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.

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