Using Slim Fast to diet???

[Orchidflower]

Has anyone here done the Slim Fast diet? I think you drink 3 of them a day and then have a meat and salad meal at night. Any opinions?

I did buy a 4 pack and drank one this morning to try it. Much to my surprise it was super thick and pretty decent tasting...not great mind you...it isn't a regular milk shake no matter what they say.

One gal I knew did it years ago, and it did work for her. But anyone here try it?

 

[Rustic23]

I've done it, and just about everything else you can think of. You will loose weight, and you will gain it back when you stop. If you can live the rest of your life on Slim Fast, maybe, but when I went back to regular food, I had not changed the way I ate, and so I gained the weight back.

 

[Cruisinthru]

I agree with Rustic23. I have tried it along with every other diet scheme out there. I lose weight and then gain it back as soon as I start eating regular food again. I sometimes drink the Adkins shakes. I prefer them to Slimfast because they are low in sugar and have more protein. They tend to curb my hunger a little better.

 

[Walt34]

It works for me. That's breakfast most days.

But it does require the ability to ignore the hunger pangs that show up a few hours later. Becoming engrossed in something helps.

One incentive is that I get on the scale every day, and was disappointed this morning to discover that I'm one pound over my self-allowed maximum weight of 150 lbs. So harsher measures are now called for.

Unfortunately, I've also recently found that Betty Crocker now makes gluten-free mixes for chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies. The chocolate cake for lunch today probably didn't help.

 

[harley]

Way too much sugar in them for me. They do have lower carb shakes now that might be OK. But I have a minor in chemistry and I can't pronounce half the ingredients they list. Probably mostly stabilizers and such, but other than water I didn't see a single ingredient that occurs in nature. And I couldn't swear to the water.

Slim-Fast French Vanilla Shake

 

[martyb]

A couple of chocolate Slim Fasts wash down a cheeseburger & fries pretty good! burp!

 

[jacob]

Your body will adapt to your long term eating and exercising behavior. So you are what you are today because of how you ate and moved in the past [few years]. Do you foresee living on slim fast in the future? Consider that most/all of these preprocessed diet solutions are just a very expensive form of portion control.

 

[W2R]

I tried it years ago back in grad school, where I renamed it "Fat Fast". At least, for me that was the result.

If sugar triggers your hunger, this product will have an effect that is the reverse of what is desired since it is loaded with sugar.

 

[Alan]

I did slimfast about 10 years ago and lost about 20lbs, which was about 10% of my body weight. However, I couldn't stick on the diet forever and after going back to things I liked to eat I put back all the weight I'd lost plus 10lb more.

For me I needed a change in diet that I could live with over the long run.

 

[braumeister]

Your body will adapt to your long term eating and exercising behavior. So you are what you are today because of how you ate and moved in the past [few years]. Do you foresee living on slim fast in the future? Consider that most/all of these preprocessed diet solutions are just a very expensive form of portion control.

Exactly.
For a lifestyle change that will keep the excess weight off, portion control is the only legitimate answer, IMHO.

Sounds easy, but it's not. Effective, though.

 

[Purron]

Has anyone here done the Slim Fast diet? I think you drink 3 of them a day and then have a meat and salad meal at night. Any opinions?

I did buy a 4 pack and drank one this morning to try it. Much to my surprise it was super thick and pretty decent tasting...not great mind you...it isn't a regular milk shake no matter what they say.

One gal I knew did it years ago, and it did work for her. But anyone here try it?

Never tried Slim Fast Orchid. I have been successful in losing quite a bit of weight this past year by cutting way back on carbs and sugar and loading up on veggies and salad. Plus, I've been more active. Losing weight has been hard for me due to thyroid issues. IMHO, weight loss plans work best when you think of a permanent change in diet and activity levels.

Thank goodness my kitties think I'm beautiful regardless of my dress size

 

[HFWR]

Eat real food. Not too much...

 

[Sue J]

I tried it many years ago. They were filling at first but then I'd be famished before it was time for the next one.

For me there was another odd side effect. It triggered a cleaning obsession. I'm not kidding. I started vacuuming daily and dusting and scrubbing. It was really odd.

I lost weight but it did not stay off.

 

[Retch The Grate]

Looking at the ingredient list that thing looks awful. You'd do WAY better getting the 180 calories it provides as a pile of vegetables. If you really want a shake and don't need it to be easily portable, making your own protein shakes is pretty easy and tasty.

My ~300 calorie protein shake recipe:
1 scoop of protein powder (I like egg and whey, but whatever)
1 frozen banana
4oz of skim milk
dash of vanilla extract
Blend and drink.

Tasty, cold, filling, provides plenty of protein and carbs (yeah fructose unfortunately, but at least the milk is glucose/galactose) and not loaded with garbage.

As far as diets go, eliminating processed sugar (anything that has sucrose as an ingredient, or high fructose corn syrup), fruit juices (fruits are fine, their juice is generally not) and anything made with partially hydrogenated oil (not so much because the oils are scary but because it eliminates huge swaths of things that are unhealthy to eat because it gets used in so much cheap food) and you are well underway to eating more healthily. If you really need to, start calorie counting, and emphasize vegetables in your diet to maximize the amount of fiber/bulk you are getting, and make sure to get enough fat in each meal to trigger your satiety response.

 

[haha]

For me there was another odd side effect. It triggered a cleaning obsession. I'm not kidding. I started vacuuming daily and dusting and scrubbing. It was really odd.

This is good to know. If I ever get another live-in pal, I'll learn to make her SlimFast mai-tais and hope for this effect.

Any unexpected libido changes?

Ha

 

[Purron]

Any unexpected libido changes?

Ha

Try adding seaweed to your diet for a positive change is this direction

 

[Orchidflower]

What I was going for by drinking these Slim Fasts is to shrink my stomach (OK, I know your stomach doesn't really shrink--and, yes, my boring BIL who's a vascular surgeon explained all this to me--but I understand the phrase "shrinking my stomach").
If I can start eating less I can do better on my portions. If I can get those portions in control I should lose weight. I love veggies and fruit and eat basically chicken and fish, so I eat healthy overall despite the sideways move to a bag of M&M's occasionally....OK, more than occasionally then.

I wish I had some excuse like thyroid problems, but seems my only problem is I love food. And I eat like a famine is coming and I have to store up fast. And I never watch calories as in "I don't need no stink'n calorie watching" cause I'm plowing it in so fast or, as my son asks, "How long did you do time for?"

But I have two large walk-in closets loaded with expensive size 10's now...and I ain't. Can we say: Oops!

 

[Sue J]

This is good to know. If I ever get another live-in pal, I'll learn to make her SlimFast mai-tais and hope for this effect.

Any unexpected libido changes?

Ha

Yes, for sure. But I couldn't act on it because the bedding was wrinkled, the glassware in the cupboard had to be aligned, the silverware had to be precisely stacked and the couch cushions needed to be fluffed to look casual but identical. And if I saw a dust bunny before bed I had to do one more run through the house with the dust mop.

It was the strangest side effect I've ever experienced.

I actually started to feel loony.

Once I stopped the Slim Fast I went back to my normal self.

 

[haha]

Yes, for sure. But I couldn't act on it because the bedding was wrinkled, the glassware in the cupboard had to be aligned, the silverware had to be precisely stacked and the couch cushions needed to be fluffed to look casual but identical. And if I saw a dust bunny before bed I had to do one more run through the house with the dust mop.

It was the strangest side effect I've ever experienced.

I actually started to feel loony.

Once I stopped the Slim Fast I went back to my normal self.

Completely hysterical. You are a great comic Sue J!

Ha

 

[Moemg]

I also lost weight this year . I cut back on carbs and stopped any eating between meals .I met my weight loss goal and a great side affect has been that I get full sooner so I automatically eat smaller portions . Okay now back on topic , I never tried slim fast a liquid would never do it for me i need real food.

 

[RonBoyd]

If I can start eating less I can do better on my portions. If I can get those portions in control I should lose weight. I love veggies and fruit and eat basically chicken and fish, so I eat healthy overall despite the sideways move to a bag of M&M's occasionally....OK, more than occasionally then.

I wish I had some excuse like thyroid problems, but seems my only problem is I love food. And I eat like a famine is coming and I have to store up fast. And I never watch calories as in "I don't need no stink'n calorie watching" cause I'm plowing it in so fast or, as my son asks, "How long did you do time for?"

Have you read these Threads?

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/report-six-months-of-low-carbs-48983.html

or

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/gary-taubes-newest-book-53894.html

Where I say:

Starvation Diets work because in the process of restricting all Calories, the body simply has to deal with fewer Calories from Carbohydrates.

However, the (necessary) Fat and Protein Calories are also (by definition) restricted. When F & P Calories are supplied in insufficient numbers your body demands you supply them... those "Hunger Pangs" again. If you increase the Calorie intake of F & P (even to greater than the total pre-Diet level) while continuing to restrict Carb Calories, you will lose weight or, at worst, maintain your current weight.

It is simply more fun to lose weight without Hunger as a constant companion. But for those masochists who believe in the "no pain, no gain" philosophy, a starvation diet is the way to go if weight lose is the goal

.

or Best of All:

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...-bad-calories-book-report-synopsis-46963.html

 

[freebird5825]

I try to remember to take Metamucil every AM, or drink a Boost. Either one fills my stomach for hours.
I've never tried SlimFast. I remember reading an article a while back about a lady who lived on the stuff and had some internal organ issues. I tried to google it, but found nothing.

 

[harley]

I try to remember to take Metamucil every AM, or drink a Boost. Either one fills my stomach for hours.

Freebird is right. Adding fiber to your food/drink can really decrease your hunger, and unless you are in the minority in this country, you probably should be getting more. The powder they sell (psyllium) is completely flavorless and unnoticeable. I've added it to oatmeal and smoothies and other foods, and there's no way to tell it's there. I'd definitely give that a try, see how it works for you.

 

[RonBoyd]

Here, in order to make an informed decision, is the Nutritional Information for two Slim Fast products:









The 18 Grams of Sugar in the French Vanilla causes me some concern. And it looks like they eliminated Sugar from the Low-carb product to obtain the low-carb number. I don't have (at the ready) an Ingredient List for this product but the particular artificial sweetner they use may be of concern to some people.

 

[harley]

You can go to the website (slimfast.com) and see the ingredients. As I said before, there's very little in there that didn't come out of a test tube.