I have decided to introduce Slim-Fast into my diet plan. I’m not going on the Slim-Fast diet, I’m just using the shake powder to augment the good habits I’m already building.
I used Slim-Fast many years ago in a similar way and saw good results. Here is how I am using it:
As a Meal Replacement
I often get home from work after the family has had dinner, sometime after 7:00PM. I have found this to be a very dangerous time for me and not having a planned meal makes it even worse. Even if I am left leftovers it won’t be enough for me and I will graze. I have to try very hard, and usually fail, to stop eating once I start at this late time. If I get home late enough I can sometimes go to bed hungry, but otherwise I have to eat. What I have started doing in that situation is to make a Slim-Fast shake and have a protein bar as my meal. It adds up to about 400 calories, but better yet the rigidity of the fixed meal makes me less likely to graze. I don’t plan to do this every night; most of the time I will be eating a normal dinner. But when faced with the prospect of a late night dinner that could easily turn into a grazing fest, I will be choosing the Slim-Fast.
As a Snack
I don’t plan to use the shake as a snack too much, for one because at 200 calories its about double what I want my snacks to be. But I have used it a couple of times when I have found myself craving something between meals. Usually when I can tell my little snack could turn into something worse. I’m getting pretty good at gauging that and what I have learned is that if I eat 200 calories of cheese, nuts or fruit, for example, I will easily slide into grazing some more. When I have a 200 calorie shake, which takes a little effort to make and reminds me I am on a diet, then I usually can stick just to that. Very mental.
As a Bridge
Do I intend do drink Slim-Fast shakes the rest of my life? Of course not. This is serving as a bridge to better habits; a bridge to a time when I don’t need the help to not eat when I am not hungry, or not graze, or eat better. This is sort of like how when I first started my diet the first thing I did was stopped eating two Sausage Egg McMuffins at McDonalds and cut down to just one. So just one value meal. Some diet, huh? But it was a bridge, a bridge on my journey to better decisions and better health. Eventually I was able to stop going to McDonald’s for breakfast and eventually I’ll stop needing Slim-Fast.
Here’s the recipe for my shake:
1 cup Skim Milk
2 cups ice cubes
1 scoop Slim-Fast Optima Milk Chocolate Shake Mix
Blend all together until ice cubes are all broken up.
I used Slim-Fast because I am familiar with it, I have had success with it, and I like the taste. I have no doubt there are other protein, energy, or meal-replacement shakes that would do equally as well. This is very much a personal preference thing, both in what you use and how you use it.
What do you think? Have I sold out?
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