Some diets advise dieters to eat large quantities of vegetables, others try to make people eat a single food for a whole day. The Slim Fast Diet has their shake. It sounds pretty much like what the folks at Herbalife are pushing, although it may be the other way around. Diets are a dime a dozen these days and it’s hard to keep track of who came with which idea and when. So let’s discuss their basic features of this diet and the usual pros and cons. This is one of the diets that people seem either to love or hate, as some claim that it works wonders, while others say it is a rip-off.
How Does It Work?
The basic idea is to replace two daily meals with Slim Fast shakes, accompanied by two pieces of fruit and a nutrition bar, and to have a sensible dinner at the end of the day. A sensible dinner means that you are allowed to eat whatever you want, as long as you keep the portions average. At least this is the theory. In practice you will soon find out that dinner is the only time you can get some actual nutritious food, aside from the vitamins and minerals-laden shakes, which means that your food options are limited to those that can keep you on your feet and thinking clearly.
Aside from the Slim fast shakes, dieters have to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water per day in order to help the weight loss process along. Dieters should of course also exercise during this diet, but we are not so sure that a 1,200 calories a day intake can support a program of exercises. On the other hand, the added exercises should help you shed weight faster and spend less time on the diet.
The pros?
Several studies have found that meal replacements are as effective as traditional calorie-counted diets in terms of helping people to lose weight in the short term. Better still, the commonly held belief that meal replacements only help people to lose weight temporarily doesn’t seem to be supported by current research. In fact, long term follow up studies suggest that meal replacements may actually help people to keep their new lower weight.
Many people also like meal replacement products because they are convenient, they take away the need to think about food during the day and they mean the calorie counting has already been done for them.
The cons?
One of the main problems with the research to date is that no large long-term trials have been carried out – the majority of research has been based in the USA and Germany. Meanwhile, few trials have taken place using meal replacements in ‘true to life’ situations.
Firstly, most studies have provided meal replacement products free of charge – it’s unknown whether people would be as likely to stick to the diet if they had to buy the products themselves. Secondly, most studies have used meal replacements as part of a comprehensive program, which includes support and dietary advice from health professionals – little is known about the weight loss achieved and maintained by people who buy and use meal replacement products on their own. Finally, most studies have involved people who are overweight or obese – few have studied normal weight people with a Body Mass Index of 20-24.9, who simply want to lose a small amount of weight.
One of the other main problems with meal replacement diets is that on their own, they do little to educate people about their eating habits. While replacing high-calorie breakfasts and lunches with a shake, soup or bar will almost certainly result in weight loss, returning to poor eating habits once you stop taking the products means you will almost certainly pile the weight back on again. Most nutrition experts recognise that if meal replacement products are to be effective at keeping the weight off in the long term, it’s essential to provide education and support on healthy eating when meal replacement products are no longer used – and this isn’t always a priority for people who want a quick weight-loss ‘fix’.
How much weight can I lose?
As with any reduced-calorie diet, the amount of weight you’ll lose will depend on the number of calories you consume. In general, an intake of 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day, will result in a weight loss of around 1-2lb each week.
Actually, it seems that the biggest problem dieters face is the fact that every one is on his own. There is no outside structure, there is no support. Just a box of shakes and your own common sense. This is a good thing for some because it helps build self-reliance and teach people to gain control of their own eating process not just during the diet, but for the rest of their lives. Nevertheless, many fail without outside support and this may be a big issue with this diet.
Does Slimfast have any side effects?
None of the research published to date suggest any adverse side effects when using meal replacements. In the past, meal replacements were considered to be a quick fix that potentially led to yo-yo dieting. It was thought most people piled the weight back on once they returned to normal eating habits. However, the latest research suggests that people can maintain the weight they lose, providing they receive advice and stick to eating a healthy, balanced diet once they stop taking the products.
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