Anyone else lose weight with slim fast?

HZ15

ain't no magic bullets. or judgments.

But you are making judgements by your tone.

Shakes may be a magic bullet for someone wanting to quickly shed a few pound that crept but it's certainly not for those with larger goals. Nobody would chose meal replacements as a long term option unless they were desperate.

If using shakes is the transition stage that someone with food issues needs to make the long term change in their diet, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone who is very obese drop the weight they need to BEFORE they can start an exercise programme, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone quickly lose the weight they urgently need to for their health, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone who genuinely cannot exercise lose the weight they want or need to, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone who has struggled with traditional diets for year upon year lose weight and be healthier and feel better about themselves, then good for them for using them.

Sure any of them may relapse and regain, but so can people who do it with food and exercise.

But none of those people, deserve to be ridiculed, judged or demeaned for making what is a positive change in their life. And that is how your blase, dismissive and smug post reads.

And even if it is someone using shakes as "magic bullet" to lose a small amount, so what? It's not going to do them any harm.

sleepytexan

ain't no magic bullets. or judgments.

But you are making judgements by your tone.

Shakes may be a magic bullet for someone wanting to quickly shed a few pound that crept but it's certainly not for those with larger goals. Nobody would chose meal replacements as a long term option unless they were desperate.

If using shakes is the transition stage that someone with food issues needs to make the long term change in their diet, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone who is very obese drop the weight they need to BEFORE they can start an exercise programme, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone quickly lose the weight they urgently need to for their health, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone who genuinely cannot exercise lose the weight they want or need to, then good for them for using them.

If using shakes helps someone who has struggled with traditional diets for year upon year lose weight and be healthier and feel better about themselves, then good for them for using them.

Sure any of them may relapse and regain, but so can people who do it with food and exercise.

But none of those people, deserve to be ridiculed, judged or demeaned for making what is a positive change in their life. And that is how your blase, dismissive and smug post reads.

And even if it is someone using shakes as "magic bullet" to lose a small amount, so what? It's not going to do them any harm.

no, you PERCEIVED a judgment. my tone was sarcastic. I have had ALL of those issues that I mentioned in my original post at one time or another, and EVERYONE has things to deal with. Regardless, there never has, isn't now, and probably never will be, a magic bullet.

Denial doesn't work either.

BTW, sounds kinda judgy to say only desperate people would use shakes in the long term.

redraidergirl2009

I wouldn't pay anymore attention to her, she looks to be a healthy weight to me, starting and currently...interesting she'd be on here at all....

sleepytexan

I wouldn't pay anymore attention to her, she looks to be a healthy weight to me, starting and currently...interesting she'd be on here at all....

right, don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain.

HZ15

no, you PERCEIVED a judgment. my tone was sarcastic. I have had ALL of those issues that I mentioned in my original post at one time or another, and EVERYONE has things to deal with. Regardless, there never has, isn't now, and probably never will be, a magic bullet.

Denial doesn't work either.

BTW, sounds kinda judgy to say only desperate people would use shakes in the long term.

Wow! You really are rather lacking in understanding (in all senses) as well as self-awareness. But Redraidergirl has a point, you're not worth any more attention (which it would seem is what your 'aren't I wonderful' post was about in the first place).

lolagurlx0x0

I did. And then I did a magic trick- where it all came back lol

faas001

I tried it once years ago... I'd take it with me to work and I didn't want anyone to know I was drinking Slimfast so I drank it out of a brown paper bag; it dawned on me that didn't look so good either hah. Also my roommates girlfriend once asked if I know they were supposed to be meal replacements... as if I was drinking them like chocolate milk with all my meals.

But, yeah tried em and never found them filling enough.

LozPenguin

I didn't use slim fast specifically, but the Kate Morgan shakes diet. And wow I had a really bad experience! I was completely dedicated and stuck to it for a solid two months; it was super restrictive. Even certain vegetables were off-limits because they were too fattening/high in sugar; which I think is silly now. All in moderation! Especially the good stuff. But at that time I relied on the shakes and followed the diet plan as reccomended.
Anyway, it worked very well, to it's credit..Lost a ton of weight, stomach felt almost flat for the first time in years; then disaster struck. I was at my boyfriends house and had forgotten to bring a shake. (Gasp! lol.) I was starving so I decided to eat a very small bowl of cereal, and it was like someone flipped a switch. I swear some sort of chemical brain thing went on because as soon as I had 'real food' again I just couldn't get control of myself. For over a year I binge ate, put all the weight back on and then some, was going to the shops for bags of chips, chocolates, biscuits, lollies and more chips to restock my stash at home. I was horrified with myself because even I knew it was beyond unreasonable to eat two family sized bags of Doritos/potato chips in one day, which was happening quite often. And that was in addition to the chocolate bars and choc covered biscuits. I tried again and again to curb it, stop it, find control again but for the longest time I struggled and failed. Finally I feel 'back to normal' and have been eating healthy without being overly restrictive; but its honestly been a long hard battle to get back on track, repair my mindset and food habits/cravings.

I'm not saying this is everyone's experience! I do know of people that use shakes from time to time in addition to their healthy eating, and from what I've heard I think some people manage to come off strict shakes diets and maintain (though I can't say for sure.) I'm just sharing my personal experience and saying to be careful. I think any extreme-low-cal diet can be damaging; so make sure you're getting the right nutrition in a way you feel you can sustain after you've reached your goal. I however won't be touching a strict shake-oriented diet ever again! Didnt work for me that's for sure. :noway:

swilki84

I did it for two weeks to drop a bit of weight about four years ago. Lost a stone, of which I slowly put back about 7lb over six months.
What it did do is give me the confidence this time when I started to lose weight. I used it as a kickstarter to drop some initial weight and then switched onto a "normal" low calorie diet. I think it's helpful, but as others have said, not really sustainable longterm.
What I did do also was swap from skimmed milk to semi skimmed and account for the increase in calories by snacking less. It made the shake so much thicker and more filling that I didn't need to snack as I wasn't hungry all the time.

kn081083

harrylafemme put it perfectly on the point..All these meal replacements etc etc, although mite not be a long term solution..it definitely puts some of us food junkies on the path of watching-wat-u-eat...instead of using it as a restrictive program, we can customize it per our habits so that it complements our eating discipline n helps us get back on track!!

HouseHoldSix

Good on ya for taking steps to lose weight. In my never to be humble opinion, I would say RUN fast and far away from those sugar bombs. Look at the ingredients. The 1st one is SUGAR. Fat doesn't make one fat, sugar does. Eat real food and stay away from refined carbs and move. You'll be just fine.

cryswest57

If you are going to go off it, go s.l.o.w.l.y. When I was in middle school which about ten years ago, I was anorexic. I lost all the fat off my stomach within a few months. When I finally got help, I started eating healthy foods because I was still learning to be okay with eating, but I didn't want to gain the weight back. Then I started adding junk food slowly into the mix. I didn't gain it back because I took it slowly. This is personal for me, but I hope and pray this will help you and anyone else. I, of course, absolutely do not endorse starving yourself to lose weight. I just hope you see that if you start eating "regular food" again, take it slow. I hope this makes sense. I am fully recovered by the way.

annielizstan

Hi,
Do daily exercise.
Drink 2 litres of water a day.
Use low carb.
Try find a good protein shake.
Eat more fruits and veggies.
Eat fresh vegetables.
Use use a protein powder.
Always chocolate drink.
You can try.
http://www.thebeautyinsiders.com/bliss-fat-girl-slim.html

babybl00310

On my working days I have a Slimfast shake in the morning as the thought of eating before I leave for work turns my stomach and then I can't eat later in the morning as I'm at my desk. The rest of my meals I cook from scratch and eat very little processed food. I find they keep me full until lunchtime which is when I have my main meal of the day. I don't think I could follow the actual Slim Fast plan though.

KNarrainen

If it's working for you, that's great. But there is a shocking amount of sugar in Slim-fast. So it's not really that healthy.

And as others have said, you need to be careful when you transistion back to regular food.

It's not really an ideal method in my opinion, and one that is particularly difficult to maintain.
But everyone's different.

Lolly13

I started on the slim fast 2 shakes a day and main meal but i found i was still not full so what i did was, after consulting with my calorie intake according to MFP, was to incorporate the kcals from the shakes into my daily intake, so there was room for a light salad at lunch time with my lunch shake and then a decent 600kcal meal for dinner.i also could have some fruit with my breakfast shake. i done that for 3 months and i lost 20 odd lb.

I have since then come off the slim fast and adjusted to eating breakfast and bigger lunches etc to use my kcals wisely for my daily intake.
it has been harder since coming off the slim fast and i think a little slower with the weight loss but it is definately worth it.

i havent put on since i quit the slim fast - it was more of a head start into changing my food intakes etc.

But as i say since coming off the slim fast and readjusting my foods etc i haven't put on weight because of coming off slim fast.

Dauntlessness

To me, shakes in general are not a good long term solution to weight loss. Its a band aid just like a pill and doesn't provide you the skills to eat well thought out balanced meals.
Saying that, protein drinks are fine if your lifting and want the nutrition from it, not using it as an aid to lose weight.

BoogeyBrat

I've done Slimfast in the past and while I've seen modest weight loss with it I almost always gained back whatever I lost plus a little when I resumed normal eating habits. I personally have problems maintaining on plans like Slimfast and Medifast. While I would usually do great on plan once I lost the desired amount of weight it and went off the plan the pounds would always creep back on as I left what was for me a prepackaged safety zone to venture out into the wild world of food that doesn't come in a pouch or can.

ljjbooker00

Yeah I doubt it, unless they changed their eating habits 360... A friend of mine did it for 40 days replacing breakfast and lunch with a 800 calorie regular meal. She lost muscle mass, her hair, and gained half of it back once she began to eat solids again. ... The best suggestion was to eat the same calories as the slimfast intake and see permanent results with a permanent change in diet....

candacesanchez92

I lost 100lbs on weight watchers years ago. It taught me how to eat so I am able to do slim fast and keep weight off! I do slim fast because I am bad about not wanting to eat during the day or getting too busy ..I gained 15lbs because I wasn't eating during the day so I was starving at night and eating more calories than I realized! I'm hoping this helps and I'd like to lose 20 more!

HardyGirl4Ever

I did it back around 2003. It didn't work for me. But I think it's changed a lot since then. At that point there were shakes and weird soup and that was what I was supposed to have.

nhradeuce

If you listen to the slim fast commercials on the radio they say something along the lines of "replace 2 meals with slim fast, then stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet and exercise 30 minutes each day to lose as many as X pounds in X weeks."

Well duh. Eat 1200 calories and exercise 30 minutes a day and you don't need slim fast to lose weight!

urskameitaylour

I started drinking slim fast about 3 weeks ago. And for some reason i didnt lose any weight yet. If i lose 0,5 kg ill get it back the next day. I even gained 1kg from yestrday to today. And i didnt eat ant differently.
I work out, i go for walks. so that means i do expercise every day for about 45~60 minutes.
I drink the shake in the morning and for lunch and have a warm meal for dinner. I dont eat snacks because i am never hungry beetween the shakes. I drink 2 liters of water.
Any idea why this is not working for me? ):
The only reason why i decided to lose weight with slim fast is so ill lose a few kg till June. But now im worried i wont lose any at all. I already lost almost a month.

If anyone knows why is this not working or what alse can i try please let me know.

princessnuriko

I don't think there is anything in the slim fast "formula" that is working for you. I mean its not the slim fast that is making you lose weight, it is the lowering of your calorie intake. So if that is what works for you than go with it. But obviously as you have come to find out, it is not something you are going to be able to stick with for the rest of your life. Eating whole foods, limiting portions, and exercising HOWEVER IS something you could maintain for a lifetime without getting bored ....good luck :flowerforyou:

^This^

Eventually, you'll have to start eating real food eventually.

TeaBea

I started drinking slim fast about 3 weeks ago. And for some reason i didnt lose any weight yet. If i lose 0,5 kg ill get it back the next day. I even gained 1kg from yestrday to today. And i didnt eat ant differently.
I work out, i go for walks. so that means i do expercise every day for about 45~60 minutes.
I drink the shake in the morning and for lunch and have a warm meal for dinner. I dont eat snacks because i am never hungry beetween the shakes. I drink 2 liters of water.
Any idea why this is not working for me? ):
The only reason why i decided to lose weight with slim fast is so ill lose a few kg till June. But now im worried i wont lose any at all. I already lost almost a month.

If anyone knows why is this not working or what alse can i try please let me know.

Do you log your shakes? Do you log your warm meal? Do you know how many calories you are eating? Calorie deficit is for losing weight.....that can come from diet and/or exercise. You don't have to exercise to lose weight.....but exercising for health is a good thing.

What to try? Put you data height, weight. age, etc. into MFP. Select 1 pound a week for weight loss. 1 pound is appropriate for someone with 31 pounds to lose. Faster weight loss will result in muscle loss....this makes the scale look good.

Pounds per week
75+ lbs to lose 2 lb range
Between 40 - 75 lbs to lose 1.5 lb range
Between 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lb range
Between 15-25 lbs to lose 1 -.50 lb range
Less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs range

Log your meals, log your exercise, eat 50% of your exercise calories back. NET the number that MFP gives you.

Example - If MFP gives you 1700 calories and 500 for exercise.......eat 1700 + 250.....or 1950 calories. You are likely not eating enough, getting near enough protein (to keep muscle) and your body is hanging on for dear life.

Measure your portions.............yes, measuring & logging is a pain (it get's easier) ....but maintaining a weight loss is HARD WORK. I assume Slim Fast will not be the method you choose to maintain your future weight. Make a few lifestyle changes....that's what is going to help you maintain. MFP is here for lifestyle changes.

spacelump

I have a Slimfast 20 g of protein shake every morning for the last week. I had gotten lazy about making breakfast, so began drinking them to keep myself from lunch binging. They're good enough and so little caloricly that I just consider it a part of breakfast and add a Greek yogurt and piece of fruit. They're not filling enough for me to call a meal.

jassyjan1

I drink one for a snack or sometimes breakfast . I only drink the low carb with 20g of protein. I also and fruit or something small with. It's definitely not a meal for me. Too little calories!!!!

shaunajb853

I started slim fast about a week ago and so far have lost 5 1/2lbs.

It first caught my interest when I saw that all slim fast powders and snacks were half price at Superdrug so I thought for £2.98 a drum, why not?
In the past 2 years I've lost 1 1/2 stone each year by eating healthily for a certain period of time however I always managed to put it back on including an extra stone or so each time so I thought I'd try something new.

I know its only my first week but I'm really enjoying slim fast, I'm getting nutrients that I wouldn't normal get with the diet I had (I'm now drinking at least 500ml of skimmed milk a day, and the various nutrients in the powder itself)

Its quick its convenient and I love milkshakes anyway!

I find that they do fill me up and I sometimes struggle to finish the last bit of the shake because I feel so full but the main thing is that they have taken away my peckishness, so now I don't have the munchies and crave for certain foods but now I'm able to distinguish when I'm actually hungry, and when I just fancy a nibble.

I also look forward to that cheese salad sandwich for lunch now which I otherwise would've hated

Jesea

I did the SlimFast program during my freshman year in college, and again when I was 24, and lost weight both times. At the time, I felt like I was super busy, and the plan was easy to follow and fairly economical as I was single and didn't have to worry about anyone else. Eating frozen portioned out meals helped as well, but I never learned how to prepare food that was healthy, and struggled with portion control when eating home cooked meals.

As a short-term fix, it was an awesome plan. Quick, grab and go...but eating out with friends was hard, and the plan didn't teach me anything about how to live without the plan. Now that I am cooking for my growing boys and husband, I want to model healthy eating and exercise, as I don't want my boys to have the same struggles I did. Keeping track of my calorie intake, adding in more movement, my success has been much slower (I'm also 20 years older) but it seems definitely more sustainable for the long-term.

Good luck!

AlysonG2

Nope, it always just made me hangry