Slim Fast Meal Replacement

Izzycam

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Has anyone tried slim fast meal replacement. They claim to have no added sugar but a serving has 15.5g of sugar. I’m a type 2 insulin dependent diabetic with a long standing weight problem and I’m looking for a different kind of weight loss problem.
 

bangkokdiabetic

Well-Known Member
Messages
409
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Not all slim fast product are sugar free don't no where you got this idea if you look at this forum you can eat and loose weight and lower sugar levels without having to resort to things like Slim Fast and you wont be making their shareholders rich whilst doing it
 
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ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Personally, I have chosen to use "real food low carb" to control my Type2 and lose weight. If you want quicker results with real food consider the "8 Week Blood Sugar Diet", this is also low carb.

One of the best websites to find out about low carb is DietDoctor.

@daisy1 will give you standard information we give all new members about low carb.

I don't know of any low carb diet shakes on the market in the UK, they can claim "no added suger" for their high sugar shakes due to how they make them from fruit juice etc.
 
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AlcalaBob

Well-Known Member
Messages
178
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
I've been following the Newcastle Diet with SlimFast shakes for three weeks now and my blood sugar has already normalised and my weight is coming down nicely. As long as you stick to the ND recommendations, which are 800 calories total per day from shakes and not carby vegetables, it seems to work, at least for me. I've also managed to halve my medication. I can't see any problem with them. There must be ways of doing the same levels without the shakes but for me it was convenient to know I'm getting all the necessary nutrients and I don't really have to plan anything. Once the diet kicked in and the liver started to recover insulin sensitivity, my blood sugar came down regardless of the carb content in the shakes. I think that's been the experience of many people on this site who have done the ND. All the best. I wish you every success.
 

mandydowns

Well-Known Member
Messages
48
Hi

I have been using Slim Fast and other similar products since July 2017 and have lost nearly 4 stone with no adverse affects on my blood sugars and now that I am lighter my Hb1ac is so much better. I have used it as a meal replacement in addition to cutting back on carbs and joining a gym to increase my exercise. I can only advise you that it has really worked for me. Good luck with your weight loss journey.
 

Izzycam

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Thanks very much for all the advice on here. I need to lose the weight somehow. I will look at the other diet suggestions but I may try the slim fast if they do not work.
 
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ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
If you want diet books to look at:
  • The New Atkins for a New You
  • 8 week blood sugar diet
  • The Pioppi Diet
These have all worked very well for people with Type2. The Slim Fast shakes also work, but you have the issue of how to introduce normal food once you have lost weight. Moderate low-fat diets (like the NHS promote) don't work for most people with Type2.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I have normalized my blood glucose simply by reducing the carbs and eating lots of low carb foods full of vitamins and minerals. I have lost about 45lb with no effort, just feel great and have energy again.
With Atkins there are 4 stages for different rates of weightloss and then maintenance - no problems switching from one state to another with that sort of advice.
 

Izzycam

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
If you want diet books to look at:
  • The New Atkins for a New You
  • 8 week blood sugar diet
  • The Pioppi Diet
These have all worked very well for people with Type2. The Slim Fast shakes also work, but you have the issue of how to introduce normal food once you have lost weight. Moderate low-fat diets (like the NHS promote) don't work for most people with Type2.

That I certainly know. I have tried (and failed) so often. I’m going to look at the 8 week blood sugar diet.
 

Sue192

Well-Known Member
Messages
594
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Years ago I tried Slimfast for a month and did lose quite a few pounds. The trouble I had with the shakes and bars (although the stuff then was probably much less balanced than the current Slimfast), and this also applied to Lighter Life which I briefly did, also years ago and to accompany a friend, was that they were incredibly and tooth-tinglingly sweet. I know there are meals and soups now, but I wonder if the emphasis on sweet replacement meals skews the introduction to normal food. I also had concerns regarding the chemistry lab list of ingredients! The 8-week blood sugar diet is a good place to start, @Izzycam, - non-processed food too, as is the Pioppi diet (both you can adapt to suit you). The best of luck to you for your weight loss.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Izzycam

Hello Izzycam and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.