Slim-Fast claims it can help you lose weight without feeling hungry because you get to eat six times per day. The diet is designed to help you lose about 1 to 2 lbs. per week, although your individual amount can vary. As you look for a healthy diet, consider the fat content to make sure that it is within a healthy range, and consult a dietitian for advice.
Diet Overview
On Slim-Fast, you eat one regular meal per day. Replace each of your other two meals with a Slim-Fast meal bar, shake or serving of shake mix made with skim milk. You also get three snacks, which have 100 calories each. A snack can be a Slim-Fast snack bar, fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs or fat-free yogurt. Slim-Fast states that its diet gets 20 percent of calories from protein, 30 percent from fat and 50 percent from carbohydrates. These amounts are consistent with recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The plan encourages regular physical activity.
Fat in Meal Replacements
Slim-Fast meal bars and shakes have about 6 g fat each. Shake mixes, prepared with skim milk, have about 4 g total fat. Saturated fat is unhealthy because it raises levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol in your blood. Slim-Fast meal bars and shakes have about 1.5 to 2.5 g saturated fat in each. Shake mixes are slightly lower in saturated fat, with up to 1 g per serving. Slim-Fast products are free of unhealthy trans fats.
Fat From Snacks
Snacks can provide a significant proportion of your fat on the Slim-Fast program. Each snack bar has up to 3.5 g total fat, with about 1 to 2.5 g saturated fat. If you have three of these, you will get up to 10.5 g total fat and 7.5 g saturated fat per day from Slim-Fast snack bars. You can reduce your fat intake from snacks on the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan by choosing 100-calorie servings of fruit or vegetables instead of Slim-Fast snack bars. Have nuts for your snack if you want a healthier source of fats.
Fat From Meals
On the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan, eat a single balanced meal from regular foods each day. The meal should have 500 calories, and include lean protein, vegetables and some starch from a whole grain or starchy vegetable. A small amount of fat comes from the protein food in your meal, such as chicken, fish, lean beef or tofu. You can get additional fat from ingredients in Slim-Fast recipes, such as low-fat cheese in the recipe for cheeseburgers with coleslaw, or light sour cream in fish tacos with bell pepper slaw.
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