Slim-Fast Slow Moving

This last week was a week of Slim-Fast. In the old days it was "a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and a sensible dinner." Now Slim-Fast says two shakes or meal bars a day, three snacks (of either fruit, vegetables, or their snack bars) and a 500 calorie dinner.

The diet is essentially a low calorie diet. If you follow the regular suggested diet you will get around 1200 calories, which is appropriate for women. I adjusted the diet to get me around 1500-1700 calories each day. I did this by using both shakes (190 calories) and meal bars (200 calories).

Compared to low carb week I felt completely energized throughout the week, instead of feeling run down all the time. I had no problem doing my regular workouts, and I was able to function throughout the day without feeling like I need to nap.

Although the initial cost of the Slim-Fast products might seem high, it really came down to only a few dollars per meal, which I felt was reasonablely priced. This is until you actually start to eat them. Though they had a good flavor they are very unfulfilling. Slim-Fast is essentially a starvation diet, their shakes and meal bars only take the edge off a little, they don't satisfy you. An 11 ounce shake is supposed to hold you over until snack time a few hours later, but since I was constantly hungry the temptation to eat my bars early was very strong. By the end of the day when I would have dinner I had to resign myself to just drinking water (or calorie and carb free powerade) to make it til the morning.

The most discouraging thing about surviving a week being hungry is that I only lost 2 pounds for it. I believe I have now eliminated all the weight I had gained since starting my job last summer. Now what I have left is the "institutional" weight that I've had for a number of years. I wouldn't be surprised if the high numbers I've seen in the first few weeks don't go away.

As I continue my experiment with diets I hope to find something more compatible with my life style.