Great Shakes (and not of the delicious McDonald's persuasion either....)

Right now, I'm drinking a couple different kind of shakes from Herbalife, their protein and healthy-meal in vanilla. Of all the flavors, vanilla is the most neutral in that it mixes well with other flavored products besides dairy.

They are delicious, but not quite as yummy as the nicely fat-infused shakes that McDonald's vanilla shake, a full 530 calories, according to the company's website. Fat is delicious.Although the body requires fat, certain types of fat are not good for our bodies.

Wouldn't that be something if fitness shakes were that good? On their own and not wrapped around a recipe? They're great, but in a healthy way. And I'm customizing them as I go along.

The trouble with the McDonald's shakes (or any of the fast-food restaurant shakes) is if there aren't as many essential vitamins and nutrients, in fact hardly any. So that if you're on, let's say, a 1,500-calorie "healthy" diet (for a female), and you eat three full meals or five small meals throughout the day, where does that leave you when consuming the remaining calories: Well, for starters, 1,000 calories spread throughout the rest of the meals that day.

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And you see when you're trying to eat better that that shake has to serve as one meal, albeit an unhealthy one as far as steady nutrients go. I'm assuming in this scenario that you're cheating and enjoying a guilty pleasure.

Regardless,  the rest of your meals have to be nutritious so that, again, you're getting your recommended allowance of essential vitamins and minerals, which differs among men, women and children.

Most good fitness shakes I've encountered (in addition to those from Herbalife) are not only lesser calories (about 200 when consumed with milk or natural juice), but they're strong on nutrients. Herbalife boasts about 22 essentials. So that you're not enjoying an empty meal. Depending on what fitness goal you're striving for, some fitness buffs I've run into look for shakes with more elevated levels of protein for muscle promotion, as well as in their daily meals. Right now, I opt for no more than about 125 grams a day. Man or woman, bodybuilding requires more protein than other fitness activities, such as when dieting.

Lately, I've grown tired of mixing my shakes with milk, so I've started mixing them with Naked juices. I can't speak for how they taste with shake flavors other than vanilla. Also, shaking the mixture or tossing it in a blender are much better than stirring, which no matter how vigorously you churn never gets all the powder lumps out.

My Fitness Regimen

Right after my grandfather passed away, I decided to get serious about my own health. I'm healthy, but I want to eat and feel better.

Since I don't have a chef (yet) like Oprah, one of my biggest battles is finding time to cook for me and my family. I've never been domestic to begin with because I'm more of a scholar (read: professional student) and (I'm told) an overachiever so time is especially valuable. There are so many things keep me from the kitchen that I had figure out a way to eat better.

I eat out every day, so I can count on eating from the following restaurants:

• Subway
• Jimmy John's
• Panera Bread
• Potbelly's
• Corner Bakery

I'm taking suggestions for other great restaurants.

When I do eat at McDonald's, it's usually an Angus burger (rather than their lesser cuts of beef), a salad, or fish sandwich.

I'm not a vegetarian (and certainly not vegan), as you see, but my consumption of red meat has decreased in the last 10 years. I attribute it a little bit to an interview I had with Karyn Calabrese while writing for the Chicago Tribune. She challenged me to stop eating red meat as a precursor to attempting veganism. I cleared myself of red meat for about three months. I lost my craving somewhat during that time. When I returned to it, I recall purchasing some chili from Wendy's and it made me sick. I couldn't finish the whole container.

I won't say that as I gradually began my return to meat that I lost my desire to eat it entirely, but the compulsion is less. And I now eat better leaner cuts of steak and hamburger a few times a month so that my Vitamin E intake doesn't drop.

I don't drink, smoke, or take aspirin for pain. I've been on a homeopathic kick for about 10 years. Any pain, which is rare, I work through. Right now, my vitamin regimen consists of Herbalife products:

• Healthy Meal twice a day
• Personalized Protein Powder 
• Protein Drink Mix - sometimes drank alone; with 2% milk or natural and fresh-squeezed fruit juice; or mixed with Healthy Meal and protein powder to boost my protein, especially after a vigorous workout. Right now, I'm trying it different ways to see what works and what I like best
• Formula 2 Multivitamin Mineral Complex
• Garden 7 - when taken up as directed provides the daily allowance of up to seven servings of fruits and vegetables

All of these products can be purchased here.

My uncle sells Kyani products, so I also drink Sunrise to boost my fruit intake even more, along following with my Herbalife program. I'm not a huge calorie counter, but I shoot for consuming no more than 1,300 to 1,500 calories a day. Some weeks I'm active at the gym every day. Most times, I hit it three times a week while performing some of my yoga and Pilates at home.

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Certainly, I can't speak for anyone else's experience, but since September 2012 to now, I've gone from 23% body fat to between 17% and 18%. My skin looks better and my energy boost enables me to be an "over-overachiever." I work and go to school about 75 hours a week.

My goal to reach 13% is steady but more work than I thought, given my athletic past. I thought I'd have an easier time.

But then I wasn't as calculating in my fitness back then as I am now. Back then, I just trained and at some point my coach measured me and there I was at about 14%. Oh, to be young and spry.

The minimum percentage an athletic woman should reach is 10% to 12%. But I don't want to get there due to the increase in vascularity.