Slim Fast?

TheOnyxStar

I'm trying to find new tools to add to my toolkit before I go back to school. I'm wondering if anyone as tried using the SlimFast system?

I've done things like Nutrisystem before and lost weight but 1). It's too expensive to keep up and 2). There's only a few items that actually taste good,

I just need something that tastes okay and I can use to help me boost my weight loss. I want to lose 20lbs by January as I'm going on a trip and want to feel better.

Thanks in advance!

kommodevaran

Slimfast is like Nutrisystem, only worse - less taste and variety, more expensive, less satiety.

Nothing boosts weightloss. You lose according to your calorie deficit over time. You don't need any tools besides your food diary, a food scale, and patience.

kimny72

TheOnyxStar wrote: »

I'm trying to find new tools to add to my toolkit before I go back to school. I'm wondering if anyone as tried using the SlimFast system?

I've done things like Nutrisystem before and lost weight but 1). It's too expensive to keep up and 2). There's only a few items that actually taste good,

I just need something that tastes okay and I can use to help me boost my weight loss. I want to lose 20lbs by January as I'm going on a trip and want to feel better.

Thanks in advance!

Nothing can "boost" your weight loss, you will lose weight based on the number of calories you consume.
Individual foods can make it easier or harder to stick to your calorie goal.

I think SlimFast tastes pretty good. But I personally do not feel full from drinking something, I need to chew. They are also pretty low cal to serve as a meal replacement. So I will occasionally use them as a snack or to hold me over until I can eat a real meal.

I would advice against using the "system". Some people do fine on meal replacements in the short term, but eventually they either get tired of them. Or they hit their goal weight, and haven't learned how to eat real meals at the right calorie level so they just go back to how they used to eat and gain the weight back.

Hope that makes sense, and good luck with whatever way you choose! Set your goal to lose 1 lb per week, MFP will give you a calorie goal, and log accurately and consistently to hit that goal.

DoubleUbea

Twenty pounds by January is very feasible, instead of buying SlimFast, invest in an inexpensive food scale, measure and log the calories you consume.
Did you enter your information into MFP so that it can tell you how many calories to eat each day?

Crochetluvr

I use Atkins Shakes.....not as a plan, just as a quick breakfast on occasion. I don't follow Atkins as a diet...I use the shakes and sometimes their bars for a snack. But 99% of the time, I use regular food. You have to use real food in the long run.

hroderick

I tried it at one of my attempts and discovered it was great with cookies, but the weight loss didn't work out.

I don't know if you're looking for convenience or just calorie reduction. If you have time to cook or cook ahead, I'm liking platejoy.com to help make a great weekly plan with healthy and interesting ingredients and recipes. Having the easy weekly plan and the ingredients ready to cook when I am is making all the difference and helping me correct bad habits.

It is simple arithmetic. 3500 calories = 1 pound = 500 daily calorie deficit for one week.
Setting mfp for 1.5 per week and good logging will drop 20lb in about 14 weeks so long as you keep under recommended calories, you can even have slimfast with cookies. There's about 20 weeks until January, so at that rate you could do 25 pounds and still enjoy on the holiday feasts. Setting for 1 lb per week and being diligent will be pretty close to 20 in January. The simple arithmetic works for practically everyone.

I find high volume low cal foods like salads more satisfying and learned to like them with zero dressing calories. A can of slimfast at 190 cal doesn't get me as far as a Subway rotisserie chicken salad with avocado and a squirt of vinegar at 240 cal. As you peruse these forums and learn where your calories are coming from by logging, it is easy to find places to trim and shocking to learn how many calories are in some things.

Millicent3015

I did Celebrity Slim (that was the only meal replacement program readily available at the chemists) and I enjoyed it, but after a few weeks it started giving me stomach problems and I had to stop. The shakes were in milkshake flavours so it didn't help to reduce my cravings for sweet things, but they did fill me up.

I did use Slim Fast chocolate bars as an alternative to the real thing, but now they're too high in carbs for me. I use Grenade Carb Killa protein shakes and bars if I'm out and don't have access to the kind of meals I prefer, and the shakes are good for adding extra protein if I haven't significantly reached my protein goal for the day.

I think meal replacement programs can have their place, but they didn't teach me how to change my eating habits or reduce my sugar/carb intake and portion sizes. I think they can be useful psychologically as a kick start if you have a lot of weight to lose, and can see quite rapid weight loss in the first couple of weeks, but for longevity you have to change your attitude to food, and maybe learn to eat differently. Chugging down a shake or unwrapping a meal bar won't do that.

apullum

I've tried Slim Fast. I thought the shakes tasted decent, but I didn't lose any weight while drinking them because I wasn't in a calorie deficit.

During my weight loss, I did not drink any diet shakes. I ate what I wanted and tracked my food to make sure I was in a calorie deficit.

The only real reason to drink Slim Fast is if you like the taste. They will not boost your weight loss. They will not cause you to lose any weight on their own.

You can eat any foods that fit into your calorie goals. If you need a quick meal that's inexpensive, I would recommend making large batches of dinner foods and portioning the leftovers into boxes that you can just grab out of the fridge for lunch.

I would also recommend not putting a deadline on your weight loss. What will happen if you lose only 15 pounds by your deadline. Will you be happy about the weight you lost, or sad that you didn't reach your goal? Why will your trip be better if you weigh 20 pounds less? And what will you do after your deadline? If you just go back to the way you used to eat, then you'll gain all of the weight right back.

whitpauly

I like to drink Slim fast shakes just for the taste,there's absolutely no way I could use them as a meal replacement cuz they seem to actually make,me hungrier

psychod787

Why drink most of your nutrition? I would always be hungry! If it works for you, good luck.

CarvedTones

Sometimes I would keep some around at work for when I had to work through lunch and hadn't brought anything in. Now I use Pure Protein whey based protein bars for that instead. But in either case, while you might think of them as a meal replacement, I actually use them as a "no meal" replacement - if I didn't have one handy, I wouldn't have a meal at all.

hesn92

I drink a chocolate protein shake for breakfast. Not slim fast though. I think it's a good option if you're really busy or just super lazy in the mornings like me. I wouldn't replace 2 meals with a shake though. It seems like it would be difficult to get all of your required nutrition with just one "real" meal a day?

chubbycatcorner

Stick to protein shakes if you can. We ir as something to stick to for the rest of your life and if you can handle it. If the answer is no, then don't waste your money. Good luck chick.

chubbycatcorner

*see it as

Not whatever gibberish that auto corrected to lol

LoveMusic4Life

I have tried the slim taste plan, the xls plan, and 5:2. On the slim fast i found i was getting hungry a lot more and would sneak in a snack, i lost a little weight but i found i put it all back on and then some when i was eating normal again, this is the same for xls plan. The 5:2 diet also worked for me, but all these diets are short term.

I recommend you do as other have suggested like making up batches of meals and weighing ingredients, this will be better for you and more nutritious than a diet shake. Protein bars are a good easy to go to when on the go and will help those hunger pangs for a while until you get to eat a proper meal.

Also getting out and doing a little exercise will help too, go for a walk, or jog if you enjoy jogging. I track my food and exercise on MFP and it has helped me a lot and i am losing at a steady pace. You don't need these fad diets to lose weight, just a new healthy routine that suits you. This is the healthy way to do it and you won't be left feeling hungry .

JaxxieKat

Save your money. Slim Fast is just a chalky, gross tasting, overpriced laxative.

tinkerbellang83

TheOnyxStar wrote: »

I just need something that tastes okay

Food?

TheOnyxStar wrote: »

and I can use to help me boost my weight loss.

Calorie Deficit

TheOnyxStar wrote: »

1). It's too expensive to keep up

Perk of Calorie Deficit - it's free!

cheryldumais

I agree with most posters. Slim fast is fine if it fits your calories and you like it but other than that it is fancy milk. Below is the nutritional value in the French Vanilla version. As you can see it is mostly skim milk powder and sugar.

OHFlamingo

I have used both SlimFast and WalMart's Equate version of SlimFast. It needs to be really cold to taste the best, but still is not really good. I found that for me, it just ended up being extra calories in my diet, as it is not really filling, and I was hungry sooner than the 4 hours they advertise. It may be helpful, but you might as well just learn to use real food, because you certainly don't want to be drinking just "2 a day plus a sensible dinner" for the rest of your life. Good luck to OP and the rest of us!

sugom2

It makes a nice desert milkshake if you use frozen fruit with it in the blender---lots of protein

apullum

sugom2 wrote: »

It makes a nice desert milkshake if you use frozen fruit with it in the blender---lots of protein

If it's protein you want, Slim Fast is not a very efficient way to get it at all.

Slim Fast original powder has very little protein. The original variety has two grams per 110 calorie serving of shake mix, or 10 grams per 180 calorie bottle of prepackaged prepared shake. This means that 8 of those 10 grams of protein are just coming from the skim milk used to prepare the shake.

For comparison, low-calorie protein bars like Quest or Pure Protein will get you 20 grams of protein for a 180 calorie serving. A 100 calorie serving of whey protein powder will also have about 20 grams of protein depending on the powder.

There is an "advanced nutrition" variety of Slim Fast that has more protein if that’s what you’re looking for. I expect it costs more than just buying protein powder, though.

The only real reason to drink Slim Fast is if you like the taste.

TeaBea

DoubleUbea wrote: »

Twenty pounds by January is very feasible, instead of buying SlimFast, invest in an inexpensive food scale, measure and log the calories you consume.
Did you enter your information into MFP so that it can tell you how many calories to eat each day?

This^

Figure out what real portions look like. That way you lose weight AND are able to keep it off. Slim Fast has a lot of repeat customers.

Also, the fiber additive to Slim Fast doesn't sit well with everyone (cramping/gas). I tried Slim Fast years ago and
was hungry often.

Jdacruz5588

I did slimfast for about a year maybe less and was able to lose over 30lbs. Alternating the shakes, bars, and sensible meals and snacks. I find it convenient and mostly everything tastes pretty good. lets face it a cappuccino flavored slimfast shake isn't going to taste like a Starbucks frappaccino but definitely doable. Its helpful for those on the go with little time to prep. The advanced nutrition has much more protein and fewer carbs. The powder version calls for skim milk but I opt for almond milk less sugar and calories.

Sunna_W

It's calories in and calories out.

If you are trying to feel fuller without a lot of additional calories you can make a chocolate frostie using ice, cocoa powder, your choice of milk, erythritol, and, a smidge of konjac root (also called glucomannan). It also makes a nice smoothie without the ice. Add a good quality multi vitamin / mineral and you essentially have Slimfast without the crap. The erythritol, and, the konjac root are a little spendy upfront - but both last a long time.

Another thing to consider is that you have 16 weeks to lose 20 lbs and that is really doable.

Without starving, and, by working with your maintenance calories for your goal weight you are more likely to feel fuller, adapt healthier eating habits and not throw your thyroid or serotonin levels out of wack.

Try to eat at least 50 grams of naturally occurring sugar and 100 grams of carbs every day - that should help keep your mood even.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

psychod787

Sunna_W wrote: »

It's calories in and calories out.

If you are trying to feel fuller without a lot of additional calories you can make a chocolate frostie using ice, cocoa powder, your choice of milk, erythritol, and, a smidge of konjac root (also called glucomannan). It also makes a nice smoothie without the ice. Add a good quality multi vitamin / mineral and you essentially have Slimfast without the crap. The erythritol, and, the konjac root are a little spendy upfront - but both last a long time.

Another thing to consider is that you have 16 weeks to lose 20 lbs and that is really doable.

Without starving, and, by working with your maintenance calories for your goal weight you are more likely to feel fuller, adapt healthier eating habits and not throw your thyroid or serotonin levels out of wack.

Try to eat at least 50 grams of naturally occurring sugar and 100 grams of carbs every day - that should help keep your mood even.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

huh????

singingflutelady

chubbycatcorner wrote: »

Stick to protein shakes if you can. We ir as something to stick to for the rest of your life and if you can handle it. If the answer is no, then don't waste your money. Good luck chick.

I am not a shake promoter but meal replacement shakes usually have a lot more nutrients than protein shakes so if you are going to drink shakes instead of meals MR ones are better

kpk54

hroderick wrote: »

I tried it at one of my attempts and discovered it was great with cookies, but the weight loss didn't work out.

That gave me a big grin.