Is Everyone on the Slim Fast Diet Doomed to Fail?

24

Replies

  • FlyThisKite
    FlyThisKite Posts: 183 Member
    Slim fast increases my hunger, sparks my cravings for carbs and sugar. It essentially is the catalyst for snacking like a maniac and over eating for me. It is a waste of time and money IMO. Put it right there with diet pills and fads. The weight loss industry is not in it to make you loose weight in a healthy and long lasting way. It is in it for the quick fix that will bring back the weight with friends in tow so you go through the cycle again and again...generating profit hand over fist. That's my two to five cents :)
  • keeptehpeace
    keeptehpeace Posts: 189 Member
    a family I know went on SlimFast.. yes they lost a lot of weight and fast, but the women's hair fell out, they were tired all the time, they looked gaunt as they lost their muscle mass, and they gained it all back on (the biggest lost was >50lbs) in less than a year. not to mention it was expensive, and the mother ended up with kidney stones (not sure if related but I've been told it was by the daughter)
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    Well the answer to your quesdtion so far would appear to be "no".

    And can I just point out that granola is one of those foods that has managied to cloak itself in a healthy appearance, despite being a calorie bomb.

    I ate granola bars, usually KIND, which were about 140-180 calories per bar.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    The fact that you see it as 'boosting' your weight loss when you had already started to lose weight is a little concerning. Slim Fast reduces your calories but it doesn't have any magic ingredients in it that are going to make you lose weight more effectively, it also doesn't provide much fiber and it certainly doesn't teach you how to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Losing weight using the 'normal' MFP way teaches you about portion control, which is not something that is something you learn in a week and then have got sorted for the rest of your life. Like any skill it needs to be practiced. With Slim Fast you get the weight loss but you don't get to practice eating a healthy diet, and it reads to me like you are taking it so you can skip some time off the process to achieve your goal weight.

    As most people who have successfully lost weight and then maintained a goal weight will tell you there is no magic method for losing weight beyond eating less and moving more. Slim Fat is yet another product targeting people who want an easy option, not a product for someone who is committed to making lasting changes in their life.

    If it works for you then great, but what is the point? It costs money and doesn't do anything more than what you could do yourself by counting calories and eating a variety of foods while remaining within your calorie goals.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    The numbers for long-term success in weight management are not great, no matter what plan you look at. Many "know how" to eat properly but struggle with moderation and temptation. So I would say, if Slimfast is helping you stick to what you are doing right now, and you like it, go with it, but ditch it when it stop seeming to help or if it starts feeling challenging, because it will just be a waste of money at that point.
  • Samby_v1
    Samby_v1 Posts: 202 Member
    I'm using it as a temporary weight loss boost, not as a permanent solution. I'm already pretty savvy on healthy eating, so I don't need to be "taught" anything. My question is basically this: are there examples of those who actually SUCCEED in using this diet as a tool (note: tool, not lifelong change), and why can't anyone focus the benefits in taking part in it (don't say there aren't any, because that won't get us anywhere)?

    So, essentially, you want us to answer the question but only if we tell you what you want to hear. Sounds legit.

    There are no benefits to Slim Fast that a person cannot obtain by eating a healthy, well balanced diet that fits into macros.

    y3Yxr.gif
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    I'm using it as a temporary weight loss boost, not as a permanent solution. I'm already pretty savvy on healthy eating, so I don't need to be "taught" anything. My question is basically this: are there examples of those who actually SUCCEED in using this diet as a tool (note: tool, not lifelong change), and why can't anyone focus the benefits in taking part in it (don't say there aren't any, because that won't get us anywhere)?

    So, essentially, you want us to answer the question but only if we tell you what you want to hear. Sounds legit.

    There are no benefits to Slim Fast that a person cannot obtain by eating a healthy, well balanced diet that fits into macros.

    I didn't say that. I just wanted to hear the positive side, but apparently there isn't one.
  • kuger4119
    kuger4119 Posts: 213 Member
    There's nothing wrong with using slimfast products in a pinch as long as you are consciously looking at the product and why it works. In the long run, the problem with any of the "fad" products or diets is that the people who use them don't have a plan for how to maintain their weight once they quit using them. It takes discipline to eat healthy when you aren't using fad products and too many people end up eating 2500+ calories per day once they aren't using them. That's a good way to gain a pound a week. Of course, that's slow enough that people don't even think much about it until they jump on a scale after two months and have gained 8+ pounds. They then get depressed and eat an extra cookie or handful of chips and then drink an extra soda per day and accelerate it to 2+ pounds per week. After six months, our former dieters have gained 40+ pounds and feeling terrible. Therein lies the problem with using those kind of products. You don't get used to the impacts of real world food and end up in worse shape than you started more often than not.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    People here want to see lifestyle changes rather than fad diets. So there is always bickering. Some people feel that living paleo, or atkins, or whatever is not easily done and therefore a fad. Some people think, move more, eat less. Some people subscribe to IIFYM. Some people love cardio and some people love weights, and still others think exercising SUCKS (sometimes it can)

    But my question is, why? Why are you on slim fast? Just to make weight loss faster? Is it easier to log the calories and know your macros this way for you? In my experience with slim fast, I defintely didn't lose much weight, and when I got off of it it came right back on. I couldn't stick to it easily though either, I really wanted to CHEW things, not just drink a few of my meals.

    I feel like you would be happier about eating REAL food. Not the sludge in those cans, or the weird textured snack bars. Add in veggies and fruit and whole grains, or high fiber wraps with healthy proteins like chicken, salmon, whatever. They say, eat the rainbow (especially in veggies) and I just feel like that is the BEST way to go. Not drinking over-processed slimey chocolate shakes.

    But, that's not to say, when I was REALLY busy, that I didn't find a shake of some sort (usually atkins was what I bought) took care of breakfast. But I usually ended up eating more later to make up for it.

    Honestly, I'm just doing it for a few weeks to see what it does for me. It isn't a lifelong thing, but it's teaching me to cut my calories, feel full more often, etc. When I get tired of it, I'll go back to eating normal, healthy food, but I don't think everyone on the Slim Fast diet deserves to be treated badly for the decision.

    The thing is, you're doing that while not eating like a real person. So it's not actually teaching you anything. Drinking meal replacement shakes and eating bars wrapped in plastic doesn't teach you how to manage eating actual food.

    Do whatever works for you, but be prepared for a difficult transition. I don't think you've got a realistic view of what you're getting from it.
  • There is nothing wrong with it as a tool just like there is nothing wrong with protein shakes and multivitamins as tools. The goal though is to find a way to get your nutrient, macro, and cal needs from foods in a way you can sustain for the rest of your life.

    The reason people say you will fail on any fad diet is people generally think in the short term and neglect to find long term solutions for their life. If or when you stop using slim fast you need to have a plan on how you will continue towards you're goals. If you have a plan, then by all means do what is going to work for you.

    Personally I don't like slim fast, but I understand it is nice to have something easy to fall back on if you are short on time or energy. I would suggest using it in emergency situations instead of all the time. Try to have real food planned out and ready for you to grab.
  • AHack3
    AHack3 Posts: 173 Member
    I have tried and was successful losing 20 pds on Slimfast plan in 6 months, however I did put that back on plus some, but for reasons like you said. When I quit using the shakes I hadn't learned how to change my eating habits. I think that is key, you do have to learn a new way of eating and about portions. I also let up on my exercise after I lost the weight, the idea of the lifestyle change hadn't clicked yet. All lessons learned to get me where I am today though. Learn to eat the proper amount for your body and activity level, exercise regularly, drink lots of water and get plenty rest and you'll have lasting results.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    The fact that you see it as 'boosting' your weight loss when you had already started to lose weight is a little concerning. Slim Fast reduces your calories but it doesn't have any magic ingredients in it that are going to make you lose weight more effectively, it also doesn't provide much fiber and it certainly doesn't teach you how to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Losing weight using the 'normal' MFP way teaches you about portion control, which is not something that is something you learn in a week and then have got sorted for the rest of your life. Like any skill it needs to be practiced. With Slim Fast you get the weight loss but you don't get to practice eating a healthy diet, and it reads to me like you are taking it so you can skip some time off the process to achieve your goal weight.

    As most people who have successfully lost weight and then maintained a goal weight will tell you there is no magic method for losing weight beyond eating less and moving more. Slim Fat is yet another product targeting people who want an easy option, not a product for someone who is committed to making lasting changes in their life.

    If it works for you then great, but what is the point? It costs money and doesn't do anything more than what you could do yourself by counting calories and eating a variety of foods while remaining within your calorie goals.

    Exactly this ^

    And I would add that the reason why people fail on products like this is because of the mentality they are in when they use them. Sustainable weight loss takes patience. Quick fix products or "weight loss boosts" are not consistent with this.
  • FlyThisKite
    FlyThisKite Posts: 183 Member
    I'm using it as a temporary weight loss boost, not as a permanent solution. I'm already pretty savvy on healthy eating, so I don't need to be "taught" anything. My question is basically this: are there examples of those who actually SUCCEED in using this diet as a tool (note: tool, not lifelong change), and why can't anyone focus the benefits in taking part in it (don't say there aren't any, because that won't get us anywhere)?

    So, essentially, you want us to answer the question but only if we tell you what you want to hear. Sounds legit.

    There are no benefits to Slim Fast that a person cannot obtain by eating a healthy, well balanced diet that fits into macros.

    I didn't say that. I just wanted to hear the positive side, but apparently there isn't one.



    No..not really.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Yes.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    You've already noted all the reasons why people don't encourage it. It doesn't teach people how to eat healthy in a sustainable, lifelong way. It doesn't teach people about caloric needs, macronutrient goals, or exercise. It's generally a quick fix diet, rather than a lifelong change. So...what is your question again?

    I'm using it as a temporary weight loss boost, not as a permanent solution. I'm already pretty savvy on healthy eating, so I don't need to be "taught" anything. My question is basically this: are there examples of those who actually SUCCEED in using this diet as a tool (note: tool, not lifelong change), and why can't anyone focus the benefits in taking part in it (don't say there aren't any, because that won't get us anywhere)?

    I believe you when you say that you already know about eating healthy. My question, then, is why do you need Slim Fast when you already know how to lose weight in a safe, healthy way? Why even use it if you've already got the know-how to do it? I'm not saying that Slim Fast is dangerous or anything like that, but what I am saying (and what you acknowledge yourself) is that it's temporary. So why even bother with the temporary fix? Why not move right ahead into the lifestyle change?
  • toddis
    toddis Posts: 941 Member
    If it is temporary and helps you break bad habits, go for it.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    Well, as a full time nursing student, mother and employee, sometimes I didn't even eat breakfast, and lunch used to fast food. I started eating healthy, but it can be time consuming. Is Slim Fast okay circumstantially? As in, if I don't have time for breakfast, grab a shake? I don't want to seem like I'm not committed to losing weight and being healthy, but I bought these products without knowledge of the "harm" they do and went into it pretty optimistically.
  • fairygirlpie9
    fairygirlpie9 Posts: 288 Member
    I read a study a while back which said that diets like Slim Fast, Weight Watcher etc. work but ultimately they are doomed to fail because people don't stick to them. Also they teach you very little about nutrition. So in the end you fail - the diet works - in terms of losing weight (water, fat, muscle etc) but people get bored easily and fed up of the same taste.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    You've already noted all the reasons why people don't encourage it. It doesn't teach people how to eat healthy in a sustainable, lifelong way. It doesn't teach people about caloric needs, macronutrient goals, or exercise. It's generally a quick fix diet, rather than a lifelong change. So...what is your question again?

    I'm using it as a temporary weight loss boost, not as a permanent solution. I'm already pretty savvy on healthy eating, so I don't need to be "taught" anything. My question is basically this: are there examples of those who actually SUCCEED in using this diet as a tool (note: tool, not lifelong change), and why can't anyone focus the benefits in taking part in it (don't say there aren't any, because that won't get us anywhere)?

    I believe you when you say that you already know about eating healthy. My question, then, is why do you need Slim Fast when you already know how to lose weight in a safe, healthy way? Why even use it if you've already got the know-how to do it? I'm not saying that Slim Fast is dangerous or anything like that, but what I am saying (and what you acknowledge yourself) is that it's temporary. So why even bother with the temporary fix? Why not move right ahead into the lifestyle change?

    Several people suggested it to me, rambled off their success stories, and I was largely intrigued. It was something I wanted to experiment with, and if it didn't work, I'd stop.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,808 Member
    You've already noted all the reasons why people don't encourage it. It doesn't teach people how to eat healthy in a sustainable, lifelong way. It doesn't teach people about caloric needs, macronutrient goals, or exercise. It's generally a quick fix diet, rather than a lifelong change. So...what is your question again?

    I'm using it as a temporary weight loss boost, not as a permanent solution. I'm already pretty savvy on healthy eating, so I don't need to be "taught" anything. My question is basically this: are there examples of those who actually SUCCEED in using this diet as a tool (note: tool, not lifelong change), and why can't anyone focus the benefits in taking part in it (don't say there aren't any, because that won't get us anywhere)?
    I'm sure there are people that have had success short term and understood the limitations but generally people that look to quick weight loss solutions don't fall into that demographic.