Slim Fast?????

R

runner2

Cathlete
I know, I know...I should no better.But I don't know where else to turn!
I know it is suppose to be about a healthy well balanced diet,along with exercise but it is almost as if my body isn't responding anymore.It is also about not wanting to buy all new clothes b/c I am not comfortable in my old clothes.
I have gained 7 pounds since last year.Although I know where the problem lies, I am one of those people who as to stick religously to a meal plan.That is what I intend on doing.
I looked up this site and it as 6 meals a day.Two snacks by slim fast,plus fruit and 2 meals by slim fast.I know it could also be a money making racket but like I said I am going to try it.I also figured that the bars I can have for snacks will help with my sweet tooth.
As anyone here ever tried slim fast? It has been around for such along time but I have never been intreged until now. It seems to be pretty well balanced but I wonder how much aspertame the products have?
Anyhoo, I just wanted some feedback on what you guys think of it all.I bought a weeks supply today and we will see how it goes from here.
Thanks,
Runner2
 
Hi runner ... I love the slim fast bars. I eat one when I have a sweet tooth, or if I miss breakfast or lunch, or snack in between if I am really hungry and its an hour or 2 until supper. So don't feel alone there. I don't use the slim fast drinks, haven't had too. I wish you all the besst on it though......... Bless you Rhonda :7
 
I say do what works for u.. i hope you have success with this.. I drink the ready to drink shakes every morning at work.. its easy and gets me going and keeps me held up for about 3 hrs till lunch.. i do them for lunch sometimes if i have tons of stuff to do on my lunch hour and they always work well for me.. good luck :+
 
Thanks so much guys.....I didn't know what kind of feedback I was gonna get on this one!:)
I only had the bars so far today.But I plan on having a shake tomorrow morning for breakfast and I was wondering how well it was gonna fill me up.It must be a pretty goos product if it has stayed on the market this long.
Thanks again,
Runner2
 
I tried the Slim Fast soy drink once...then looked at the ingredients. Sugar is either number one or number two, and there were several types of sweetner. I think it's about the same as drinking a can of pop and taking a multivitamin at the same time. If you want a beverage that you can have as a meal replacement, I'd recommend getting a good protein powder with vitamins and minerals that you can mix with water, watered-down juice (to cut out some calories), or low fat (rice/soy/dairy) milk.
 
Hello there. Girl, I say.........GO FOR IT!! If it works for you and your lifestyle, and something you can live with, do it!!! I sometimes drink them in the morning only because I am not one to eat first thing in the morning, and this is light enough for me and I drink on the way to work.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes for you.

Kim
 
I have not used it as part of a weight loss plan, but the meal replacement bars are my favorite emergency ration. I keep 2 of them with me all the time, in case I stuck someplace without any other food. It's gotten my out of countless situations when I would have been famished otherwise.

I like the oatmeal raisin ones the best.

Just Do It! :)
 
Slim-Fast is what I used about 3 years ago to lose about 30 pounds. It worked really well for me. I still drink the shake for lunch most every day. I used to eat the Slim-Fast bars before working out in the morning, but since I found Kashi Go-Lean protein bars I'm hooked on those now. :) I also tried the Kashi Go-Lean shake mix and loved it...but it's pretty expensive at about $15 a cannister (which only lasts about a week if you use it daily).
 
Never say diet.

It could work but is it really necessary? Eat three square meals per day plus snacks or smaller balanced meals 5 or 6 times per day. Slim fast bars are processed foods and I feel it is much better to create a diet plan based on whole grains, lean proteins and nutritous fats as well as little indulgences. Wouldn't you prefer to eat a small slice of cake after a nutritous dinner than to eat a slim fast bar which is probably more similar to the cake than to a healthy meal? Start from scratch is my motto. A meal I make from the ingredients I have on hand. Add pasta, whole grain bread, brown rice to a piece of chicken or fish or lean red meat, plus a salad, easy on the dressing and steamed spinach or sauteed boccoli. Finish off with some lovely fresh fruit or a small piece of cake or chocolate and you are doing fine!

Food is to be enjoyed and those bars are awful. Do you really want to waste your time with something that is merely acceptable because you want to drop a few pounds? You CAN have your cake and a healthy diet too! It's all about balance. Satisfy your appetitie with a well balanced meal and treat yourself to moderate portions of absolutely any food you love.

Those prepared liquid meals have too much sugar and are not nearly as satisfying as sitting down to a real meal. They can't supply the fiber you need to feel satisfied and can actually set you up to be more hungry if you aren't careful. Just like a high carb diet can leave you craving and make you eat more. Long grain or brown rice, whole wheat bread, that's the way to go. Don't get me wrong, I still eat regular old white pasta, which is a medium food on the glycemic index, and white torillas (no lard or hydrogented fat) too but when they are paired with beans and lean proteins they keep blood sugar stable. I eat very lightly but am always satisfied and I can afford the occasional indulgence. The probelm with American diets is PROCESSED FOODS. Dump them, enjoy your food, work out and I guarantee you'll be slim and healthy and happy too!
 
RE: Never say diet.

Good words of advice..but for me I like the bars.And I can stop at 1 bar,which is 130 cals or I can have a piece of cake that is 300 cals? I think I would rather have the bar.Besides for that, a cake would be staring back at me from the fridge all the time, while the bars are in the cupboard and Im not going to open one until I need to eat one.I have a habit of picking at food through out the day, until it is all gone.
I need to follow a well structured PLAN.Doing it by myself just ins't going to cut it anymore.I need rules to follow, and not ones that I have made up myself.I don't follow my own rules:+
I know how to eat healthy and I know what good foods to pick over the bad foods.I buy them all the time.My kitchen is full of fruits, veggies and whole grain products.The problem is, I eat the good things, followed by the bad things.I just need help getting back on track.When I get back on track and have myself set in the right direction, then I will have the willpower to say no to the candies in the cupboard, or no to my husbands bed time snacks.
Like I said good advice, but that is the way I have been eating for the last 4 yrs.I just need to get control of my eating in between meals,get my eating back on a regular schedule and then I can get use to normal portions again.Does what I said make any sense, or was I just rambling????
Thanks again,
Runner2:7
 
RE: Never say diet.

I would think that if you are on the Slim Fast plan for an extended period of time and then go back to eating 5-6 meals a day, you are going to gain weight. If you replace two meals a day with a shake and then go back to eating solid food, I would think that you are going to gain weight. I think Slim Fast is good for a "quick" 5 pound weight drop, but as soon as you eat normal again, even if it is controlled, you should gain the weight back. It only sounds logical. Just a thought...

Kim
 
It's nice to be able to prepare nutritious meals that will satisfy those cravings (substitute carrots when what you really want is a 3 Musketeers? Who do they think they're kidding?)...but let's face it, time or the lack thereof is part of our nutritional problem! Don't let yourself get too dependent on the Slim Fast shakes or bars...but they are great in emergencies (one of the worst things you can do is let yourself get so hungry you'll eat ANYTHING!) or when time is short. Because of my schedule (working from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and the active nature of my job, I split my breakfast and lunch into two b'fasts and two lunches and use the Slim Fast bars or shakes to supplement real meals. Hope this makes some sense and helps. I know people who use Slim Fast this way and aren't trying to lose weight at all. Good luck, Runner2!
 
RE: Never say diet.

Hi, Runner2.

In all fairness, I have never tried a Slim Fast bar so I really spoke out of turn. Of the ones I have tried, I usually found I ate them as well as regular food so that didn't work at all! As for cake, it is rarely in the house--only on birthdays and I discovered something really interesting about sweets.

In January, I had surgery on my mouth and later on my foot and I increased my protein intake as a result. I have found that eating protein in conjuntion with carbs really satisfies my appetitie and I rarely crave sweets any more. And when I do, I am usually satisfied with a small taste. Before my foot injury I too was a runner and I was a carb hound! I easily ate 65% of my calories from carbs and was usually hungry for more in spite of the fact that I don't eat too many refined carbs except for pasta and tortillas since my kids and husband despise whole grain pasta and tortillas and I got tired to doing one thing for me and another for them. I am sure to eat small portions when I eat white pasta and tortillas and I am careful to avoid hydrogenated fats which abound in tortillas particularly. Otherwise, I do strive to eat whole grains.
And you are right that we need to do what works for each of us.

Kim, it won't necessarily work that way if you keep your calorice intake level. One of the benefits of solid food, especially whole grains, is the fiber content helps make you feel satieated. Good fats too! Bring on the olive oil and the avacados! The trick is eliminating binge thinking and eating. The only danger is overdoing it! It's what Runner2 meant about having cake in the house. I only let my kids have junk food I am not tempted to eat because some foods will actually call me into the kitchen to eat them, hungry or no. Since it has little to do with hunger and nothing to do with nutrition, I know it's emotional and I wonder why I can be in control of most aspects of my life, but have tremendous issues with food if I am not careful!
Chicks's Rule! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Bobbi
 
Lydia, my point is you can destroy craving by eating the correct foods in the correct proportion. And I really like sitting down to a meal although, if I am pressed for time, I will grab a Nourishe yogurt smoothie we always have on hand because my fourteen year-old likes them, or if don't feel like cooking, and I am sure that's not much different from a Slim Fast drink, but overall, I throw together a little meal of my own design. And when I want a Three Musketeers I eat one. Most of the time, I just don't want one if I eat well balanced meals and breakfast is a must. It's been so bloody hot here in Tucson, my appetite has been poor. I guess that's an upside to the heat! Plus, I am a stay at home mom and I like to cook, so I do but I know it must be very difficult for anyone who works to plan and prep meals. I am an old pro at it and it still means prep time and clean up time to boot. I didn't mean to offend anyone. I think nutrition is part of the whole package of fitness,i.e., cardio, strength, flexibilty and food! I do keep things very simple. Anyone pressed for time should check out Mark Bittman's cookbook, The Minimalist Cooks Dinner. Excellent and quick!
Chicks's Rule! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Bobbi
 
I don't think that you offended anyone.
I think life has gotten to crazy for everyone these days.Everything seems to be the faster way. As in cooking meals or grabbing a bar or a shake of some sort. I think that alot of these weight loss products are made for people who don't have the time to make sensible meals each and every day and alot of the time they just may need something that they can stick in their purse and run along.
Really, if you think about it.If we only had the time to sit down, write out a meal plan,cook healthy meals and then do some exercise.Life is so hectic these days, its all about how much we can get done in one day so that we don't have to do it all tomorrow.Then when tomorrow comes we are doing the exact samething that we did before.
Sometimes people need alot of guidence when it comes to dieting}( I know that I am one of them.I have to stick to a meal plan right to the tablespoon or I feel as if the day was ruined.That another way that these products come in to play.They are neatly wrapped into one serving size.
Bottomline, I don't know if they work either b.c I have never tried them.I would imagine that if you keep your calorie intake the same you should be fine.
Isn't it wonderful being a women??????????:7
Lori
 
It is! It is! But it is way too fast, compared to the idyllic days when I was a kid. But even without working outside the home, I can get so busy we head for the nearest resturant. Last week I did my yard and put in a good fifteen hours of hauling, raking and obsessive cleaning! By evening, I had little desire to throw together dinner. Who knew getting married, having kids and a lovely, mortgaged home meant a sentence to hard labor? :) Just kidding! Again, I am back to balance. This week I'll get the inside of my house sparkling and cook every night! On the 15th, I am off to see my mom in Michigan and then I'll relax. But there's no escaping the kitchen. I always get to do the cooking when I go! Reading over my post makes me realize I shouldn't put off time for myself NOW. Who knows what'll come up in the future? Like my dear old mom is fond of saying, "man's work is sun to sun; woman's work is never done!
Chicks's Rule! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Bobbi
 
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