The Slim Fast Diet Review
The Slim Fast diet plan has been around for decades, and has helped countless dieters lose weight. It was developed by S. Daniel Abraham in the late 1970′s, and revolves around replacing 2 of your meals every day with a nutritional shake that contains many vitamins and minerals required for proper bodily functions. Since it’s inception, the Slim Fast Diet now provides meals bars and snacks in addition to the traditional shakes.
The Slim Fast diet focuses on proper portion control and low calorie foods and meal replacements as the premise of the program. The meal replacements are consumed twice per day, and the third meal must consist of low calorie, nutrient dense food products.
Nutrition
The new Slim Fast diet plan now involves a 3-2-1 plan which consists of 3 phases. During the first phase, dieters are permitted to consume 3 snacks per day which are nutritious and low in fat and sugar, such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, or the Slim Fast snack bar.
Phase 2 of this diet plan is primarily based on the shakes and meal bars. These products are supposed to replace any 2 meals per day – not necessarily just breakfast and lunch like the original Slim fast diet plan. Dieters can choose to consume shakes, meal bars, or a combination of both.
The third phase of this program involves dieters eating a 500 calorie portion-controlled meal that consists of lean protein, vegetables and complex carbs. Vegetables should make up half of this dish, while the protein and carbs make up 1/4 each.
Pros
Nowadays, the Slim Fast diet plan has evolved – they now have an online presence, and offer blogs, articles, sample menus, guides and online support forums where dieters can get in touch with others on the plan for support. The website provides guides on how to properly portion your meals and dishes for proper nutrition and optimal weight loss.
Two-week meal plans are provided as well to help take the guess work out of what to eat each day. There are tools available to help track your progress, as well as how to personalize each meal plan.
The products offered come in delicious flavours such as vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and nougat. The snack bars are tasty, and are already calorie-controlled, so there is no calorie counting involved. There really is no sacrifice of taste for the low calorie content of these meal replacements and snacks with the Slim Fast diet.
Cons
Depending on how much weight you need to lose and how long you need to be on the diet, the price can get quite expensive for these meal replacement shakes and bars. Often, the price for the meal replacements can be more than regular grocery food.
In addition, replacing 2 meals every day with a shake or meal bar can get quite cumbersome and boring. The only variety you will have is what you eat during your third portion-controlled meal. This factor is part of the reason why different flavours and products have been developed, in order to offer a little bit more variety in the diet.
The Bottom Line
Considering how many years the Slim Fast diet has been around, it obviously works if adhered to. Many people have lost weight on this diet. The shakes and meal bars provide proper balance of vitamins and nutrients so that dieters can safely lose weight and maintain optimal health at the same time.
