I pulled this out of another thread since the discussion kept getting sidetracked!

I know there are a lot of back and forth opinions about Slimfast, and I just wanted to share why I *don't* think it's a good, long-term, sustainable solution to weight loss.

I don't think meal substitution of any kind works in the long run because it means that for the rest of your life, you're stuck with the substitute. When you start with a shake/food substitute, it doesn't help you to know what foods are healthy, what is good combination of foods to match that calorie/nutrition range, etc. So if you don't have your shake/snack/specialty food with you or if you decide to stop buying/using it, you usually wind up going right back to old eating habits.

These shakes/etc. are also full of artificial products that I personally don't think are good for us to consume, much less to consume on a daily or multiple-times-daily basis. They contain everything from preservatives to artificial colors to artificial flavors. Bleah.

Do I think that grabbing a Slimfast (or Advantege or any other brand) shake is ok once in a while? Sure. I have been known to grab one when I couldn't make my own protein shake or when I was in an airport and my choice was Slimfast or Burger King. I don't think they're evil across the board.

I just don't think they're a sustainable lifestyle change for a long term healthy diet.

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I don't see why you couldn't consider Slim Fast to be a tool to help you when you need it.
I wouldn't make it my forever food, but if using Slim Fast keeps people on plan, then they should use it.

I'm thinking of getting some slim fast to use as an "on the go" meal, like when I don't have time for breakfast in the morning or can't get away from work for lunch. I don't like the idea of consuming any one thing ALL the time.

I don't think it follows that, if you use meal replacement products regularly, you aren't learning healthy habits. Unless they are ALL that you are eating, you have to be making healthy choices too for the non-replacement meals. The worst you could say is that people using these products for a particular meal (for example, breakfast) don't know what healthy choices to pick at a breakfast-style restaurant, or when they have to get breakfast at a convenience store...but even that is faulty. If you are making a healthy dinner, as part of the slimfast plan, you're learning about nutrition and healthy choices, certainly enough so that you can make them when faced with them. You're just choosing not to have to think about it for 1 or 2 meals per day.

It isn't like people are having 2 slimfasts a day, then a Big Mac and fries. The "Sensible Meal" part of the plan, as followed correctly, means you have to learn at least something about nutrition. And for people NOT following the Slimfast plan to the letter, they've got to be making even more healthy choices...a slimfast for breakfast is only one choice in a series of choices we make all day, every day.

The artificial stuff is a separate argument, and that's a matter of personal choice IMO. I try to eat mostly whole foods, but some processed stuff fits in there too for me.

I'm not sure why you started a thread just to tell us why you don't like SlimFast, and I don't think your reasons are legit. If SlimFast is not for you, that's fine, and I wish you well with whatever plan you are following. I just don't understand why you're telling people that it is so bad.

I believe the SlimFast plan does teach healthy habits that can last a lifetime, and the habits are sustainable over a lifetime, whether you continue using the products or not. And some of the SlimFast products are quite tasty, and I would eat them whether I was trying to lose weight or not.

The OLD SlimFast plan was to drink one shake for breakfast, one for lunch, and eat a sensible dinner. The current plan is one SF meal for Breakfast (bar or shake), one SF bar or shake for lunch plus 1/2 sandwich and a piece of fruit or something similar, a good dinner, and 2-3 snacks. You are taught to count calories and eat lots of fruit and veggies, and exercise.

You can continue this program over a lifetime, I believe. Or, you can phase out the SF products and continue couting calories, eating healthy, and exercising. Whichever route is chosen, you can learn habits that last a lifetime.

So please people. Quit bashing the people using the Slim Fast plan. We're supposed to come here to give and get support, and I don't understand why so many people are bashing Slim Fast when they don't even understand what the plan is about.

Beth

Um .. I started the thread for discussion (see the title says "discussion" and not "I hate slimfast" in case you'd missed that) and to hear the pros and cons, since in another thread on this board, the discussion kept getting dragged into that and one of the Mods said it would be appropriate for a separate thread.

However your knee-jerk hostile responses aren't really helping here. You keep accusing anyone who has a negative response to them of being "rude" and that their reasons aren't "legit". Perhaps you could rein that in a bit??????

It's not "rude" to have an opinion that's different from yours.

And yes, my opinion is based on my experiences. I've done the Slimfast diet before and it isn't (IMO) sustainable over a lifetime. As I've said. I'd be happy to hear a REASONED and CALM and rational response from someone who has used it successfully and how they have.

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Guys, please try to keep the discussion cordial. Please try to remember that what works for one person is never exactly the same as what works for another, and try to remain open to the fact that, even if you have had one experience, most likely 5 different people had 5 other experiences. No experience is more valid than another.

Bethbeth, I didn't think your post was rude or offensive. I pretty much agree with your whole post.

No it isn't, is it? That's what great about this board -- all opinions and experiences are welcome. Politeness counts, though (and a sense of humor doesn't hurt either! )

I have said this before and I will say it again I used Slimfast when I was losing weight and now that I am at goal I am using Slimfast to maintain my weight.In both cases I also ate healthy food and counted calories.

I use Slimfast every day. I started my diet with Slim Fast and have worked it into "My Diet" over time and have just made it a part of the whole of my diet. I count calories, have SF shake for breakfast (the only SF product that I use) and do know how to choose a sensible breakfast when not having SF. I either eat a high fiber cereal (Kashi Good Friends is a current Fave) or when going out to eat...some rye toast with 2 eggs over medium. Very reasonable meals...both of them. Slim Fast for me is just a small part of the whole...although I do enjoy it almost every single morning...I can live without it...but prefer not to...it makes my life easier and I wholly picture myself making it a part of my life for the long term.

As far as rudeness/politeness goes...well...let's just keep it clean and I hope that people can learn to laugh a little and live a little. Agree to disagree at times and don't let someone else's stress cause you to stress out. Not worth the time or frustration that it brings on....breath people..you'll feel better in the long term....or better yet...go for a run.

Hey, at my daughter's high school, that's the way a lot of girls eat and that's how college girls eat at my school too.

Actually that *is* how a lot of people do it. Or something similar. They drink their shakes during the day and then binge at night ... and after they quit drinking the shakes, they wonder why they gain all the weight back.

It seems that there are many people who have made Slimfast a successful part of their long-term, sustainable weightloss ... but I think those people are the exception more than the rule.

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I don't know who is the exception, or the rule....but I don't think you can state what you just stated in all due fairness....and that is about any plan. You don't have the stats and honestly...I don't know many people on diets in my everyday life to keep up with what they are doing right or wrong....but I would never state what you did when you said "Actually that *is* how a lot of people do it. Or something similar. They drink their shakes during the day and then binge at night ... and after they quit drinking the shakes, they wonder why they gain all the weight back." I'm not trying to make a dig at you, I just think that making an assumption like that is not appropriate...or maybe that is the wrong word....but you know...making assumptions aren't great...

I guess it's like if I was a calorie counter who ate 1 meal of taco bell a day. I might lose weight for a while, but it likely wouldn't be a sustainable loss. That being said...it wouldn't be the calorie counting at fault for that, you know? Just like there is a healthy, sustainable way to do calorie counting, as well as a less healthy, less sustainable way, the same with meal replacements...I DO believe there are healthy, sustainable ways to use them, just like there are less healthy, less sustainable ways (big macs and binges).

Basically, it boils down to READING the packaging and directions when you buy a Slim-Fast product.

The Slim-Fast plan originally in the 70's and 80's WAS like this-only a shake for breakfast and lunch. However, it did say on the packaging that the healthy dinner was supposed to be a small portion of lean meat, a vegetable, and a starch. (There used to be a little direction pamphlet in the powder cannister...) It specified portions, and that the dinner was supposed to be a balanced, healthy one.

The plan was, however, too low calorie for most. In the later 80's and 90's the plan changed to add a couple of snacks per day-the snacks were listed to be either a fruit, a vegetable, or a Slim-Fast snack bar, or another snack under 110 calories, such as popcorn, etc. Once again, these were also listed in the directions for the product.

A few years ago, Slim-Fast reformulated their product to the new Optima line. Higher protein, lower sugar, and even the calorie count changed a bit. The plan has the dinner listed (balanced), the snacks listed, etc. They have even changed the plan so that the calorie level is different, based upon your current weight. (More snacks and food exchanges are added to higher weights.) If followed to the letter, the plan would include lean protein, moderate amounts of starch, and a few servings of fruit and vegetables each day, etc. along with the shakes. It all boils down to reading the directions/packaging. The plan is laid out, and if followed correctly, is balanced.

Whether or not Slim-Fast is the healthiest of all meal replacements, however, is another issue completely. Some people are very against artificial sweeteners for instance, while others have no problems with having a Diet Coke as a treat. It is all personal.


Can someone have a shake for breakfast and lunch only, and then a crappy dinner-yes, of course. On the same note, someone can also eat a pound of bacon for breakfast, pork rinds for lunch, and a steak for dinner and say that they are doing Atkins. That would be unhealthy, and would not be teaching any healthy, sustainable habits, either. Another Atkins dieter, though, having read the book and applied its knowledge, might be having eggs and berries for breakfast, a grilled chicken salad for lunch, and fish and veggies for dinner-and could be living a lifestyle that is sustainable, and healthy.

It isn't fair though, to assume that your bad experiences, or the way that one person might use the Slim-Fast plan, is the same experience that every person is going to have with it.