The Unilever company developed the Slim-Fast product line in 1977 based on a demand for a convenient diet that was easy for busy people to follow. The Slim-Fast diet program consists of a variety of ready-to-drink shakes, meal replacement bars, shake powder mixes and snack bars. You can buy Slim-Fast items at most grocery stores.
Diet Basics
While following the Slim-Fast program, you are required to replace two meals with a ready-to-drink shake or a meal replacement bar. In addition, you may eat a 500-calorie meal at any time of the day. For convenience, you can choose which meal of the day to replace.
Between meals, you can choose three 100-calorie snacks. The Slim-Fast program includes snack bars, but you can also choose from a variety of fruits, nuts, vegetables and crackers.
Types of Plans
Initially, the Slim-Fast program made only the original shake and meal bars. Due to increasing demand for a lower sugar alternative, Slim-Fast produced the Optima line of shakes and meal bars. This line contains the artificial sweetener, sucralose, instead of sugar. Slim-Fast also carries a high-protein line.
Online Resources
The Slim-Fast website contains an area where you can go to track your progress, look up recipes and plan meals. You can also track your activity as well as your diet. There is no fee to sign up for the online portion of the Slim-Fast program. You also have the option to view and print weekly progress reports.
Pros
The premade shakes and bars provide you with convenience. You don't have to worry about cooking meals or what you are going to eat next. The shakes and bars are portable, so you can take them with you.
Cons
The Slim-Fast program is essentially a very low-calorie diet. The downside to a very low-calorie diet is that is often leads to intense hunger and binging episodes, which can make you gain weight. While a low-calorie diet will lead to weight loss, the weight usually returns once you get off the diet because the low level of calories causes a decrease in metabolism function. The Slim-Fast program also does not provide you with any educational tools or knowledge to make healthy eating decisions after you finish the program.
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