The Slim-Fast Diet consists of weight loss bars and shakes that are intended to replace normal meals and lead to weight loss. The diet plan was developed by the Unilever company in 1977. The food items needed to follow the Slim-Fast Diet are available online through various websites or in a variety of local grocery stores.
Diet Basics
The Slim-Fast Diet involves replacing two regular meals with a Slim-Fast shake or meal replacement bar and eating a third 500-calorie meal. The dieter has the option to choose whether he or she wants to eat a 500-calorie meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
In addition, the dieter is also allowed three 100-calorie snacks throughout the course of the day. Snack options include Slim-Fast snack bars, nuts, fruits or vegetables.
Plans
The Slim-Fast Diet offers three different available plans: original, optima and high-protein. The original plan was the first plan developed and includes ready-to-drink shakes, snack bars, meal replacement bars, smoothies and shake powders. The optima plan was created in response to the demand for lower sugar options. The optima plan offers the same items as the original plan, but instead of sugar, the diet items are made with the artificial sweetener, sucralose.
Other Resources
The Slim-Fast Diet website offers recipes for preparing the 500-calorie meals allowed on the program. The website also allows dieters to set up daily or weekly meal plans to help stay on track. The website also provides tracking tools for water consumption, activity level and weight loss. The dieter can choose to view or print progress reports that show weekly progress.
Pros
The Slim-Fast Diet makes it convenient for people who are busy to stick to their diet. With prepackaged meal replacement bars and ready-to-drink shakes, dieters can take their food items anywhere. The website also provides various tools to track progress, which can help maintain the dieter's motivation.
Cons
The Slim-Fast Diet provides very little calories during the course of the day. Although a very low-calorie diet will be effective in weight loss, it is not advisable as a long-term diet plan. Those on a very low-calorie diet often lose weight within months of returning to normal eating habits.
In addition, the diet does not provide the dieter with any education or tools necessary to teach portion control or healthy eating practices.
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