What is your opinion on the Slim Fast 3-2-1?

Specializedbkh

So, I have a sweet tooth that will never come loose. I'm also a late night snacker... :embarassed:

I've always been interested in those nurtisystem/jenny craig site, however they cost more than I can afford right now.
So I've recently just started the Slim Fast 3-2-1 program. Which means, I get the sweet chocolately taste I'm addicted to, and if I crave a late night snack for something sweet, I can grab one of those bars from Slim fast.

But what I was wondering is.... :huh:

What is your opinion? Have you tried it? Has the plan worked for you? What did you do?

CMmrsfloyd

I did it 'back in the day' LOL and yeah I lost weight. It's basic caloric restriction, the 'plan' has you probably eating less calories than you normally would b/c you're replacing meals with their stuff. A lot of people say it works just fine or is a good way to jump-start. A lot of other people say it's not really teaching you how to eat and that it's not necessary. Honestly you can just do whatever works for you. Slim Fast obviously makes a lot of money off of their 'plan' that encourages you to use a certain amount of their products per day. You can do your own similar 'plan' that gives you more variety. You don't have to just stick with the Slim Fast brand products, you can check around and find other products that are nutritious and low-cal so you can switch things up a bit. There are tons of different shakes and diet foods out there. All of them want you to think that THEIRS is the best, b/c they want you to be THEIR customer. ;-) Find what is going to work for you, whether it be one thing or a combination of different things that works into your life, and go for it. And honestly just trying to eat more fresh produce and switching some of your proteins to leaner proteins can go a long way toward helping you feel satisfied and keeping the calories down to your MFP goal. Anyway my Slim Fast experience was years ago. When I found MFP last year, I didn't bother doing any particular 'plan' I just stuck to the calorie goal and ate more sensibly than I used to. Not perfect, mind you. I love me some processed foods and diet soda. LOL But much better than I did before MFP. Sometimes I'll throw in some Smart Ones or Lean Cuisine items just b/c sometimes the convenience is nice, but my only REAL plan is 'watch the calories.'

P.S. I really love the Weight Watchers ice cream bars. The vanilla ones with the cookie bits on the outside. 130 calories of ice-cream deliciousness. LOL AWESOME late-night sweet snack. Oh yes I've never given up late-night snacks. I typically have multiple snacks between dinner and bedtime. I plan them into my calories for the day way ahead of time so I know what snacks I'm allowed. LOL :-)

leedowhey

I love the bars! OMG I found they triggered me to eat way more food in a day, and more bad food. The shakes were really good too. But I just couldn't afford that anymore. So I am back to my oatmeal, chicken, veggies and rice. lol

MelissaWI

This is how I actually lost my first 35 pounds It is a great... I had to up my protein due to my surgery so I now have to use a high protein shake to make sure I am getting enough in a day.. But I loved it... Worth a try

Specializedbkh

I feel like I've tried alot of things.. Especially in pill form.

I lost 50 lbs while living in Germany and my husband was deployed, but I was working and not having to cook for anyone but myself.
Now that I'm back in the states, I can't find a job (here) and feel like a bad wife if I'm not cooking dinners for my guy.
I have now gained back all the weight I lost... and has me feeling like a big pile.. :frown:

So I'm REALLY hoping this will give me a good start to reaching my goal.

Thanks for your replies, ladies.

mallory3411

I wouldn't and haven't follow their whole diet plan. You can get the same results by just being careful with what you eat and planning ahead.

I do however keep a supply of the powder and the shakes on hand. I keep a shake in my purse for when I am in a pinch. I use the powder and milk sometimes in the mornings when I didn't make a breakfast or am running low in time just so I have something in me. The shake I keep in my purse has helped many times when I am out and hungry... it helps me to not just grab fast food.

Ultimately, I think their products are good in a pinch but will not help long term By using the program you aren't learning how to change the eating habits that lead you to where you are. You can't use the products your whole life so you may fall into the same patterns as before.

HonkyTonks

Pros:
- restricts calories but still contains some nutrients the body needs
- easier than preparing lunch or breakfast
- tastes mostly pretty good
- depending on what you ate before, it can be cheaper (eg.. $3 or $4 a meal)

Cons
- gets very boring
- usually the programs recommend eating a really low number of calories and avoiding certain foods completely, that is not a sustainable way to keep the weight off
- any diet that is not sustainable in the long term is not worth doing in the first place, imo. if you think you can drink liquid in the place of 1 or 2 of your meals a day for the rest of your life
- doesn't really teach you how to eat less/healthier

Coming from someone who has tried every diet and lost and gained the same weight, for me the best thing was realising that I wasn't going to lose 50kg overnight.. that I just needed to make those adjustments that were sustainable for the long term..

MelissaWI

Correct.. You can't live off it forever... It is a good jump start... But for a short period of time... Don't plan on this being your life... But a little kick in the butt... It sure can help... I did something crazy when I first started.. Well I don't know if it was crazy.. I felt great doing it.. The first few days sucked.. But I did all liquid and raw vegetable diet for a week straight and lost 10 pounds... And I figured it was water weight.. maybe it was.. But it never did come back.. I knew If I could do that... I could do anything.. And I think I got a good colon cleanse out of it too.. lol...