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Slim Fast Diet Pros And Cons: Health, Nutrition, Dieting, Weight Loss And Fitness
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Published: May 31, 2007
With summer and warm weather upon us, dieters everywhere are looking for quick fix weight loss plans. The Slim Fast diet provides one such plan. The Slim Fast diet advocates that the dieter eat healthy, nutritious, small meals and snacks throughout the day, while including Slim Fast products as part of their weight loss plan.
The plan also emphasizes fitness to help weight loss, and suggests the dieter engage in thirty minutes of moderate exercise a day.
The biggest benefit of the Slim Fast diet is that the dieter is sure to lose weight quickly if they stay on the plan. The Slim Fast shakes and bars average approximately 200 calories a piece, so combined with healthy, nutritious meals and moderate daily fitness exercises, weight loss is inevitable.
The Slim Fast Diet is also easy. There is no guess work involved in counting calories because the nutritional information appears on every Slim Fast product. Moreover, Slim Fast products come in easy to carry packaging, making these foods very convenient to take to work and on trips.
The Slim Fast diet is relatively inexpensive. There are no personal trainers, spas, or prescription drugs, only the cost of the Slim Fast products themselves, which range from $7.00 for a box of five Slim Fast bars to $9.00 for a six pack of Slim Fast shakes. Considering the average person spends about $10.00 a day on lunch, Slim Fast is a relatively cheap meal replacement. Additional pros are that the Slim Fast diet contains nutritious ingredients such as protein, vitamins, calcium, and fiber and is low in fat.
Unfortunately, the Slim Fast diet appears to also have a number of cons. First, although those following the Slim Fast diet may lose weight quickly, they may have a hard time keeping the weight off. Unless the dieter truly enjoys the taste of Slim Fast products, they are likely to binge on tastier foods they would rather eat. For example, the Slim Fast products encourage the dieter to continue craving items such as Royal Milk Chocolate by providing substitute chocolate bars that supposedly taste like the real thing. As a result, Slim Fast products encourage the dieter to appreciate and crave the taste of chocolate and strawberry shortcake, instead of craving other, more nutritious foods such as fresh berries or green beans.
A second related con is that dieters may get bored on the Slim Fast diet. Despite the numerous products and flavors produced by the Slim Fast diet, dieters may feel as though they are being deprived of eating real foods. This may be due, largely in part, to the fact that Slim Fast products are all processed foods, rather than whole foods.
Another con is that because Slim Fast products are cheap, do not spoil, and can be eaten quickly, dieters may begin eating just the Slim Fast products instead of shopping for nutritious, whole foods.
Although Slim Fast products do contain nutrients, their nutritional value is still no substitute for fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. As a result, dieters on the Slim Fast diet risk falling into the trap of eating what is convenient, as opposed to what contains the highest nutritional value.
In sum, the Slim Fast diet is effective and works well for short term weight loss. Because it focuses on fitness as well, the Slim Fast diet is a healthy way for dieters to understand and incorporate exercise into their diet plans. However, the pros of the Slim Fast diet are outweighed by the cons, most notably that the Slim Fast diet promotes eating cheap, convenient processed foods over nutritious, fresh whole fruits and vegetables.
Sources:
Our Plan. Slim Fast. 2007. Unilever. 29 May 2007 http://www.slim-fast.com/plan/how/
Getting Started. Slim Fast. 2007. Unilever. 29 May 2007 http://www.slim-fast.com/activity/start/index.asp< br />Grieger, Lynne. “Slim-Fast.” iVillage. 1995-2007. 29 May 2007 http://diet.ivillage.com/plans/pslimfast/0,,7hq2,0 0.html
The biggest benefit of the Slim Fast diet is that the dieter is sure to lose weight quickly if they stay on the plan. The Slim Fast shakes and bars average approximately 200 calories a piece, so combined with healthy, nutritious meals and moderate daily fitness exercises, weight loss is inevitable.
The Slim Fast Diet is also easy. There is no guess work involved in counting calories because the nutritional information appears on every Slim Fast product. Moreover, Slim Fast products come in easy to carry packaging, making these foods very convenient to take to work and on trips.
The Slim Fast diet is relatively inexpensive. There are no personal trainers, spas, or prescription drugs, only the cost of the Slim Fast products themselves, which range from $7.00 for a box of five Slim Fast bars to $9.00 for a six pack of Slim Fast shakes. Considering the average person spends about $10.00 a day on lunch, Slim Fast is a relatively cheap meal replacement. Additional pros are that the Slim Fast diet contains nutritious ingredients such as protein, vitamins, calcium, and fiber and is low in fat.
Unfortunately, the Slim Fast diet appears to also have a number of cons. First, although those following the Slim Fast diet may lose weight quickly, they may have a hard time keeping the weight off. Unless the dieter truly enjoys the taste of Slim Fast products, they are likely to binge on tastier foods they would rather eat. For example, the Slim Fast products encourage the dieter to continue craving items such as Royal Milk Chocolate by providing substitute chocolate bars that supposedly taste like the real thing. As a result, Slim Fast products encourage the dieter to appreciate and crave the taste of chocolate and strawberry shortcake, instead of craving other, more nutritious foods such as fresh berries or green beans.
A second related con is that dieters may get bored on the Slim Fast diet. Despite the numerous products and flavors produced by the Slim Fast diet, dieters may feel as though they are being deprived of eating real foods. This may be due, largely in part, to the fact that Slim Fast products are all processed foods, rather than whole foods.
Another con is that because Slim Fast products are cheap, do not spoil, and can be eaten quickly, dieters may begin eating just the Slim Fast products instead of shopping for nutritious, whole foods.
Although Slim Fast products do contain nutrients, their nutritional value is still no substitute for fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. As a result, dieters on the Slim Fast diet risk falling into the trap of eating what is convenient, as opposed to what contains the highest nutritional value.
In sum, the Slim Fast diet is effective and works well for short term weight loss. Because it focuses on fitness as well, the Slim Fast diet is a healthy way for dieters to understand and incorporate exercise into their diet plans. However, the pros of the Slim Fast diet are outweighed by the cons, most notably that the Slim Fast diet promotes eating cheap, convenient processed foods over nutritious, fresh whole fruits and vegetables.
Sources:
Our Plan. Slim Fast. 2007. Unilever. 29 May 2007 http://www.slim-fast.com/plan/how/
Getting Started. Slim Fast. 2007. Unilever. 29 May 2007 http://www.slim-fast.com/activity/start/index.asp< br />Grieger, Lynne. “Slim-Fast.” iVillage. 1995-2007. 29 May 2007 http://diet.ivillage.com/plans/pslimfast/0,,7hq2,0 0.html
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