If you need to lose weight and you like the idea of small, frequent snacks, Slim-Fast may be worth considering. Slim-Fast claims its diet can help you lose 1 to 2 lbs. per week, and it decreases your hunger because you get to eat six times per day. However, the program relies heavily on processed diet products, and you should ask your doctor if it is healthy before you start it.
Diet Overview
On the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan, you get a total of 1,200 calories per day from three snacks, two Slim-Fast meal replacement bars or shakes and 1 500-calorie meal that you can eat whenever you want. The program encourages daily exercise through participating in activities that you enjoy. Anyone can create a free account and access Slim-Fast online weight tracking and meal planning tools, community forums and informational articles. As with any diet, get your doctor's approval before you start.
Meal Replacements
Twice a day, replace your regular meal with a Slim-Fast meal bar or 8-oz. shake. Each provides 180 to 200 calories, 4 to 5 g dietary fiber and about 10 g protein, and they have at least 20 percent of the daily value for vitamins and many essential minerals. Slim-Fast's high-protein shakes have about 15 g protein, and the reduced-carbohydrate varieties have about 6 g carbohydrates. Possibilities include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and mocha shakes, and chocolate peanut caramel, chocolate fudge brownie and chocolate cookie dough meal bars.
Balanced Meal
Slim-Fast recommends using the Portion Plate Guide to help you plan your daily balanced meal, starting with half of your plate filled with vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, carrots or eggplant. Divide the rest of your plate between lean protein, such as tofu, fish or pork, and a starch, such as brown rice or corn. If you are reducing your carbohydrates, skip the starch and have more vegetables or protein. Slim-Fast provides recipes, including garden vegetable lasagna, bean and rice casserole and fish tacos, as ideas for your balanced meal.
Snacks
If you have fruit, nuts or vegetables for your snack, keep your serving size for each snack to the amount that provides 100 calories. Some suggestions from Slim-Fast are apples, banana, oranges, celery, bell peppers, cashews, walnuts and peanuts. Alternatively, you can have a 100-calorie Slim-Fast snack bar, which comes in flavors such as chocolate mint and peanut butter crunch. They have 10 percent of the daily value for calcium and most vitamins, and have sugar, fructose, corn syrup solids, sucralose and acesulfame potassium as sweeteners.
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