General Diet Plans and Questions - Slim-Fast Users?!

Hi there!

I'm new here to 3FC and already love it here!

I'm starting Slim-Fast tomorrow and was wondering if anyone else out there is doing Slim-Fast and if they are having success with it. I've done it before and had great success.

I bought their new shakes (Slim-Fast Optima High Protien). It's 190cals, 5g fat, 5g fiber, and I think 15g protein. I think that is totally awsome. I'm also gonna keep couting points, but I need more control ..... so I'm kind of doing two diets in one, and those shakes that I am trying are only 3pts per can! I think that's awsome.

Slim-Fast also tells you exactly how to eat according to how much you weigh (which is much different than years ago). So me being 201lbs I'm supposed to have 2 slim fast shakes, 4 snacks, 3 fruits/veggies and 1 sensible meal. I think that's awsome! I may not even eat that much though...LOL.

I'm gonna be getting a Taebo DVD tomorrow and going at it daily. Also when I start up school (2 weeks) I decided that I'm gonna get up early in the morning and go to the gym. I want to start that when I start school because it would be a nice new habit to get into.

I'm also in the process of trying to quit smoking....therefore I need the control.

Sorry for rambling....but if anyone out there is doing Slim-Fast, I could sure use a buddy, someone to talk with and lose weight together with.

Thanks for reading!
LuvsButterflies :p

I also lost with Slim Fast - but that was 10 years ago. I lost 20 pounds in 3 months. I've been taking Slim Fast for about the last five months I think and haven't lost a pound yet. It is so convenient - especially in the summer months when I'm working part-time and running the kids. I just started eating food for breakfast and lunch on some days and Slim Fast on others hoping that would get the scale moving - so far nothing.

I wish you the best of luck. I LOOOOVE Taebo and having been doing it for the last seven years. What tape are you getting? I am enjoying the new Boot Camps a lot but my resistant band broke and I'm waiting for a replacement - which is taking forever. With the boot camps, I was starting to feel more toned even though I hadn't changed in inches.

Rachelle

I was just reading on aol earlier tonight about a woman who had a heart attack at the age of 25 because of her weight. She went on the slim-fast diet and lost over 100 pounds in 14 months or so.

So, I was browsing the SlimFast website after that. I'm considering doing it. I'm gonna browse the items in the grocery store this weekend and see how it'd work with my budget.

Good Luck and let us know how it works for you :)

I tried slim fast and had a horrible time with it..cravings etc. I think the OLD slimfast which is still on the shelves is not filling and has a lot of sugar in it. I dont know about the new slimfast..I can find a good protein shake for 100cals..so why not drink that instead of the 190 slimfast? Or does the new sf have something good in it. The old for carb sensitive folks is just not a good idea and the bars are like candy and not filling. Hope that has all changed.

I do know that when I tried it, the slimfast website had fantastic support and it was free! Free menu plans etc.
Also there is a yahoo group on slimfast.

Hi,

I just wanted to add to something Slimcharm said about other ideas for shakes -- I'm not against Slim Fast or anything, and I've never actually tried it. But I just thought I'd share info on the shakes I drink in case anyone's interested. :) I drink the EAS Carb AdvantEdge shakes. They're 100 cals, 1 gram impact carbs, 3 grams fat, and 15 grams protein. They come ready-made in about 5 different flavors, and also in big tubs of powder so you can make your own, add fruit, milk, etc.

Just an FYI for anyone wanting info on shakes :) .

Good luck!!! You can do it! :cb:

I like the EAS and the Carb solutions and rotate between them. They are great to grab when you want carbos cus they can quell the craving quick.

I tried slim fast and had a horrible time with it..cravings etc. I think the OLD slimfast which is still on the shelves is not filling and has a lot of sugar in it. I dont know about the new slimfast..I can find a good protein shake for 100cals..so why not drink that instead of the 190 slimfast? Or does the new sf have something good in it. The old for carb sensitive folks is just not a good idea and the bars are like candy and not filling. Hope that has all changed.

I actually was one of the product testers when they were changing over the Slim Fast line from the old kind to the Optima. The newer versions have more nutrients, as well as less sugar than the old versions. They have replaced half of the sugar with sucralose instead-taking them from 220 calories a shake to 180, 40% RDA of calcium per shake (ready to drink) to 50%, and other nutrient changes. I was also very sensitive to the old ones which I tried years ago...but when I test marketed the Optima line I didn't have any troubles. The bars and such have also been changed over to have less sugar and more nutrients.

I do want to stress that there are "protein shakes" and there are "meal replacement shakes" which are different. (This is the same with bars-there are protein bars, meal replacement bars,and energy bars. All have a different balance of protein, carbs, nutrients, calories, etc.) Protein shakes are for protein supplement only-like for extra nutrition, or for someone who strength trains and needs more protein. A meal replacement shake is formulated differently-with more carbohydrates, a small amount of fat to keep you satisifed, and other things that a meal would normally have.

A protein shake is just a protein supplement-not meant for a meal replacement by itself. A meal replacement shake usually has160-250 calories, where a protein shake can really vary in its calories depending on the amount of protein in them.

If I have to have a meal replacement shake now and then, I usually go for Myoplex Lite, Body For Life, or some other meal replacement.

I'm going to see if I can find the Slim Fast Optima products today. My problem is that I don't eat breakfast, many days don't eat lunch, usually eat a small sensible meal for dinner...so I'm looking at Slim Fast as a way to get the vitamins/nutrients I need. Take last Thursday for example...miserable day at work...no breakfast, cereal bar at lunch, handful of grapes and a cheese sandwich for dinner with a cup of coffee. Not exactly a balanced meal plan! I need to eat more to lose weight, so I'm hoping Slim Fast might be a good bridge for me.

Any recommendations as to which flavors/products are good and which to leave on the shelf?

Wildfire, I think it's all about personal taste - even my own tastes change. Last time I did Slimfast I drank mostly the French Vanilla. This time it's the Milk Chocolate one. I tried the capaccino one and didn't care for it - but I added vanialla protein powder to it and it was alright. For awhile, since I haven't been losing using the SF Optima this time around, I did try it with adding protein powder. Nothing changed but I was adding the powder for both breakfast and lunch. Maybe I'll try it with adding it to just breakfast.

Good luck! Rachelle

I started doing SlimFast last week on Monday. I went to the website and signed up for free to get a customized meal plan according to my current weight.

I ate a meal replacement bar for breakfast and lunch (and they also give you options for things you can eat with the replacements). With breakfast, I did the chocolate chip low-carb breakfast bar and usually an orange or some other piece of fruit and a small serving of fat-free milk (didn't do the milk everyday though)

For lunch, I ate the peanut butter granola bar (which I actually really liked) and usually a half of a roast beef sandwich on multi-grain bread with mustard and sometimes fat-free cheese.

For snacks, I usually ate 10 baby carrots or some cucumber slices. A couple of days I ate string cheese. And then had a sensible meal for my dinners.

When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was down 4 pounds. So, I'm going to stick with the program for now. I haven't had any really bad cravings. If anything, my appetite has decreased somewhat.

The new line of products are definitely better then the old shakes. I could never tolerate the taste of those, but these new bars are better. The peanut butter crunch bar they have for a snack is yummy. :)

I think the Slim Fast products are great to have when you're in a hurry and don't have time to cook breakfast or lunch, and they can be good for snacks. I use them a lot when I'm on the run, or if I'm having a chocolate craving I'll have a chocolate shake instead of a normal meal. But, for me personally, I don't think it is something I could stick to for life. You will eventually get sick of it...well, I know I would. So, I think if you want to use it to get started, that's great, but have a plan in place for when you eventually get tired of it. Start thinking of other meals and snacks for the same amount of calories. They are very convenient though, and if you can handle drinking those shakes for a long time and don't think you will get tired of them, it could really work. Any time you consume less calories, you'll lose weight, so if you're able to stick with it, go for it! Good luck!!! :)

Hi
I started slimfast last weekend and I think I am down but will find out for sure tomorrow night at weigh-in. I think over here in England we are still on the old shakes though. They have 215 cals in them. I also like the musili bars and the choc ones, breakfast and snack types. I just find them so easy and I love the strawberry milkshake. Maybe our mix is not the same as yours.
I have also looked at the slimfast site but it may not be the same one. I am on the buddie list if you want to write or we can write on here. I don't have lots to lose but slimming pals are great. :D


Chezz

Im also new here, maybe we can become slim fast buddies :) anyway I've just started doing the slim fast shakes Thursday...SO far I love the creamy milk chocolate and the french vanilla:)..

Im 2 days into it and so far after each shake I do get full for a while, so I guess thats a plus:) Im also doing it to help shrink my appetite back down to eat smaller portions....

Hi
Havn't been here for a couple of days but weighed in last Thurs and had lost 2lbs so very happy with that :cb: :goodscale . Hope to do it again this Thurs.
How are you doing?

Chezz

Hi! Is anyone doing slimfast plan now? How is it working for you?

I'm glad to hear the new Optima has less sugar!

Moi

Hello.
I am using Slim Fast right now and loving it. I did use this a few years ago and had fabulous success with it. I did regain my weight but it was only because I wasn't prepared for what life held in store for me.

I decided to go back to what's worked in the past, after several attempts at low carbing. Loved the lc but too hard when you have a family & are the only one following this lifestyle.

The Optima products are great IMO. The new way the plan is set up is alot better than the last time I used it.

Hope to see more posters here, I could use the support!

Hi Desertdreamer! How is the new plan different? How do you use it? Thanks!

The way it used to be was straight across the board for everyone, regardless of starting weight: 2 SF products, sensible dinner & snacks.

Now with the Optima plan, on the official site they list varying weights and within each bracket is what is reccommended(sp?) for you to consume daily.
One of your SF meals now is called a Slimfast Combination meal, meaning you have your slimfast but along with something else around 200calories.

I noticed too that additional snacks and fruits & veggies are being listed as well.

If you get the time, go to their site and see what you think.
Hopefully you'll decide to do it!:)

The new plan is different, because it used to be "one plan fits all" and that isn't the case-so it is a definite improvement.

Someone who is 250 pounds can consume more calories per day than someone who is 180-and lose weight. The bracket plan is MUCH better in my opinion than the original one.

A 250 pound man needs more fuel, while watching his weight, than a woman who may weigh 180 doing the same thing. People of different sizes have different nutritional needs.

Ok, I went to the website, I see it is more than the old 3 meals and 2 fruit snacks hunger-fest that it used to be, lol... now it's 3 snacks and a lot more variety in them too... and salads added at lunch etc. This is certainly more do-able! It's all foods and a way of eating I like to do.

Seeing as I already drink slimfast for breakfast for the vitamins, sometimes using it for lunch too... I don't think it will be much more of a stretch to try the actual plan for weight loss. I don't like to follow a rigid plan though... are you following it exactly by the website? I think I got a good gist of what to do though... reasonable small healthy snacking between meals (which I don't properly do now)... I'll make a note of amounts suggested for my weight-class etc... think that would be ok?

Ok, I'm doing it! I had my usual SF for breakfast and I just had an apple snack! So far so good as I don't usually have a pre-lunch snack. Maybe now I won't be so hungry later in the day/evening. I plan to put some frozen strawberries in my lunchtime SF to bulk it up a bit. Maybe a piece of toast & jam for afternoon snack seeing as I'll have had 2 fruits already. This is kind of exciting! I just hope it works for weightloss... my weight won't budge.

I'll get some of the SF snackbars too, in case I get cravings for something naughty at least it will still be on plan.

Are you losing weight on this? I'd love to hear more from you (or anybody else) about your Slimfasting!!

Thanks for the responses!

Moi

Happy Sunday!

I'm glad you went to the site to see for yourself. It really is so simple isn't it?
I love this plan because you make it fit your lifestyle. As a busy mom of 3 I need all the simplicity I can get! Don't get me wrong, I do understand the important thing is to know how to eat the right foods, etc for a good healthy lifestyele, but IMO I think that doing this for losing weight is great because there are no excuse for not staying on plan when this is so easy to do. I know I'm getting vitamins & minerals that are essential and I do get to eat plenty of other healthy foods along with it. Does that make sense?

I had wonderful success with this in '01. I lose 80 pounds and was only 30 pounds from my ultimate goal. I let a huge amount of stress get to me, my life turned upside in an instant and being that I had never ever in my life experienced being thin(er) I completely let myself go and regained my weight. It wasn't because the plan doesn't work, it's because I hit a very low point in my life and didn't care anymore.

I'm glad that you've decided to try Slimfast. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy and fun it can be. I love the snack bars and are perfect for those moments when you feel like you could go off the deep-end of being naughty. ;)

How much do you have to lose? It doesn't sound like too much? I have quite a bit to lose so I have a long journey ahead of me. I am looking forward to the challenge though, I'm ready to be healthy and fit for the rest of my life. I want to enjoy my children now before it's too late!

I look forward to hearing about your successes (and if it happens, also those down times), I will support you in any way I can.

~danielle

Hi Danielle! Thank you for being so welcoming! Congrats on your past success, it is so encouraging to hear, I hope you find it just as good this time around. When did you start up again, and how has it been going so far?

I figure I have about 20-30 pounds to lose, I'll play it by ear... at this point I would be thrilled to lose just a few pounds! I have a very difficult time losing weight.

So far day 1 went just fine, this seems really do-able for my tastes and as it is not a drastic change from my current eating habits... and I'm actually down a pound? :dizzy: I'm feeling very positive about this!

I'd love to hear from you too!
Moi

Good afternoon! So how's your Monday going so far? Did you have a good weekend?

It sounds like you are off to a fabulous start, keep up the great work! :carrot:

I had a great weekend, stayed on plan and drank all my water. :dizzy:
I started doing the Biggest Loser workout dvd...holy moly!!! Thought I was gonna die! LOL It's great tho, I love it. I know in time I will get it down so I won't feel so winded. Slow and easy wins the race, right?

I guess it's just you 'n' me in here, huh? Maybe more people will come in if we keep up the thread? ;) I hope so, the more the merrier.

Have a super day, I will check in later.

Be good to you~
:hug:

Hi Danielle! Biggest Loser Workout - awesome! :cheer: I've been doing yoga.
Is anybody else out there doing Slimfast? Come join us!

Well, I made it through another day, I'm impressed with myself! I'm glad they updated the diet plan, it's made all the difference.

I bought a box of the new Slimfast wholegrain muffin snack bars... not bad at all. I noticed that the Kellogs All-Bran bars that we already have in the house are similar in calories but double the fibre, so it's another good snack option... they are good too but, of course, they don't have chocolate chips in them, ;)

Thanks for the reminder, I need to drink more water too... How are you doing?

Moi

I've also used slim-fast in the past with great success. I have been trying every diet under the sun since I started LPN school in July of 2005 and nothing is working! I actually low-carbed it for a while, which I can handle, but I ended up gaining two pounds! Ugh! I was so disgusted. That's one thing I can't handle.

That's why tonite I am going to load up on slim-fast and start at it tomorrow! I also like the new format the SF company has. I was thinking of doing it on ediets, but the SF website is just as informing and it is one thing better than ediets.......it's FREE! So I signed up there to track my progress. Also, I like to use ***********.com.

Well, I better go. Just wanted to say hello to everyone! I will keep posting and updating here and I hope to hear a lot of success from everyone!

~Leigh~:dizzy:

Hi Dani!! and everyone else!! Well today is my first day back on the Slimfast plan. It still amazes me how much you eat now as compared to before. I, like Danielle, lost 75 lbs in about 6 months with SF, the old SF, but I went back to my old habits and it all came back over the past few years! Last month I had just been counting calories and exercising but I think I need some more structure, so here I am! I feel great today, lots of energy. I do the Biggest Loser workouts (6 days a week), ride the stationary bike (6 days a week for an hour) and I do a stability ball workout(2 or 3 times a week).

I dont know what is up with my water the past few days but it just tastes nasty, I cant hardly stomach it!!

Good luck fellow Slimfasters! I'm looking forward to getting to know you better!

I'm glad to hear how great everyone is doing!!! Had a busy day today, sorry for getting here late.

I stayed perfectly on plan with everything, food, water, and exercise. I can't believe that I actually looked forward to exercise this morning. :lol3:
Yesterday after I had already done the BL workout, that afternoon I decided to ride the bike for 30 min. Well, 30 turned into 40, 40 turned into 50, and I finally said, I'm goin' for 60! And I did! :carrot: Today I did the same!
I gotta tell ya, my legs are killing me from all those squats and lunges! Guess I've figured out where my weak spots are.

Melissa and I go way back. I'm so glad you decided to come by sweetie!
I can't believe you didn't tell me that you were starting SF again!
I'm so glad you did. We did this journey together once before, we can do it again. Only 1 "minor" difference, we'll be keeping it off for good!!!
You're doing fab. with your workouts lady, keep it up. I wonder what's going on with your water? Do you need a new filter? That sucks tho, cause you're usually a trooper with that H20.

Moi, You are doing great, keep the momentum going. Pretty soon it won't feel like you're trying it, it'll just become second nature to you. So glad that you are liking this plan!!! Never tried the muffin bars, but glad to hear they're good. Just in case, ya never know..heehee

Leigh, welcome!!! Yay, you're coming back to SF!! I'm happy to see you here. We sorta revived this thread alittle bit the last few days, so it's great to see some posting here. I too did the low carb thing, tried many times and had alot of great success. But, having a family who did not follow the same lifestyle made it very frustrating for me, and too easy to cheat. I wish you nothing but great success as you embark on your journey with us. Keep those posts coming!

I don't know what it is the last few days, but I've just become very reflective in regards to all I've done in the past regarding weight loss. I've tried very hard to get back into that "zone" I had when I did this plan the very first time. I was on such a roll (and Melissa too), that I really thought nothing could stop me. Well now I've learned so much between now and then that I know that this time really is different! I feel that excitement from deep inside at the thought that I will be changing my body, getting healthy, and accomplishing something that I've wanted to do for all of my adult life.

On that note, I will say goodnight. Pleasant dreams ladies!

There's no stopping us now girls!

Hi Ladies, glad you are joining us! It's very encouraging to hear your successes with SF! Today is day 4 for me and I'm still going, I think the scale is reacting possitively too, first time in a long time it seems to be going down. I *officially* weigh/measure on Sundays though so I'll see then what my first week brings.

Leigh, I gain with lowcarb too! Opposite to what everyone says it should do I find it makes me so hungry, but whole grain high carb foods satisfy my appetite very well.

Melissa & Danielle, awesome workouts!

Moi

Good Morning everyone! Stopping in very quickly before I head out to school. I had such a great day yesterday, ended up with just a little over 1700 calories! I did an hour on the stationary bike, biggest loser #1 (ended up doing it afterall!! Yay me!!) and a stabilityball/weight workout while watching tv! Excellent day!!

I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful day today! I'll be back this afternoon to check in with you all! Be good! We can do this!!

When is everyone gonna do weigh in? I think I'm changing mine to sunday. Maybe we can all do it together?? Just a thought!

Biggest Loser workout seems to be very popular around here!

I'd love a weekly weigh-in! Sunday works out great for me too!

Good afternoon everyone! How's everyone doing so far today? I can't believe the week's half over already! Guess time flies when you're having fun, huh? ;)

Melissa, you had an awesome day yesterday! :woo: Question for ya. When you do the BL do you do the #2 strength training with the #1? I hope day number 2 goes beautifully for you! I know you've got the drive to see this thing through, and besides, I know where to find you! :lol:
You rock!

Moi, hey girly girl. Glad you are doing well, weigh in will be super! Looking forward to hearing great things.

Well today's off to another great start! I did my BL workout and plan on riding the bike this afternoon. I woke up this a.m. and all the soreness I had yesterday, was gone! :woo:

I am up for having weigh-in's on Sunday's if that's what you guys want. I normally do them on Friday's, but Sunday may be better actually. This way it will keep me honest on the weekend's knowing I've got that weigh-in coming up. During the week I'm without the kids cause of school so I do really well with everything, it's those weekends when everyone's home that makes it harder to stay the course 100% (especially when I know that I've got the entire next week before the next WI!). Know what I mean, girlfriends? ;)

Hopefully some more newbies (or anyone already on plan), will join our little group here. I think we need to start a new thread, whatcha guys think?
Get one going for the month or something? You guys tell me.

Alright, time for lunch! Gee, wonder what I'm having? :D Have a fabulous afternoon guys, I'll check in with you later!

:grouphug:

This way it will keep me honest on the weekend's knowing I've got that weigh-in coming up. yeah, that and it's the day I tend to sleep in the latest... and hey, a few extra hours can mean an extra 1/2 pound or so less on the scale hee hee :hyper: :dizzy:

Alright, time for lunch! Gee, wonder what I'm having? :D OMG! I'm having that too!! :cheers:

.

Okay just finished my homework and now I'm off the the rec center to ride the bike, but I had to stop in and check on everyone. Dani to answer your question.

"Question for ya. When you do the BL do you do the #2 strength training with the #1?"

What you do is for weeks 1, 2 and 3 you rotate workout #1 and #3, so yesterday I did #1 and today I'll do #3 and then tomorrow I'll do #1 again and so on...so you end up doing 6 workouts a week (3 of each workout)
Then weeks 4, 5 and 6 you rotate workouts #2 and #4.

Does that answer your question? I hope so, if not lemme know!

So have we all decided to have a group weigh in on Sundays?

Did everyone see the message that servers cause an interuption in services this weekend? I think it was this weekend anyway.

And I think it'd be a great idea to have a new thread each month...whatever you wanna do just so long as I can find you! Okay...more after the bike! Keep on shining girls!

Monthly sounds fine to me too, but I've never done a check-in before, so however you guys want to do it is good with me, just let me know.

heehee....I've been doing BOTH workouts everyday! :dizzy: On top of the hour on the bike!!!
Guess that explains why I was so friggin' sore, huh? :lol:


So, group weigh in on Sunday's it is!!! Sounds good to me.

A new thread will be good, I think. Guess we will start it tomorrow? Whoever gets here first?

Hope you enjoy that bike today!!! peddle, peddle, peddle! ;)

talk to you soon!

New thread for February has been started! I hope I did it ok:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1114116#post1114116

Hey! i`m also doing the slimfast Optima \ WW flexpoints.. plan..i guess it`s my own plan..lol anyone else doing this?
xox
Maryann

Hi Maryann! I'm doing the Optima plan, there are a few of us here but we are in a different thread, here's the link

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77662

I hope you come over and join us!! good luck to you with your plan and congrats on the success you've had so far!! keep up the good work!

oh thank u sweety! i`m there :)
:carrot: lol