The SlimFast plan has been a popular weight loss program for decades, offering a seemingly simple and convenient approach to shedding pounds. It involves replacing meals with shakes and other SlimFast products, aiming to reduce calorie intake and promote weight loss. While many have found success with this diet, it's important to consider its effectiveness, sustainability, and potential drawbacks.
Understanding the SlimFast Diet
The SlimFast diet, which originated in 1977, initially consisted of two low-calorie meal replacement shakes per day, supplemented by a "sensible" dinner. Over time, the product line has expanded to include a variety of shakes, smoothies, bars, and snacks. Today, SlimFast offers several formulations, including Original, Advanced Nutrition, Advanced Energy, Diabetic Weight Loss, and Keto options.
The core of the SlimFast diet is the "1-2-3 Plan," which involves consuming one "sensible" meal, two meal replacements, and three snacks each day. There are four versions of this plan: Original, Favorite Foods, Keto, and Low-Carb.
- Original: This plan utilizes classic SlimFast products, though it appears to be gradually being phased out in favor of the other options.
- Favorite Foods: This plan is the most flexible, allowing for one "SlimFast approved" meal per day without specific macronutrient goals, as long as calorie limits are maintained.
- Keto: This plan is designed for those following a ketogenic diet, emphasizing high-fat consumption through SlimFast keto products and a "sensible" keto meal. It requires strict adherence to macronutrient targets to maintain ketosis.
- Low-Carb: This plan focuses on reducing carbohydrate intake rather than prioritizing high-fat consumption. It allows for a combination of SlimFast Advanced Nutrition and keto products.
The underlying principle is that replacing regular meals and snacks with low-calorie options reduces daily calorie intake, leading to weight loss. Additionally, some SlimFast meal replacement products are high in protein, which can help suppress appetite. The SlimFast diet also claims to maintain a high metabolism by encouraging frequent meals and snacks.
According to SlimFast, the diet provides approximately 1,200-1,300 calories per day for women and 1,600-1,700 calories per day for men. The program also recommends at least 30 minutes of daily exercise to further promote a calorie deficit. By adhering to the SlimFast diet, individuals are expected to lose 1-2 pounds (0.45-0.91 kg) per week.
Read also: SlimFast Keto: A Detailed Review
The SlimFast Together App
SlimFast offers the SlimFast Together app to help users stay on track and achieve their weight loss goals. The app features a 5-minute quiz to identify goals and preferences, meal planning tools with preapproved recipes and the ability to add custom meals, and a built-in calculator to track calorie, macronutrient, and water intake. One of the most convenient features is the grocery ordering option, which creates a shopping list from prepared menu items and allows users to place grocery orders from local retailers. The app also includes a progress tracking feature to monitor weight, measurements, diet, water intake, exercise, sleep, and stress levels, and even add progress photos. SlimFast Together is available for free download on Apple and Android devices.
How to Follow the SlimFast Diet
To begin, users can download the SlimFast Together app and take a quiz to determine which plan best suits their needs. They can then choose a pre-designed meal plan or create a customized plan for the week. The app generates a shopping list that can be used for in-store shopping or online grocery ordering. The plan includes a quick-start guide and a 7-day meal planner to help users stay on track.
While no foods are strictly prohibited on the SlimFast diet, calorie restriction is essential. The Keto and Low-Carb plans also require careful monitoring of macronutrient intake. Alcohol consumption is permitted but should be kept to a minimum. The diet allows for flexibility with one "sensible" meal per day, chosen from a list of "SlimFast approved" meals that vary depending on the plan.
Additional guidelines differ based on the chosen plan. The Keto plan mandates a high-fat diet and the exclusive use of SlimFast keto products. The Low-Carb plan emphasizes carbohydrate restriction and allows for a combination of SlimFast Advanced Nutrition and keto products. The Favorite Foods plan offers the most flexibility, allowing for any SlimFast product and any "sensible" meal, regardless of macronutrient content, as long as it's SlimFast-approved.
Regardless of the specific plan, the core requirement is to replace two meals each day with SlimFast shakes, smoothies, or bars. These meal replacements typically provide around 180 calories and 14-20 grams of protein, though the amounts of carbohydrates, fiber, and added sugar vary by product line. Meal replacement bars offer similar calorie counts and protein levels, ranging from 7-15 grams depending on the product line. The plan also encourages three snacks per day, consisting of SlimFast products or other foods, as long as they contain no more than 100 calories and align with the plan's macronutrient goals.
Read also: Keto Bars: SlimFast Examined
Sample Meal Plans
Here are examples of what a day of eating could look like on each SlimFast plan:
Favorite Foods:
- Breakfast: SlimFast Meal Shake
- Snack: banana
- Lunch: SlimFast Meal Bar
- Snack: 3 cups (24 grams) air-popped popcorn
- Dinner: Chicken Tikka Masala
- Snack: SlimFast Double Chocolate Mint Crunch Mini Snack Bar
Low Carb:
- Breakfast: grilled veggie omelet
- Snack: 1/2 cup (143 grams) Greek yogurt
- Lunch: SlimFast Meal Shake
- Snack: 1 slice of cheese
- Dinner: SlimFast Diabetic Weight Loss Meal Bar
- Snack: SlimFast Diabetic Weight Loss Snacks
Keto:
- Breakfast: SlimFast Keto Meal Shake
- Snack: SlimFast Keto Fat Bomb Real Cheddar Cheese Crisp
- Lunch: SlimFast Keto Fat Bomb Meal Bar
- Snack: baked zucchini fritters
- Dinner: baked salmon with lemon butter and steamed asparagus
- Snack: SlimFast Keto Fat Bomb Dark Chocolate Almond Snack Square
For men, the program recommends adding 200 calories to each SlimFast meal replacement or doubling the meal replacements.
Read also: Do SlimFast Keto Shakes Work?
The Cost of SlimFast
The cost of the SlimFast diet varies depending on the specific products used, the frequency of use, and whether products are purchased in bulk.
Here are the current prices of popular SlimFast products:
- Ready-to-drink meal replacement shakes: \$9.99 for a pack of 4 shakes or \$91.96 for a 4-pack of 12 shakes (48 bottles total)
- Meal replacement bars (excluding the Keto Bomb Bars): \$9.99 for a pack of 5 bars or \$39.96 for a 4-pack of 5 bars (20 bars total)
- SlimFast shake mixes: \$9.99 for a 14-serving (12.83-ounce) container or \$12.99 for a 22-serving (20.18-ounce) container
The most affordable meal replacement option is the SlimFast shake mixes, costing \$0.59-\$0.72 per meal, depending on the size purchased.
SlimFast also offers 14-day starter kits. The Favorite Foods and Low-Carb 14-Day kits cost \$69.99, while the Keto 14-Day Starter Kit is more expensive at \$89.99. These kits include 2 meal replacements and 3 snacks per day, resulting in a daily cost of \$5.00-\$6.42 (excluding taxes). Over a month, this equates to a minimum of around \$140, not including the cost of the "sensible" meal.
To reduce costs, users can prepare their own snacks instead of purchasing premade options.
Does SlimFast Work for Weight Loss?
The SlimFast diet can promote weight loss by reducing calorie intake and creating a calorie deficit. By following the program correctly, individuals would consume approximately 1,200 calories per day. Some older studies on SlimFast products suggest they may support meaningful weight loss. However, it's important to note that many of these studies are older, possibly due to the increasing focus on sustainable weight loss programs.
A 2006 study evaluated the effectiveness of four popular diet plans, including SlimFast, over six months in 293 people with a BMI between 27 and 40. The study found that participants in the SlimFast group lost an average of 10.5 pounds (4.8 kg), or 4.9% of their body weight, after six months. However, 29% of participants dropped out of the study due to intolerance of the diet, and only 9 of the original 58 participants were able to maintain the diet for 12 months at follow-up.
Two reviews of meal replacement companies and popular weight loss programs found that SlimFast may support short-term weight loss but is not significantly more effective than competitor programs. A more recent 2019 review concluded that meal replacement products can be effective for achieving a calorie deficit but should be combined with other behavioral strategies, such as counseling, developing food skills, and enhancing self-efficacy.
A 2018 study compared the effects of behavioral therapy, behavioral therapy combined with SlimFast meal replacements, and a comprehensive nutrition intervention that focused on both internal and environmental influences on food choice. The comprehensive nutrition intervention led to the most weight loss, which the authors attributed to greater cognitive restraint, self-control skills, and self-efficacy - all important factors for sustainable weight loss.
While the SlimFast Together app provides basic meal planning and progress tracking tools, it lacks one-on-one counseling and relies heavily on SlimFast products instead of teaching sustainable habits like planning and preparing meals and reading nutrition labels. Therefore, while SlimFast products may aid in short-term weight loss, there is a high risk of weight regain upon discontinuing the program.
Benefits of the SlimFast Diet
The SlimFast diet offers several potential benefits:
- Easy to follow: Unlike many other diets, SlimFast provides the majority of your meals, which require little or no preparation, making the plan easy to follow. Pre-portioned meal replacements eliminate the need to worry about portion sizes or overeating. The program also provides easy-to-follow recipes, and the SlimFast app helps users stay organized.
- Convenience: With SlimFast, you only need to prepare one meal per day. The diet also offers simple, preapproved recipes to help you stay on track. SlimFast products are also convenient for those who are on the go and don't have time to prepare a meal.
- Promotes other healthy habits: The SlimFast Together app includes tools to track healthy lifestyle habits such as sleep, stress, food and water intake, and physical activity, which can help users focus on a well-rounded healthy lifestyle.
Downsides of the SlimFast Diet
Despite the potential benefits, the SlimFast diet also has several downsides:
- One-size-fits-all approach: The SlimFast diet assumes that everyone requires the same number of calories per day, without considering individual factors such as height, weight, activity level, age, and other factors that can affect daily calorie and nutrient needs. All four plans focus on a calorie goal of 1,200-1,300 calories per day for women and 1,600-1,700 calories per day for men.
- Highly processed foods: The healthiest diets consist primarily of whole, minimally processed foods high in fiber, protein, healthy fats, and beneficial plant compounds like antioxidants. However, most SlimFast products are highly processed and contain a long list of added ingredients such as added sugars, protein powders, and artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors.
- Lack of variety for different dietary needs: Most SlimFast products use milk as the main ingredient, with no alternative options for those following a plant-based diet or wishing to avoid dairy. Individuals with food allergies should carefully review each ingredient list. Packaged SlimFast products may not be safe for those with severe food allergies or intolerances due to potential manufacturing in facilities that handle common allergens.
- Can feel restrictive: Though the diet permits one "sensible" meal per day, relying on shakes and snacks for the majority of meals can feel restrictive. This can lead to cravings for forbidden foods, making the diet difficult to maintain long-term.
- May lead to nutrient deficiencies: Because the SlimFast diet is low in calories and limits food choices, it may not provide sufficient amounts of essential nutrients. This is especially true if you’re following the diet long term.
- Unsustainable: The SlimFast diet is not a long-term solution for weight loss. It does not teach you how to make healthy food choices or develop healthy eating habits. Once you stop following the diet, you are likely to regain the weight you lost.
- Reliance on soluble corn fiber and IMOs: SlimFast's keto products claim to have low net carbs due to their high fiber content, particularly from soluble corn fiber and Isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMOs). While manufacturers claim these fibers don't affect blood sugar, diabetics have reported spikes in blood sugar levels after consuming them. Recent studies have also shown that soluble corn fiber is digestible and has a glycemic index of around 25.
SlimFast Keto: Addressing the Discontinuation Rumors
There have been rumors circulating about the discontinuation of SlimFast Keto products. While it's difficult to confirm the complete discontinuation of the entire Keto line, it is possible that certain products may be temporarily or permanently unavailable due to a variety of factors, including supply chain issues, reformulation, or changing consumer demand.
It's important to note: As of the last update, SlimFast Keto Shake Mix is still available.
Alternatives to SlimFast Keto
If you're looking for alternatives to SlimFast Keto, consider these options:
- Other Keto Meal Replacement Shakes: Numerous brands offer keto-friendly meal replacement shakes with varying macronutrient profiles and ingredients. Research and compare different brands to find one that aligns with your preferences and dietary needs.
- Whole Food Keto Diet: Focus on building your keto diet around whole, unprocessed foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, healthy fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, MCT oil), and low-carb vegetables. This approach provides a wider range of nutrients and promotes sustainable healthy eating habits.
- Consult a Registered Dietitian: A registered dietitian can help you create a personalized keto meal plan that meets your individual needs and preferences. They can also provide guidance on how to make healthy food choices and develop sustainable eating habits.
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