Does SlimFast work?

[numbers123]

I have the same issue. Dammit, I just love my food! I've had a sore throat due to allergies for several weeks and last night I had Fritos and hot bean dip for dinner (I know, I know... ). It felt *so good* on my throat that I ate twice as much as I should have.

I rarely fight the unhealthy dinner nights as long as they don't become every night. I find it I try to deprive myself of the ice cream with caramel syrup topping supper, all that does is drive my obsession with foods that I *can't* have. Right now I will be fighting that urge big time because I will be on prednisone for a month. Drug helps with asthma symptoms but is wicked on sleeping and eating issues.

[PDilemma]

Uh...I didn't ask for advice. Not once. I'll repeat one more time...I was just pointing out to all the people suggesting gyms and classes and expensive gaming systems that not everyone can spend the money on those things.

And the last thing I need is weight watchers. My doctor would probably abandon the Hippocratic oath to kill me if he found out I was dieting as I have been underweight most of my life and am now just on the low end of average.

[Ziggy]

If I was a fascist dictator, all diets would be banned.

The only thing that works is PERMANENTLY changing your diet habits for more healthier, as well as getting some kind of regular excercise (walking briskly is good enough for a start).

So in short: eating complex carbohydrates which fill you up for longer, a lot of lean protein (fish and poultry if you eat meat plus all the vegetable sources like quinoa, tofu, etc.) and eating a lot of meals throughout the day.

A good strategy is to eat something every 3 hours.

Boring. Obvious. I know.

But dieting is usually very unhealthy and brings only short-term results.

Although I guess there are diet programmes which are more focused on the long-term healthy balanced diet aspect and less on the short-term unsustainable weight loss.

South Beach Diet is probably the least bad of the fad diets. Dukan and Atkins are one of the worst and can lead to serious health problems (like brittle bones).

The diet redonthehead mentioned sounds very sensible.

Anyways, getting off my high horse now and going out to get pizza and ice cream.

[Anita18]

Uh...I didn't ask for advice. Not once. I'll repeat one more time...I was just pointing out to all the people suggesting gyms and classes and expensive gaming systems that not everyone can spend the money on those things.

And the last thing I need is weight watchers. My doctor would probably abandon the Hippocratic oath to kill me if he found out I was dieting as I have been underweight most of my life and am now just on the low end of average.

You didn't specify.

For underweight-to-low-end-of-average people like us, strength training is really important. Pushups and squats are good overall exercises for that. I use weights (as heavy as I can handle) but anything is better than nothing. My mom had osteopenia when she was only in her early 50s and is still getting treated for it now. I understand this will be my future too if I don't do something.

[manhn]

To ride a bike, you have to buy a bike. That usually costs money. To run, you have to buy running shoes. More money.

When deciding on my condo, one of my must haves was a gym. I have a gym membership but I use my condo's gym regularly during the week to avoid having to find parking or when the weather sucks.

That is also how I choose my hotels when I travel. Yes, it costs money but that just means less money towards food.

[galaxygirl]

Eating Fritos on a sore throat? I thought Fritos were disgusting slices of salt when I'm healthy!

Actually, my throat is itchy rather than sore and the Fritos are nice and scratchy. I find Fritos to be way too greasy so I mainly use them as a vehicle for the yummy hot bean dip.

[MacMadame]

I think you have to take into account what kind of exercise personality you have. I like scheduled activities and also group activities but I must have variety. Other people would rather die than do a group class or something scheduled just doesn't work for them.

For me, I'd rather die than do a workout video at home. I do sometimes ride my bike on a trainer at home and it's excruciating torture for me every time I do it. Hence, I've done it about 5 times in the past 3 years.

[galaxygirl]

I think you have to take into account what kind of exercise personality you have. I like scheduled activities and also group activities but I must have variety. Other people would rather die than do a group class or something scheduled just doesn't work for them.

For me, I'd rather die than do a workout video at home. I do sometimes ride my bike on a trainer at home and it's excruciating torture for me every time I do it. Hence, I've done it about 5 times in the past 3 years.

I have my treadmill set up so that it faces the tv so I can walk while watching tv. I can't go very fast right now because I have the remnants of a Morton's neuroma in my right foot. This is ideal for me because I really dislike working out and if the show is good enough I don't even notice that I'm exercising.

[DAngel]

I've also read (somewhere I can't remember, so take this for what it's worth) that sometimes when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. So maybe if you are "hungry" all the time, trying drinking some water and see what happens.

Is this really true? To me they are two very distinct sensations... I feel the hunger in my stomach, but feel the thirst in my throat/mouth... Is this different for different people?

[Karina1974]

I have my treadmill set up so that it faces the tv so I can walk while watching tv. I can't go very fast right now because I have the remnants of a Morton's neuroma in my right foot. This is ideal for me because I really dislike working out and if the show is good enough I don't even notice that I'm exercising.

I just got a bike trainer for my birthday (turns a regular bike into a stationary), so I think I'll try that technique. I've been riding outside 3-4 times a week since March, so I dread having to train indoors.

[redonthehead]

The diet redonthehead mentioned sounds very sensible.

Well it's not technically called a diet, it's called "program" (I just call it that!) because it's more a change in eating habits. That way when you lose all you want then you keep it off because you've changed your lifestyle.

Er, every body is different. I'd still go by what your pee looks like. If it's medium to dark yellow, you're not drinking enough.

My stomach cannot handle anywhere close to a gallon of any liquid in a day. It feels like it's all going to come up. In response, I sit and don't move until I feel better, which can be hours later. (So much for being active, right?) Pre-colonoscopy day is NOT fun for anyone in my family.

Oh yeah, I remember reading an article about it and I've found it now:

http://articles.latimes.com/2000/nov/20/health/he-54596

Errr this doesn't work for everybody either! If I went by what color pee I have, I wouldn't need to drink any water at all even before going on the program.

But whatever, just telling you what the physician based program I'm on requires and what another client's dr told her.

[aliceanne]

Uh...I didn't ask for advice. Not once. I'll repeat one more time...I was just pointing out to all the people suggesting gyms and classes and expensive gaming systems that not everyone can spend the money on those things.

And the last thing I need is weight watchers. My doctor would probably abandon the Hippocratic oath to kill me if he found out I was dieting as I have been underweight most of my life and am now just on the low end of average.

Yes, but you introduced the topic that classes and games were expensive and that not everyone can afford them. The other posters were merely pointing out inexpensive alternatives.

If you don't want/need to exercise you don't have to, but many posters feel that OP's plan to use Slim Fast to lose weight is not wise. They are trying to offer alternatives.

[Stormy]

Eat healthy, all the time, and while you won't lose weight quickly, it'll happen.

Well, this is pretty general. You can be eating 3000+ calories of all healthy foods and that sure isn't going to lead to weight loss. Granted, maybe I'm overexaggerating a little, but just saying "eat healthy" isn't the be all and end all and the magic word to say to lose weight.

[MacMadame]

Errr this doesn't work for everybody either! If I went by what color pee I have, I wouldn't need to drink any water at all

But, according to science, some people get all the water they need from food. Maybe you are one of them.

For myself, I have to drink like crazy to get my blood pressure to remain in a good place no matter what my pee color is. Sigh.

Well, this is pretty general. You can be eating 3000+ calories of all healthy foods and that sure isn't going to lead to weight loss. Granted, maybe I'm overexaggerating a little, but just saying "eat healthy" isn't the be all and end all and the magic word to say to lose weight.

I don't think you are exaggerating at all. The thing is, you lose weight when you eat at a calorie deficit and you gain when you don't. It really has nothing to do with whether you eat "good" foods or "bad" foods. There are advantages to eating healthy foods but automatic weight loss isn't one of them.

This reminds me of a conversation I had once. They wanted to know, if they ate a piece of pie, how long it would take for that to show up on the scale. I pointed out that the scale doesn't have a red light that indicates "You ate pie!" and that eating pie doesn't automatically make you gain weight just because it's pie. You have to eat more calories than you burn and you can eat nothing but pie all day and, if you eat only 600 calories of it, you will actually lose weight! Likewise, if you eat 3000 calories of carrots, the scale will go up.

For some reason, this didn't sit well with them. They wanted their scale to go up if they ate a piece of pie and go down if they ate a carrot. But it just doesn't work like that.

[Veronika]

Yes, it's all about calories in vs. calories burned. The benefit to eating healthier food is that higher fiber & protein/lower carb & sugar items make you feel full longer. And fat makes you feel full longer too, you just have to watch the number of calories.

[myhoneyhoney]

yup. Say your body requires around 2000 total calories per day. Eat that amount then burn off 500 of it that day. After 7 days you will lose about 1 lb.

And ANY exercise will help burn calories be it running on a $2000 treadmill, jumping rope, or doing jumping jacks. Running/jumping is free. Resistance training can be free too. Use your own body for weights, do standard or on knee push ups, do triceps pushes off a chair/sofa, do squats, if you have stairs go up and down several times, that works your legs/butt plus cardio. Punch the air with a full water bottle in each hand. Dance!

I spent over 10 years being fat. There, I said it, I was fat, I was 145-150 lbs and only 5 feet tall exactly. I always said, oh... I have 4 kids, I'm a stay at home mom I can't afford the gym, I have to do this.... I have to do that.... I finally just got off my butt and insisted on getting 20-30 minutes of exercise 4 times a week and it worked. I walked around the block. I ran in place and did jumping jacks while helping the kids do homework. Yeah, they looked at me like I was nuts, but whatever, I was exercising. Push ups and crunches became part of my routine.... I started losing some weight. It was slow, maybe 1 lb. every 2-3 weeks (yeah, I SUCK at watching what I eat) but the scale was going down. I still have 4 kids, still have no $$ since I still stay home, but my mindset has changed. I work out M-F and I prepare healthy meals for my family which actually saves us $$ since we're not hitting up fast food places anymore. I admit I'm very angry and disappointed at myself for not doing this earlier. I'll never get those moments back when I had a hard time running around with the kids at the park our couldn't swim as long with them because I was out of shape.

It can be done!

[topaz]

If I was a fascist dictator, all diets would be banned.

The only thing that works is PERMANENTLY changing your diet habits for more healthier, as well as getting some kind of regular excercise (walking briskly is good enough for a start).

So in short: eating complex carbohydrates which fill you up for longer, a lot of lean protein (fish and poultry if you eat meat plus all the vegetable sources like quinoa, tofu, etc.) and eating a lot of meals throughout the day.

A good strategy is to eat something every 3 hours.

Boring. Obvious. I know.

But dieting is usually very unhealthy and brings only short-term results.

Although I guess there are diet programmes which are more focused on the long-term healthy balanced diet aspect and less on the short-term unsustainable weight loss.

South Beach Diet is probably the least bad of the fad diets. Dukan and Atkins are one of the worst and can lead to serious health problems (like brittle bones).

The diet redonthehead mentioned sounds very sensible.

Anyways, getting off my high horse now and going out to get pizza and ice cream.

I completely agree. I lost 65 pounds in about 6 months by what you just described. I subscribed to Ediets and I did the Glycemic Index Diet. I had 3 main meals and 3 snacks a day. I ate on the average every 3 to 3 1/2 hours(except after a workout I had a snack within 30 minutes of working out, protein shake w/fruit or fruit with some type of protein). My daily calorie intake was 1600 to 1700 calories a day for about 5 1/2 months then I upped my calorie intake to between 1900 to 2100 calories.


* Protein and eating fruit(especially berries) after a workout helps repair muscle tissue and help aid recovery).

The Glycemic Index diet is alot of "clean eating". I removed alot of processed foods from my diet. I eat alot of whole grains, fresh or frozen fruit, greek yogurt, honey and molasses as sweeteners; veggies(except califlower)lean meats( I have a great recipe for turkey loaf muffins).

I worked out quite a bit in the beginning, too much, I got good results But it was more about the changes in my diet and how much I weighed to begin with than it was about working out 6 days a week.

When I switched to 3 to 4 workouts a week(2 days off and 1 day cardio only). My average weight loss was around 6 or 7 pounds a week for about 3 months. I do weight/strength training(circuit) 4 days a week. With the circuit strength training, my equipment is a medicine ball(or a toning ball), fitness ball, weights(barbell and dumbells). I do 6 continuous exercises and 3 sets of them. I rest between sets. I burn around 425 calories from the circuit training alone and it takes around 25 minutes tops.

I want to start using kettlebells. I want to take a class to learn how to use them properly. I've seen some amazing results with people who use kettlebells.

[michiruwater]

Well, this is pretty general. You can be eating 3000+ calories of all healthy foods and that sure isn't going to lead to weight loss.

Eating 3000+ calories a day isn't eating healthy.

[Anita18]

Eating 3000+ calories a day isn't eating healthy.

Michael Phelps burns through that in half a day of training. And I know guys who are serious about lifting weights and they have to eat like, 5000 calories a day (it's mostly lean protein) to keep up the muscle mass. One guy mentioned he got sick and couldn't keep up the eating and lost 30 lbs of muscle in just a few months. But before then he looked like a god.

So it also depends on what you're doing with your body. To be fair, most of us aren't training on Michael Phelps's level and aren't aiming to get huge muscles.

[Ziggy]

I completely agree. I lost 65 pounds in about 6 months by what you just described. I subscribed to Ediets and I did the Glycemic Index Diet. I had 3 main meals and 3 snacks a day. I ate on the average every 3 to 3 1/2 hours(except after a workout I had a snack within 30 minutes of working out, protein shake w/fruit or fruit with some type of protein). My daily calorie intake was 1600 to 1700 calories a day for about 5 1/2 months then I upped my calorie intake to between 1900 to 2100 calories.

The diet you described sounds extremely sensible, yes.

And also, it's not a diet per se, because you simply swapped to much healthier eating habits that are sustainable. And you weren't starving yourself.

I like GI because it's a simple indicator of what foods we should be eating more and what less of.

Eating 3000+ calories a day isn't eating healthy.

It is if you're doing a lot of excercise.