So Shape: a Dietitian’s Review After 5 Days of Testing

Introduction to So Shape

The brand

Raphaël Wetzel, a former lawyer, decided to venture 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 wish to lose weight in 5, 14 or 28 days. Offering gourmet and varied meals so everyone can reach their weight loss goals.

It is a made in France brand, offering quality products with innovative packaging. The team confirmed 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.

The products

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

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

To stabilize your weight, one So Shape meal a day would suffice with consequently two free meals.

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

• a So Shape shake for breakfast
• a free and balanced lunch (with carbs, vegetables, and proteins)
• a So Shape dish for dinner (based on pasta or rice)

Shakes to drink

If you enjoy milkshakes and ice cream, you will appreciate the variety of flavors offered:

• classics: white chocolate-vanilla, salted butter caramel
• biscuity and chocolaty: chocolate, hazelnuts, brownies, speculoos, cookie cream, stracciatella, chocolate-coconut
• fruity: mango-passion, red fruits, banana-chocolate, strawberry
• original: mint-chocolate, lemon cheesecake

Hot dishes

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

I appreciate these dishes because there is chewing! Therefore, it is more filling to wait until the next meal compared to the shakes to drink.

On my side, I have tested the shakes to drink and hot dishes, but the brand offers many other formats:

• Mix Walter
• Sugar detox snacks
• Cookies
• Granola
• Bars
• Mixes for pastries

Our test

Produit ★★★★☆

Package and packaging

I received my 5-day challenge in a cardboard and recyclable packaging that was itself wrapped in a carton.

Inside was slipped a guide introducing the different meals, their nutritional benefits, and usage tips. There were also tips to motivate myself and balance my day as best as possible.

This guide, very complete and enjoyable to read, is also available for free download here. 

So Shape slipped a little surprise inside my package that I didn’t expect: a brownie-flavored, sugar-free, high-protein bar.

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

A shaker is offered with every order, and I chose the candy pattern. For those who already have one, you can choose not to receive a free shaker.

A silicone bowl is also included to reconstitute your meals based on pasta and rice. It is very easy to use and clean, and bonus, it doesn’t break!

I find that the very colorful packaging makes you want to take an interest in the products, consume them, and follow this challenge. All the packaging is 100% recyclable.

Shake Composition

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 protein-rich ingredients are mainly milk proteins but also oatmeal, milk powder, flaxseed, and pea proteins.

Note the low content of vegetable fats (5 g/shake) with the addition of powdered sunflower oil.

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

However, there are few fibers: only 3.3 g. Fibers balance transit and are satisfying.

Generally, I do not agree with the addition of sweeteners that mimic the sweet taste without the calories. So Shape favors steviol glycoside (from stevia), which is somewhat better tolerated and causes fewer digestive issues.

However, there is also potassium acesulfame and sucralose, two controversial synthetic intense sweeteners.

Thickeners are added to give these shakes a thicker consistency. Guar gum is mostly well-tolerated. However, xanthan gum can cause dysbiosis, meaning a disturbed digestive system, and a potential laxative effect.

For each sachet, vitamin and mineral enrichment is provided to meet average nutritional needs, as if it were a homemade and balanced meal.

Hot Dish Composition

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

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

We have 28 g of raw pasta or rice per portion, which is 2 to 3 times less than a classic portion, which is generally 70 g raw 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 (from 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 flavors cheddar and white cheddar contain no fiber at all.

Pleasure and Tips

My gourmet experience

The taste is not overwhelming, quite the contrary. The flavors are very pleasant on tasting.

I greatly appreciate the variety and originality of flavors that differ from other brands. We have a choice with flavors that remind us of good dishes or gourmet desserts of everyday life.

The products are very convenient to transport and consume, and the brand lives up to its promises in this respect. I am very satisfied with the ease of preparation of my meals.

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

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

My usage tips

The dissolution of these shakes is excellent: no lumps after shaking for 30 seconds. The texture is nice and creamy, which is very pleasant.

The meals are reconstituted using a kettle or microwave:

• With a kettle, bring the water to a boil. Pour water up to 130 mL in the provided bowl for a pasta or rice dish. Add the pasta or rice, pour in the contents of the pack, 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 1min30 at 800W, add the contents of the pack, mix with a fork, close the flaps, and let rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Finally, consume the meals immediately, as they cool very quickly, and the texture becomes compact if you wait too long. Also, they would lose nutrients after a second cooking.

I prefer to prepare my hot dishes (based on rice or pasta) with a kettle. The reconstitution is quick and the texture ideal. In the microwave, unfortunately, despite a bowl with closed flaps, the risk of splashes is significant.

I added a fruit or a yogurt to feel more satiated because the So Shape meal alone was not enough for me.

Prix ★★★☆☆

I compared So Shape shakes with brands offering similar products: meal substitutes in the form of powder to be reconstituted with water and hot dishes.

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

For the shakes

	SHAKE SO SHAPE	SHAPE SHAKE 2.0 FOODSPRING	PROTEINWORKS
Serving size	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 – flavors – sucralose
Commitments	Made in France	– NZMP (dairy from world) – German brand	Made in UK
Particularities	– Gluten-free – No coloring – Vegetarian – Nutri-Score A	Gluten-free	– Vegetarian – GMO-free, aspartame-free, egg-free, palm oil-free, nut-free
Total price	€189.60	€139.80	€67.20

For the hot meals

	HOT MEAL SO SHAPE	SPAGHETTI BOL PROTEIN WORKS	PASTA LINE & PROTEINS
Serving size	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			Stabilizer guar gum
Commitments	Made in France	Made in UK	Made in EU
Particularities		– Vegetarian – Vegan	– Vegan – Fat-free and gluten-free
Total price	€189.60	€171.60	€127.20

With each order placed, you receive a promo code for a 15% discount on your order, valid for 30 days.

From €79, you can pay in 3 installments, which is not insignificant when choosing a 28-day challenge at €161.

Free delivery for orders over €60. This amount is quickly reached with a 5-day challenge and 2 sachets of 500 g 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 completes their order, you will enjoy €15 off your next order.

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

Transparence ★★☆☆☆

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

However, I regret a lack of transparency towards consumers.

Indeed, for reasons of confidentiality towards 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, the team’s composition. 

Nowadays, the origin of the products we eat is fundamental; I find it really unfortunate that we don’t know where they come from.

Expertise ★★★☆☆

A scientific team and engineers are responsible for developing recipes and testing products before they are marketed. 

Nutritionists working at the headquarters and not in the laboratories do not intervene in tasting or modifying recipes.

For questions about products, challenge functioning, or dietary follow-up, a team of nutritionists responds through different communication channels: email, phone, or chat.

The So Shape site features a blog section with videos of meal reconstructions.

Popularité ★★★★☆

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

On TrustPilot, 2542 users have given their feedback with a 3.6 rating and mixed reviews.

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

For every comment left, a personalized response is provided.

What emerges from well-rated comments (4 to 5 stars): 

• Good quality products, easy and quick to prepare
• Customer service availability and responsiveness
• Weight loss following this challenge
• Enjoying oneself without depriving oneself

What emerges from less well-rated comments (2 to 3 stars): 

• Products lacking taste or even nauseating
• Expensive products

Confiance ★★★☆☆

Customer service is available by email, phone, or chat from Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 6:30 pm.

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

I was questioning a product that I couldn’t find on their site. I was informed by chat 5 minutes later that this product was out of stock and would soon be replaced.

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

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

My requests were forwarded to the communication department without certainty of receiving answers to my questions due to confidentiality reasons.

Before starting a So Shape challenge, I advise you to thoroughly check with a dietitian to ensure that the diet meets your needs. And that you have adopted good health attitudes, whether you wish to lose weight or not.