I’m not normally one for faddy diets as I’m generally a great believer in eating healthy and have always made dinners from scratch but since recently having a baby I’ve been struggling to loose the weight so needed a bit of a boost. I looked at a view ‘diets’ and decided to try Slimfast as I’d seen a 7 day starter pack half price in Tesco. For only £13 (instead of £25) I got everything I needed to complete a week. I didn’t have very high expectations and would’ve been happy if I’d have lost a couple of lbs but I didn’t expect to lose almost 7lbs and I was chuffed.
Below is a summary of how it works, how I felt during the 7 days, what I ate and my top tips.
What do you get in the 7 day starter box?
Meal Replacements; a strawberry shake (you just need to mix it with skimmed milk), 2x meal replacement bars, snacks; 6 sweet bars and 2 savory snacks and 5 sachets of porridge. The pack also includes a handy 7 day meal planner which gives you an idea of the snacks you can have and 7 meal ideas.
How does Slimfast work?
Essentially Slimfast follows a 3-2-1 concept. 3 snacks a day which should be under 100 calories, 2 meal replacements, either a shake or the bar (these are around 200 calories) and lastly 1 meal which must be under 600 calories. Your total calories for the day should be around the 1200 mark. Prior to starting Slimfast I was consuming around 2000 calories and some days when I was naughty quite a bit more!
My 7 day Journey
Day 1 I knew was my starting point so I jumped on the scales and took a photo in a bikini which was awful! I weighed 7.8. I generally had a shake for my meal replacements as they tasted much better than the bars and I felt they were more satisfying. The shakes were easy to make and actually taste really good, a few cubes of ice is a good addition. I knew it was something I wanted to continue with so after a couple of days I picked up some banana shake to mix things up a bit. Most days I would have a shake at around 9am, a snack around 11am, my second shake around 1:30pm, second snack anywhere between 3 & 4pm and we normally have dinner at 6:30pm. I would have my final snack in the evening.
I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t actually that hungry most days and soon realised that I previously was eating for the sake or eating or enjoyed food as opposed to actually being hungry. I was quite hungry in the afternoon during the first couple of days but this got much better as I got into more of a routine and I think I got used to eating slightly less. By day 3 I started to feel better in myself and felt a lot less bloated which was great.
Meal planning was key for the success of this diet, I generally plan all my evening meals anyway but I needed to get better at planning snacks especially if I was out and about as it’s very easy to go off plan. I also noticed that I needed more fruit and veg in my diet as the snakcs in the starter pack are very sweet and if like me you’re more of a savoury person than it’s worth swapping out some of your snacks for ‘normal’ food which is a lot cheaper and probably nutritionally better for you. Just remember that any snack must be under 100 calories.
In addition to following the plan I tried to get a little more exercise, nothing too strenuous but I tried to go for a 30 minute walk every day. I weighed myself everyday and could see a gradual improvement, at the end of the 7 days I’d lost a whopping 7lb and I was so pleased.
My Food Diary
I’ve included everything that I ate during the 7 days below in the handy table which you can print out if you want and I’ve also listed each day with links to recipes.
Day 1
- Breakfast – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 1 – Slimfast Cheddar Bites
- Lunch – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 2 – 1 carrot and small low fat hummus pot
- Dinner – Creamy Chicken with Linguine
- Snack 3 – Slimfast treat bar
Day 2
- Breakfast – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 1 – Slimfast Porridge
- Lunch – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 2 – 1 babybell light and 2 slices of wafer thin ham
- Dinner – Bacon & Pea Risotto with Asparagus
- Activia strawberry yoghurt
Day 3
- Breakfast – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 1 – 1 carrot and small low fat hummus pot
- Lunch – Slimfast Meal Replacement Bar
- Snack 2 – Slimfast Bar
- Dinner – Chicken Sausage Meatballs with spaghetti
- Snack 3 – Activia Yoghurt
Day 4
- Breakfast – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 1 – Slimfast Porridge
- Lunch – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 2 – Mixed Fruit (Strawberries, blueberries & grapes)
- Dinner – Pork Mince Lettuce Boats
- Snack 3 – Slimfast treat bar
Day 5
- Breakfast – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 1 – 1 carrot and small low fat hummus pot
- Lunch – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 2 – Slimfast Bar
- Dinner – Cheats ‘KFC’ chicken burger
- Snack 3 – Activia Yoghurt
Day 6
- Breakfast – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 1 – 1 carrot and small low fat hummus pot
- Lunch – Strawberry Shake
- Snack 2 – Mixed Fruit (Strawberries, blueberries & grapes)
- Dinner – Thai Chicken Curry with rice
- Snack 3 – Slimfast treat bar
Day 7
- Breakfast – Strawberry Shake
- BBQ
Top 5 Tips
- Plan Everything! It’s absolutely crucial to plan what you are going to eat to stop you going off track. I would recommend siting down before you start and firstly planning your meals so you can buy all the ingredients. It’s also good to plan your snacks as I initially didn’t do this and it can be so tempted to go for something naughty and well over your 100 calories. I would recommend printing out your plan so each day you know what to eat and when, this will stop you reaching for the naughty cupboard and it also helps you look forward to your next dinner or snack.
- Track what you eat and drink. If you plan correctly you should know your total daily calorie count however there may be times where you go off plan for whatever reason and it’s important you track this as you can amend your other snacks/meals accordingly to stay within the daily amount. It’s also important to plan what you drink, for example if you have a capucinno, you may think nothing of it but this can add a whopping 200 calories to your daily consumption which can really start to add up. I use the app MyFitnessPal which is great as it’s free and you can track everything you can eat and drink really easily by searching for the item or simply scanning it. You can also add recipes if there is a meal you make a lot. It’s worthwhile investing in some electronic kitchen scales to be able to accurately weigh out your food portions.
- Exercise – you don’t need to do lots of exercise. All I tried to do is go for a walk everyday. This not only helps with the weightless but can make you feel better in yourself too.
- Don’t beat yourself up. If you do go off track (like I did at the BBQ) don’t beat yourself up and loose your motivation. It doesn’t matter if you had the odd naughty meal or glass or wine, just get back on track as soon as possible and you’ll be fine.
- Track your loss. I don’t just mean weighing yourself but also taking photos. As horrible and uncomfortable as it may be it’s really important to take weekly photos so you can view your progress. Often this can be more impressive than just the scales and helps your motivation when you may be lacking slightly.
