Slim-Fast shakes and other products are designed to act as meal replacements in a comprehensive weight loss plan. Thus, their ability to help you lose weight is dependent upon how closely you follow the plan and how many calories you can manage to cut from your daily diet. For the best results, use the drinks as occasional meal replacements and include daily exercise in your routine.
Calories
You must burn more calories than you eat to lose weight. The Slim-Fast shakes are designed to help you do that by reducing the number of calories you would normally eat at meals. However, if you drink the shakes on top of what you usually eat, you will not lose weight and may even progressively gain. The National Institutes of Health reports that you need to burn or save a total of 3,500 calories per week to lose 1 lb.
Nutrition Facts
According to Slim-Fast.com, all of its shakes and drinks range from 180 to 190 calories per can. The company's cappuccino delight shake has 190 calories, 6 g fat -- 1.5 g of which are saturated -- 210 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 18 g sugar and 10 g protein. Each drink is also fortified with a variety of vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, B vitamins, thiamine, phosphorus and magnesium.
Meal Replacements
You are most likely to lose weight if you use a two-pronged strategy of cutting calories and participating in regular physical activity. Slim-Fast.com outlines a weight loss plan that suggests using its drinks as meal replacements. In addition to eating one 500-calorie meal per day and having three low-calorie snacks, you replace two other meals with one shake each and do a daily workout. At least one study does show that using meal replacements is an effective weight loss strategy. In 2003, a research team led by Dr. Steven Heymsfield discovered that overweight and obese subjects who used meal replacements on a daily basis lost more weight than those who simply followed a low-calorie diet.
Considerations
Check with your doctor before starting the Slim-Fast weight loss plan, using any meal replacements or making big changes to the way you normally eat. The pace at which you may lose weight with the shakes depends on your total calorie intake, level of physical activity and body size. Slim-Fast.com does not recommend losing more than 2 lb. per week, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that people who do lose weight at a rate faster are unlikely to keep it off. Thus, it's most healthful to include shakes as part of a balanced plan that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity for gradual weight loss.
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