Slim fast-should i try it?

need_to_lose

I was thinking about starting the slim fast diet for a month. I want to know if anyone has done it and what their results were.

SassyMissDasha

I am on the Slim Fast 3 2 1 Plan, and I've lost 19 lbs in 3 weeks! But I have to tell you, that I also had the lapband surgery done, so I can't eat as much. So maybe the results will be different. But I wanted to say that I am on it...

ktmunchie

It is just like any other quick fix. I lost weight but as soon as I quit doing it I put it back on because I hadn't changed my lifestyle. Now I count calories, exercise and eat a wide varitey of foods. I am doing much better. I do have a slim fast shake for breakfast everyday now. It is easy, good and helps me get a good start to my day. I sometimes eat one of thier meal bars for lunch if I know I am going to be gone and won't have access to healthy foods.

My advice would be to use them as a tool and not exclusivley. HTH!

MisdemeanorM

I dont like it because it's too expensive for me - but I think it can have it's place as part of a balanced diet and exercise and not a "I will eat all Slim Fast and get slim fast" fix. Pay attention to what is in it - calories, carbs, sugars, protein, just as you would with any other food. It's not the Slim Fast that will make or break you as the magic diet trick - it's using it and it's nutritional value correctly.

NikkiDerrig386

NO no no! These types of diets are painful for no reason. You torture yourself for 30 days to loose what 10lbs? Then when you eat something there goes the weight back on. These diets are not long term and when you gain the weight back you feel even worse like you failed. The best way to loose lbs is to eat and to eat well. Of course you have to work out; 80% of weight loss is diet (the way you eat every day).

sabrinafaith

Do you really hate food that much???? I think the idea of drinking your calories is REALLY BAD!!!! Any diet that is comprised of bars and shakes will make you feel very deprived. And the moment you get off the diet, the pounds will come back twofold. It's simply not worth it.

Try to think of fine dining as a diet instead. Rosted chicken, tuna nicoise, poached salmon, roasted vegetables, greek yogurt with agave and berries, fresh fruit salad.... Think of the foods you really think are delicious. Not greasy or fatty, but foods you enjoy eating and don't feel gilty about. Make that your lifestyle change for a month. Eat 3 hearty well balanced meals a day and two small healthy snacks, 1200 calories a day, of nutritious and delicious food and see how your diet goes.

Make this a lifestyle change instead of a quick fix.

YogaRunner

Slim Fast tricks your body into thinking it is full by using chemicals and fillers. Take a look at the ingredients on their website and if you don't know what one or many of them are, just google each one for info. IMHO it is a very unhealthy way to lose weight. It is cheap and convenient, but not healthy.
Risa

heather62803

I used Slim Fast before my last pregnancy and lost 65 lbs in 6 months - it definitely worked, but then I got pregnant and all the weight came back with the pregnancy and I have had a terribly hard time losing the baby weight this time around. You have to find what works for you - I did fine on it by doing the shakes/meal replacement bars and adding fruits, vegetables, and yogurt in for snacks. I was also walking/jogging about 6 miles/day. Then I ate a "normal supper" which is fine, but I wasn't learning how to cook healthy meals for my family we were still eating what we used to eat, then when I quit doing the shakes and meal replacements I started gaining weight back quick. I think the bottom line is you can't use it for a quick fix and expect nothing else to change - you have to change your lifestyle too or your weight will come back.

need_to_lose

Thanks for all the comments. I think I might change my mind. Keep posting your comments it is helping me decide.

beutiful5678

I drank Slim Fast during the last semester of my masters program because I was super stressed and I wanted something quick for breakfast that would fill me up without the calories. Here is what I found:

The drinks taste all right the first few times but after that the taste gets really old and I really stopped liking them.

There is a ton of sugar in the drinks (I assume the same for their other products, as well).

You really don't get the fruits and vegetables you need.

Restricting yourself to the few flavors offered by the Slim Fast program is awful - there are so many other flavorful, vibrant, awesome foods out there!

That's about it. Really, I wouldn't do it absolutely longer than necessary. If you can, avoid it. Look for other quick, delicious healthy meals out there. May I suggest www.cookinglight.com?

LavenderBouquet

I've tried using this program with the meal replacement bars, and even just a week or two in, I couldn't stand the smell or taste of them. If you think you'll get sick of eating the same (crappy) food every meal then stay away from this. Eating a balanced healthy diet composed of REAL food would be much more effective. I would only use these products as a supplement if you happen to be too busy to put together a real meal. As well,all the chemicals and preservatives in them scared me away.

This also may have just been me, but the bars give me wicked heartburn.

Trish02

I've tried almost every diet known to man and slim*fast is one of them. I was so obsessed with only having slim*fast that I forgot to eat square meals.. one time I OD'ed on the chocolate shake lol. I saw results but it wasn't long. I can't say yay or nay for you but everything is not for everybody. Be mindful of your caloric intake and if your on a good track right now don't bother with it and if not learn from your mistakes and bust it out to lose the weight change what you did wrong and get back on track. You got this! :bigsmile:

megamom

I occasionally will drink a slim fast when I am rushed for breakfast or in a hurry. Personally I like the taste but don't drink them that often. I have never done their entire plan though.

megamom

I occasionally will drink a slim fast when I am rushed for breakfast or in a hurry. Personally I like the taste but don't drink them that often. I have never done their entire plan though.

lutzsher

Stay away from anything that promises those "quick" results, plus . . . check out all of the ingredients . . . part of this whole process is to be "healthier" and not not just weigh less. A good rule is to not eat anything if you cannot pronounce or do not know what some of the ingredients are. This is just another company's way to make money, not to make people healtheir.

gabi_ele

I agree with a lot of thje people that posted bevore me. I have been on the programm twice, I lost weight but after a couple of weeks my imune system would be down and I wound up with a bronchial infection both times. I didn't think that was a good thing so now I eat foods that I can spell the ingredience in

Thinwithin2010

I learned for the amount of calories in one of those shakes I tried years ago I could make a nice low cal breakfast and feel full and satisfied till lunch.., Plus I was getting headaches..and lightheaded..

lotter

I wouldn't bother with it myself, because I tried it for a couple of weeks a few years ago and didn't lose any weight, then when I came off it I gained some! I agree with the majority of posts so far; eat healthily, exercise and the weight should come off and you will feel GOOD. It's taken me a long time to realise this, but I think it's the way to go. Good luck with whatever you decide.

hummingbird314

I don't do the whole plan but they do help me stay on track. If I'm running late getting out the door in the morning I'll grab a shake. I like the taste and it's better than stoping somewhere. I think it is ok as long as it is part of a plan of exercise and counting calories. I enjoy food too much to not have any real food.

aippolito1

"Slim" and "fast" should never be in the same sentence. Ever. The slim fast program is to get you to lose weight, not to get healthy, and certainly not to stay full. If you want a shake, get a real chocolate flavored protein shake, put some fruit and 2% or skim milk in it and drink it.

need_to_lose

Thanks everyone for posting. After reading everyones comments I decided that I am NOT going to do it. I will stick to counting my calories and exercising. Thanks again.

funkyspunky871

I say there's no problem in replacing a few meals with the slim fast drinks and bars. Also, if you were really overweight (EDIT: And you're totally not! What a pretty picture of you), maybe slim fast would be a good idea for a couple of weeks... Just to speed up the process a bit before you start a true lifestyle change.

However! I definitely don't suggest going on the 'slim fast diet'. It's a trend diet, and 9 out of 10 times, all the weight comes right back.

Yeah, but if you want, replace a breakfast or two. I mean, it's essentially like eating a bowl of special k cereal for breakfast or a lean cuisine for dinner. Just treat the shake/bar/whatever as a "normal" food, you know? Enter it into your daily log like anything else.

MinnieVan

When I was a freshman in high school I did Slim Fast with my mom. And it worked, but like everyone says I gained everything right back when I went off.

I think it's important to note that losing weight shouldn't be a "diet" but a LIFESTYLE CHANGE -- something that you can continue for the rest of your life, so not something that you just stop doing because you get to your goal weight.

So really, is the Slim Fast program a lifestyle change? I don't think so.

I do however drink their shakes when I need a fast breakfast, but I drink that and eat some Fiber One or some fruit so it's filling and not so restrictive. But it's not like something I do every morning; only when I'm short on time.

sandara

Like some of the others said, I use them occasionally for a meal or as a snack. They are good to have on hand for an easy fix. The shakes are also good to make a higher protein smoothie for those days your low on calories. Add some low fat yogurt, a banana & some ice and throw it in the blender.

I enjoy real food too much to use them very often.

jkohan

I'm glad you decided not to do it.

LoveMy4Kids

I agree with a lot of the other members, I have done it before too and yes it worked, but as soon as I started eating I put the weight back on,but I think its ok to have one here and there if your in a hurry or just don't feel like eating that meal, rather than skipping a meal!

charcharbec

I am glad that you decided not to. I started on here doing it. I exercised 5 days a week, and even ate food also, and didnt lose a pound. Its got milk in it so its got more fat than I care to take in most days and it never got me above 1200 calories. And I was so scared to go over 1000 calories that I kept doing the system. You will see better results if you stay away from slim fast. My roommate and another girl I know did it with good results. But now my roommate is back to eating out EVERY night and this girl stopped doing it and gained back a little bit of the weight.

Its true easy/quick fixes dont work. My fiances cousin was addicted to weight loss pills and was SO skinny... the moment she got off em, she gained like 100 lbs.

kaokun

ooops accidentally posted on my fiances account! logging into mine to re-post now :P

lilmissy2

Interestingly, research has shown that you are likely to end up with a lower net weight doing a program like slimfast. By this I mean - something like 90% of people who lose weight gain some back... now the research shows that those who do something like slimfast (ok Optifast but it's roughly the same thing) lose say 70kg and regain say 40kg, those who lose weight with a low calorie diet lose say 30kg and regain 20. So I guess what they concluded was that because you lose more weight in the first place you were more likely to keep SOME of it off. Obviously, as with all research... that's the average/majority result of the group so there will always be individual variations.

It can be a great option for people that have tried other methods of weight loss and failed. Why? because you get super fast weight loss which motivates you to stick to it and it's super convenient... no cooking involved!

That said, I think it's something that should be done under medical supervision, preferably initiated in hospital so I wouldn't recommend it to someone just wanting to pick it up off the shelf.

On a personal level, I've tasted optifast for work (oh you would not believe some of the things us dietitians have to try hahaha) and I couldn't drink a single shake of it let alone replace all my food with it!!