If you're considering a weight-loss program, it's hard to miss the Slim-Fast liquid diet program. The Slim-Fast shakes, available in the nutrition section of your local pharmacy or at your local supermarket, almost define liquid diets, and millions of people have tried them at one time or another. According to a study at UCLA reported by Vanderbilt University, Slim-Fast appears to work when you follow the program carefully.
Significance
The Slim-Fast liquid diet seems pretty simple: you consume a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and then a small, low-fat solid-food meal at dinner, according to the Slim-Fast website. Although in recent years the Slim-Fast company has augmented the program with snack foods, many dieters skip the snacks and simply stick to the liquid diet program.
Features
The Slim-Fast liquid diet shakes themselves come in two forms: either pre-mixed in cans, or as a dry mix that you'll need to combine with milk. Either way, the shakes will contain about 220 to 250 calories each, depending on the flavor and the liquid used to mix them. If you have a shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch, you'll only consume up to 500 calories in total for those two meals.
Types
The Slim-Fast liquid diet program allows you one "balanced meal" per day, which is typically consumed at dinner. This meal can only include 500 calories, and must feature ingredients that are 50 percent protein, 25 percent vegetables and 25 percent starch. For example, a typical meal might feature a seasoned chicken breast, cooked without oil or butter, a large serving of green beans, and a small quantity of sauteed potatoes.
Effects
Slim-Fast advertises that its liquid diet program will result in weight loss of about 1 to 2 lbs a week. According to Vanderbilt University, dieters following the Slim-Fast liquid diet program in a medically supervised program at UCLA lost between 14 and 19 pounds over the course of 12 weeks, which would tend to validate the Slim-Fast claims.
Considerations
As with all diets, the main problem comes when you've lost all the weight you want to lose and begin eating your normal diet again. According to Vanderbilt University, only about 39 percent of the dieters in the Slim-Fast program had maintained most of their weight loss at the two-year mark. You'll definitely want to exercise to improve your chances, and you may even want to consider nutritional counseling. And although the diet appears safe, check with your doctor before starting any new diet.
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