Does Slim Fast Really Work?

Kay2405

I've just bought two tubs of the milkshakes as they were on offer. Was wondering if anyone on here has ever used them before and could give me some feedback?

I really hope they do work!

brittldb

I did Slim Fast a few years ago and after a few days my stomach started hurting really bad so I quit them.

hollyknouse

I don't do any supplements or shakes or anything like that. I have tried slim fast and everything out there in the past. The only way I lost any significant amount of weight was by eating less calories and exercising more unfortunately

love22step

My mom tried them, but she was still hungry and gained weight, so she gave them up. :ohwell:

nsblue

slimfast, meal replacements etc IMO basically make it easy and give you the nutrition /protein you need daily.... it eliminates any thought. Maintaining protein levels etc throughout the day does keep your hunger at bay...but this doesnt keep head hunger in check...that is something different and has to be dealt with behavioural modifications.

These diets do work to get the weight off...but it doesnt teach you life long habits you need to know to eat healthy afterwards.

I did follow a "liquid" diet approach...very much like slimfast...yes it drops the weight etc and usually fast...but I also learned how to transition to healthy eating ...which also you can lose weight.
just remember it will get the weight off if the program is followed....but keeping the weight off and going back to your "normal " eating doesnt....at some point... healthy eating behaviours have to be developed to maintain the loss.

trinoc

Highly processed fake food is rarely a long-term solution.

Chagama

I can only speak from my personal experience, I use Slimfast as part of my breakfast because it's an easy thing to grab on my way out the door to work (I usually eat breakfast at my desk) and it helps get some liquids back since I generally work out in the morning. However, I find it's not enough by itself, so I have yogurt or something with it. I can't see that having just one shake for breakfast and lunch as they suggest would be enough calories or nutrition, or that it would keep me satisfied during the day.

Sl1ghtly

No way! Slim Fast gave me diarrhea and acne.

steffiejoe

Years ago I tired it and it gave me horrible gas...

ERIC575

Yes. I have been working out for several months now and my weight loss has reached a plateau. I started the slimfast diet and I’ve seen the pounds drop daily. The weight loss is of course the cut in calories but a slimfast shake is enough to replace my lunch. I only replace 1 meal and that is all I can recommend (It’s not hard to have a healthy breakfast). It is just barely enough energy to supply a 2 hour gym workout. If you plan on doing a lot of cardio, fuel up an hour before with some decent snacks.

I highly recommend the meal bars before and after lunch to beat that hunger. The 3-2-1 diet looks like a good idea but I but if you live an active lifestyle, it won’t be enough. If you are jumping right into it, expect to be hungry. After a week or so, your stomach will shrink and the shakes will fill you up.

No gas, no runs, no complaints :drinker:

InTheInbetween

I often have a shake for breakfast and that works for me. I don't like to eat breakfast but need to so it takes the hunger edge off and gets me to lunch time. Plus it does have some essential nutrients I don't otherwise get enough of.

I also use them in place of a protein shake from time to time. It's not quite the same but I've found them useful when I drink one about an hour before a workout.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that they are meal REPLACEMENT shakes . . . if they don't satisfy your hunger alone and you end up eating something else, their purpose is defeated. That being said, they are an easy calorie count so if you're logging every day and need a little something extra to go along with a slimfast to satisfy your hunger, as long as your staying within your calories they can still be helpful.

Kay2405

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm already doing a calorie controlled diet and hit the gym three times a week as well as having a cross trainer at home. I just need something at lunch time really that will keep me going until I get home for dinner. There's far too much temptation at the office where I work with vending machines etc. I need something that will help me feel full. I've got surgery coming up in the next few months, so I'm really trying to shift the weight so I'm at less risk of something going wrong due to being overweight.

katielauren2001

As soon as you stop taking the Slim fast shakes and bars you will gain weight and it will mess up your metabolism.

AvsFreak

You'd get better nutrition from a low cal protein shake and a Snickers bar than a Slimfast.

Kikilicious84

I can only speak from my personal experience, I use Slimfast as part of my breakfast because it's an easy thing to grab on my way out the door to work (I usually eat breakfast at my desk) and it helps get some liquids back since I generally work out in the morning. However, I find it's not enough by itself, so I have yogurt or something with it. I can't see that having just one shake for breakfast and lunch as they suggest would be enough calories or nutrition, or that it would keep me satisfied during the day.

I've used it this way as well and it works fine...just like any other shake. IMO it's far better to have a shake and some fruit or cottage cheese than to skip a meal b/c you didn't have time.

Try it. You may find it as the vehicle to get you to something that works a little better for you.

Kikilicious84

As soon as you stop taking the Slim fast shakes and bars you will gain weight and it will mess up your metabolism.

Not if she's tracking her cals...

freckledrats

I found some of the Slim Fast shakes really tasty, but I personally wouldn't do more than one a day for a meal. They are FULL of sugar. So much sugar ><

katielauren2001

As soon as you stop taking the Slim fast shakes and bars you will gain weight and it will mess up your metabolism.

Not if she's tracking her cals...

It contains a lot of sugar and trans fat this will cause metabolism to slow down. Also when you start eating solids again you will gain weight. I wouldn't drink it but that's my opinion.

rainbowbow

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm already doing a calorie controlled diet and hit the gym three times a week as well as having a cross trainer at home. I just need something at lunch time really that will keep me going until I get home for dinner. There's far too much temptation at the office where I work with vending machines etc. I need something that will help me feel full. I've got surgery coming up in the next few months, so I'm really trying to shift the weight so I'm at less risk of something going wrong due to being overweight.

There are these bars called "pure protein". They are about 200 calories, low in sugar, and 20grams of protein. They keep me pretty full. (although I eat them as a snack from 1:30-5:30 and they keep me satiated. Cliff builders bars are great too.

Mind you the only reason "slim fast" would work is if you replace a 500-600+ calorie meal with a 180 slim fast. This creates a deficit (assuming you eat normally the rest of the time). As I'm sure you know that isn't sustainable- you're not drinking shakes forever right? It also doesn't teach you anything about making proper choices.

I really suggest you make dinner and bring leftovers or prepare food ahead of time for lunch. When you're tempted ask yourself if it's worth it.

Best of luck!

nebulinda

I have a SlimFast for breakfast almost every day. My main reason for drinking them is that it's something with zero prep time that I can drink in the car on the way to work (there is no way I can wake up with enough time to make myself any sort of breakfast). If I know it'll be a long time until lunch or I'm extra hungry in the morning, I'll aso have a muffin or egg.

For me, using SlimFast is not part of any sort of "diet plan." It's just something I eat because it's quick and easy. Also, I get the Rich Chocolate Royal, which satisfies my chocolate milk cravings. I haven't had any of the side effects that other's in the thread have listed.

Bunnehface

Hey Kay
You know I've been drinking Slim Fast shakes as a meal replacement for one meal a day for about a fortnight now. I've had no side effects whatsoever, I find them filling and a shake is an easy quick breakfast which is convenient as I'm usually running around after baby first thing in the morning. I'm not following the Slim Fast 'plan' - I just think they are useful for keeping your daily calorie total down. I'm also having a Weight Watchers meal in the evening for the same reason, but I'm not following the Weight Watchers plan either! It's all about calorie control for me. I don't plan on drinking these shakes forever, I'm trying to undo 25 years of bad eating habits and replacing them with good ones, so I'm researching low-fat recipes and healthier alternatives and experimenting with them at lunchtime, when I have more time to prepare something from scratch. It takes time to erase old habits and build new ones, in the meantime while I'm learning all of this, Slim Fast shakes have stopped me from slipping up and eating much more than I'm supposed to in the mornings! Use them how you want hun, they're not a permanent solution but if they get the ball rolling and get you looking at what you're eating then that's great XD
x
PS. I realise I could've said this to you in person, but I felt the need to counteract some of the negative comments! ;D

zombie_meg

I have used slim fast before with no side effects. It was effective in my weight loss in 2007. I dropped 20lbs or so in 3 months. However, I was 19 and was really only concerned about losing the weight. I started doing slim fast again because it's easy. I realized though, that slim fast has a lot of sugar! One scoop of the chocolate mix with 8oz of skim milk has 18g of sugar. No thank you! Because I like the idea of meal replacement shakes, I'm going to start making my own.

Good luck to you!

hopes_fury

my experience was not well at all with slim fast.... I just stopped using it after a week because my tummy hurt and i really hated the taste! as to weather or not it works well i can't say i wasn't using it long, i could have a better light meal with the same amount of calories so i just started cooking my breakfast and lunch

alexngbr

I have used slim fast for breakfast for a while with none of the side effects others have mentioned. They work for me as easy to prepare - I am sooo rubbish in he mornings! Also I like the taste and they do actually keep me full until lunch unless I have a big morning workout. So if you find them helpful for you then go ahead and use them, after all we're all different and have to work out our own way of doing this that works for us. Good luck!

adamb83

I often use it as a part of my lunch because it's easy - it's got a great deal of protein (helpful as I'm a vegetarian) and the carbs/cals aren't outrageous.

I don't use the powder, so I'm not sure about the sugar in it, but for the canned shakes, this is pretty high... they do have a Low Carb Shake that's more expensive but better overall nutrition.

Also.. haven't had stomach problems associated with it, so that's probably an individual thing (and could have something to do with sugar or lactose sensitivities).

It's a supplement for me, though. I definitely do NOT suggest an all-shake diet.

kanolet

As some others have said, I drink it in the morning as a quick "grab and go" breakfast that keeps me full for about 2.5 hours and helps me get all my vitamins and minerals. I didn't like the waste and extra processing of the cans, so we switched long ago to the powder and skim milk.

I needed to drop some weight quickly one time, and followed the Slim Fast plan. It worked because it was pretty low calorie. It's not something I could keep up very long, but the three weeks was ok. If you need an easy, structured "jump start," it's not such a bad thing. You'd get the same thing by doing low calorie frozen meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Easy and low calorie.

yorkies2

My husband has been on them for 3 weeks and he has lost 15 pounds, so for him they are working, I just worry about him drinking them because he does not eat anything all day along with them, just dinner when he gets home, I have one once in awhile just because i LOVE them but I even have to eat something with the shake.

charleslarcombe

I started the Slim Fast diet nearly 6 weeks ago - since starting the diet along with 4x hourly sessions of cardio per week I have lost 16lb.

I have found that; in order to counteract the bloating/gas, drinking at least 2 cups of green tea keeps these side effects at bay. I also have started taking PHD Diet Whey following my cardio workout.

I can highly reccomend pushing through the initial symptoms as the results have been laid bare for me. However; I do see the argument that it is not a long term solution and an education in healthy eating and portion control is paramount.

kr1stadee

I used it when I was in 12th grade. I wanted to lose weight before my prom.

It worked. I lost 20lbs. I missed food, and when I stopped, I gained weight. 30lbs over 2 years. I'm just getting to those 30lbs that I gained 10 years ago. It's coming off the right way!

ingeh

they dont really fill me up. i have some for if i cant be bothered to cook but iv not had one fow weeks

SoDamnHungry

They'll work if you eat less calories than you burn. But you could do that and substitute Cheetos as a meal instead of a Slimfast Shake. Though you probably wouldn't feel all that great.