# Has anyone ever used SlimFast to lose weight (and keep it off)?



## TinysMom (Nov 18, 2009)

Yes - I know the best way to lose weight and KEEP it off is to do it the old fashioned way.....watch what you eat - use smaller portions, etc.

I'm just curious what folks think of this....long story and I may explain more later.


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## PepnFluff (Nov 19, 2009)

My friend has had great success w slimfast, he lost about 10kg and has kept it off for roughly a year


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## Luluznewz (Nov 19, 2009)

The thing about those slimfast things is you have to be really good about not eating them and then going and eating something else.

They are actually high in calories because they are supposed to fill you up and keep you from eating other things. However, a lot of peoples problems with weight dont have to do with being hungry a lot, but eating when they arnt hungry or eating more than they need.

If thats the case and someone tried slimfast bars they might end up eating them, eating what they would normally eat, and then not losing weight.

I think it really depends on the person, but like you said portion control is always going to be what you have to do. Slimfast could help though depending on why too much food was being consumed.


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## TinysMom (Nov 19, 2009)

*Luluznewz wrote: *


> The thing about those slimfast things is you have to be really good about not eating them and then going and eating something else.
> 
> They are actually high in calories because they are supposed to fill you up and keep you from eating other things. However, a lot of peoples problems with weight dont have to do with being hungry a lot, but eating when they arnt hungry or eating more than they need.
> 
> ...


I've actually been on the website to read what they would recommend for a "meal plan" for someone my size. 

I've lost weight before - usually in the 20-30 pound range - just by cutting back on the calories and watching what I ate. However - I always wound up putting it back on because once I lost the weight - I went back to my old way of eating. (I love pasta and can't believe how small a portion of pasta should be...same with meats...not a big fan of veggies).

My dad has convinced me that I need to lose weight though...not so much by nagging me or anything - but by sharing with me how he lost 45 pounds in 4 months time....and has been keeping it off. Of course - in his case he'd had a heart attack and needed surgery to replace his knee and he had to get weight off pretty quickly as he was going downhill. His doctor put him Ensure - pretty much just the Ensure - for around 1200 or 1400 calories per day. 

Now that he's lost the weight - my dad says that his stomach has shrunk (he still has Ensure - but he has regular food and not as much Ensure as he had been having). He finds that he doesn't have the cravings for certain foods that he used to have and that he can't eat as much at meals - but he's content with what he can eat.

I've been looking at all sorts of different things to help me lose weight and considering what I've done in the past. I actually went out and tried Dad's Ensure (only I got the dark chocolate one ... yummy). 

I think I could stick with the recommendations that Slim Fast makes for my size - and I think it might help me to retrain my body.

Still thinking on it - no commitment at this point in time.

My son is looking into Jenny Craig....he lives alone and he thinks that might work well for him - I was shocked to find out his weight...he's put on about 15 pounds in the last three months.....


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## pamnock (Nov 19, 2009)

I recently lost a lot of weight by cutting way down on fats in my diet and increasing fruits, vegs, and whole grains. I took a nutrition class over the summer where we were required to use MyPyramid.gov for our nutrition project. The website has a meal tracking tool that calculates calories as well as giving tips to improve diet and health. 

Any type of weight loss program needs to focus on life changes in order for weight loss to be long term. I love to eat (as do most people), so I focused on increasing bulky, nutrient dense foods in my diet that were very low in fat. This way, I could still eat a lot, but loose weight. (I'm not into starving myself LOL)

I'm excited to be back down to a healthy weight after previously verging on obese.



Pam


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 19, 2009)

Pam, if you don't mind sharing, what kinds of foods did you eat? We buy the store brand Slim Fast sometimes to take to work/school if we're in a hurry in the morning. I'll probably try the Ensure instead because there's a good coupon on the website (buy 2 8 packs, get 1 8 pack free) and Ensure is good for my pet rats. When I had rats before, I bought them Ensure and would drink what they didn't drink!

I'm trying to slim down too, for health reasons and because I'm getting married next summer. Peg, this thread gave me an idea. Would a reasonable day's food by a normal breakfast (usually yogurt and fruit, possibly a granola bar or hot cereal if I have time), a bottle of Ensure for lunch, and a dinner with lots of veggies? Fruits and veggies for snacks. No soda or juice. I LOVE carbs so I think cutting down on them will help.


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## kahlin (Nov 19, 2009)

I did slimfast for a very short time, but decided I wanted to loss the weight in a healthier way that would stick. I've followed WW and lost nearly 80 lbs.

The issue I have with SF is that (in my experience) it doesn't teach you to make the changes to your life that are needed to maintain the loss.


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## pamnock (Nov 19, 2009)

Breakfast: I eat oatmeal with skim milk, raisins, and a few nuts. Also a glass of tomato juice.

I buy lowfat/fat free items such as yogurt, cottage cheese, sliced ham, & cheese.

I check out menu items online before eating out so I can check calorie and fat content.

For lunch I generally eat a whole wheat bread sandwich w/ low fat cheese/ham. BLT's hold the bacon and mayo is something I commonly order when going out. At Red Lobster, I'll order shrimp cocktail w/ broccoli. Some restaurants (like Bob Evans) have some low fat options on the menu. Bob Evans has a low fat breakfast now available.

At buffets, I eat a ton of fruits/veggies.

No muffins, biscuits, donuts, pastries, pies or other high fat/low nutrient foods. If I really taste for a goodie, I'll take a tablespoon serving rather than an entire piece.

Pretzels are a good low fat snack.

Many recipes can be converted to low fat.

Limit most juices (too high in sugar calories). I drink some orange juice and tomato juice.

Picnics - stuff yourself on fresh fruits and veggies.

Beans are good sources of protein and use can use them as a replacement in many meat dishes.

MyPyramid.gov has a lot of good tips for lowering fat/sugar calories.

Watch serving sizes! Fill up on fruits/veggies and make other foods the smallest portion. A piece of whole wheat bread is healthy and a good source of fiber.

Most importantly - read labels. I don't consider the "lowfat yogurts" with 170 calories to be acceptable. Buy smaller containers and place close attention to serving sizes and calories as well as fat calories.

Pam


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## Orchid (Nov 19, 2009)

I started drinking slimfast at the recommendation of my shrink.
I used to have problems eating. There was a period in my life where I ....was not aloud to eat...shall we say...
Got to a point that I could not eat unless I really wanted something...my body adapted to not eating. 
The Slimfast was her idea to get something into my body...
I found it helped get me back to eating...
Now years later when I am ok with eating,....I eat too much and have gained too much weight for want of something to do,...and because I quit smoking..
I find that places like BJ's has pretty good deals on a huge case of Slimfast...and I try when I can afford to...to get back on.
I found if I could deal with the start of it...getting used to dealing with still being hungry at the start, that my stomach would shrink and it would get easier over time.
My problem is I revert to what ever we can afford on whatever given day..that I am have a love for the Whopper...no onions, add cheese please 

I also think they make the can heavier...as a mental...you are eating more/drinking more...then you really are...but that could be all in my mind


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## AmyBunny (Nov 19, 2009)

I never tried Slimfast but I agree with kahlin about Weight Watchers. I lost 30 lbs on it. and it has stayed off for 2 years now.


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## katt (Nov 19, 2009)

never really did the slim fast thing, but wanted to say that the ensures aren't all that bad (we serve them to the patients all the time) try the butter pecan (it is my favorite)


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## Blaze_Amita (Nov 19, 2009)

This has me thinking too, for anyone that has seen/meet me they know i'm overweight and i've been trying to loose it, but my feet don't allow me to much of hte time and i HATE swimming. I might try these, it sounds like such a plan, on top of *figuring* out how to get used to swimming for extra excercise.


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## degrassi (Nov 20, 2009)

*Blaze_Amita wrote: *


> This has me thinking too, for anyone that has seen/meet me they know i'm overweight and i've been trying to loose it, but my feet don't allow me to much of hte time and i HATE swimming. I might try these, it sounds like such a plan, on top of *figuring* out how to get used to swimming for extra excercise.


Do you hate swimming or the water? I'm not a big fan of swimming but I go to aquacise and love it. 

I started eating a bit more healthy, only whole grain/ high fiber,lots more bean/lentils, lean meats, and lots more veggies.I learned to convert my recipes to make them healthier, so I could still eat my favs. I also added aquacise 1-2x a week and I've lost 15 pounds so far!


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## BethM (Nov 20, 2009)

I used to use Slim Fast as a quick breakfast. They were filling enough to keep me from getting higher fat/calorie packed breakfast-y things. 

I didn't find them filling enough to replace a lunch, though. I'd be hungry not too long afterwards, and since it would no longer be "lunch time" I would reach for something fast, and usually high-calorie. I would be better off my making myself a healthy lunch that filled me up.


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## Blaze_Amita (Nov 21, 2009)

*degrassi wrote: *


> *Blaze_Amita wrote: *
> 
> 
> > This has me thinking too, for anyone that has seen/meet me they know i'm overweight and i've been trying to loose it, but my feet don't allow me to much of hte time and i HATE swimming. I might try these, it sounds like such a plan, on top of *figuring* out how to get used to swimming for extra excercise.
> ...


Well leave it at Water. I had a very bad experience in elementary school, 1st grade, they taught the students how to swim in that school. I was out with the flu fora week and when we came back, we were learning to 'dive' or jump into the deep end of the big pool, i wasn't ready so the teacher threw me in. been terrifed ever since. I can't touch the bottom don't even think about it. if i can touch i may or may not get in


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## mardigraskisses (Dec 2, 2009)

I'm doing the Slimfast thing right now. Let's hope it works.


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## GoinBackToCali (Dec 3, 2009)

I drink 2 of the Kellogg's Special K shakes sold right next to the slim fast..you get one less for the same price, but they make you feel more full for longer..


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## Jessyka (Dec 4, 2009)

[align=center] [/align][align=center]*Customer Alert:*
[/align]
Unilever Conducts Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Slim-FastÂ® Ready-to-Drink Products in Cans Due to Possible Health Risk
*Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 3, 2009 â* Unilever United States, Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is conducting a nationwide voluntary recall of all Slim-FastÂ® ready-to-drink (RTD) products in cans, due to the possibility of contamination with Bacillus cereus, a micro-organism, which may cause diarrhea and possibly nausea and/or vomiting. The probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote. 
The products were sold in stores nationwide.
*Product Description:*
The products are packaged in paperboard cartons and contain four, six or 12 steel cans that are 11 FL OZ (325 mL) each. Individual cans are also sold in certain retail outlets. The recall involves all Slim-FastÂ® RTD products in cans, regardless of flavor, Best-By date, lot code or UPC number. A listing of all RTD recalled products is attached to this press release.
No other Slim-FastÂ® products are affected by this recall. No Slim-FastÂ® powdered shakes, meal bars, or snack bars are affected by this recall.
The recall was initiated after the company conducted quality testing on Slim-FastÂ® RTD products in cans. Out of an abundance of caution, the company is recalling all RTD products in cans that are currently in distribution centers, on-shelf or in back rooms in retail outlets or in consumersâ homes. The company is in the process of identifying and correcting the production issue, and will resume production and shipment of the product when the issue has been addressed and corrected.
Consumers who have purchased Slim-FastÂ® RTD products in cans are urged to discard them immediately and contact the company at 1-800-896-9479 for a full refund. The Consumer Services Center is open Monday â Friday, 8:30 AM â 6:00 PM ET. A recorded message is available 24/7.



Wonderful. Right after I bought two cases of it. :grumpy:


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## Saudade (Dec 4, 2009)

I'm glad everyone here is being smart enough to take sensible alternatives.

There is no better way to lose weight than to eat healthily and to exercise.
These "Lemon De-Tox" and "Diet pills" are nothing more than poisons being pumped in to your body. There is no such thing as an easy way out of losing weight.

So please never try anything you see on t.v. or in shops that says it will help you lose weight. The best thing you can do is to go out and buy a blue plate. I can guarantee you that will help you lose weight.


(Also just to note, slimfast doesn't fall in to that category, I can't stand them but they're pretty good if you follow their guidelines.)


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## TinysMom (Dec 4, 2009)

*Jessyka wrote: *


> [align=center] [/align][align=center]*Customer Alert:*
> [/align]
> Unilever Conducts Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Slim-FastÂ® Ready-to-Drink Products in Cans Due to Possible Health Risk
> *Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 3, 2009 â* Unilever United States, Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is conducting a nationwide voluntary recall of all Slim-FastÂ® ready-to-drink (RTD) products in cans, due to the possibility of contamination with Bacillus cereus, a micro-organism, which may cause diarrhea and possibly nausea and/or vomiting. The probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.
> ...


:laugh::laugh::laugh:

I was at Walmart last night and tried to buy some - but it wouldn't ring up and they said it must be a recall. Glad it didn't ring up.

I wound up deciding to use Slim Fast as "part" of a healthy diet....but to focus instead of eating GOOD food (aka healthy food) and keeping track of my calories, etc. I've been using SparkPeople.com to monitor everything I eat - how many calories - how much is fat, protein, carbohydrates, sodium, etc. etc. 

I think I've had two slim fast drinks in the last 5 days - and that was because I saw I still had some calories left and I really wanted something sweet. I also keep their Double Dutch chocolate snack bars on hand for when that happens.

The good news is - that after yo-yo'ing for the last several years between 252 and 275....I've broken the 250 mark....I was down to 248.6 yesterday. I haven't been that low in over 10 years. I'm really really happy.

It is so interesting now to measure my portion and see just how many calories are in food. I'm learning to eat better and make better choices and I'm so proud of myself. Its amazing how tempting an apple now is...versus a candy bar....and how I am finding soda is too sweet and water tastes so much better.

I'm really proud of my son though - he went on Jenny Craig - and in 10 days he dropped 8 pounds (he was over 300 and can hardly wait to get below that). He's already had to put two new notches in his belt if I understand correctly and his pants are still trying to fall down...

Anyway - thought I'd update everyone on what I decided to do. I really love sparkpeople.com and a friend says y'all will never see me here cause they give me points for logging in there and blogging there and stuff like that...but that's not true. I'm still here!

I do recommend a free membership to sparkpeople.com for anyone who wants to lose weight the old fashioned way. PM me here and I'll give you my ID for there if you join.


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## SnowyShiloh (Dec 4, 2009)

Wow, if SlimFast was acting with "an overabundance of caution" as they put it, they would never have sent out all of those possibly contaminated drinks. I wonder if it's something wrong with their facility if every flavor made at any time is possibly contaminated?

We went to the grocery store yesterday and bought a ton of food! I essentially am re-doing the pantry with healthier food items. We bought all healthy things, except for Tim Tams that Paul picked out. Paul loves cookies and honestly, things like candy and cookies aren't much of a threat to my eating well because I'm usually content to eat 0 or 1. I mean, we have a huge leftover bag of Halloween candy that I haven't had a piece from in over 2 weeks. I've decided not to bake any cookies or desserts myself for the time being though because those are way harder to resist!

The things I bought were a ton of fruits and veggies, 2 shapes of whole wheat pasta, Minute brown rice and normal brown rice, about 6 kinds of soup (some of them are in those big cartons), plus ingredients to make split pea soup and another soup that someone on the forum provided the recipe for, stuff to make a couple of stir fries, apple sauce (which I already eat daily), string cheese, cottage cheese, and some other nutritious stuff. No bread. My only questionable purchases are whole wheat Cheez-It crackers because I love crackers and want to have some sort of grain based snack around (I'll only take them to school since they'll be in a plastic baggy and I can't get more out of the box!) and some hot chocolate mix. It's Christmas season and I think it's okay if I have something festive like that. Oh I bought some of those K20 things Zin was talking about (thanks for the suggestion) as well as the "protein water" mix which was actually really tasty.

All the meals I have planned for this week are healthy too. Last night was fajitas cooked in a minimum amount of oil, I used small tortillas and only had one (but put lots of the filling in since it was mostly veggies), and only put some avocado on top of it, plus coleslaw made with light ingredients. I didn't eat any of the other toppings or spanish rice.

Peg, good luck to the both of us (and everyone else)!


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## TinysMom (Dec 5, 2009)

I just have to share this - it is so exciting (for me).

Eric is on Jenny Craig - which to me is WAY WAY WAY expensive. He started about 2 weeks ago.

He can't afford to order 2 more weeks of food - and we can't right now either - so he went to the grocery store to buy some food (especially since there are some extras he needed to add to his Jenny Craig food).

He was sharing with me over the phone/video (Skype) about the various things he bought - why he bought them (reading calorie count and fat count and stuff like that).

Then he was sharing with me how he bought tuna packed in water and some low fat Miracle Whip and some relish and he was counting the calories of the tuna fish and MW and relish to see how much it would be - and figuring how he could put it over a salad or eat on X amount of crackers for a lunch.

I guess I was so happy because he was seeing how once he does get off the Jenny Craig food - he can apply the serving sizes and all of the nutritional stuff to his choices from now on.

What is also cool - is that he's losing enough weight that he now fits into his smaler jeans...


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## degrassi (Dec 5, 2009)

This is really great seeing everyone's dieting stories and progress. 

My mom is severely overweight and got into a medical weight lose clinic(the doctors test you for everything and help you loose weight). She is in the first phase where she is meeting the doctors and getting the tests done to see if anything is wrong but we have started some diet changes. I told my mom I would help out by being in charge of cooking anything she needed me to and planning meals, lunches as long as she did whatever the doctors told her to do.Another teacher at my mom's school has also gotten into this same weight lose clinic now, so she has hired me to to make her healthy lunches now too!  

So far we have been following my healthy diet meal plan and my mom has lost 17lbs since the summer and I just weight myself yesterday I have lost 15lbs since January! Now I just need to get my mom to start the exercise portion :rollseyes but that not going so well.


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## BethM (Dec 5, 2009)

It's awesome to hear people's success stories! 
Peg, that's especially great to hear that your son has learned from being on Jenny Craig. I know quite a few people who do Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers for a time, then after they stop they still don't understand about calories or portion sizes, and gain back everything they lost.

Myself, I do tend to eat healthier foods. My problem is that I eat too much of those healthy foods! My serving sizes are way out of whack.
I have some blood sugar issues that would probably even out if I would just work through it, but at the first sign of shakiness, I grab a snack. 

I also really need to find a way to get more exercise.


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## katt (Dec 5, 2009)

okay, so while we are talking about losing weight, i wanted to share this, because i am SO proud of myself. here are 2 pics, one when i was at my highest weight (just over a year ago) and me just a few weeks ago. i have lost around 45 wonderfull pounds.

when i saw these next to each other i was in shock. how did i let myself get to that point? anyway. i am still working on losing weight. and i hope that everyone does great with their diets/lifestyle changes!

just had to share my before and after pic when i came across the one of me at my heaviest.


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## degrassi (Dec 5, 2009)

Wow you look amazing! Great job! Keep it up!


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## TinysMom (Dec 5, 2009)

Katt - you rock! I love the before and after pics.


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## katt (Dec 9, 2009)

thanks guys, i really have to pat myself on the back, i have worked so hard.

but i am stopping all weight losing till after the holidays, it is just to much to worry about, since i work in a kitchen, and we are catering SO many holiday partys, their is always great food to try and taste.

how is everyone else doing? i think we should keep updating this with progress!

i need the support of others, and can offer it back!


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## SablePoint (Dec 9, 2009)

Slim Fast never worked for me.....I was only 14 when I was using it though. lol I actually wasn't really fat - just couldn't except that I was growing and that I run in a family of strong females.

I still have weight issues - but the issue is completely oposite than the topic explains.
I starting losing weight quickly at 18 years. Though, I've always been picky, my pickiness started getting worse - and worse. From a healthy and muscular 140 lbs. to as little as 105 lbs.
Right now I weigh 117 lbs., but my avarage weight should be atleast 125 lbs.
I grow out of foods, so my diet has to have a variety every time we go shopping. Unfortuantly my diet consist of junk food and expensive foods, so I don't eat enough - though when I get the chance to enjoy a cold-cut turkey club sandwich(my favorite food on par with jerkey) at a good restaurant - I can eat about 6 orders before I'm satisfied and ready to leave. 
One of the biggest issues with this appetite is that when there's nothing that's interesting to eat in the house - I smoke more cigs. The more I eat - I smoke less cigs. So it's really hard to control, but I've been getting alot better at controling this behavior.
Unfortuantly slimfast can't take care of my issue, only a doctor can fix it. I don't even know the name of my problem.


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