Slim-Fast: Drinking Your Way to Weight Loss

You may have seen one of the ever-present cans in the grocery store and been tempted to pick it up. Yet, you're not sure whether Slim-Fast will be effective in helping you to lose weight. You should know that the Slim-Fast program is considered quite successful in the fight against fat--although not everyone is sold on the plan. Nearly thirty years ago, S. Daniel Abraham revolutionized weight loss programs with the Slim-Fast drink. According to the company website, Slim-Fast represents a sensible way to slim down. In fact, more than two dozen medical studies indicate that the diet program is a winning formula for losing weight. Slim-Fast is considered to be a nutritionally-balanced plan, offering dieters proteins, carbohydrates, and a healthy amount of fat. One of the recommendations of the Slim-Fast program is its convenience. You can drink on the run, enabling you to fit nutrition into your busy day. In addition, the program is considered far less expensive than other diet plans, particularly pre-packaged diet plans such as NutriSystem and Jenny Craig. Slim-Fast also now offers more variety. In addition to all the different flavors of shakes it offers, Slim-Fast also provides dieters with soup, pasta, and nutrition bars. In all, Slim-Fast now features more than a hundred different products. If you follow the Slim-Fast plan, you will need to eat three meals each day, along with three snacks made up of fruits and vegetables. Two of the meals and one snack must be made up of Slim-Fast products. Because of the frequency with which you'll be eating, you shouldn't suffer from hunger pains. One study actually showed that individuals who used Slim-Fast over a period of a decade were 33 pounds lighter than dieters who did not use Slim-Fast products. Another advantage to the Slim-Fast program is that you don't have to worry about counting calories, cooking meals, or figuring out portion sizes. Slim-Fast has, in essence, done the work for you. Also, you can now choose between two different Slim-Fast programs: the Optima Diet and the Plan for a Low-Carb Lifestyle. The company's website contends that the program is a proven weight loss tool. Dieters have had success in maintaining their weight over one to five years' duration. A spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association has called the website "user-friendly." By visiting the site, you can be put in touch with registered dieticians who can answer your concerns. The website also offers a support group, which can be a critical factor in maintaining weight loss over the long term. Slim-Fast's goals as far as weight loss is concerned follow government guidelines. The idea is to lose ten percent of one's weight over six months, meaning that one would shed no more than two pounds a week. Slim-Fast's plan calls for only 30 minutes of exercise a day, which seems entirely doable. Dieters may also be inspired by the success stories posted on the company's website. However, there are disadvantages to the Slim-Fast program. For instance, if you don't like the taste of the shakes or food, you could find it difficult to continue with the meal plan. Also, some people report feeling hungry, despite eating the recommended portions of food. Slim-Fast, in essence, does the thinking for you, so, for the most part, you do not get the experience of shopping for wholesome food for yourself. You might also tire of the program quickly, causing you to gain back the weight you initially lost. While Slim-Fast may be effective for the short-term, it is a difficult program to maintain for life. As a result, Slim-Fast gets mixed reviews--even from members of the medical community. While some dieticians are fans of meal replacement programs, others see them as potentially harmful and nutritionally inadequate. Whether you can effectively lose weight with Slim-Fast depends upon whether you have the discipline and desire to remain with the program for the long-term. If you start to use Slim-Fast for a while, then stop, you will likely gain back the weight you initially lost. However, for decades now, Slim-Fast has been winning the hearts of dieters and the company shows no signs of slowing down in the near future. Slim-Fast may be one way that you can drink yourself to optimum weight loss.