A quick fix that works for me (Slim Fast Summer Strawberry Milkshake Powder)

Member Name: sweetiebum

Product:	Slim Fast Summer Strawberry Milkshake Powder
Date:	22/10/08 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Works for me

Disadvantages: Could taste a bit better.

I really struggle with my weight and have done for many years. The only way I have ever managed to shift some is by using Slimfast. I always feel quite embarrassed when people ask me how I managed to lose it and I often lie through my teeth saying 'oh you know, just healthy eating and exercise'. I somehow feel like I'm a failure by resorting to these meal replacements because they never seem a 'healthy option'. Yet when I need to lose a bit of weight, it is the only thing that seems to work.

For those of you who have never heard of Slimfast it is a range of food produced by Unilever that has been specifically designed by a 'team of nutritionists' to be nutritionally balanced and less than 250 calories. The premise of the plan is simple; substitute two of your daily meals with a Slimfast Meal Replacement option and then have a healthy evening meal consisting of around 600 calories. The plan is based on calories, however if you prefer not to count them you don't have to if you stick to plan. So in theory, as long as you eat a balanced main meal it isn't really that unhealthy. The main stay of the Slimfast range is their 'shakes' which come in either individual ready to drink bottles or larger tins of the powder that you mix up yourself. However more recently they have branched out into fruit smoothies, soups, and snacks like pretzels and even chocolate bars. I personally prefer the ready to drink bottles, however these are often more expensive especially if you are having two of these a day. So if you are on a budget then it makes sense to opt for the powder so you can make them yourselves. Each tin retails for around £4.99 although they can often be found half price or buy one get one free at all times throughout the year so the cost can be reduced. Each tin has approximately 438g of powder which provides around 12 servings. Although I'm sure I get more than 12 servings from mine.

Slimfast only produce the tins of powders in one size - which I think is a bit of a disadvantage as the tins are quite large. It's a bit of a pain if you need to take the tin anywhere such as work because they are larger than say a jar of coffee would be. Unlike the individual bottles, the powders only come in four flavours; Heavenly Chocolate, Banana, Summer Strawberry and Vanilla. I think it is a shame they don't include more of the flavours, although I'm quite happy with having just the Strawberry flavour.

Each tin is red in colour with 'Slim Fast' written across the top. Underneath this there is a green banner stating the calorific content and depending on which flavour you have there is a picture of that flavour sloshing about across the bottom of the tin. I personally don't think the picture of the milkshake is a good one as it looks like a big wave and reminds me of being sea sick! That's just my opinion, hopefully yours will differ!

The lid on the tin is made out of red plastic which is easy enough to remove and replace when necessary. Underneath this lid is a metal lid with a pull ring which is quite difficult to get your fingers under to lift up and remove. It is also quite sharp so it is best to dispose of this immediately. After removing this lid, with the strawberry version you are immediately greeted with a strong smell of artificial strawberries. It doesn't smell remotely like real strawberries, however it is still quite a pleasant smell. The powder comes quite far up the tin and there is usually a large scoop buried somewhere beneath the surface. One advantage to this packaging is that when it is finished with you don't have to struggle to remove any labels as they are printed onto the tin so it can be easily recycled.

The instructions are printed on the back of the tin and are easy enough to follow. It states to add two scoops to a glass of skimmed milk and stir. Unless you like lots of lumps in your milkshake it is best to use a fork and stir it vigorously as it doesn't mix in quite as well as normal milkshakes. Alternatively if you have a cocktail shaker you can make the milkshake smoother and frothier by using one of these instead.

I personally don't always add the full two scoops as it can be a bit too strong for me. When mixed with milk, the strawberry flavour looks a pale pink colour and tastes pleasant. I'm not going to lie and say it tastes brilliant as it doesn't. There is definitely a distinctive taste to all of the Milkshakes that remind you that you are on a diet! Despite this, within a couple of days you just get used to the taste and can even be quite enjoyable.

I think the reason why I find the plan so successful is because when I have a milkshake for breakfast and for lunches, only supplemented by lots of water I do feel strangely full up. The fact that I haven't actually chewed anything also helps me because I find that I don't want to eat anything else. Whereas if I was to eat a normal breakfast I would be more tempted to snack and eat more than I should. I know this may sound strange but I find it really works and by the time dinner time comes around you really appreciate it and enjoy every mouthful. I'm an all or nothing kinda gal, I can't just have one biscuit I have to have the whole packet, so by restricting myself to only eating at dinner time I find it works for me.

Summary: I wouldn't hesitate buying it again