This thread was started by someone asking "I wonder if anyone has had any experiences, good or bad, with Slimfast." Accordingly, people posted their experiences--some good, some bad. Some encouraged/supported the use of the product, some discouraged. This is to be expected from the question that was posed.

Now, should someone wish to start a buddy-group type thread for those who have already made the decision to use Slimfast, it would be inappropriate for those who have negative things to say about this program to come along and try to dissuade the participants in a Slim-fast support group from continuing with a program that's working for them. I would hope that wouldn't happen, although I know it does from time to time.

This site offers serves two great functions: support AND information exchange. Telling someone (who's ASKED) that you did not like something or don't think it's a good idea isn't being unsupportive.

All this being said, I just need to add that I believe the discrepancy between Mrs. Jim's NI and Lisa's is that one refers to the canned liquid and one to the powder. The powder, of course, is added to milk which contains lactose, a naturally-occurring sugar.

I have no bone to pick with Slimfast--as I mentioned before, I've used it succesfully and I think it is the right way to go for some people. Maybe there are some other meal-replacement products that are nutritionally superior in some way or another, but Slimfast beats a lot of ways I used to replace my meals--with french fries, or ice cream, for example!

Mrs. Jim--you are a most articulate and well-read person. Your posts are very informative. It's a shame this has degenerated into a bizarre argument, isn't it?

Bumby - I wasn't going to post on this particular thread anymore but I had to answer you. YES! I do believe that this has gotten totally out of hand.

I did use the nutritional info of the ready-to-drink Slimfast for these reasons:

1) In all the current TV ads I've seen for the product, they push the ready-to-drink exclusively; and

2) It is by far the biggest selling version of SlimFast - I believe the reason for that is its convenience (most of us are in fulltime jobs and/or parents and don't always have time to drag the ol' blender out).

I have no idea why the sugar is so much higher in the canned version than in the powder. Part of it most likely is due to the sugar naturally present in milk, but I talked to my Dad (who is a retired food & beverage chemist, and was also an intern in the US Army) and his theory in short is that the RTD Slimfast and the powdered version are two different formulas. There may be extra sugar added to the canned stuff along with extra thickening agents and preservatives, as well as a short cooking process during the canning process...

In addition, I believe that if someone wants to start a 'support' thread for whatever weight loss method they choose to use, it should be started on the "Support" forum rather than this "Diet Plans" forum. "Nuff said...

MrsJim
265/155/145

Two different formulas? I can believe that. I always hated the ready-to-drink stuff. Blech. Tasted like a tin can. I used the powder, lotsa ice, and made a huge, 16 oz shake to drink with a straw on my way to work.

I tried slimfast once before. It helped initially to get me started, but I ended up just gaining everything back (I had lost about 20-25#). I guess the only thing that I really have against the fad diets, is that you're not learning anything. I need to learn what it takes to make me healthy. Losing the pounds is wonderful & awesome, but I want to learn about nutrition and eating right. I want to become the active, athletic person that I was meant to be. I want to provide well-balanced, nutritious meals for my family.

I still have Slimfast at home. I will have a shake maybe a few times a month. Not for the weightloss. I wake up at about 5:45. I watch little ones in my home. I wake up with an empty gut, but can't stomach the thought of food some mornings. So every once in a while, I will mix up a vanilla shake to start my day off.

I think when a person is attempting any fad diet, that they have to accept that once they come off of it, the weight will probably start coming back on. Unless a person makes life changes for good (health, activity/exercise, water intake, proper sleep, etc.), the other factors are going to always have control.

Just my .02 :) And, I HAVE lost the weight on SlimFast. Had I started more life changes at that point, maybe it would have stayed off? Who knows!

Sandi
255/255/150

Why does everyone call slimfast a fad diet? It has been around for YEARS and many people have had great success on it and kept the weight off!! My sil used it to lose all her pregnancy weight, my sister just lost 15 lbs on it and has kept every pound off eating normally, just healthy, the keyword being healthy! Fad diet to me is something that makes you lose fast but temporary....slimfast if anyone ever gives it a chance before condemning it and has the snacks your suppose to have and right number of calories you lose about 2 lbs a week! How is that a fad diet?People love shakes and always have! All I am saying is it is a lifestyle like anything we do and sure if you treat it like a "diet" the weight will come back! Its a choice to drink those shakes that you make and it's up to you to stick to it but if you can't don't make others feel bad because they enjoy it. Alot of women only have the shakes and dinner.Thats not healthy.You need more calories like they say to have!

Sarah
(slimfast drinker and whos pregnancy hormones are out of control!)

I have been using Slim Fast shakes and meal replacement bars to lose weight. So far I have lost 13
pounds. I also count my calories and make sure I don't exceed 2000 a day. For me I still lose weight
with 2000 cals a day since I am very overweight. Nothing is going to work for everyone, but for me it
works 'cause it satisfies my sweet tooth and supplies vitamins/minerals too. Also the newest version
has soy protein which is supposed to be very good for women.
Best wishes to all us Slimfasters!
(313/300/165)

I just wanted to quickly point out that in recent years slimfast has put a lot of effort into designing a maintenance plan to go with the weight loss plan for slim fast. I actually bought the book that they wrote about the plan and it made a lot of sense. I think that with slimfast the main goal is that you do not have to think much about what foods to eat to get the 220 calories and that is fortified with vitamins. It is important that you have a plan to eat sensible foods after you have lost the weight. I have lost weight with slimfast but not kept it off. Not because I didn't follow the program correctly but becasue I had no maintenance plan. Just my two cents.