unlike FastFx (which is a Formulated Meal Replacement) Essentials is a supplement and should be added to other food or used in addition to FastFx Shakes.

If you only replace 1-2 meals a day with FastFx then it is important that you eat mindfully for the other meals.  Remember that weight loss will only occur if you keep your other calories low.

If you are eating lunch or dinner, then try to keep it high in protein (a piece of lean beef, chicken or tofu etc) and low in carbs, with a large salad or low starch steamed vegetables (eg beans, broccoli, carrots etc).

Carbohydrates (such as pasta, rice, bread), can cause weight gain because of our tendency to overeat them.  Obviously some are fine, but the key would be to try and keep these to a minimum.  Protein, on the other hand, helps build muscle (which fuels your metabolism) and you are also less likely to overeat protein.   A big serving of non-starchy vegetables will also help to fuel your body and can help fill you up while being low in calories.

An excellent dinner, for example, would be a piece of grilled chicken, with a large serving of broccoli, courgettes, beans, cauliflower, stir-fried with garlic and lemon juice.

Replace oils and sauces with calorie-free herbs and spices or add our low calorie dressing, to keep it interesting and tasty.

If you are struggling with ideas, check out our CookBook, which has some lovely, very low calorie recipes (that can be added to a piece of protein for your third meal or used as your 2 cups of vegetables/day)

If you are replacing all 3 meals a day, then you may also eat 2 cups of low starch vegetables and 1 tsp of oil.  The vegetables aren’t essential, but it can help psychologically to have something solid to eat and it adds a bit more fibre.  

Below is a list of suggested vegetables you can add to your daily programme.  The vegetables that we suggest you avoid are vegetables that are high in calories. You can, of course, eat these, but we just suggest you avoid or minimise them because they are higher in calories and can stall your weight loss.  

For ideas and recipes for your 2 cups of vegetables, check out our Recipe Book.

Recommended 

Aubergine, Asparagus, Bean Sprouts, Beans (green), Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Capsicum, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Courgettes, Cucumber, Lettuce, Kale, Mushrooms, Onions, Radish, Silver Beet, Snow Peas, Spinach, Tomatoes.

Try to avoid (or minimise)

Potatoes, Kumara, Legumes, Lentils, Peas (green), Parsnip, Turnip, Kidney beans, Chickpeas, Soy Beans.

Water is by far the best thing you can drink (about 2 litres a day would be great). It really helps to fill you up and to hydrate your metabolism. If you’re feeling hungry then try a large glass of water. Water also helps energise muscles, hydrate your skin, flush your kidneys and your digestive system, so it’s important to drink as much water as you can.

If you find drinking 2 litres difficult, try sparkling water, or add lemon, cucumber or a strawberry to your water bottle.

You can also drink sugar free drinks. Diet or sugar free fizzy drinks are fine.

Try to minimise juices and energy drinks (which are very high in sugar), milk (milk in your coffee can be a hidden trap), and wine, beer and spirits.

If you do choose to drink alcohol, your lowest calorie option is a spirit with a sugar free mixer (eg Gin and diet tonic). Dry white wine and champagne are the next lowest calorie alcoholic drinks.

Yes, but try to have them with less or no milk or sugar. Milky coffee can be a real trap for weight loss. In fact, a Starbucks Latte contains 230 calories!  Black coffee and tea are the best option.  If you are especially attached to your morning latte (we get it), try to limit milky coffee to one per day and use a natural sweetener instead of sugar.

If you are replacing all three meals a day and adding the 2 cups of low starch vegetables, then we recommend that you also add 1 tsp of Oil to the vegetables (Olive oil works well but if you prefer you can use another plant based oil that is low in saturated fats).

It is a good idea to carefully measure the oil - one teaspoon of oil has approximately 40 calories, but one tablespoon has 120 calories - so keep an eye on your proportions so you don’t blow out your calories.

We recommend the extra oil because FastFx is very, very low in fat, which is great for your weight loss, but not consuming any fat can potentially leave you vulnerable to developing gallstones.  Rapid weight loss can cause your liver to release more cholesterol into the bile, which can lead to the formation of crystals.  These crystals can occasionally go on to develop into stones.  An active ingredient in Olive Oil reduces cholesterol in the gallbladder and therefore can help to stop gallstones forming.

The irony is that losing weight will help with gallbladder disease, but just make sure you add the small amount of extra olive oil within your diet if you are replacing all three meals with FastFx.

Absolutely, we have lots of customers who like to customise their smoothies with a few additions.  Just keep in mind that most additions will increase the calories slightly, so keep an eye on how much and what you add.

If you are focused on weight loss, but still want to add things, look for low calorie options -for example a teaspoon of cinnamon, honey, vanilla, half a banana or a shot of coffee to add variety.