Since 1977 Slim-Fast has helped people lose weight with a combination of eating real foods and using meal replacement shakes and bars. Slim-Fast is designed to help you lose weight at a slow and healthy pace -- between 1 and 2 lbs. per week, exactly as suggested by the National Institutes of Health. No serious risks or side effects have been reported on the Slim-Fast diet, according to a 2011 review of popular diets by U.S. News Health.
Nutritional Overview
The Slim-Fast program follows the 2010 U.S. dietary guidelines for protein, fat and carbohydrate intake. The USDA suggests 10 to 35 percent of your calories come from protein, 25 to 35 percent from fat, and 45 to 65 percent from carbs. Slim-Fast averages about 20 percent protein, 30 percent fat and 50 percent carbs, well within the guidelines. And although Slim-Fast shakes and bars are processed, they are low in sodium. The average Slim-Fast daily sodium intake is under 1,300 mg. The recommended daily allowance for sodium is 2,300 mg for many Americans, but 1,500 mg for those with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, African Americans and people over 51 years old.
How It Works
Slim-Fast recommends you replace breakfast and lunch with either a shake or bar and eat a healthy, well-balanced 500-calorie dinner. Recipes and meal suggestions are provided on the Slim-Fast website for free. You are also allowed three 100-calorie snacks; one should be a Slim-Fast snack bar, but the other two should be a combination of vegetables, fruits and nuts. Slim-Fast controls portion sizes and limits calories, while meeting the RDA for essential vitamins and minerals. Additional supplements are not required.
Pros
U.S. News Health ranks Slim-Fast third in the "Best Commercial Diet Plans" category, behind Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, but ahead of Nutrisystem and the South Beach Diet. Slim-Fast is convenient; products are available for purchase online and in most grocery and drug stores. Because you still prepare one meal and two snacks daily, you can include your favorite foods, although in smaller portions. The Slim-Fast program helps regulate glucose and insulin levels because it recommends eating frequently -- three meals and three snacks provide a steady stream of energy to your body and should help prevent hypoglycemia -- low blood sugar -- and its most common symptoms: hunger, headache and a craving for sugar.
Cons
The Slim-Fast program poses no long-term dangers. You may get bored on the program because there isn't much variety in shake and bar flavors, and you might find it difficult to follow if you don't enjoy the taste of Slim-Fast products. You may gain weight coming off of the program as you transition from eating low-calorie portion-controlled foods to preparing all of your own meals. However, Slim-Fast recommends that if you start to gain weight, you go back on the program, using one meal replacement per day instead of two to help ease the transition and maintain your goal weight.
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