Slim Fast?

SLB23
SLB23 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm currently trying out slim fast shakes which means i replace two of my meals with slim fast shakes each day. I blend the shakes and add a bananna which makes them around 300 calories. My question is what are you thoughts on slim fast do you think if i stop ill gain the weight back even if sticking to the same calories? I decided to do slim fast because its easy with me being so busy and i dont have to decide what im going to have, but now some of my co workers are saying i will gain it back if i stop..

Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Weight loss is about reducing calories, not about the fad or gimmick you use to do it.

    You will only gain weight back if you go over your TDEE when you stop.

    I don't think you NEED SlimFast (or any other shake, pill, etc) to lose weight. The problem with shakes and meal replacements is that it doesn't teach you how to control your intake when you do stop. So people tend to put the weight back on because they have no idea what X number of calories is in acutal food.

    With a little preparation, you can make meals and snacks ahead of time to meet your calorie goals. But it's just about how you chose to spend your time.
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    SlimFast has a lot of sugar and carbs in it and really a liquid can't make you feel full as real food can. You're better off doing a Lean Cuisine diet.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Weight loss is about reducing calories, not about the fad or gimmick you use to do it.

    You will only gain weight back if you go over your TDEE when you stop.

    I don't think you NEED SlimFast (or any other shake, pill, etc) to lose weight. The problem with shakes and meal replacements is that it doesn't teach you how to control your intake when you do stop. So people tend to put the weight back on because they have no idea what X number of calories is in acutal food.

    With a little preparation, you can make meals and snacks ahead of time to meet your calorie goals. But it's just about how you chose to spend your time.

    ^^^This is spot on!! It's all about a lifestyle change and learning how to eat healthy and proper portion size!!! Gimmicks and fads are not sustainable. It would be better in the long run to learn how to manage your calorie intake from the get go. Plus......I don't know about you but a liquid breakfast and lunch EVERYDAY sounds depressing not to mention what it would do to my digestion process:blushing:
  • sazzyp1973
    sazzyp1973 Posts: 517 Member
    I tried slim fast for a month. Lost some weight. Put it all back on when I stopped. I don't think I was getting enough nutrients through that replacement and I don't think my body liked it at all. Plus I got bored so fast of it. Only way to lose weight is is to eat healthily and exercise.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    It's basically junk food. But if you maintain a calorie deficit you'll lose weight.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    SlimFast has a lot of sugar and carbs in it and really a liquid can't make you feel full as real food can. You're better off doing a Lean Cuisine diet.

    Though a Lean Cuisine diet is loaded with sodium; pick your poison.
  • dellrio
    dellrio Posts: 131 Member
    SlimFast has a lot of sugar and carbs in it and really a liquid can't make you feel full as real food can. You're better off doing a Lean Cuisine diet.

    I make a smoothie using a slim fast shake, and it makes me feel very full. I only drink them after workouts really to pump me full of nutrients and cool me down - but they pretty much satisfy my hunger for the rest of the evening.

    1 French Vanilla Slim Fast Shake
    1 Banana
    6 Strawberries
    1 scoop of whey protein
    about 1/3 cup of Simply Orange orange juice
    Blend in blender untill all liquid, then start adding ice cubes until you get the frozen consistency that you want, i usually add cubes until it is about like a milkshake.

    Also some other ingredients that I like to add when I have them around are spinich, blueberries, frozen peaches or mango chunks, etc.

    I think its about 500 calories but nearly 200 of that is from the whey protein stuff I am adding. My workouts typically burn about 500-1000 calories so if I workout and have this shake, I am almost always still able to stay under my goal (which is 500 cal a day deficit)
  • deniseg31
    deniseg31 Posts: 667 Member
    I agree with the others. Also, if you really have to have slimfast why don't you already buy the ready to drink ones? BTW, they have some new ones that have 20 g of protein and 2 g of sugar so a lot better than the older ones.

    I have to admit that I have some in my fridge only for when I'm running late or can't break away from work to have an actual meal. I have these maybe about once a week (if i'm being good about packing my lunches and stuff) on a bad week a couple of times I'll end up drinking these which I'm not proud about. I wouldn't rely on Slim Fast alone for weightloss.

    Good luck.
  • elyseology
    elyseology Posts: 44 Member
    I too am trying Slim Fast and so far it has been kind to me. I don't, however, only drink or eat slim fast product for breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, like you, I have the shake with added fruit for extra flavor and nutrients and at lunch I have a meal bar with some type of veggie: carrots, broccoli, celery, ect... I cannot have the bar alone because it is really sweet. I need balance. Sometimes I'll mix it up and bring a lunch instead of slim fast, but it's rare because I don't have time for it and I prefer to eat a nice warm dinner. It is just important you are eating your snacks during the day. Snacks, for me, is where the creativity lies and prevents it to not be "boring". Anyway, those are just my thoughts. I wouldn't know about the weight gaining if you decided to stop. I feel that is a constant battle with any weight loss technique. Maybe when you decide to stop you can do it slowly instead of trying to stop cold turkey? Good luck to you!
  • Tammi623
    Tammi623 Posts: 113 Member
    SlimFast has a lot of sugar and carbs in it and really a liquid can't make you feel full as real food can. You're better off doing a Lean Cuisine diet.

    I make a smoothie using a slim fast shake, and it makes me feel very full. I only drink them after workouts really to pump me full of nutrients and cool me down - but they pretty much satisfy my hunger for the rest of the evening.

    1 French Vanilla Slim Fast Shake
    1 Banana
    6 Strawberries
    1 scoop of whey protein
    about 1/3 cup of Simply Orange orange juice
    Blend in blender untill all liquid, then start adding ice cubes until you get the frozen consistency that you want, i usually add cubes until it is about like a milkshake.

    Also some other ingredients that I like to add when I have them around are spinich, blueberries, frozen peaches or mango chunks, etc.

    I think its about 500 calories but nearly 200 of that is from the whey protein stuff I am adding. My workouts typically burn about 500-1000 calories so if I workout and have this shake, I am almost always still able to stay under my goal (which is 500 cal a day deficit)

    I use the shakes after my work outs as well. Though, I only add the whey protein powder in them. Adding fruit and such to it is a good idea … I may try that. Thanks :flowerforyou:

    Other than that I try to eat 3 relatively healthy meals plus snacks (fruit) for the rest of the day. I would not want to try the actual Slim Fast Diet (I’m a bit bias anyways as I have always hated any type of diet that restricts what I eat to that extent).
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    There is nothing in SlimFast that is going to make you lose weight. The 'plan' is just a low calorie diet in disguise. You're replacing to meals with these shakes which only have like a hundred or something calories in them, I don't remember the number. That's not to say there is anything wrong with that so much, but as soon as you stop and go back to the way you were eating before, if you were gaining weight before, then you will go back to gaining weight. That's how they trick you into buying their product. Whether you want to chug SlimFast or not is up to you. I'm sure it's not going to kill you. My recommendation is learn how to manage your own weight yourself and then there won't be any mystery to it. For some people meal replacement shakes are convenient and fit their lifestyle, so I'm not going to be preachy about shakes vs food.
  • SLB23
    SLB23 Posts: 4
    I too am trying Slim Fast and so far it has been kind to me. I don't, however, only drink or eat slim fast product for breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, like you, I have the shake with added fruit for extra flavor and nutrients and at lunch I have a meal bar with some type of veggie: carrots, broccoli, celery, ect... I cannot have the bar alone because it is really sweet. I need balance. Sometimes I'll mix it up and bring a lunch instead of slim fast, but it's rare because I don't have time for it and I prefer to eat a nice warm dinner. It is just important you are eating your snacks during the day. Snacks, for me, is where the creativity lies and prevents it to not be "boring". Anyway, those are just my thoughts. I wouldn't know about the weight gaining if you decided to stop. I feel that is a constant battle with any weight loss technique. Maybe when you decide to stop you can do it slowly instead of trying to stop cold turkey? Good luck to you!

    Ya I'm also eating snacks in between or i would'nt last, but so far it just eliminates the time i need to spend preparing meals and also deciding what to eat. I'm ganna try to switch it up on my days off, but i have a very busy shedule and its the easy. but thank you good luck to you too!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Sigh. Shakes do not make you lose weight. Drink a few more then several and you'll find that out. No, if you stick to the same calories you were losing at, you will not gain weight, the same thing goes if you didn't try the shakes in the first place, you could just eat at that calorie intake and it would all be the same.
  • Bobbie_89
    Bobbie_89 Posts: 146
    SlimFast has a lot of sugar and carbs in it and really a liquid can't make you feel full as real food can. You're better off doing a Lean Cuisine diet.


    I agree! I eat Lean Cuisine's from time to time at least once a day if I'm in a rush or I can't stand over the stove and cook a meal. I'm a mother of one (She's almost 9months) and she's the type that won't let me cook for long.
  • ms_cataclysm
    ms_cataclysm Posts: 26 Member
    I'm sorry your co-workers are being so negative.

    Can you take your shakes outside and avoid their negative comments ?

    Or what about some stealth dieting? I had a branded chicken and sweetcorn soup and a small banana for my lunch which was 280 calories but not so obviously diet food. (The weather is so dreadful that I've gone back to winter food.)
  • bsharrah
    bsharrah Posts: 129 Member
    When I first started my weight loss, I did the slim fast diet for 6 weeks and lost 15 pounds BUT it was not the slim fast products that did it. It was just what everyone on this site preaches about, eating a calorie deficit. The slim fast stuff just took a lot of the effort out of it (no need to look at labels except for dinner). After the 6 weeks, I then started finding meal replacements for my meal replacements and began eating real, but healthy, foods that were close to the same calories as the slim fast stuff.

    I won't knock slim fast, weight watchers, or any other product in that category for what it does, but I wil also not confuse just what it does (makes counting calories a bit easier) with what is doesn't do (the product itself does not make you lose weight). For me, it was the jump start I needed at the time.
  • mss_anthropy
    mss_anthropy Posts: 31 Member
    i've actually lost 20lbs with slim fast before..... problem is i hit a plateau and it also give you bad gas..... sorry if that's tmi but i'm just being real
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    You'll learn nothing about food, and of course you'll put it all back on, and then some due to the loss of lean mass.

    It works, and it works fast. When I was 18, I lost 2.5st in 5 weeks. At 32, I'm still covered in the scars to prove it.
  • shannon0401
    shannon0401 Posts: 6
    the problem with slim fast and lean cuisine is that it's fake and/or full of preservatives. your body will respond much better, and more quickly, to real/clean food. if you like shakes make your own. there is a great book on powderless protein shakes. and if you plan ahead its simple to cook real food and have it ready ahead of time. plus your body won't get addicted to the chemicals in "fake food". it's amazing how big a difference a clean, real food diet can make not only in your loss of fat but how your body works in all aspects. everything from healthier skin, hair, and nails to reduction in headaches and GI problems. by no means am i a certified nutritionist or dr but i work with many of them and have experienced the difference between a clean whole foods diet compared to eating slim fast and lean cuisine. the biggest part is planning your meals and snacks in advance. fail to plan and plan to fail.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    As others have said, Slimfast works because it lowers your calorie intake. As long as you don't go mad when you stop then the weight is unlikely to pile back on. I've tried them but find them far too sugary (you can't get the low carb ones in the UK).

    Instead, if I'm in a rush I have a Celebrity Slim shake for breakfast as they have a bit more protein in so keep me full for longer. I don't think they're as healthy as proper food but sometimes I'm just so busy it's better than nothing. I also find them convenient if I'm going for a morning run as they are a bit easier to digest than solid food.

    I' sometimes have one for lunch too but most of the time just make up 200-300 calorie lunches to eat at work (from wraps with tuna salad or meat etc or cous cous with grilled chicken, big salads etc).

    Dinner is around 500 calories and I make up the rest of the calories during the day with snacks (strawberries, rye bread with cottage cheese etc) as I'm currently eating to my BMR (for me this is around 1500 calories a day, which gives a steady 1lb a week loss).

    Bottom line is, lowering your calories will help you lose weight, however you choose to do it. You just have to remember when you hit your target weight to still keep a check on what you are eating so it doesn't all go back on.
  • Ashers83
    Ashers83 Posts: 92 Member
    I wake up pretty early for work so I make a frozen drink w a scoop of chocolate slim fast, milk, ice and instant coffee. It's delicious and holds me over until I have fruit before lunch.
  • kaseysospacey
    kaseysospacey Posts: 499 Member
    I lost 70 lb on slimfast in 2009 but gained it back twofold after I went off it.
  • AmelodyAngel
    AmelodyAngel Posts: 152 Member
    I just started using slim fast..... i use one scoop vanilla shake with water and a half a cup of strawberries and a half a cup of pineapple. I dont thin it is any different then the whey protein stuff, just when your done using it keep your calorie intake the same... I plan on finding meals to sub for the shakes and amping up my work outs when I am off and hopefully that will help me continue to lose.... I just need a good jump start.
  • mommyweighless
    mommyweighless Posts: 192 Member
    I started the 3-2-1 plan today. I had a shake for breakfast, almond snack, shake for lunch, cheese snack, shrimp with mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner, and I will havea navel orange later. Not once today have I felt hungry. But its not just using the shake that helps you lose weight you have to learn to eat better and change the bad habits you created as well. I decided to try this because it is more structured and I need that structure to help teach me appropriate meal amounts, size, and frequency. I was worried about gaining it all back after until I realized so long as I maintain proper portion sizes and calorie intake after I quit using it, should I quit I have nothing to worry about. hope that helps. Feel free to add me and we can support one another through this.

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