So Shape: a dietitian’s take after 5 days of testing

Overview of So Shape

The brand

Raphaël Wetzel, a former lawyer, decided to go into entrepreneurship by returning to HEC where he met Steven Tordjeman, who is a pharmacist.

In April 2014, they launched the So Shape challenge to help people who want to lose weight in 5, 14, or 28 days. They offer tasty and varied meals so everyone can reach their weight-loss goals.

It is a made in France brand that offers quality products with innovative packaging. The team told me that their challenges can be consumed from the age of 18.

For information, I tested 10 brands of meal replacements and So Shape is among the top 3 in my opinion.

Products

The brand offers a wide variety of flavors and product formats.

For a successful challenge and to reach the expected weight loss, it is recommended to consume two So Shape meals per day and keep one free meal.

To stabilize your weight, a single So Shape meal would be sufficient daily, with consequently two free meals.

For example, a typical day with two So Shape meals is:

• a So Shape shake for breakfast
• a free, balanced lunch (with carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein)
• a So Shape meal for dinner (made with pasta or rice)

Ready-to-drink shakes

If you like milkshakes and ice creams, you’ll appreciate the variety of flavors offered:

• classics: white chocolate-vanilla, salted caramel
• biscuity and chocolatey: chocolate, hazelnuts, brownies, speculoos, cookie cream, stracciatella, chocolate-coconut
• fruity: mango-passionfruit, berries, banana-chocolate, strawberry
• originals: mint-chocolate, lemon cheesecake

Hot meals

So Shape offers meals to reconstitute ranging from risotto (curry or mushrooms), to pasta (pesto, arrabiata, mac & cheese), and vegetarian dishes (chili sin carne and meatless bolognese).

I like these meals because they involve chewing! So they’re more filling to tide you over until the next meal compared with shakes to drink.

I tried the ready-to-drink shakes and the hot meals, but the brand offers many other formats:

• Mix Walter
• Sugar detox snacks
• Cookies
• Granola
• Bars
• Baking mixes

Our test

Product ★★★★☆

Shipping and packaging

I received my 5-day challenge in a recyclable cardboard package that was itself packed in a box.

Tucked inside was a guide that presented the different meals, their nutritional benefits, and usage tips. It also included advice to motivate me and help me best balance my day.

This guide, very comprehensive and pleasant to read, is also available as a free download here. 

So Shape slipped a little surprise into my package that I wasn’t expecting: a brownie-flavored bar, sugar-free and high in protein.

The sachets are colorful and feature a funny and motivating “good vibes” message.

A shaker is offered with every order—I chose the candy design. If you already have one, you can choose not to receive the complimentary shaker.

A silicone bowl is also included to reconstitute your pasta- and rice-based meals. It’s very practical to use and wash and, cherry on top, it doesn’t break!

I find that the very colorful packaging makes you want to check out the products, try them, and take on this challenge. All packaging is 100% recyclable.

Shake ingredients

Each sachet provides 222 calories, which is perfect for a high-protein, low-calorie breakfast. I appreciate the high protein content with 23.5 g per shake.

Among the ingredients rich in protein, there are mainly milk proteins but also oat flour, milk powder, flaxseed, and pea protein.

There is a low amount of vegetable fat (5 g per shake) with the addition of powdered sunflower oil.

Each sachet contains 18 g of carbohydrates, of which only 5.5 g are fast-acting sugars provided by the chocolate (depending on the flavor).

In contrast, there is little fiber: only 3.3 g. Fiber helps regulate digestion and promotes satiety.

In general, I do not support the addition of sweeteners that imitate sweetness without calories. So Shape favors steviol glycoside (derived from stevia), which is somewhat better tolerated and causes fewer digestive issues.

There is still acesulfame potassium and sucralose, two controversial synthetic high-intensity sweeteners.

Thickeners are added to give these shakes a thicker consistency. Guar gum is generally well tolerated. However, xanthan gum can cause dysbiosis, meaning a disrupted digestive system, and may have a laxative effect.

Each sachet is fortified with vitamins and minerals to meet average nutritional needs as if it were a homemade, balanced meal.

Hot meal ingredients

They provide between 14 and 19 g of protein per meal, which is almost as much as two eggs and possibly a serving of fromage blanc. 

Each meal provides between 25 and 30 g of carbohydrates (including 1 to 2.8 g of fast-acting sugars). They are inevitably more substantial than the sachets thanks to the pasta and rice.

Each serving contains 28 g of uncooked pasta or rice, which is 2 to 3 times less than a typical serving, usually 70 g uncooked or even 100 g depending on individual needs.

For these meals, to my great delight, there are no added sweeteners.

The fiber content is even lower (0.8 to 2.4 g) than for the shakes, which is normal. There are no vegetables in these meals, which, I admit, I missed in terms of color and texture.

Note that the mac & cheese cheddar flavors and white cheddar contain no fiber at all.

Enjoyment and tips

My gourmet experience

The taste is not cloying; on the contrary. The flavors are very pleasant when tasted.

I really appreciate the variety and originality of the flavors that set them apart from other brands. There are options with flavors that remind you of comforting home-cooked dishes or indulgent everyday desserts.

The products are very convenient to transport and consume; the brand delivers on this. I am very satisfied with how easy it is to prepare my meals.

I was impressed by the veggie bolognese pasta, which closely resembles a meat-based bolognese sauce. The arrabbiata-flavored pasta was a bit too spicy for my taste.

However, I was a little disappointed by the chili sin carne, which was a bit dry, and I found the cheddar mac & cheese to be very cloying.

My tips for use

The dissolution of these shakes is excellent: no lumps after shaking for 30 seconds. The texture is nicely creamy; it’s very pleasant.

The meals are reconstituted with a kettle or in the microwave:

• Using a kettle, bring the water to a boil. In the provided bowl, pour water up to 130 mL for a pasta or rice meal. Add the pasta or rice, pour in the contents of the pouch and mix well with a fork. Close the flaps, let rest for 5 minutes, and enjoy.
• In the microwave: first fill the bowl with water and add the pasta or rice. After 1 minute 30 seconds at 800W, add the contents of the pouch, mix with a fork, close the flaps and let rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Finally, eat the meals without waiting, they cool down very quickly and the texture becomes compact if you wait too long. Also, they would lose nutrients after being cooked a second time.

I prefer to prepare my hot dishes (made with rice or pasta) using a kettle. Rehydration is quick and the texture is ideal. In the microwave, unfortunately, even with a high-sided bowl, the risk of splattering is significant.

I added a piece of fruit or a serving of fromage blanc to feel more satisfied because the So Shape meal alone wasn’t enough for me.

Price ★★★☆☆

I compared So Shape shakes with brands that offer similar products: meal replacement powders to be reconstituted with water and hot meals.

For a 30-day period with two meal replacements per day, the So Shape brand has a price of €3.16 per meal. It is more expensive than its competitors for shakes and hot meals, and has a premium positioning.

For shakes

	SHAKE SO SHAPE	SHAPE SHAKE 2.0 FOODSPRING	PROTEINWORKS
Serving	60 g	60 g	70 g
Program duration	30 days with 2 shakes per day	30 days with 2 shakes per day	28 days with 2 shakes per day
Price per meal	3,16 €	2,33 €	1,20 €
Protein content per meal	23,6 g	25 g	20 g
Additives	– acesulfame potassium – sucralose – steviol glycoside	– potassium phosphate – silicon dioxide – sucralose – steviol glycoside	– emulsifier – thickeners – salt – flavorings – sucralose
Commitments	Made in France	– NZMP (dairy products worldwide) – German brand	Made in the UK
Features	– Gluten-free – no coloring – Vegetarian – Nutri-Score A	Gluten-free	– Vegetarian – free from GMOs, aspartame, egg, palm oil, nuts
Total price	189,60 €	139,80 €	67,20 €

For hot meals

	SO SHAPE HOT MEAL	SPAGHETTI BOWL PROTEIN WORKS	PASTA LINE & PROTEINS
Serving	58-63 g	90 g	50 g
Program duration	30 days with 2 meals per day	30 days with 2 meals per day	30 days
Price per meal	3,16 €	2,86 €	2,12 €
Protein content per meal	14 to 19 g	20 g	30 g
Additives			Guar gum stabilizer
Commitments	Made in France	Made in the UK	Made in the EU
Features		– Vegetarian – Vegan	– Vegan – Fat-free and gluten-free
Total price	189,60 €	171,60 €	127,20 €

For each order placed, you receive a promo code to get 15% off your order, to be used within 30 days.

For purchases of €79 or more, you can pay in 3 installments, which is not negligible when choosing a 28-day challenge at €161.

Shipping is free from €60 of purchase. This amount is quickly reached with a 5-day challenge and two 500 g packs of smart granola at €12.90 (excellent granola that quickly found its place in my breakfast).

Note that orders delivered to your home by Chronopost will always be prepared and shipped as a priority.

For any order over €60, you can refer a friend. Your referral will receive €10 off their next order. As soon as your referral has confirmed their order, you’ll get €15 off your next order.

So Shape offers a subscription with no commitment to receive your products whenever you want and at reduced prices. You can cancel this subscription without conditions and without fees. However, it does not apply to challenges.

Transparency ★★☆☆☆

So Shape products are developed, tested and manufactured in the laboratories located in Île-de-France. The headquarters, meanwhile, is based in Paris.

However, I deplore a lack of transparency toward consumers.

Indeed, for reasons of confidentiality toward its competitors, the brand does not wish to comment on points that seem important to me, such as its suppliers, the origin of the ingredients, and the composition of the team. 

Nowadays, the origin of the products we eat is fundamental, I really think it’s a shame that we don’t know where they come from.

Expertise ★★★☆☆

A team of scientists and engineers develops recipes and tests the products before they are put on the market. 

Dietitians working at headquarters and not in the laboratories are not involved in tasting or modifying the recipes.

For questions about the products, how the challenge works, or dietary follow-up, a team of dietitians responds through various communication channels: email, phone, or chat.

The So Shape website features a blog section with videos showing how to reconstitute the meals.

Popularity ★★★★☆

The brand has 215,000 followers on Facebook, 270,000 followers on Instagram and 1 million followers on TikTok.

On TrustPilot, 2,542 users left reviews with a rating of 3.6 and mixed feedback.

Half of the reviews are 5 stars, but 27% of reviews are 1 to 3 stars. Given the brand’s popularity on social media, I expected more reviews.

For each comment left, a personalized response is provided.

What stands out from the highly rated comments (4 to 5 stars): 

• Good quality products, easy and quick to prepare
• Availability and responsiveness of customer service
• Weight loss at the end of this challenge
• Indulge without depriving yourself

What stands out from the lower-rated comments (2 to 3 stars): 

• Products that are not very flavorful or even off-putting
• Expensive products

Trust ★★★☆☆

The customer support is available by email, phone or chat from Monday to Friday from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM.

My contacts took the time to give me a precise and personalized response, and they did so in record time regarding the use of So Shape products.

I had questions about a product I couldn’t find on their site. I was told via chat 5 minutes later that the product was out of stock and would be replaced soon.

However, when it came to more specific questions about product development, suppliers and laboratories, and the composition of their team, the brand chose to remain discreet.

Customer service was much less responsive and replied to me two weeks later.

My requests were forwarded to the communications department, with no certainty of receiving answers to my questions for confidentiality reasons.

Before starting a So Shape challenge, I recommend checking in with a dietitian to make sure your nutrition meets your needs. And that you’ve adopted healthy habits, whether you want to lose weight or not.