The Slim Fast Diet Reviewed: Does SlimFast Work?(Prt II)

This is part II of our discussion of the Slim Fast Diet Plan.

If you missed Prt I of the Slim Fast article, click here to read it!

As I was saying, the extreme caloric restriction of the Slim Fast Plan means dieters are likely to encounter several major problems...

First off, you'll be starving -- really starving. Sure, on the TV commercials it all looks pretty easy, but in real life one "nutritious" shake is not going to carry you through to midmorning and certainly not through to lunch. You'd better crank up the willpower on this diet, 'cause you're going to want to eat.

Secondly... there is so much sugar in these shakes and so little fiber, your blood sugar levels are going to go through the roof -- especially if you happen to be hyperinsulinemic, or hypoglycemic. So you can look forward to intense cravings, fatigue, unproductivity, mood swings, and more cravings.

OK, if problems one and two weren't enough to change your mind, then get ready for number 3, 'cause it's the kicker...

Because caloric levels are so low on the Slim Fast diet plan, you're likely to lose as much muscle (lean tissue) as you are fat. Well, so what, right?

Not really. Since lean muscle mass requires calories at times of rest, the amount of muscle mass you maintain directly affects your metabolism in a positive way. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. Unfortunately, the converse is also true -- as you lose muscle mass, your metabolism drops. Fat on the other hand, being inert, has no effect on your metabolism.

So let's assume you steel your resolve and continue the Slim Fast Diet Plan until you've lost 20 lbs. Unfortunately, the bathroom scale doesn't tell you how much fat or muscle you've lost... just the weight. A good guess would be a 50-50 split -- 10 lbs. of fat, and 10 lbs. of muscle. Now you've finished your diet and achieved your goal. Naturally you start to eat normally again, and what happens?

Whammo! Back comes the weight, even faster than before! Why? Because without those 10 lbs of muscle around to burn calories at rest, your metabolism has taken a serious downturn. Now you're really going to have to battle to keep from gaining back twice the weight!

Of course, since the Slim Fast diet focuses on weight loss (as measured on your scale), and not tracking your body fat percentage (which provides an accurate indication of how your weight loss program is really progressing), you'll never know just how much fat you actually lose on this diet (to learn how to properly assess your success or failure on any diet plan, check out this blog post on measuring your body fat percentage!)

In conclusion?

The Slim Fast Diet is seriously, fundamentally flawed. It's expensive and ineffective. The nutritious shakes are anything but -- you'd be better off drinking low fat milk. Caloric levels are set much too low, and muscle mass is threatened.

In the end, this diet continues to sell because of the marketing dollars behind it and the simplicity of the plan.

In light of this, however, it's certainly not a bad idea to consider incorporating a quality meal replacement powder (or drink) into your diet plan. They make meal planning simple, take no time to prepare, and they remove the guess-work out of your calorie consumption. Click here to read more about Meal Replacemen Powders!

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