Life on the Slim Fast Diet

I resolved to start seriously trying to lose weight in October of 2012, when I went to my annual physical and stepped on the doctor’s scale. When the digital number flashed up at me, I nearly died. I’d gained ten pounds in a year without even knowing it! My body mass index was only one percentage point away from making me clinically obese.

I ended up choosing the Slim Fast Diet after some internet research. Unlike other plans, I didn’t have to fork out any cash to join an online “community” or buy food exclusively from Slim Fast. The Slim Fast website offers free meal planning tools, weight lose trackers and recipes. However, there are no required food journals or exercise regiments. I also liked the flexibility of the Slim Fast 3-2-1 plan. This plan urges dieters to have three 100-calorie snacks throughout the day, two 200-calorie Slim Fast meal bars or shakes, and one balanced 500-calorie meal.

Since starting the Slim Fast plan two months ago, I’ve lost over twelve pounds. This is just by following the diet plan. I’ve added almost no exercise into my life, with the exception of some easy, fun “office exercises” that I try to do at least three times a week at work. I’m too busy (and lazy) to get to a gym faithfully, and I find them over crowded and expensive anyway.

As with any diet, there are some pros and cons. A big advantage of the Slim Fast plan, in my opinion, is the taste. The meal bars and shakes are much tastier than I expected. I love the cookie dough meal bar because it tastes just like raw chocolate chip cookie dough. The ability to snack is another reason I stick with the Slim Fast plan. Eating three snacks a day helps me manage my hunger and feel like I’m not really dieting. Many brands make 100-calorie snack packs, which give me a taste of the junk food I crave. Also, the ability to have a 500-calorie meal once a day keeps cravings low, as I can still eat some of my favorite foods, just in more moderate amounts.

My biggest complaint with the Slim Fast plan is that I don’t feel full. The meal shakes claim to have four hour hunger control, but I honestly never feel full after one. Usually I drink a bottle of water after the shake to make my tummy stop grumbling. Monday through Friday I’m at work, so there is no other food to tempt me. However, weekends can be rough, because I’m at home and usually end up eating something out of the fridge after the meal bar or shake. The other draw back to the Slim Fast plan is the cost. The shakes and meal bars aren’t cheap. The powdered shake mix is more economical, but I can never get it to taste as good as the premixed bottles.

The positives far outweigh the negatives for me, so I’ll stick with Slim Fast to continue losing weight in 2013. If you are considering a diet for your New Year’s resolution this year, I can honestly say the Slim Fast diet has worked for me. It doesn’t feel as much like dieting as more restrictive plans, but I’m still losing weight and seeing results, without lots of exercise. If you have more questions about the diet, feel free to send me a message. If you are interested in those fun office exercises I mentioned, they can be found here and here.

This is a consumer review of my experience thus far with Slim Fast products. Slim Fast is not compensating me for this review in any way. I cannot promise that your experiences will be the same. Just as a reference, I would like to share that I am a twenty-eight-year-old Caucasian female, with no children. I was very active in sports while in high school, but since graduating college and getting married I have fallen into a sedentary lifestyle. Aside from the diet and exercise mentioned in this article, I take a daily multivitamin and a morning pill packed with vitamin B to boost my energy and metabolism.