Slim Fast Diet Information

"Give us a week, we'll take off the weight." That slogan brought a lot of attention in the 1990s to Slim-Fast, a line of weight-loss shakes and bars. By replacing two meals a day with a Slim-Fast product and eating a "sensible dinner," the products' manufacturers say dieters can lose a significant amount of weight.

History

• Slim-Fast was introduced in 1977 by Thompson Medical Company, which had earlier produced Slim-Mint Gum and Dexatrim diet pills. At the time, Slim-Fast was a powdered formula mixed with low-fat milk. The original diet was a 1,200-calorie-per-day diet with two shakes and a sensible dinner. However, Slim-Fast was pulled from the market after 60 people died after following a similar 300-calorie-per-day diet marketed by a competitor.

  Slim-Fast was reintroduced in the mid-1980s. In 1988, the company signed Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda as a spokesman and promised a $20,000 donation to his favorite charity if he stuck with the Slim-Fast diet. As a result, Lasorda lost nearly 30 pounds and the manufacturer donated the funds to build a new convent for nuns in Nashville, Tennessee. The company has continued with celebrity endorsers ever since. Slim-Fast was spun off from Thompson Medical in 1990 and was acquired by Unilever Group in 2000. It reported $28 million in sales in 1999.

Products

• According to the Slim-Fast website, there are five types of products available:

  Optima shakes, powders, meal and snack bars, which control hunger. These have less sugar than the original product.

  High-Protein shakes, meal and snack bars and powders with Vitamin B complex to boost metabolism

  Easy-to-Digest shakes for those who are lactose- or gluten-sensitive

  Lower carbohydrate shake and snack bars with 6g of total carbohydrates

  Original Slim-Fast shakes and meal bars

  Each of these products is available in a variety of flavors. Most major supermarkets carry the items and individual servings can often be found at convenience stores.

Diet Plan

• The Slim-Fast website has many activities and tools to help create a personalized diet plan. In general, dieters are encouraged to "replace, combine, dine and snack." For example, replace a conventional breakfast with a Slim-Fast shake, combine a shake or a meal bar with a sandwich for lunch, eat a 500-calorie "sensible" dinner and eat fruit, vegetables or a Slim-Fast product as a snack.

Results

• According to the Slim-Fast website, users have lost up to 18 lbs. in seven months and kept it off by continuing to use one Slim-Fast product daily in place of a meal and continuing to exercise regularly and eat sensibly.

Criticism

• Some who have used Slim-Fast products do indeed lose weight quickly, but stop the program after a week because of the monotony of a shake-based diet. Weight-Loss Center.net's review noted that the sugar content of the products can result in a "sugar crash" mid-day. It also noted that the products can be costly if bought in large quantities.

Health Risks

• No major health risks have been connected to Slim-Fast products when they are used as directed, according to diet.com.