Anyone else lose weight with slim fast?

I myself only do a partial slim fast diet. I drink the shakes for breakfast and occasionally lunch. But I mix it up every now and then with something low calorie but still filling and good for you. Try substituting a shake or bar for a cup of Greek yogurt (that's the best for you as far as calories, carbs, and fat goes!) with some fresh fruit. I love it with strawberries! Or you could substitute your breakfast shake for a low calorie cereal such as Special K. My point is as long as you change it up with healthy options that are about equal in calories it can make you feel like your getting to eat more!
My mom is a firm believer in slim fast. That's how she always lost weight after having kids! And it really helped jump start my diet!

Good luck to you!

Years ago I tried slim fast drinks. It gave me terrible gas:grumble:

Special K has the shakes try theirs maybe you might like the taste better or make your own using the whey protein powder if your getting burned out on the slim fast ones, Ive never tried using any type of shakes really just offering suggestions. Now that your steadiy losing and the slimfast got you going into the right direction try weaning yourself off if you think your at a point where you can do so and switch to a regular healthy diet since you have MFP as well to track your calories. Ive only tried the slim fast shakes 1 time several years ago and did not like the taste so I cant help you in that area. So how much have you lost in the 8 weeks of using them? Congrats on your success so far and Best of Luck getting to your goal

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:

I actually just started the Slimfast plan today and was hoping to find some advice as well. I know that it isn't a "forever" plan but a good start to kick off my weight loss.

On the Slim Fast diet, you still have to eat 1,200 calories a day like MyFitnessPal recommends, so I don't think the "you'll eventually have to eat real food and gain weight" comments are necessarily true. If you are sick of the shakes, try mixing up your meals but still ensure that you are staying at 1,200 calories or not that much above that number.

I myself started the diet in early January. I love the shakes, but I was afraid that I would get sick of them and I didn't want to lose weight through suffering. There are some days in the week where I do the shakes 2 a day, but most often I only do the shakes once a day...and usually for lunch if I've had a heavy breakfast or planning to have a heavy meal. I mainly use this method because I don't like snacking and would rather put those calories into my actual meals. If I were you, I'd have the shakes once a day from now on--and then some days twice again--and try to make your other two meals healthy ones. Myfitnesspal makes it pretty easy because you can plan for your calories.

Also, Slim-Fast is actually packed with a lot of nutrients for your body. In the beginning, I was pretty doubtful about it; so I compared it to a protein shake from Trader Joe's and found that Slim-Fast had way more nutrients and stuff that is good for you by more than 50%.

Your weightloss will likely slow down a bit because you're eating solid foods as opposed to being on a sort of liquid diet, but you'll be able to learn to make yourself good meals Try it, it's worth it for a good lifestyle change.

I lost about 60 pounds with Slim Fast a couple years ago (no, I did not keep it off). I liked the taste and never got sick of them, but I just stopped doing it. Now I try to stay away from processed foods so I am not using any meal replacements. Good thing about SF is that you don't have to think about food all the time. You just grab a shake and go. Great for busy people or those dealing with food obsession, also has a lot of vitamins if like me, you aren't great about taking a multi every day.

I think the real question is, "Has anyone maintained the weight they lost with slim fast after returning to "real" food?" I would be interested in this answer as well.

I was in a program that was a strict fast for 20 weeks of nothing but bars, shakes and soups. No real food. I dropped about 80 lbs in about 5 months and then the rest of the year (about another 5 months) I maintained that weight loss when I switched back to food. I did this solely because of MFP. I simply logged my calories and tried to stay at a certain calorie count and kept exercising.

I went through the holidays and didnt eat very well, I was up and down about 5lbs to 8 lbs. I think as long as you use MFP as a tool and stay at a certain calorie count, you can maintain your life you want.

Inspiring, and very well put!

The shakes were never filling to me. But I do occasionally(or did now if I buy any bars its Lara bars or some other brand I can't remember right now that is made of sesame seeds) liked to use the meal replacement bars for breakfast and/or lunches. Its a quick thing to throw in the bag and it avoided many fast food pick ups in the middle of day while out. I usually eat them with fruit a banana or something and find it fills me pretty well as long as my mind is on other stuff.

I never did the whole program they were just occasional replacements.

ANY time you change habits and go back the weight is bound to come back. That is true of healthy eating going back to too many calories, big portions of healthy food can also bring it back. Just a thought. I think it can be a good way to stay on track calorie wise while you adjust to a exercise plan and slowly develop eating healthy portions of healthy food.

I was on their program back in 2008-2009 and had lost 82#. I left SF when they changed to the 3.2.1 program. I hated it! They did such a turn around on all they had taught with the Optima program. I lost all faith in SF. Another SF member told me to come over to MFP, I did and have never gone back. One thing that was a challenge for me was making choices on my own. SF gave you so much structure and I needed that to lose the weight, but for maintenance I also needed to learn to do this on my own. I started weening myself before coming here. I love the support here! I still log my food and exercise daily to keep Me accountable to Me. I still buy their meal bars, but I don't rely on just those. I've learned to be creative over the years. I knew when I started this journey in Jan. 2008 that it was for life. SF gave me some very good tools back then and the dieticians were wonderful. It's too bad they made so many drastic changes, but in doing so it forced me to rely on my own judgement and it's still working!

I used to drink slim fast all the time. I quit because of the high fructose corn syrup. I am now limiting my sugar intake with trivia sweetener and eating more natural foods.

Hmm Looking at the nutrition label:

Glorified sugary milkshake. Yea that beats real food by a mile!
It works because it reduces your calories, it is not some heaven in a bottle that melts the pounds away. Real, filling, and nutrition food si a much better option.

Are you trying to suggest that you lost weight BECAUSE of the slim fast?

No, you lost weight because you were eating at a calorie deficit. Replace the slim fast calories with essentially anything else and your success will continue.

How many calories are in a slim fast shake?

Edit: 180 calories for one shake? Instead: 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites + 2 pieces low calorie toast; Greek yogurt and fruit; Chicken breast and green beans; Turkey burger and salsa; carrots and hummus and six slices deli meat; english muffin and laughing cow cheese; etc. etc. etc.

There are many many options that have a similar calorie count and more nutritional value. And honestly once you get in the habit, they are just as easy to make/prepare/pack with you for breakfast and lunch. I take breakfast, lunch and two snacks in a lunch box to work nearly every day.

P.S. Probably cheaper than slim fast too.....use the money to buy a new outfit

Edit #2: A new outfit to celebrate the weight loss, not because your current outfit is bad. When I re-read that, it sounded a little wrong.