Slim Fast Didn't Work For These Reviewers

by Dr. Dan

The advertisements

The Slim-Fast program is heavily advertised. It has celebrity endorsements. They say it is a wonderful program that changed their life.

But those celebrities were paid for their endorsement. What about Slim-Fast in real life?

Real-life experiences

Here are some reviews from folks who tried the Slim-Fast program that say, "No, Slim-Fast didn't work for me."

But there are two sides to every story. Click here for positive reviews of the Slim-Fast program.

Slim Fast with Fries Anyone?

by Lana Darling
(Birmingham, AL)

Eager to start program

I was excited when I made the decision to go on a Slim Fast diet. I had heard so much from my coworkers about the shakes and how they were a delicious way to quickly meet one’s weight loss efforts.

I grew up loving strawberry and vanilla shakes, so I decided to try these two flavors.

Disturbed digestion

I was on the Slim Fast diet for approximately 1 month. There were a few challenges that I had sticking to it. The first was the awful gas that I experienced after drinking Slim Fast.

While I enjoyed both the vanilla and strawberry flavors, I couldn’t stand the awful bubbling sensation that I would experience in my stomach afterward.

Still hungry

Another challenge was that the Slim Fast shakes did not actually make me full. I found myself wanting to have Slim Fast along with a salty snack, such as pretzels.

I think a healthy snack is recommended, such as a piece of fruit or something, but one time I was so hungry that I even ordered some fries at a McDonald’s drive through so that I could eat them with my shake!

Overeating at dinner time

Whenever I just had Slim Fast though and nothing else, I ended up becoming very hungry within 45 minutes to an hour after drinking it.

I couldn’t wait to eat dinner, and the word “sensible” often went out of the window as I consumed more calories than I normally would have if I’d eating two decent meals earlier in the day.

May work for quick weight loss

I no longer drink Slim Fast, although I would probably recommend it to someone who just wanted to quickly lose a couple of pounds.

I managed to lose about 5 pounds when I first began drinking it, but once the munchies set in, I gained those pounds back and more!

Lana

Note from Dr. Dan

Lana,

I'm not surprised that you had this reaction to Slim-Fast. If you look at the ingredient list you find that the shakes are made with sugar and artificial flavoring.

It would be a miracle if you permanently lose weight and become healthy with Slim-Fast or any other "diet food" made with chemicals and artificial ingredients.

Why? It's simple. To build a healthy body -- and that means one that is at the proper weight -- you have to feed it healthy ingredients.

And cravings? Many times people have cravings not because they didn't get enough to eat, but because they didn't get the nutrients their body needs.

And so they continue to eat more and more fattening food and never get the minerals and vitamins that would finally make their body feel content.

Dr. Dan

Slim-Fast Failure

by Benny
(California)

Hungry after eating

I tried the Slim-Fast diet for about a month. I had a shake for breakfast and lunch, and a bar for a snack. It was fairly easy in theory as I liked the taste and convenience of the shakes.

However, I often found myself hungry within an hour of drinking the shake, even if I ate some fruit with it. This lead me to either drink an extra shake throughout the day, or eat more snacks, which stalled out any weight loss I might have had.

At least it's simple

I did like that it was simple, and the website promotes healthy eating rather than strict dieting.

Also, I liked the idea that dinner was almost your free meal after two shakes and snacks in the day.

Need real food

For me, though, the shakes and bars were not enough to keep me from starving throughout the day.

I think a diet with more real food and not meal replacements is not only healthier, but easier to stick to.

Benny

Note from Dr. Dan

Benny,

There's a lot of sugar in Slim-Fast. And there's a lot of sugar in fruit.

It's going to be pretty tough to lose any weight with that combination.

I agree with you about eating real food. But overweight people eat real food, right? So that's not the solution either.

I've found that the vast majority of people don't have a clear enough idea of what they are eating -- and what they should be eating -- to be able to lose weight successfully.

Dr. Dan

Slim-Fast Doesn't

by Jenna
(Syracuse, NY)

No help from Slim-Fast

The Slim-Fast diet didn't help me at all. I didn't like the way the shakes tasted, and I was so hungry by dinner time that it was hard to stick to "a sensible dinner".

I think they have more meal replacement options now, but when I tried Slim-Fast it was a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and a regular dinner. Lunch was really inconvenient since I was a college student at the time, and I'd have to go back to my dorm room to mix the shake.

Awful taste

I had a tub of the vanilla shake mix which tasted absolutely awful. I've heard from some friends that the chocolate mixes are much better, but I've never really liked chocolate that much (yes, I've been told how weird that is), and I really wouldn't want to have to drink two chocolate shakes every day.

The Slim-Fast stuff didn't keep me from feeling hungry throughout the day.

No social eating

Until dinner time, there was no way to eat with other people unless you wanted to mix and drink a watery shake while they ate an actual meal.

If I lost any weight on the plan -- which I don't think I did -- it probably came back as soon as I switched back to eating regular food.

Poor results -- can't recommend

I tried it for as long as I could stand it, but I didn't like the meal replacements and, even if I had, I don't think I would've been able to keep eating them every day for as long as I wanted to stay thin.

I would not recommend Slim-Fast to anyone trying to lose weight. Maybe the formula's changed since I tried it, but it's not the same as drinking a milkshake for breakfast and lunch.

It also doesn't help you long term: you can either keep buying Slim-Fast products or risk gaining the weight back once you stop using them.

Slim Fast Diet A Problem For Me

by Terrie
(OH, USA)

Program sounds easy

Not too long ago I tried Slim Fast. I figured it would be easy enough to do, no major thinking required, to do it.

Just drink the specified number of cans of the stuff a day, eat a sensible meal. What could be so hard or what problem could arise from doing so?

At least the idea is good. You get fiber from the drinks, minerals, and vitamins. Granted the stuff isn't exactly on the less expensive side, for one thing.

Headaches from shakes

I had a problem with it, which caused me to stop trying it. I was getting horrific headaches from it. These came on, if I drank more than 2 cans of Slim Fast a day.

I've tried this diet a number of times, over a few years. Whatever it is that is in it, my body just doesn't like. It doesn't matter the flavor, a premixed can or one you make yourself from a mix.

Migraine trigger?

Anything over 2 drinks a day of Slim Fast, and the 3rd time of drinking it a day, would cause me horrible headaches, that would start within an hour of drinking it.

I've tried it a number of times over the years, results were always the same. Headaches, which was the only negative side effect I had from using Slim Fast.

I've often wondered if anyone else has ever had this problem. I enjoyed the flavors and idea of the whole diet plan, so it wasn't like it was a chore or dreaded doing it. So, I always had a picture in my mind, of little fiber overload in my head happening.

Note from Dr. Dan

Terrie,

I don't think you need to worry about a fiber overload in your head.

Slim Fast shakes have calcium caseinate, a protein that triggers migraines in some people. In addition calcium caseinate contains MSG, and MSG can also cause headaches. So perhaps that is the cause of your headaches.

The Slim Fast program is very low calorie, and the products contain a lot of sugar. That's not a good combination for permanent weight loss.

Dr. Dan

Slim Fast Was Not Right For Me

by Evelyn
(Santa Barbara, CA)

Hungry in an hour

I tried Slim Fast for about a month and a half. The shakes honestly taste really good.

I liked them, but the problem was when I first started I always felt so hungry quickly after drinking the shake. It was an hour afterward to be exact.

Lost weight

Right after you drink the shakes you feel really full, which is great but it goes away very quickly. But I did stick to it, and I lost about 10 pounds in that month and a half.

I would eat a salad from McDonalds with grilled chicken or white rice with vegtables and a little butter for dinner. And I did have a yogurt snack or fruit in between shakes.

Went back to old habits

The problem was I was always hungry so this diet did not last long for me and I ended up giving up and going back to my old routine, eating the wrong foods, and gaining all the weight I lost.

I might try this diet again since it did help me lose weight but I would have to find snacks in between so I do not feel hungry all the time though.

How Slim-Fast Diet Almost Made Me Join Sister in Hospital

by Stephanie
(Pittsburgh, PA, USA)

Started in high school

The summer before my senior year of high school I decided to try to lose weight with Slim-Fast Diet. I was heavier than the other kids and wanted my senior year to be different from all the previous years of school.

I followed the rules mainly. Drank a shake for breakfast, one for lunch, had my normal dinner, a little snack at night. That is it.

The pounds started coming off. I was happy with the results.

Developed dizziness

Then after about a month or so it started to happen. I would walk into a room from the outside and start feeling dizzy from the difference in light. I kept getting light headed.

That summer my sister was pregnant with my first nephew. I remember her going into the hospital to give birth and being thrilled to see my nephew for the first time.

Nearly passed out

When I got to the hospital I walked into her room and she had not been doing well with complications for the birth. I looked at her and looked at the baby boy and all of a sudden I broke into a cold sweat and the room started spinning around and around on me.

Thankfully I did not pass out and it only last a little while. At that moment in time I thought I would end up right beside her.

Digestive problems

I stopped Slim-Fast right after that incident but since then I have had constant stomach issues such as lactose intolerance which never occurred before using product. I do not recommend this to anyone.

Slim Fast, No Thanks!

by Charlyn
(Salt Lake City, Utah)

Not enough calories

I tried Slim Fast. At just over 200 calories a serving who wouldn't lose weight consuming only two shakes and sensible dinner? Everyone would if they could keep to it.

If you eat according to plan you're eating under 1000 calories, which is inappropriate for most people's energy requirements. If you work out at all you'll be starving!

Felt starved

I did usually feel like I was starving most days. Which probably helps when consuming the shakes, they aren't good. But when you're really hungry you feel like you'll eat anything.

What little weight I lost the first week, I gained back during my second week on Slim Fast by overeating in the evening, snacking when I couldn't tolerate the hunger, or eating too many of the meal replacement/snack bars that taste just like candy bars incidentally.

Didn't feel healthy

Overall I didn't feel like I was doing my body any favors, taking in prepackaged diet products and chemicals. I didn't feel like I was eating healthy at all and was happy to go back to normal foods like fruits and vegetables.

I suppose this diet could work for someone who is extremely sedentary but I wouldn't recommend it.

Charlyn

Note from Dr. Dan

Charlyn,

I'd have to agree with you. If you starve yourself you'll end up weak and hungry. That's the formula for overeating and weight gain.

Dr. Dan