Does Slim Fast really work? Well it has for me..

What's the point of congratulating the OP when the odds are strongly in favour of her putting all the weight back on when she stops this fad diet? This is not being evil or snarky but speaking the truth. Only time will tell if the OP is one of the <5% who buck the trend, but as a lover of statistics I know what I'd put money on - learn to eat normally and lose weight the slow and sensible way and save the cash you spend on this non-food (that ingredient list was frightening :noway:) on something more fun.

You're silly. Be quiet (:

I'm a little disturbed by how vicious some of these replies are. Aren't we all supposed to be adults, here?

I'm a little disturbed by how vicious some of these replies are. Aren't we all supposed to be adults, here?

I am always disturbed when normal, adult conversation is described as "mean" or "vicious." :noway:

If doing it "the right way" "does not work for you", that's the underlying problem.

Learning "the right way" and making it a lifestyle is how healthy weight is maintained. Most diets fail because people do not want to do that and just "want results NOW" and really believe that somehow the weight won't go back again when they are done with their grand sacrifice and can live normally again.

As others have said, I wouldn't put that stuff in my body on a regular basis.

To me, Slim Fast (as any other fad diet) is for the people who haven't made the leap from diet to lifestyle change. They are the ones thinking about losing 7lbs a week and what not and not thinking about the long term. That's the reason for the low success rate for these type of diets with keeping it off. Will the OP be the one that beats the odds? Let's hope so. If not, we will see them back here in a year trying for round two and doing it the right way Place your bets now!

I can match the calorie intake of anyone who is on a Slim Fast diet and eat real food that satisfies more. I'll stick with that.

I understand what everyone is saying about the shakes, but sometimes you need something like that just to get you started. I'm someone who needs to see result quick at first so i usually do a week of original Atkins, not new atkins with veggies. Obviously that isn't a sustainable diet but it gets me in the right frame of mind to keep going. I think that's what the Slim fast shakes do for you. It's all good. I figure when i get to goal I just need to over all eat better, and keep exercise up but change my eating maybe week to week so I don't get bored. Atkins one week, SlimFast another, fruit and veggies another. I hate cooking so it's hard for me but I know I have to eat healthy as well.

Not silly, honest. If you like putting chemicals your body can't really digest in your body, have at it! Because I agree, that ingredient list is frightening.

SUGAR, MALTODEXTRIN, HIGH OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, GUM ARABIC, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, BUTTERMILK POWDER, CELLULOSE GEL, SOY FIBER, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, XANTHAN GUM, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, DEXTROSE, GUAR GUM, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENER), ASPARTAME.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS: CALCIUM CARBONATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, VITAMIN E ACETATE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, NIACINAMIDE, ZINC OXIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, COPPER GLUCONATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, BIOTIN, FOLIC ACID, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, SODIUM SELENITE, PHYTONADIONE (VITAMIN K1), POTASSIUM IODIDE, CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3), AND CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12).

I understand what everyone is saying about the shakes, but sometimes you need something like that just to get you started. I'm someone who needs to see result quick at first so i usually do a week of original Atkins, not new atkins with veggies. Obviously that isn't a sustainable diet but it gets me in the right frame of mind to keep going. I think that's what the Slim fast shakes do for you. It's all good. I figure when i get to goal I just need to over all eat better, and keep exercise up but change my eating maybe week to week so I don't get bored. Atkins one week, SlimFast another, fruit and veggies another. I hate cooking so it's hard for me but I know I have to eat healthy as well.

Have you ever asked yourself why you need a quick result?

Not silly, honest. If you like putting chemicals your body can't really digest in your body, have at it! Because I agree, that ingredient list is frightening.

Personally, I don't promote quick fixes like this product, HOWEVER, scare-mongering is a truly ugly technique that sends people to another completely different extreme that could lead to orthorexia.

Did you actually read the ingredient list?

SUGAR, MALTODEXTRIN, HIGH OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, GUM ARABIC, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, BUTTERMILK POWDER, CELLULOSE GEL, SOY FIBER, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, XANTHAN GUM, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, DEXTROSE, GUAR GUM, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENER), ASPARTAME.

Above are just the ingredients used to make it a shake. There is really nothing scary here. Most of it is sweeteners and protein. You might have a problem if you are trying to "eat clean" but obviously that isn't the OP's goal.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS: CALCIUM CARBONATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, VITAMIN E ACETATE, FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE, NIACINAMIDE, ZINC OXIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, COPPER GLUCONATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, BIOTIN, FOLIC ACID, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, SODIUM SELENITE, PHYTONADIONE (VITAMIN K1), POTASSIUM IODIDE, CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D3), AND CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12).

And this part of the ingredients are the vitamins and minerals. I took the liberty of bolding the header for you since you apparently missed it. There is nothing here that wouldn't be found in a multi-vitamin.

Honestly, there is nothing here that OP can't find in whole foods. Slim-Fast is just convenient. Just because you don't know the chemical compounds that comprise your whole foods does NOT mean that the food is scary or dangerous. It just means you need to educate yourself about nutrition a little better.

Did you actually read the ingredient list?

SUGAR, MALTODEXTRIN, HIGH OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, GUM ARABIC, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, BUTTERMILK POWDER, CELLULOSE GEL, SOY FIBER, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, XANTHAN GUM, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, DEXTROSE, GUAR GUM, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENER), ASPARTAME.

Why yes I did read the ingredient list...

Not sure in what world you think things synthetically made are good for you...

Carrageenan is actually bad for you, especially if you have IBS.
Dextrose is usually synthetically made.
Aspartame isn't natural either...

So yes, those are just a couple of things in the ingredient list that do scare me. I wasn't trying to "scare-monger" anyone. I was stating in my opinion the ingredients scare ME. Maybe you missed the word ME in it....

Here is what ticks me off more than anything else on here. Those of you who are pooh poohing the slim fast and 1200 calorie diet don't have a clue. You haven't factored in her determination. EVERYONE is different and she sounds like she knows what she has to do once she goes back to eating, but really it doesn't matter when she goes back to eating 3 meals a day because as long as she stays within her calorie goals then she's good. What ALL those other people who failed didn't do correctly was know and understand that no matter what you do to lose the weight you can NEVER EVER go back to eating the way you used to eat. All of us, doing this new life style change, can fail at anytime. We can decide to go back to our previous lifestyle because reality is the need for those Burger King whoppers with bacon and cheese will fill our heads and take over our tastebuds once again. But we hope to have determination and the will power to stay away from those daily trips to the pizza shops and fast food places. HOPE being the keyword. Each and everyone of us here are here for the same thing.....A HEALTHY ME. Just because someone else failed on the slim fast diet or the 1200 calorie diet or the 1800 calorie diet does not mean she will fail. It does not mean I will fail, it does not mean you will fail. I've seen a couple of you on here posting and you never ever EVER have anything nice to say to someone who isn't eating to "your" standards. Your not telling them the truth or being honest with them, your issue is they aren't eating the way "you" think they should be eating therefore they will fail in their attempt to be a healthier human being therefore they will fail. A study was done on a gentleman who needed to lose a lot of weight. So under doctor supervision he lived on vitamins and supplements for a year...that's right people no food. And guess what they kept track of him for 10 years and he kept it off when he went back to eating food. I saved the study but can't find it but I will continue to look for it, but the point is the odds were against him to, but he prevailed. His determination to get to a healthy weight and stay there won out over the need to feed on all the unhealthy stuff when he went back to eating. His hair did not fall out and he did not lose as much muscle mass as people would have you believe. Yes this is one man out of who knows how many others. So instead of ramming YOUR thoughts of failure down her throat why don't you congratulate her on her loss so far and tell her you hope that she can keep it up and keep it off, wish her luck and go on your unhappy way. Always remember, your diet your way, her diet her way. She's doing what works for her and so far it's working. I for one think it's awesome she's found something that works for her and that she's smart enough to understand that at some point she'll be replacing food for those shakes and she'll have to be ready for that change, but really what's the difference in 1200 calories with shakes and food or 1200 calories in food, either way she's within her calorie goals and that's what matters.

Everyone is not on this site for the same reasons. And a "study" done on one individual cannot be generalized for the entire public.

Here is what ticks me off more than anything else on here. Those of you who are pooh poohing the slim fast and 1200 calorie diet don't have a clue. You haven't factored in her determination. EVERYONE is different and she sounds like she knows what she has to do once she goes back to eating, but really it doesn't matter when she goes back to eating 3 meals a day because as long as she stays within her calorie goals then she's good. What ALL those other people who failed didn't do correctly was know and understand that no matter what you do to lose the weight you can NEVER EVER go back to eating the way you used to eat. All of us, doing this new life style change, can fail at anytime. We can decide to go back to our previous lifestyle because reality is the need for those Burger King whoppers with bacon and cheese will fill our heads and take over our tastebuds once again. But we hope to have determination and the will power to stay away from those daily trips to the pizza shops and fast food places. HOPE being the keyword. Each and everyone of us here are here for the same thing.....A HEALTHY ME. Just because someone else failed on the slim fast diet or the 1200 calorie diet or the 1800 calorie diet does not mean she will fail. It does not mean I will fail, it does not mean you will fail. I've seen a couple of you on here posting and you never ever EVER have anything nice to say to someone who isn't eating to "your" standards. Your not telling them the truth or being honest with them, your issue is they aren't eating the way "you" think they should be eating therefore they will fail in their attempt to be a healthier human being therefore they will fail. A study was done on a gentleman who needed to lose a lot of weight. So under doctor supervision he lived on vitamins and supplements for a year...that's right people no food. And guess what they kept track of him for 10 years and he kept it off when he went back to eating food. I saved the study but can't find it but I will continue to look for it, but the point is the odds were against him to, but he prevailed. His determination to get to a healthy weight and stay there won out over the need to feed on all the unhealthy stuff when he went back to eating. His hair did not fall out and he did not lose as much muscle mass as people would have you believe. Yes this is one man out of who knows how many others. So instead of ramming YOUR thoughts of failure down her throat why don't you congratulate her on her loss so far and tell her you hope that she can keep it up and keep it off, wish her luck and go on your unhappy way. Always remember, your diet your way, her diet her way. She's doing what works for her and so far it's working. I for one think it's awesome she's found something that works for her and that she's smart enough to understand that at some point she'll be replacing food for those shakes and she'll have to be ready for that change, but really what's the difference in 1200 calories with shakes and food or 1200 calories in food, either way she's within her calorie goals and that's what matters.

Everyone is not on this site for the same reasons. And a "study" done on one individual cannot be generalized for the entire public.

The OP didn't say "oh it worked for me so it must work for everyone so that's the way to go!" She was just letting people know that it worked for her so other people may consider it.