SlimFast and Herbalife are two of the biggest household names when it comes to weight loss meal replacement shakes. While there is a steady stream of new and apparently innovative meal replacement options, these brands remain perennial favorites. Many people prefer to use a well-known brand that’s been on the market for decades instead of taking a risk on something new.
Unless you’ve used these products extensively, you may be wondering whether they really offer the solution to your weight loss problems. You may also want to know what’s in Herbalife and SlimFast shakes and whether they’re a safe option. We’ll reveal the answers to these questions in this article. We’ll also show you an in-depth comparison to settle the SlimFast vs. Herbalife debate once and for all. So, is Herbalife better than SlimFast?
What Is SlimFast?
SlimFast is a company that provides a solution for quick weight loss based on low-calorie meal replacement shakes and bars. The SlimFast program requires you to consume two shakes, three SlimFast brand snacks, a food-based healthy meal containing roughly 600 calories, and plenty of nutritious fruits and vegetables. While exercise isn’t mandatory on the SlimFast plan, it burns calories, so we recommend getting active to see quicker results.
When most people think of SlimFast, they think of meal replacement shakes. However, its range contains various products to replace most of your meals and snacks. There are options available for people who want to follow a ketogenic diet or have diabetes. You can buy them online or in the most popular brick and mortar stores, including Walmart and Target.
What are the Benefits of SlimFast?
Many people have strong opinions about meal replacement diet plans, but the truth is that there are some benefits to the program and products that may suit certain people. These include:
• Easy to find in brick-and-mortar supermarkets and pharmacies and for sale online
• Relatively affordable
• No requirement to commit to a long-term subscription
• No complicated rules or instructions
• Calorie-controlled servings make it easy to lose weight without counting every calorie
What are the Drawbacks of SlimFast?
While SlimFast could be a good option if you want to lose weight relatively quickly but don’t have the time or patience for meal prepping or calorie counting. However, it would help if you also understood the potential drawbacks of this plan before you start, including:
• Highly processed ingredients, which many nutritional experts say you should reduce as much as possible
• Reduces opportunities for developing healthy meal preparation skills
• Doesn’t teach portion control as all the products come pre-portioned, which could cause problems after the diet ends if you don’t know how much you should serve of food-based dishes
• No clear roadmap for weight maintenance after the diet ends
• Does not come with nutritional or exercise coaching and support apart from social media groups
• Some people find the flavor of SlimFast shakes unpleasant
• Contains high sugar levels, which can cause various health problems such as diabetes and heart disease
What is Herbalife?
Herbalife is a brand that sells meal replacement shakes, protein powders, diet snacks, and dietary supplements. It produces a fat-burning supplement called Total Control that it says can increase metabolism to help you lose weight faster. Like SlimFast, the Herbalife weight loss plan involves replacing two of your daily meals with a diet shake and eating a third balanced, calorie-controlled meal based on regular food. If you have higher protein needs because you exercise a lot, you can add Herbalife protein powder to your shakes or meals.
Herbalife has a multi-level marketing (MLM) business model, which means you need to purchase your products from a registered distributor. They aren’t available in stores or directly from the Herbalife website. If you don’t know a rep in your area, you can find a local seller on the Herbalife website.
What are the Benefits of Herbalife?
Like many meal replacement diet plans, there are some Herbalife benefits that could be useful for some dieters. These include:
• Products are easy to fit into a busy lifestyle and don’t require calorie counting or complicated meal planning
• Wide variety of flavors, shakes, snacks, and supplements, so most people should find a product that they like
• Products come in calorie and fat-controlled portions
• Meal replacement shakes contain soy protein, which could lower heart disease risk, although the evidence for this is still emerging
What are the Drawbacks of Herbalife?
It’s essential to understand the potential drawbacks of Herbalife products before you rush out and buy them. These include:
• Meal replacement shakes and snacks contain a lot of sugar, which is likely to cause you to exceed the 5% daily maximum of total calorie intake recommended by WHO
• More expensive than many comparable weight loss products
• Some products in the Herbalife range have a high caffeine content, which could interfere with sleep or lead to hypertension
• Various evidence points to a potential link between Herbalife products and liver damage
• Weight loss plan doesn’t teach healthy cooking skills or portion control, which could result in weight regain
• Not everyone likes the taste of Herbalife products
• Some Herbalife products are unsuitable for people with fish, dairy, nut, and shellfish allergies
SlimFast vs Herbalife Shakes: Which is Better?
As you can see, there are multiple similarities between the Herbalife and SlimFast weight loss product ranges. Both companies sell meal replacement shakes and snacks that are calorie-controlled and should lead to decent weight loss if used correctly, although both brands contain a lot of sugar.
So, is SlimFast better than Herbalife? Let’s compare some key details to help you decide which brand to purchase for your weight loss journey.
Flavor and Consistency
Whether you prefer the taste of Herbalife or SlimFast comes down to what flavors you like, but some users complain that Herbalife shakes have an artificial taste and powdery texture that they find unpleasant. Conversely, SlimFast shakes are smoother and a little sweeter. However, for both brands, you’ll find people who found the shakes delicious or totally revolting. A key advantage of SlimFast is that you can buy a single pre-made shake in the supermarket to try before purchasing a larger quantity.
SlimFast is also generally more straightforward to make than Herbalife because you can easily mix the powder into a liquid using a regular whisk without any unpleasant lumps. You’ll need to use a blender or a special shaker to achieve a smooth consistency with Herbalife shakes.
Herbalife has a broader range of options when it comes to shake flavors. Like SlimFast, it offers vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and coffee-flavored shakes. However, it also has more diverse options, including spiced apple, cookie crunch, and summer berries.
Weight Loss
When it comes to pounds lost, there isn’t much to differentiate between SlimFast and Herbalife because both work in the same way. The plans restrict your calorie intake by replacing some of your meals with portioned shakes, which can help you lose several pounds each week. The exact amount you’ll lose depends on various factors, including how much you weigh and whether you work out. Ultimately, which is best for you depends on which flavors you like and how you prefer to buy and prepare your weight loss products.
Purchasing Options
SlimFast is the more accessible of the two options because you can buy its range in most supermarkets and pharmacies, and it’s also readily available online. Buying Herbalife is a little more complicated because you need to find a registered seller to buy from. However, this might be convenient if a friend or family member sells Herbalife already. You can also find a seller on the company website if you don’t know anyone to buy from.
Convenience
Both Herbalife and SlimFast are pretty convenient for people who don’t want to spend hours cooking, making food diaries, and calorie counting because everything comes pre-made and pre-portioned. Therefore, both can be reasonable time-saving solutions that will allow you to lose weight without thinking about it too much.
Some people may find SlimFast more convenient when they’re starting out because it sells a 7-day starter pack containing everything you need for your first week. Unlike Herbalife, it also sells ready-mixed shakes for times when you don’t want to whisk powder or risk your shaker bottle leaking into your bag. However, Herbalife products are easier to adapt to your unique needs, and there is a protein powder that you can add to shakes and meals if you do a lot of physical activity.
Nutrition
We recommend exercising caution with meal replacement shakes like SlimFast and Herbalife because they contain a lot of sugar. This could make them unsuitable for most people with diabetes, although SlimFast sells a range specifically designed to be diabetes-friendly. Herbalife shakes contain around 21g of sugar, and non-diabetic SlimFast shakes contain about 20.9g, so there’s barely anything separating the two brands in terms of sugar content. This high sugar content is concerning because it can lead to tooth decay, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and certain cancers if you consume too much.
However, SlimFast’s ready-made range of shakes is lower in sugar and could be a better option if you want to limit your sugar intake. Some Herbalife flavors are also lower in sugar, although it can be tricky to figure out which ones are the better options.
Both SlimFast and Herbalife contain high levels of processed ingredients, including processed proteins and emulsifiers. Neither option is exactly a nutritional powerhouse, so we recommend taking a dietary multi-vitamin supplement and making sure that your food-based meals contain plenty of nutritious fruits and vegetables.
Is SlimFast or Herbalife Better for Long-Term Weight Loss?
Neither SlimFast nor Herbalife is a good option for long-term weight loss because most people find a diet consisting of mainly meal replacement shakes bland and unexciting after a while. Consuming this type of diet could cause you to crave your regular meals and snacks. There is also concern that you could return to overeating after you finish the Herbalife or SlimFast weight loss meal plans because they focus on pre-prepared shakes and snacks and don’t require you to develop healthy eating habits, portion control, or cooking skills. Some users find that they regain some or all of the weight they lost when they return to regular eating.
SlimFast and Herbalife can both be useful for short-term weight loss or kickstarting a long-term diet based on real foods. However, we recommend a ketogenic diet based on healthy fats, lean protein, and nutritious vegetables as a more sustainable way to lose weight.
Herbalife vs. SlimFast- The Verdict
So, are SlimFast products better than Herbalife, or should Herbalife be your go-to for speedy short-term weight loss? While we don’t recommend them for long-term use, either can provide a convenient and effective way to slim down.
Overall, we think that most people will find SlimFast the tastier and more convenient of the two options. Its range includes shakes and snacks suitable for people with diabetes and those that want to eat keto. There are also convenient ready-made shakes for dieting on the go and an affordable 7-day starter kit, and it’s generally easier to make the powdered SlimFast shakes. Many people also prefer the flavor and texture of SlimFast to Herbalife. It’s also much easier to find a SlimFast stockist, although you’re reasonably likely to know a Herbalife seller among your social circle.
However, some people may find the adaptability of Herbalife products makes them more suitable for their needs and circumstances. Herbalife also sells a wider flavor range, so there may be a Herbalife product you like if you’ve tried SlimFast and didn’t like any of its taste options.
Alternatives to Herbalife and SlimFast
There are plenty of companies selling meal replacement shakes and protein powder similar to Herbalife and SlimFast. However, we generally recommend considering a food-based diet instead of a meal replacement program because it’s easier to sustain long-term.
A ketogenic diet that’s low in carbohydrates and high in vegetables, protein, and unsaturated fat provides a healthy and sustainable alternative to SlimFast or Herbalife. There’s a lot of evidence that eating keto can help you lose weight faster than traditional diets and could make you feel less hungry. A ketogenic diet encourages your body to burn fat while preserving lean muscle mass.
Weight Loss Evolved is our favorite ketogenic weight loss program because it is physician-designed and customizable to suit any lifestyle. It focuses on healthy and nutritious food-based meals and comes with an adaptable exercise program for faster weight loss and improved overall wellbeing. It’s an excellent option for people who have struggled to lose weight in the past and want evidence-based advice and support.
You could also consider adding a weight loss supplement to your routine to help you lose weight faster without having to live on diet shakes. These supplements are available without a prescription and can help you burn fat faster while reducing your appetite and boosting your energy levels. You can find detailed reviews of our favorite fat-burning supplements here.
FAQs
Q: Do you really lose weight on Herbalife?
A: Many people lose weight on Herbalife because it significantly restricts your calorie intake by replacing some of your meals with shakes, leading to fat loss. While it’s pretty useful for short-term fat loss if you stick to it religiously, many people find it hard to follow long-term.
Q: Which meal replacement shake is best to lose weight?
A: Which meal replacement shake is best to lose weight depends on your needs and preferences. Any shake that restricts your calorie intake, like Herbalife or SlimFast, will help you lose weight, at least in the short term. However, some are more nutritious than others, and not everyone will like the flavor of every brand. Generally, we like SlimFast as a short-term weight loss solution because it has a smooth texture and sweet taste, and there are options to suit people with diabetes.
Q: Is SlimFast good for weight loss?
A: SlimFast can help you lose weight quickly because it restricts your calorie intake, resulting in the loss of body fat. However, it can be difficult to sustain long-term. We recommend viewing SlimFast as a way of slimming down quickly for a particular event instead of thinking of it as a long-term lifestyle choice.
Q: Can SlimFast make you gain weight?
A: SlimFast shouldn’t make you lose weight while you’re using it because it reduces your calorie intake, although it’s possible you could put weight on if you don’t follow the program correctly. However, some people find that they regain weight after stopping the SlimFast plan because it doesn’t come with a weight-maintenance diet. To avoid this pitfall, you should take time to educate yourself on healthy meal planning and preparation and portion control.
Q: How much can you lose a month on SlimFast?
A: You can expect to lose around 4-8 pounds per month if you follow the SlimFast plan correctly. However, you may lose a bit more or less depending on how active you are and how much you weigh.
Q: How much can you lose a month on Herbalife?
A: You can expect to lose roughly 4-8 pounds per month on Herbalife if you stick to the program. Individual results will vary depending on various factors, including your starting rate and whether you exercise.
Q: Is Herbalife bad for your liver?
A: There is some evidence that Herbalife products are bad for your liver. Roughly 50 people have developed liver damage worldwide after using Herbalife products. However, it’s unclear exactly which ingredient in Herbalife injures the liver. Most cases were mild to moderate, although a couple of cases were more severe.
Q: Does SlimFast have side effects?
A: There are no known serious side effects of following the SlimFast weight loss plan. However, it may not be suitable for every individual, especially if they are pregnant, nursing, or have a pre-existing condition. If in doubt, you should seek medical guidance before using SlimFast to lose weight.
Q: Can you drink Herbalife with water?
A: You can make Herbalife Formula shakes with water and protein powder, although most people choose to make them with milk or a dairy-free milk alternative.
Q: How do I start selling Herbalife?
A: You need to gain sponsorship from an existing Herbalife seller and buy a starting pack before you can start selling Herbalife. If you don’t know a seller, you can connect with one near you on the Herbalife website. However, we recommend taking a look at the earnings reported by Herbalife for its distributors before committing. According to its own data, only 50% of new Herbalife sellers in 2019 earned more than $175 per month, and only 10% achieved more than $1,030 per month. Therefore, it’s essential to have realistic expectations about how much you can really make selling Herbalife.
The Bottom Line
Herbalife and SlimFast are both effective options if you need to lose weight short-term, but it’s important to understand that both contain a lot of sugar and processed ingredients. Also, bear in mind that many people can’t stick to a meal replacement shake diet long-term, and there are more nutritious and sustainable ways to lose weight quickly, such as eating a ketogenic diet.
In the Herbalife vs. SlimFast battle, we generally think that SlimFast comes out on top because it is easier to source, more straightforward to mix, and has a more palatable flavor. However, some people prefer the wider flavor range and versatility offered by Herbalife. Ultimately, which you like comes down to which you prefer the taste of and your specific requirements.
The Herbalife and SlimFast diets aren’t suitable for everyone. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and those with health conditions should approach them with caution and only start the plans after seeking approval from their healthcare provider.
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