The Man Shake meal replacement review: "How I lost 28kg"

Brett's mental and physical health is the best it's ever been

Brett Spargo tried The Man Shake and never looked back. Image: Supplied.

Brett Spargo turned his life around, but it all started with "baby steps". Here are the small changes he made that ended with big results.

Brett Spargo was unmotivated, depressed, always too tired to play with his two children and his weight tipped the scales at nearly 100kg. Now, he’s 28kg lighter and has become fitter and healthier than ever before after falling in love with long-distance running. 

Brett Spargo grew up a “very active person”, participating in long-distance running, cricket and football. However, the 39-year-old from country Victoria, let his love for sports fall by the wayside after a series of injuries. 

“I had knee reconstructions from injuries while playing football and cricket, numerous soft tissue injuries and in 2019 I fell three metres off a roof at home breaking both my heels,” the father of two tells Body+Soul. 

This strain on his mobility coupled with the stresses of life including divorce, parenthood and his job working as a signal maintenance technician, took a toll on his mental and physical health. 

Related: Here are the best meal replacement shakes to kickstart your health journey

“The weight started to creep up pretty quickly because I was just doing whatever was easiest with the kids and started taking shortcuts,” he explains. 

“My mental health was really struggling, especially being in Victoria where we were the most locked-down place in the world, I just felt trapped,” referring to the restrictions implemented during COVID lockdowns.

Brett couldn’t have accomplished his health goals without his children by his side. Image: Supplied.

He would come home from work, too exhausted to do anything but sit on the couch, eat and relax.

“My son would want me to go outside and play with him but I was too tired, I was letting him and my daughter down,” Spargo recalls, after turning to other diet quick fixes that “never lasted more than a few days”. 

“I’d be straight back to a takeaway shop because I just couldn’t handle not getting food in me.”

Before he knew it, the kilos quickly piled on and he kicked off 2021 at his heaviest weight of 98kg, unmotivated and not enjoying the things he once loved. It was at this moment that he knew he needed to put his foot down and make desperate changes with one goal in mind: to become a better father. 

“It wasn’t about me at that stage. It was just wanting to be a better dad for them and be more active.”

He spotted an advertisement for The Man Shake — a healthy, low-sugar, high-protein meal replacement shake specifically designed to help men “lose the beer gut without losing all the beers” — and decided to give it a go. 

Over the next 22 months, Brett’s life transformed with the support from The Man Shake. He lost a whopping 28kg, gained an even happier and healthier life than ever before and even managed to rank top eight in the 50km Gold Coast Ultra Marathon. Here’s exactly how he did it…

Brett’s day on a plate

River and Billie are Brett’s two biggest supporters. Image: Supplied.

While he was never a heavy beer drinker, Brett admits the “biggest bad habit” that led to his weight gain was his soft drink addiction. 

“I had a fixation with soft drinks, I just always had to have soft drink or just was addicted to it,” he explains. “When I was at my biggest, I was having a full sugar Coke every day.” 

The nature of his job meant he was on the road a lot and bound to his truck seat from early mornings to evenings, so on-the-go meals and drive-thrus were a daily occurrence. 

“I’d regularly have two to three pieces of toast every day for breakfast and lots of carbs. I’d be driving along and go, ‘Oh, there’s Macca's, so I’ll get a large meal,” he notes.  

Meal portion sizes were also non-existent.

“I was just having everything bad for you and there was no moderation control," he said.

“I’d eat my food and then if the kids didn’t eat their dinner, I’d eat their dinner as well so we weren’t wasting anything. It was just that mentality of everything that was put in front of you had to be eaten.”

But once he started The Man Shake, Brett said goodbye to his uncontrollable meal portions and cravings for fried foods and unhealthy carbs.

“I cut out all soft drinks and drank more water than I’ve ever had before in my life,” he explains. 

“I was on two main [The Man Shake] shakes a day for the first six to eight months and once I started seeing the weight slowly dropping off, I was losing about four kilos a month.” 

This meal replacement helped him feel fuller for longer, which stopped the urge to reach for unhealthy snack options. 

Brett relied on The Man Shake to kickstart his health journey. Image: Supplied.

“I’d have an apple or banana rather than a chocolate bar or packet of chips.”

Then, he’d opt for a salad with some salmon or chicken for his meal of the day. 

For Brett, he approached The Man Shake as a “lifestyle change” or stepping stone to realigning his approach to food rather than a long-term system so, once he reached a weight he was satisfied with, he simply “started incorporating more meals into days and cutting back on The Man Shake”. 

“I wouldn’t have large meals and I’d space my small meals over the day more frequently.” 

Related: 'How I lost 36 kilograms using The Lady Shake'

Brett’s remarkable long-distance running achievements

While losing weight was an achievement in itself, Brett’s proudest success has been reconnecting with his adoration for long-distance running. 

“To go from not being able to run two kilometres for maybe 10 to 15 years to running a 50k ultramarathon in three hours and two minutes was a massive, massive change in my life,” he speaks of his remarkable success participating in the 2022 Gold Coast Ultra Marathon. 

“Obviously, having kids is up there with my biggest achievements in life but personally, in 2022, just my running achievements ticked a lot of bucket list things off.” 

It’s not the only running achievement he’s accomplished, either. The proud father has gone on to compete in national events over the past two years, breaking records and personal bests. 

Most recently in early December 2023, he completed the Melbourne 2XU Wellness Run in support of Beyond Blue - an organisation close to his heart - finishing in the top 40 out of approximately 4,000 people. 

“I’ve achieved enough in the last year or so that’s blown my expectations out of the water and I hope I can just inspire others to just get off the couch and start running — men, women and children.”

Of course, attaining these exercise goals wasn’t an easy stroll in the park. The only form of exercise Brett performed pre-weight loss was walking his daughter in the pram down to the corner of the street and back on the weekends. 

“There was just nothing there and the motivation to do it was just too hard or I was too tired.” 

So, he “started from nothing” and took “baby steps” to rebuild his endurance and fitness levels, firstly prioritising a daily 10,000-step count goal.

“I started walking my son to school every day and back and I just made a goal of walking 10,000 steps every day and then I thought maybe I can try for a half marathon so I started incorporating some runs in.”

From walking alone, Brett saw the weight drop off and pretty soon he was on a mission to complete his first marathon. 

While he admits he’s given his body a break from extreme long-distance training in 2023, he has still run “around 30 to 40 kilometres a week during the whole year”. Impressive, to say the least. 

Brett’s advice for others wanting to lose weight

Brett’s exuberance for life now has already motivated others to become the healthiest and best versions of themselves, but the pathway to getting to where he mentally and physically is today didn’t come without its challenges. 

Along the way, the father was hit with a bout of anxiety and depression, causing him to lose focus on his goals. 

“I got to a period when I was on the shakes and walking where I just stagnated and my weight didn’t want to move. I was doing the right things so why wasn’t it coming off?” he once questioned. “I’m walking 10,000 steps a day and I’m having my shakes, I’m not drinking sugar.” 

To add to this, he was hit with other life stressors. 

“I broke up with my partner so I was on my own a lot and going through a lot, dealing with depression.”

But before letting his old ways get the better of him, he persisted, stayed optimistic and trusted the process. 

“I said that I’m doing the right things, I’ve just got to trust the process.”

“There’s always going to be hurdles along the way and setbacks but don’t let them knock you down,” he urges. “Stay consistent, make sure to give yourself pats on the back and set your mind to it.”

Additionally, in 2022, he adopted a black Labrador, Buddy — in recognition of the Black Dog Institute — who has played a significant role in his health journey. 

Buddy has become an incredible companion for Brett. Image: Supplied.

“Buddy just keeps me in check when I’m having a bad day and we lean on each other,” he says while cuddling his best friend. “He had a lot of social anxiety problems with strangers so he’s been a good mind reset for me as well, that keeps me in check that I can look after him and he does exactly the same thing for me when I’m feeling a bit lonely and not seeing my kids.”

So, Brett’s advice? “If you’re struggling, dogs are such a loyal companion.”

The running champion sure is living proof that keeping this level of optimism at the forefront is the key to achieving any health goal, regardless of your age, gender, sex or weight. 

“I’ve never been as fit as I ever have in my life and I’m nearly 40,” Brett proudly says. “And mentally, I’ve probably never been as mentally strong as I am right now.”

What is The Man Shake?

The Man Shake is a healthy, all-natural meal replacement shake specifically designed for men to “lose the beer gut without losing all the beers”. It’s high in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals and each serving contains only 2.4 grams of sugar to void the afternoon energy crashes. 

The Man Shake is currently available in ten delicious flavours - chocolate, vanilla, coffee, strawberry, banana, caramel, chocolate mint, mango, chocolate honeycomb and cookies and cream - along with a vegan version, available in a chocolate and vanilla flavour. 

The range has also expanded into an array of other products including high-protein bars and caffeine-fuelled on-the-go shakes that cater to a variety of health needs. 

The full range can be purchased online at The Man Shake or at selected supermarkets and chemists including Priceline. Women can also benefit from this meal replacement with The Lady Shake. 

If you or someone you know needs help, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the 24- hourSuicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.Mental health professionals are available 24/7 at the beyondblue Support Service –1300 22 46 36 or via beyondblue.org.au/get-support for online chat (3pm-12am AEST)

Originally published as The Man Shake meal replacement review: "How I lost 28kg"