Slim-Fast was created in 1977 by S. Daniel Abraham as a liquid diet meal replacement. Popularity of the liquid diet grew in the 1980s through endorsements by celebrities, including Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. As of 2011, the Slim-Fast diet continues to promote weight loss with its liquid shakes, but also offers meal replacement and snack bars. Like any reduced-calorie diet plan, you will lose weight following the program. However, the amount depends on a number of factors.
Calorie Deficit
To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, meaning you need to eat fewer calories than your body expends. A pound of fat contains 3,500 calories. To lose 1 lb. a week you need to decrease your weekly calorie intake by 3,500 calories, or 500 calories a day. To determine your calorie needs for weight loss, you first need to determine how many calories you normally consume. You can do this by keeping a food diary to track and calculate your intake. To determine your calorie needs to lose 1 lb. a week, you need to take your usual calorie intake and subtract 500 calories. For example, if you usually consume 2,000 calories a day, you should be able to lose 1 lb. per week consuming 1,500 calories a day. Most men and women can lose weight consuming 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day.
Slim-Fast
The Slim-Fast diet plan is a structured diet. On the plan, you replace two regular meals with either a Slim-Fast Shake or meal bar and eat one 500 calorie meal, plus three 100-calorie snacks. Based on these guidelines, the Slim-Fast diet restricts your daily calorie intake to 1,180 to 1,200 calories a day. Based on these numbers, the Slim-Fast diet plan is a low-calorie diet that should produce weight loss in both men and women. How much you lose, depends on how much you need to lose and how long you stick with the program.
Weight Loss Results
The Slim-Fast product has been the subject of a number of studies showing that it can help produce weight loss. A 2006 randomized-control study published in the "British Journal of Medicine" compared the effectiveness four different commercial weight loss plans on adults in the United Kingdom over a 6-month period. While Slim-Fast did not produce the most weight loss, adults did lose an average of 14 lbs. over the 6-month period. Another study published in 2004 in the "International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders" showed a 7 percent loss of body weight over a 6-month period on a group of 63 overweight individuals using the Slim-Fast plan.
Considerations
As a low-calorie diet plan, consult with your physician before starting the Slim-Fast diet plan. Slim-Fast also recommends a slow weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. a week. If you lose more than 2 lbs. a week you are more likely losing muscle mass than fat mass, and should increase your daily calorie intake by 100 to 200 calories until your rate of weight loss slows down.
References
- Slim-Fast: Plan
- FamilyDoctor.org; What it Takes to Lose Weight; June 2004
- Natitional Heart Blood and Lung Institute: Healthy Eating Plan
- Funding Universe: Slim-Fast Foods Company History
- "British Medical Journal"; Randomised Control Trial of Four Commercial Weight Loss Programmes in the U.K.: Initial Findings of the BBC "Diet Trials"; H. Truby; et al.; May 2006
- "International Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders"; Feasibility of a Partial Meal Replacement for Weight Loss in Low-Income Patients
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