EmailBest Reviewed
Weight Loss Programs
- Best weight-loss program overall Weight Watchers *Est. $20
- Best diet plan with prepackaged food Slim-Fast *Est. $40
- Best online weight-loss community eDiets.com *Est. $4
- Best diet program for vegetarians Dean Ornish Eat More, Weigh Less *Est. $15
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Best diet plan with prepackaged food
- Short-term weight loss
- Shakes, snacks are nutritionally sound
- High drop-out rate
- High cost
- Lack of variety in available foods
The Slim-Fast weight-loss program is included in Consumer Reports' latest comparative review; this plan is also weighed against other diets by the British Medical Journal. We also consulted user comments about Slim-Fast posted on TopDiets.com.
If you need to eat your meals on the go or don't have time to prepare healthy foods, as is encouraged by the Weight Watchers program (*est. $20 to join, $9 monthly), reviewers say Slim-Fast's meals-in-a-can (or bar) are nutritionally sound, and the plan does produce weight loss, at least in the short term. The trouble is that although most people can stick with Slim-Fast for a couple of months, studies have shown that most can't adhere to the program for longer periods. Following the full Slim-Fast diet plan requires the purchase of prepackaged shakes and bars and cooking one meal a day; the plan is convenient, participants say, but it can be costly, and there's not a lot of variety.
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Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Editors discuss and rate eight weight loss programs, including Slim-Fast. Diets are assessed on their nutritional soundness and the results of clinical studies.
Review: Diet Plans: What the Studies Say, Editors of Consumer Reports, June 2007
This study tracks 293 dieters on Weight Watchers, Atkins, Slim-Fast, The Rosemary Conley Plan (a U.K.-based diet and exercise program) and a control group. Results suggest that Weight Watchers and Rosemary Conley are easier to stick with long-term than Slim-Fast and Atkins.
Review: Randomised Controlled Trial of Four Commercial Weight Loss Programmes in the UK: Initial Findings from the BBC "Diet Trials", Helen Truby, et al., May 23, 2006
3. TopDiets.com
On this bulletin board, there are about a dozen comments for Slim-Fast. Most say that they lost some weight initially, but gained it back, or that they stopped because the food was expensive.
Review: Diet Reviews, Contributors to TopDiets.com
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