Of course liquid calories don't count. That's why they have a double sized weight loss meal replacement shake with every meal and a few between meals.... also they wake up in the middle of the night to drink them. I went on vacation last year to where I grew up and stayed with my Aunt. *Side note: Montana is the best place ever, if you've never been, go! She was on one of those shake weight loss kicks. She'd get that chocolate powder all over the fucking counter. She'd go to sleep, and I'd clean the kitchen, then in the morning I would wake up before her to get ready to go for a hike and there's fucking powder all over the counter again! She actually woke up in the middle of the night and made a 500+ calorie shake and went back to bed. Then she makes them with her meals!  I took her out for dinner and she actually packed one to go with her. We were sitting there, she orders a soda and sets her blender bottle on the table. I asked if she was supposed to eat with those (big mistake) and she gave me a lecture about how they are WEIGHT LOSS shakes and she drinks them so that her body doesn't absorb the food. She went on to complain how tough it is for her to lose weight and how she powers through how disgusting the shakes are (I think I read on the nutrition label that there was 40 something grams of sugar per serving, and she was doing more than a serving). I nodded in agreement because what else was I going to do? Then I prodded more, and asked how they were working. She said they are working great! She said that they make her swell up with water weight and she's had to get some new clothes because they make her bloated, but she notices a difference. She actually thinks they are working even though the only change has been weight gain. There's no arguing with fat logic, so I let it be.